The first week of November saw a flood of articles in newspapers, magazines and internet portals across India on how tourist footfall was declining in Goa.
The articles were prompted by a post on social media that attempted to show with figures how tourism is waning in the coastal state. That post drew a host of replies (1.3k at the time of writing), many of which were quoted in the articles that followed.
The barrage of articles, with headlines like “Goa's tourism on downward spiral: Foreign tourists deserting” and “Go Goa gone as foreign tourist arrivals drop by 60%, govt to blame for Goa’s dwindling fortunes?”, finally had Goa Tourism clarifying that the state of Goa cannot be compared to a country like Sri Lanka.
But it did not respond to the other accusations, especially on the taxi issue that many netizens referred to in their replies to the original post.
It, however, did respond to the charge of being an expensive destination by stating that tourism in Goa is driven by market forces, which can occasionally render it an expensive destination.
It, however, did respond to the charge of being an expensive destination by stating that tourism in Goa is driven by market forces, which can occasionally render it an expensive destination.
But, the comparison of Goa to Sri Lanka apart, the original post got the tourism figures quite wrong and that too should have been corrected by Goa Tourism.
For instance, as per the post, “Foreign tourists have abandoned the state” and compares the tourist footfall for 2019 and 2023.
According to this post, in 2019 domestic tourists in Goa were 8.0 million and foreign tourists were 8.5 million. In 2023, while domestic tourists remained stable at 8.0 million, foreign tourists fell to 1.5 million.
I, for one would like to know where the person got these figures from, for if they are correct, then in the year 2019 Goa received 16.5 million tourists in all. For India, that counts in lakhs and crores. This is 1.6 crore tourists in Goa in a single calendar year. Was that even possible? Is that even believable?
Goa, with a population of 1.6 million or 16 lakh, would have been swamped. And how did these 8.5 million foreign tourists arrive in Goa?
According to statistics, the total passenger traffic at Dabolim Airport in 2019 was 8.47 million. This includes domestic and foreign tourists. Dabolim was the only airport in 2019, therefore, what means of travel did these foreign tourists use to come to Goa?
Yes, Goa Tourism admits that in 2023, the number of domestic tourists that visited Goa was 8 million. Let’s not dispute that and given the hordes of tourists milling all around the coast, it is very possible.
It also indicates that Goa is back to the pre-pandemic levels of domestic tourists, and it is only expected to grow further.
It also indicates that Goa is back to the pre-pandemic levels of domestic tourists, and it is only expected to grow further.
The entire premise of the post, on which dozens of articles across India were then based, showed quite clearly that little research was done by these media outlets to confirm the figures. Does the media no longer verify what it is reporting and merely regurgitate what has appeared on social media?
Surprisingly, perhaps shockingly even, no local media outlet attempted to challenge the post and the subsequent articles or even correct the flaws, but merely waited for Goa Tourism to issue its clarification. Why does the media in a state that depends on tourism take an attack without batting an eyelid? Shouldn’t it be defending Goa?
Simultaneously, whether arising out of this attack on Goa Tourism or for other reasons, at least two national media houses offered options to Goa. India Today headlined its article “Goa tourism down, how Sindhudurg can be the answer to all Goa problems”, while the headline in the Hindustan Times was “Tired of Goa’s skyrocketing prices? Here are 5 alternative destinations on same budget for your New Year vacay”.
The fusillade of articles came when the Goa Tourism heads were at the World Travel Mart (WTM) London.
The fusillade of articles came when the Goa Tourism heads were at the World Travel Mart (WTM) London. So, there was Goa Tourism in London promoting the destination and here in India it was being attacked.
This also isn’t the first time that Goa Tourism has been criticised on social media. It occurs at irregular intervals. But the fact that the numbers of domestic tourists, post the pandemic, has reached the pre-pandemic figures indicates that the bouts of criticism are not working.
Yet, this should be a wakeup call for Goa Tourism to set a few aspects in order, starting with the taxis overcharging and also with the infrastructure.
There will come a time when these will combine to dethrone Goa from among the most favoured beach destinations. Goa Tourism should not allow that to occur. Some criticism is, of course, valid and to be acted upon.