1 · Demand
Who comes to Goa
| Year | All visitors | From abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | about 81 lakh (about 71 lakh from India) | nearly 10 lakh |
| 2023 | 86,28,162 | 4,52,702 |
| 2024 | 1,04,09,196 | 4,67,911 |
| 2025 | 1,08,02,410 | 5,17,802 |
Sources: Goa Tourism (2019) · The Goan, Tourism Department data (2023–2025) · Goa Legislative Assembly reply (visitors from abroad, 2023–2024)
In 2025, 1,02,84,608 of Goa’s 1,08,02,410 visitors came from within India: about 95 in every 100. Visitors from abroad were about half their 2019 number. For a new yoga teacher, the market is now mostly Indian. Source
The seasons
In the first half of 2025, January was the busiest month, with 10.56 lakh visitors, and June the quietest, with 8.34 lakh. Source From October to December 2025, Goa averaged about 10.6 lakh visitors a month, worked out from the official totals. Source 1 Source 2 Many yoga schools follow the tourist season: one Assagao retreat, for example, is open from October through May. Source
What Indian travellers look for
- Trips of 4 to 7 days, mostly with family (40%) or a partner (34%). Relaxation is the top reason to travel (67%), and nearly half (47%) plan to spend ₹5,000 or less a night on a room. Agoda’s survey for 2026. Source
- 53% of Indians are looking for wellness trips. Skyscanner’s survey, November 2024. Source
No official source counts the yoga tourists in Goa, or what they spend.
2 · Supply
What yoga costs in Goa
Prices as published on studios’ own websites in October 2026. They change from season to season, so check before you rely on them.
| Offer | Price | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Drop-in class | ₹500; 6 classes ₹2,400 | Universal Yoga, Arambol. Source |
| Drop-in class | ₹500 led, ₹800 Mysore style | Balu Ashtanga Yoga Shala, Arambol. Source |
| Drop-in class | ₹600 | SWAN Yoga Retreat, Assagao. Source |
| Drop-in class | ₹800 evening, ₹1,000 morning with breakfast | Goa Yogashala, Agonda. Source |
| Drop-in class | ₹1,000 | Ashiyana, Mandrem. Source |
| A month of classes (24) | ₹9,000 led, ₹12,000 Mysore style | Balu Ashtanga Yoga Shala, Arambol. Source |
| 3-night retreat with yoga and meals | ₹18,000–23,500 per person sharing; ₹27,000–34,500 single | SWAN Yoga Retreat, Assagao. Source |
So a drop-in class costs about ₹500 to ₹1,000. At the one inland retreat that publishes its prices, a stay with yoga and meals works out at about ₹6,000 to ₹11,500 per person per night.
Some schools price their extras in euros, for example Ayurveda programmes from €500 at one Mandrem school. Source That is a sign they sell mainly to guests from abroad, the part of the market that has shrunk since 2019.
3 · Rules
Rules for a small homestay retreat
- Register the homestay. A homestay or bed-and-breakfast must register with the Department of Tourism under the Goa Registration of Tourist Trade Act. It needs 2 to 6 lettable rooms (12 beds at most), the owner must live there, and the annual fee is ₹1,000. Source
- Fire safety. Fire safety clearance is now mandatory for all tourism activities, homestays included. Source
- Wellness labels. The Goa Wellness, Ayurveda and Yoga Policy, 2026, notified in March 2026, sets up voluntary One, Two and Three Leaf labels for wellness, Ayurveda and yoga centres, with a place for facilities in hinterland and rural areas. Registration is free for the first two years, then ₹2,000. Source
- Grants. Goa’s ₹2 lakh grant for homestays covers only seven talukas: Sattari, Sanguem, Dharbandora, Bicholim, Canacona, Ponda and Quepem. Bardez, home to Aldona, is not one of them. Source
- GST. Since 22 September 2025, yoga and other physical well-being services carry GST at 5% without input tax credit, down from 18%. Hotel rooms up to ₹7,500 a day are also at 5%. Source A service business must register for GST once its turnover crosses ₹20 lakh a year. Source
- Teaching. No licence is needed to teach yoga. Certification by the Ministry of Ayush’s Yoga Certification Board is voluntary. Source Its first level, Yoga Protocol Instructor, is in the 11 October notes.
Rules change. Confirm with the Department of Tourism and a chartered accountant before you open.
4 · Opportunities
Where the gaps are
- The monsoon. Many shalas close from about June to September, yet June, the quietest month of early 2025, still brought 8.34 lakh visitors. Source Goa Tourism’s “Glow On Arrival” campaign markets the rainy season with yoga, Ayurveda and homestays. Source
- Beyond the beaches. The government is steering tourism towards regenerative and hinterland travel, which it calls “Goa Beyond Beaches”. Source 1 Source 2 The 2026 wellness policy makes room for hinterland and rural centres. Source Villages like Aldona, with Corjuem Fort and the St Thomas Church, fit that picture. Source
- Healthy ageing. Goa has the highest prevalence of diabetes in India: 26.4% of adults over 20, in the ICMR–INDIAB study. Source Goa marked International Day of Yoga 2026 with the theme “Yoga for Healthy Ageing”. Source Gentle classes for older adults and families, residents as well as visitors, are an opening. Teaching yoga as therapy is a separate, higher qualification with the Yoga Certification Board. Source
- Indian guests, priced in rupees. With about 95 in every 100 visitors from India Source, and nearly half of Indian travellers budgeting ₹5,000 or less a night for a room Source, simple, rupee-priced, beginner-friendly offers suit the market.
5 · Fieldwork
Before you visit a studio
The homework asks us to visit studios and classes, then design our own dream workplace. Things to note at each one:
- The floor, and how the room is shaded and aired.
- How it copes with monsoon rain.
- How many students fit, and how much space each mat gets.
- Props, storage, toilets and a place to change.
- How you book and pay, and whether prices are shown.
- Who actually comes: visitors or locals, beginners or regulars, young or old.
- What it does that no one else nearby does: its unique selling proposition.
Then sketch your own dream workplace from what worked.