On viral tweet critical of Goa, tourism minister says: ‘Data was from China… Looks like hidden agenda to create false propaganda about state’

*Goa has been successful the quality implicit societal media posts of “negative experiences” of tourists, with a fewer claiming tourism was “down successful the dumps” owed to the “local taxi mafia” and escalating costs. What is your take?

Goa has ever been a preferred tourer destination but each twelvemonth we person somebody, immoderate influencer, who looks astatine it successful a antithetic way. Last year, immoderate radical tried to defame Goa but it did not work.

We person placed figures (of tourer footfalls) successful the Assembly and possibly adjacent successful Parliament. Now suddenly, a societal media station talks astir information from the “China Economic Information Centre”. The infinitesimal the connection China comes, immoderate alarm bells commencement ringing. So, it looks similar a program oregon a hidden docket to make mendacious propaganda astir the state, which has been a preferred destination of some planetary and home tourists.

The figures (in the viral post) spoke astir 8.5 cardinal overseas tourists successful 2019 but that year, the fig was not adjacent 1 million. In 2019, conscionable earlier the pandemic, we had 71,27,287 home and 9,37,113 planetary tourists. If we comparison figures with 2023, we had 81,75,460 home and 4,52,702 planetary tourists contempt the Russia-Ukraine warfare and different post-Covid challenges.

While the fig of planetary tourists fell during the pandemic, we person made a recovery. Foreign tourer arrivals successful Goa are astatine a higher percent than the remainder of the state and the betterment is astir 50 percent (of pre-pandemic numbers). In presumption of home tourists, we person already surpassed the pre-pandemic numbers. In the adjacent quarter, which is the highest play (October-December), we person the exposition of the ineffable relics of St Francis Xavier, IFFI and different festivals. So, we are expecting a ample fig of radical to visit.

*Are you saying determination is mendacious propaganda being dispersed to malign the representation of the state?

The mendacious propaganda is possibly with an ulterior motive. This decidedly induced fearfulness wrong the section communities and led america to enactment connected it since mendacious information was disseminated connected societal media. As an hold of the mendacious propaganda, we saw societal media handlers station astir their experiences successful Goa. We admit determination are immoderate issues but each tourism authorities faces them.

*What are these issues?

For instance, amerciable touts person been determination for a agelong time. We person tally an assertive run implicit the past 2 years to weed them retired and proceed to bash so.

Second, determination is simply a complaint of a “taxi mafia” successful Goa. I presumption it differently. We person galore planetary tourists, who sojourn Goa annually and person had a rapport with taxi drivers for decades, and dainty them similar an extended household owed to past experiences. Yes, determination are a mates of rotten apples which spoil the representation of taxi drivers.

About the precocious airfares and edifice costs, the authorities cannot curb immoderate rates. The rates are driven by marketplace forces. If determination is simply a edifice country being sold astatine terms “x”, it is business. It is simply a situation and we admit it. We person besides been talking to commercialized bodies, but we cannot curb rates. We person besides taken up the contented with the Civil Aviation Ministry and are looking to grow connectivity arsenic we request to link to much emerging markets similar the UAE, south-east Asian countries, Germany and occidental Europe.

*Many radical assertion they person cancelled their Goa plans and are alternatively travelling to Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam…

I volition not instrumentality (agree) with the examination of Goa with different countries arsenic we are a tiny authorities of 1.5 million, which caters to 10 cardinal tourists annually. We are not being compared to different states successful India but based connected mendacious data, are being compared to different countries. It seems similar a conspiracy to defame a preferred tourer destination successful the country.

Post Covid, travellers privation to research much destinations. As a traveller, if I americium coming to Goa, I americium besides going to Thailand, to Vietnam arsenic good arsenic Europe. For idiosyncratic to dispersed “do not spell to Goa” seems to beryllium an extended mendacious propaganda. You archer maine what is incorrect and we volition close ourselves. Our system is babelike connected tourism and contributes 16.43% to the GDP of the authorities and generates 35-40% of the state’s employment.

Unfortunately, societal media has nary limits. So, immoderate 1 says becomes the information if they person a definite following. Someone should realise we are “one India, unthinkable India” and we cannot deliberation of promoting different countries erstwhile we are here. We tin decidedly question to different countries…

*The tourism section filed a constabulary ailment successful effect to the online criticism. If incorrect information was shared, the authorities could person enactment retired close data. Why the complaint?

What bash you expect the authorities to do? Do we person to beryllium sympathetic to idiosyncratic who is playing with the state and the state? Can you ideate idiosyncratic disseminating Chinese information and Indians are talking astir it? Our information is disposable successful the nationalist domain. Take that and sermon with us.

However, lone information is not the answer. Post Covid, we request to speech astir prime implicit quantity. Tourists contiguous privation a much immersive acquisition and privation to question to tranquil places. We are present promoting Goa beyond the beaches.

We are besides moving connected bringing successful tourists whose per capita spending is higher and focusing connected providing infrastructure, governance and services. Our policies beforehand location stays, caravan tourism and regenerative tourism wherever we are showcasing our tradition, festivals, culture, eco-tourism and promoting the authorities arsenic a wedding destination.

The volition of these (defaming) societal media posts, which came astatine the commencement of the highest tourer season, is akin to what happened past year. This is simply a interest for the state. It seems to beryllium a systematic plan. I americium acrophobic due to the fact that Goa depends connected tourism and hence the ailment was lodged.

I americium definite whoever complains (about atrocious experiences) volition besides sojourn Goa. Goans person hospitality successful their blood. Here, we judge the tourer is God and privation to springiness everyone a bully experience.

*Has the Russia-Ukraine struggle and developments successful West Asia affected the fig of planetary tourists visiting the state?

The ongoing conflicts person affected the numbers. Israel was expected to unfastened up (as a market) successful large numbers this twelvemonth but could not owed to the conflict. Some ambitious markets got curtailed owed to the warfare but we person reached pre-Covid numbers with respect to tourists from the UK and Russia.

Rome was not built successful a night, neither tin we. We are taking a batch of proactive steps. We would emotion for each tourer to travel to Goa and person a bully experience.