'Idli-sambar in shacks' hurting Goa tourism? MLA links foreign tourist drop to local changes

The drop in foreign tourist arrivals in Goa has sparked debate, with BJP MLA Michael Lobo claiming that the presence of idli-sambar and vada pav in beach shacks is a factor in the decline. Speaking at a press conference in Calangute on Thursday, Lobo said the government alone cannot be blamed, as all stakeholders must take responsibility.

"Some people from Bengaluru are serving ‘vada pav’ in the shacks, some are selling idli-sambar. (That's why) international tourism has been declining in the state for the past two years," he was quoted as saying by PTI. However, he did not elaborate on how South Indian food is deterring foreign visitors.

Lobo highlighted that Goa's beach shacks, traditionally run by locals, are now being rented out to businessmen from other states. “There is a hue and cry because of the drop in tourist numbers. In the coastal belt, be it North or South, there has been a sharp fall in the arrival of foreign visitors. A lot of factors are responsible for this,” he noted.

While acknowledging that some foreigners still visit Goa regularly, Lobo said the younger crowd from abroad is choosing other destinations. He urged the tourism department and other stakeholders to conduct a joint study to understand why international tourists are skipping Goa.

He also pointed to geopolitical reasons, particularly the war, for the decline in Russian and Ukrainian tourists. “The tourists from former USSR countries have stopped visiting Goa,” Lobo said.

Beyond food and international conflicts, the MLA flagged unresolved local issues like the ongoing dispute between cab aggregators and local taxi operators. “If we don’t put a system in place, we will see dark days in the tourism sector,” he cautioned. 

Many have also blamed the taxi mafia in Goa for driving away foreign tourists. Complaints about exorbitant fares and harassment by local taxi operators have made transportation a challenge for visitors. Despite repeated calls for better regulation and the introduction of app-based aggregators, the issue remains unresolved.

Meanwhile, the Goa tourism department has issued show-cause notices to 99 beach shacks for policy violations. A surprise inspection found 80 shacks in North Goa and 19 in South Goa breaching the Goa Shack Policy, with several instances of subletting. “The inspection revealed multiple violations of the Goa Shack Policy. As a result, show-cause notices have been issued to the violators,” a department spokesperson said.

The tourism department has repeatedly dismissed claims that foreign tourists have ditched Goa. Last month, the Goa tourism department said the state saw a total of 1.04 crore tourists in 2024, an increase from 86.28 lakh visitors in 2023. The number of foreign tourists also rose slightly from 4.52 lakh in 2023 to 4.67 lakh in 2024.

Tourism director Suneel Anchipaka dismissed speculation about a sharp drop in footfall, blaming misleading social media narratives for spreading misinformation. “In terms of percentage, domestic tourist footfall has risen by 22 per cent while international tourist footfall rose by 3 per cent in 2024. The Dabolim airport reported a remarkable 27 per cent growth in passenger arrivals in December (2024) relative to figures for that month the previous year,” he said.

Tourism minister Rohan Khaunte also hit out at social media influencers for allegedly running a campaign to “defame” Goa’s tourism industry. “Why suddenly unverified data came in the picture from some ‘China Economic Information Centre’? They say any propaganda is good propaganda. All sorts of rumours were spread about Goa tourism’s decline, about roads being empty. We did not want to respond to every social media influencer who took Goa for a ride in the last quarter. Maybe by using Goa as a hashtag, they were trying to become famous, but today’s figures will plug all this story (of decline),” Khaunte said.

(With inputs from PTI)