Hitting out at how influencers have been allegedly ‘defaming’ Goa, the state's tourism minister Rohan Khaunte claimed that 2024 had been a good year for Goa's tourism. "Goa cannot be compared with Thailand," added Khaunte.
"People come to Goa for what it is. More importantly, Goa’s beauty and creativity and other things… cannot be compared with Thailand. We don’t want to experience a Thailand in Goa,” said Rohan Khaunte at a press conference in Goa recently.
A comment on X by Ramanuj Mukherjee seems to have infuriated the tourism establishment in Goa. Mukherjee wrote: "Foreign tourists have abandoned the state already. Look at 2019 v 2023 numbers. Russians and Brits who used to visit annually have opted for Sri Lanka instead."
He added, "Indian tourists are still visiting, but soon likely to ditch it as word spreads about the exploitation of tourists while there are so many cheaper comparable locations abroad."
The tourism minister claimed that five-star hotels in Goa had recorded around 100 percent occupancy. Rohan Khaunte's comments come after a viral social media post in November, claiming that “foreign tourists have abandoned the state,” triggered a hotbed of reactions about Goa's infrastructure.
Although Rohan Khaunte agreed that tourists visiting Goa faced issues with connectivity and fleecing by taxi operators, he claimed these were smaller issues. "I am not justifying the issues, but at the same time, we need to ensure that a wrong message is not created by someone. Let us amplify the right issues. Let us not disturb Goa with smaller issues when it is a tourism destination,” said Khaunte.
Goan cabbies are known to often charge passengers exorbitantly, demanding around ₹1500-1800 for a trip that should cost ₹500. In a recent interview, Goa Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho admitted that the biggest problem with Goa's transport was the state's taxis.
It is not just the taxis. A quick search on ‘Goa’ on X shows several users posting about a host of issues with the tourist destination. Exorbitant hotel prices, attacks on tourists (a tourist was beaten to death recently), and tourists preferring Sri Lanka tor Goa are some of the reasons for the declining foreign arrivals in the state.
The number of domestic tourists visiting Goa rose from approximately 52 lakh in 2015 to over 85 lakh in 2023. In 2019, Goa hosted nearly 9.4 lakh foreign tourists. However, November 2024's data shows a significant dip, with the figure falling to just 4.03 lakh, as reported by OHeraldo.
Kerala, which attracts lakhs of foreign tourists each year, is also facing several challenges. Though fleecing by local traders and taxi operators is not a common complaint, poor transport infrastructure is a widespread grievance among foreign and domestic tourists. Tourists often rue the pathetic condition of roads across the state. However, the quick emergence of Sri Lanka, which has very similar attractions, is an immediate threat to Kerala.
(By arrangement with livemint.com)