Friday, 15 November 2024
Friday, 15 November 2024
If you think north Goa has become as congested and noisy as Delhi and that even south Goa is losing its tranquil charm, better not vent your frustration on social media.
Goa’s tourism department has reportedly filed a police complaint against an entrepreneur, who is a former resident of the state, for posting “wrong” data about tourism in the state.
Ramanuj Mukherjee recently posted on his X (formerly Twitter) data on Goa’s foreign tourist arrivals and raised questions about the state’s tourism industry.
He told The Telegraph Online that his post wasn’t intended to harm Goa’s image but to start a conversation on the tourist experience in Goa, which he believes has been declining based on the data he found and the experiences his followers shared in response to his post.
“I am a nationalist, and as an entrepreneur, it makes me very sad to see declining tourism in India and specifically Goa, a state I once called home,” Mukherjee said.
The tourism department in Goa took his post very seriously. According to a report published in The Times of India the department has filed a police complaint, stating Mukherjee’s data is “false” and damaging to the state’s reputation as a safe and welcoming tourist destination.
Goa’s deputy director of tourism, Rajesh Kale, was quoted as saying that Mukherjee’s post suggested that “tourism in Goa is down in dumps” caused “significant annoyance” to local businesses and alarm within the community.
According to the department, Mukherjee’s use of unverified data from the China Economic Information Center (CEIC) could create misunderstandings and potentially harm the state’s public image.
Mukherjee pointed out to The Telegraph Online that the CEIC is an international data selling company which he found while researching online.
“I love Goa so much that I went to live there for a few years,” he said. “I moved out eventually for work and other personal reasons, but while I was in Goa I ended up starting a backpacker hostel. I am in the habit of checking Goa tourism data randomly from that time although I don’t have any interest in tourism or hospitality business currently”.
“I recently was casually reading about Goa tourism and found ministers complaining about tourists not visiting Goa,” he explained.
He said that his post went viral only after followers shared their experiences of issues they faced in Goa, from difficulties with taxis and hotels to unpleasant encounters with traffic police.
“I had no idea the post would become so viral, but it did because it made people share their stories. I can only hope that this will work as a wake-up call for those in Goan tourism,” Mukherjee said.
“I personally do not think that the government is responsible for what is happening, and I understand their political compulsions. I wish the ordinary Goans will take a moment to reflect on the stories shared by so many people. Even if they do not agree with the data, you cannot wish away so many people sharing their experience,” he added.
The tourism department’s complaint also claimed that Mukherjee’s statements could be part of a “hidden agenda” to harm Goa’s image.
“I think the tourism department has not provided any proof that my post has caused any alarm or annoyance,” Mukherjee said.
“This appears to be an assumption at this point. If they feel the data is incorrect, they have to put out the right data. They can even post the right data on X. Also, the Goa tourism department should be a lot more concerned about what people are saying about their bad experience in the state rather than my alleged ‘wrong data’,” he said.
“The Goan government should survey tourists and try to understand why they are so upset,” he said.
According to a report by Crisil Market Intelligence and Analytics published earlier this year, inbound tourism in India is trailing the pre-Covid levels as foreign tourist arrivals in January-June this year stood at 4.78 million, which is about 90 per cent of the first half of 2019.
