Panaji, Feb 12 (IANS): Goa, known for its sunny beaches and night life, received nearly 26 lakh (2.6 million) tourists in 2010 or nearly double its population of 13 lakh, according to statistics released by the state tourism department Saturday.

The official figures also show that Goa recorded a healthy 17 percent increase in the number of foreign tourists visiting the state in 2010 as compared to the preceding year.

The number of domestic tourists has also increased, but by a minor 3.5 percent, the statistics show.

According to the tourism department statistics, 4.41 lakh foreign tourists visited the state January-December 2010, with December topping the list at 1.01 lakh foreign tourists.

November followed at a close second at 83,940 foreign tourists. In 2009, Goa was visited by 78,513 foreign tourists, most of them from Britain and Russia.

On the domestic front, 22 lakh tourists visited the state in 2010, as compared to 21 lakh in the preceding year. The peak month of December saw nearly 3.9 lakh domestic tourists visiting the state.

According to the 2001 census, Goa had a population of 1.34 million.

Civil society groups have often complained that tourism 'overkill' on Goa's beaches, in face of absolute lack of planning by the state government, had put substantial pressure on the natural resources as well as the existing infrastructure here.