Goa’s tourism grabbed the spotlight last week after a viral post claiming “foreign tourists have abandoned the state” triggered a barrage of social media reactions, with users sharing their negative experiences of visiting the state. The state’s tourism department first issued a clarification, and then filed a complaint against an entrepreneur behind the viral post.

In an exclusive interview with The Indian Express, Goa Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte claims “hidden agenda” and “ulterior motives” may have been at play to malign the image of the state. He also spoke about “inaccurate” comparisons of the state with international destinations like Sri Lanka and Thailand, tourism not being a zero-sum game and the perils of social media, among other issues. Excerpts:

Goa has been in the news over social media posts of “negative experiences” of tourists, with a few claiming tourism was “down in the dumps” due to the “local taxi mafia” and escalating costs. What is your take?

Goa has always been a preferred tourist destination but every year we have somebody, some influencer, who looks at it in a different way. Last year, some people tried to defame Goa but it did not work.

We have placed figures (of tourist footfalls) in the Assembly and maybe even in Parliament. Now suddenly, a social media post talks about data from the “China Economic Information Centre”. The minute the word China comes, some alarm bells start ringing. So, it looks like a plan or a hidden agenda to create false propaganda about the state, which has been a preferred destination of both international and domestic tourists.

The figures (in the viral post) spoke about 8.5 million foreign tourists in 2019 but that year, the number was not even one million. In 2019, just before the pandemic, we had 71,27,287 domestic and 9,37,113 international tourists. If we compare figures with 2023, we had 81,75,460 domestic and 4,52,702 international tourists despite the Russia-Ukraine war and other post-Covid challenges.

While the number of international tourists fell during the pandemic, we have made a recovery. Foreign tourist arrivals in Goa are at a higher percentage than the rest of the country and the recovery is about 50 percent (of pre-pandemic numbers). In terms of domestic tourists, we have already surpassed the pre-pandemic numbers. In the next quarter, which is the peak season (October-December), we have the exposition of the sacred relics of St Francis Xavier, IFFI and other festivals. So, we are expecting a large number of people to visit.

Are you saying there is false propaganda being spread to malign the image of the state?

The false propaganda is maybe with an ulterior motive. This definitely induced fear within the local communities and led us to act on it since false data was disseminated on social media. As an extension of the false propaganda, we saw social media handlers post about their experiences in Goa. We acknowledge there are some issues but every tourism state faces them.

What are these issues?

For instance, illegal touts have been there for a long time. We have run an aggressive campaign over the past two years to weed them out and continue to do so.

Second, there is a charge of a “taxi mafia” in Goa. I view it differently. We have many international tourists, who visit Goa annually and have had a rapport with taxi drivers for decades, and treat them like an extended family due to past experiences. Yes, there are a couple of rotten apples which spoil the image of taxi drivers.

About the high airfares and hotel costs, the government cannot curb any rates. The rates are driven by market forces. If there is a hotel room being sold at price “x”, it is business. It is a challenge and we acknowledge it. We have also been talking to trade bodies, but we cannot curb rates. We have also taken up the issue with the Civil Aviation Ministry and are looking to expand connectivity as we need to connect to more emerging markets like the UAE, south-east Asian countries, Germany and western Europe.

Many people claim they have cancelled their Goa plans and are instead travelling to Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam…

I will not take (agree) with the comparison of Goa with other countries as we are a small state of 1.5 million, which caters to 10 million tourists annually. We are not being compared to other states in India but based on false data, are being compared to other countries. It seems like a conspiracy to defame a preferred tourist destination in the country.

Post Covid, travellers want to explore more destinations. As a traveller, if I am coming to Goa, I am also going to Thailand, to Vietnam as well as Europe. For someone to spread “do not go to Goa” seems to be an extended false propaganda. You tell me what is wrong and we will correct ourselves. Our economy is dependent on tourism and contributes 16.43% to the GDP of the state and generates 35-40% of the state’s employment.

Unfortunately, social media has no limits. So, whatever one says becomes the truth if they have a certain following. Someone should realise we are “one India, incredible India” and we cannot think of promoting other countries when we are here. We can definitely travel to other countries…

The tourism department filed a police complaint in response to the online criticism. If incorrect data was shared, the government could have put out correct data. Why the complaint?

What do you expect the state to do? Do we have to be sympathetic to someone who is playing with the country and the state? Can you imagine somebody disseminating Chinese data and Indians are talking about it? Our data is available in the public domain. Take that and discuss with us.

However, only data is not the answer. Post Covid, we need to talk about quality over quantity. Tourists today want a more immersive experience and want to travel to tranquil places. We are now promoting Goa beyond the beaches.

We are also working on bringing in tourists whose per capita spending is higher and focusing on providing infrastructure, governance and services. Our policies promote home stays, caravan tourism and regenerative tourism where we are showcasing our tradition, festivals, culture, eco-tourism and promoting the state as a wedding destination.

The intention of these (defaming) social media posts, which came at the start of the peak tourist season, is similar to what happened last year. This is a concern for the state. It seems to be a systematic plan. I am concerned because Goa depends on tourism and hence the complaint was lodged.

I am sure whoever complains (about bad experiences) will also visit Goa. Goans have hospitality in their blood. Here, we believe the tourist is God and want to give everyone a good experience.

Has the Russia-Ukraine conflict and developments in West Asia affected the number of international tourists visiting the state?

The ongoing conflicts have affected the numbers. Israel was supposed to open up (as a market) in big numbers this year but could not due to the conflict. Some ambitious markets got curtailed due to the war but we have reached pre-Covid numbers with regard to tourists from the UK and Russia.

Rome was not built in a night, neither can we. We are taking a lot of proactive steps. We would love for every tourist to come to Goa and have a good experience.