Indian Coastal Tourism Has A 'Goa Hangover' - Here Are Other Destinations Facing The Seas

'I love to travel. I am a free spirit. If travelling was free, you'd never see me again. #Wanderlust'

'Where all have you been to?'

'Goa'.

That's a joke but it's funny precisely because there's an element of truth in it. Goa, for perfectly valid reasons, has nonetheless a disproportionate influence in Indian coastal tourism.

Here's a brief overview of everything else that India's coastline has to offer to tourists.

Plan a coastal trip in Karnataka by beginning your journey at Mangaluru, and then proceeding to visit the clean, quiet beaches of Udupi with a quick pitstop at Shri Krishna Matha.

If you have an extra day, you can book yourself a session of surfing at Malpe or kayaking in the Suvarna river near Manipal.

Once you are done doing that, head to Agumbe to see the climatic conditions change drastically within a span of ten kilometres.

From there, one can visit Karwar, enjoy the wildlife and the naval warship museum and finally visit Gokarna or Murudeshwar on your way back where you can book sea-facing properties for half the price you pay in Goa.

You have places to pray and places to explore and party. You can see the tallest Shiva statue while scuba diving near the Netrani islands.

I write fondly about Karnataka because it is my home state, but there's Kerala's Varkala cliff — an hour's drive from Thiruvananthapuram — which is an offbeat tourist destination offering the best views, cheap hostels for backpackers and paragliding at an affordable price.

Most coastal tourist destinations, especially in southern India are located close to the western and the eastern ghats. If you visit Visakhapatnam, you can also easily make a trip to Araku Valley.

Just a few kilometres north of Vizag is Odisha. You can drive all the way up to Konark and Puri from Gopalpur. Located close to each other, there are many activities each state offers.

From temple towns to water sports, there's everything in store. With improved air, rail and road connectivity, one does not have to worry about reaching a destination any more.

The issue isn't that India does not have enough tourist destinations on the coast or has poor connectivity to them. The problem today largely has to do with people being not aware of how beautiful some of these destinations are.

To garner views, even 'influencers' are incentivised to promote destinations that are already popular.

Even within Goa, it is a shame that not many people bother to drive down south, just a few miles from Panaji and visit the quiet beaches and temples the state has to offer. Instead, thanks to the factor of places having to be 'Instagrammable', only few destinations in India are facing the negative brunt of excessive tourist rush.

Coastal tourism is on the rise in India, and is projected to become one of the largest sectors of the overall ocean economy in the country, according to an Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Developement (OECD) report. Marine and coastal tourism will contribute to 26 per cent of the Blue Economy overall.

This is one of the reasons why the Indian government is boosting coastal infrastructure. By 2030, more than a million tourists will visit the Indian cruise market.

Adequate hotels, good roads and airport connectivity, and tourist awareness is what is needed for a thriving coastal tourism industry in India.