That was how the New Year 2025 started for Goa – or rather for the empty roads depicted in the posts shared in the social media by the state’s influencers. These posts raised questions over the declining numbers of tourists and this lead to the Tourism Minister of the state – Rohan Khaunte to come out strongly saying that influencers are misleading people and painting a wrong perception about the state.
Goa Minister Accuses Others of Plot to Malign His Image
Khaunte claimed that some of the social media personalities were involved in a process to tarnish the image of Goa. He also dismissed the sources used in their assertion saying that the data used came from “China Economic Information Centre”. He said “Why unverified data came in to the picture all of a sudden?” Every kind of stories were floated around Goa and its tourism and empty roads.”
They also criticized influencers for trying to as they put it enrich themselves at Goa’s expense, saying, “Maybe they used Goa as a hashtag to get more followers.” But today’s figures will fill all this story of decline.”
Tourism Statistics Counter Rumors
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To this, tourism director Suneel Anchipaka has provided official statistics to illustrate an increase of tourist numbers. Goa had seen 86.28 lakh tourists in the year 2023 and it rose up to 1.04 crore in the year 2024. Of these, 99.41 lakh were domestic tourists up from 81.75 lakh in the year before. Overseas visitors too increased from 4,52,000 in 2023 to 4,67,000 in 2024.
Anchipaka also noted that passenger entry at Dabolim Airport increased by 27 percent in December 2024 against the similar period in 2023. “On this he said that according to available data their is a strong indication of increase in tourism and out of the various places in India Goa is the most popular tourist destination.”
Post COVID Recovery and Global Issues
Speaking on the state’s post COVID situation, Minister Khaunte showcased a projection of Goa’s forreign tourist arrival numbers that were to touch 3% in 2024 even as the entire Asia witnessed a dip of 18%. “This is a testimony that Goa is a place that is robust and continues to keep people interested,” he said.
He also admitted predicaments that affect the diversification of the market for tourism in the state. Many attempts to engage with the country were affected by the Israel-Hamas war, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict affected international travel. However, Goa starts targets its international markets and currently explores Poland, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan.
Tourism as a Zero-Sum Game
Khaunte explained that using relative indicators betrays Goa comparing it to countries such as Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam for instance where different dynamics apply. “Goa remains one of the most preferred tourist destinations in India and that has to be cheered,” he said.
The Need for a Social Responsibility regarding Influence
To which the minister urged everyone to make proper use of their influence. He said it is very important for these so called Goa influencers to explain how Goa has been good to them and other positive things about the state.
Moving Forward
In response to the issues posed by influencers, the government restated its call for upgrading the areas of a tourism focus and making sure that Goa remains relevant. The spotlight is now on the effective use of such information to overcome the Oracle-of-Delphi like predictive narratives and the subsequent campaign to put the best face of Goa as a tourist destination forward.
Currently, Goa’s tourism department is full of hope with the good growth figures and with active attempts to find new niches. According to the state’s goal, they will strive to achieve the same reputation as the popular touristic state for both the domestic and foreign visitors.
