‘Don’t want a Thailand': Tourism minister Khaunte lashes out at influencers 'defaming' Goa

Hitting out at how influencers have been allegedly ‘defaming’ Goa, the state's tourism minister Rohan Khaunte claimed that 2024 had been a good year for Goa's tourism. ‘Goa cannot be compared with Thailand,' added Khaunte.

"People come to Goa for what it is. More importantly, Goa’s beauty and creativity and other things… cannot be compared with Thailand. We don’t want to experience a Thailand in Goa,” said Rohan Khaunte at a press conference in the state on Thursday, January 2, 2025.

The tourism minister claimed that five-star hotels in Goa had recorded around 100 per cent occupancy. Rohan Khaunte's comments come after a viral social media post in November, claiming that “foreign tourists have abandoned the state,” triggered a hotbed of reactions about Goa's infrastructure.

‘Do not disturb Goa with smaller issues’

Although Rohan Khaunte admitted that any tourist visiting Goa faced issues with connectivity, getting a taxi, he claimed these were smaller issues. " I am not justifying the issues, but at the same time, we need to ensure that a wrong message is not created by someone. Let us amplify the right issues. Let us not disturb Goa with smaller issues when it is a tourism destination,” said Khaunte.

Goan cabbies are known to often charge passengers exorbitantly, demanding around ₹1500-1800 for a trip that should cost ₹500. In an interview with the TOI in September 2024, Goa Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho also admitted that the biggest problem with Goa's transport were the state's taxis.

Goa sees less foreign arrivals

It is not just the taxis. A quick search on ‘Goa’ on X shows several users posting about a host of issues with the tourist spot. From exorbitant hotel prices, a tourist being beaten to death, to tourists preferring Sri Lanka over Goa, several reasons can be attributed to the declining foreign arrivals in the state.

The number of domestic tourists visiting Goa rose from approximately 5.2 million in 2015 to over 8.5 million in 2023. In 2019, Goa hosted nearly 9.4 lakh foreign tourists. However November 2024's data shows a significant dip, with the figure falling to just 4.03 lakh, as reported by OHeraldo.