Less Love, More Hate
Goa could do with the hate it's been receiving
This week, the newsletter will be taking a break, primarily because I have been out of town. It has, however, been a week in which opinions flew thick and fast, and as such, I simply can’t resist adding mine to the mix.
For starters, for those unaware, Goa and Goa Tourism in particular have been in the centre of a storm after a Twitter user by the name of Ramanuj Mukherjee posted a tweet claiming that Goa (tourism) was “down in the dumps” and cited figures from one Chinese think tank, CEIC, based in Hong Kong, to claim that foreign tourists have abandoned Goa. It also hasn’t escaped attention that the post coincidentally or otherwise was shared at a time when the World Travel Mart is underway in London
The post garnered widespread attention, with tourists from across the country quickly coming up with what they think are reasons tourists have stopped coming to Goa. The Tourism Department responded with a criminal complaint against the Twitter user.
First of all, the data that is being cited is so wildly inaccurate that the numbers of foreign tourist arrivals that the data claims Goa’s foreign tourist arrivals have ‘fallen to’ are in fact numbers that Goa has never reached ever in its history of being a tourist destination for Europeans.
Does the think-tank mean Goa’s foreign tourist arrivals have “fallen to” 1.5 million in 2023? Never in its history has Goa received foreign tourists in excess of 1 million over a 12-month period.
But you don’t have to listen to me. I’d rather you read this piece from Alexandre Moniz Barbosa in Gomantak Times.
Secondly, here’s another thought: Goa has been receiving a lot of love over the years. So much love that, in fact, that love has turned to abuse. Goa could really do with some ‘hate’. As a tourism industry honcho shared with me many years ago: “Anyone who wants tourism in Goa to grow (further), only wants the death of Goa.”
As for Goa being ‘abandoned’ by tourists, just ask the people of Anjuna, who have had to quite literally come onto the streets to demand a 'stop’ to the mind-numbing beats that tourism throws up each long weekend.
The least the people who are “part of the problem” could do is to stop pontificating about it.
In any case, that’s all I have for you this week. I’ll be sure to be back next week and as always, please share and help spread the word. Until next week, then. Tchau!
Fully agree with your opinion on tourism which was in fact a boon a couple of decades back, especially in the 80's. People from various parts of Europe would find joy and peace in the state. But with the govt, any govt for that matter, in power played into the hands of the North Indian capitalists who began visiting the state under the pretext of business, ending up creating a mess by taking undue advantage of the local business .
Given the values of what a holiday must be that Goa's service providers drum done the tourists throats it is no surprise that the goondas far exceed the civilized visitors. Most foreign tourists will not be attracted by the nonsense that collective quality of tourism Goa has to offer.
Not only must there be a control on the number of tourists allowed to visit Goa but also a control of their quality. For example, drink alcohol on the beach and throw a broken bottle on the beach should be classed as attempted homicide with a penalty of life imprisonment in a highly fenced compound with very basic accommodation and open air defecation. Any takers?