Panaji: The Goa Tourism Department has filed a police complaint against an entrepreneur for allegedly spreading misleading information on social media about the state’s tourism sector. Rajesh Kale, Deputy Director of Tourism, lodged the complaint on November 5 at 3:52 pm with the Superintendent of Police at the cyber crime station in Panaji, citing “public mischief.”
According to Kale, the entrepreneur, who has around 22,500 followers on X (formerly Twitter), posted false data that created alarm among the local community and negatively impacted local businesses. The entrepreneur’s post claimed that foreign tourists, including Russians and Brits, had stopped visiting Goa and were choosing Sri Lanka instead, with a chart indicating a decline in foreign tourist numbers from 2019 to 2023. He also suggested that Indian tourists might soon follow suit as complaints about tourist exploitation increase, highlighting the availability of more affordable travel destinations.
Kale emphasized that these statements, based on data from the China Economic Information Center (CEIC), were not verified by the tourism department. He argued that such claims harm Goa’s reputation as a prime tourist destination and could threaten public peace. The complaint also hinted that these actions could be part of a wider campaign to damage the state’s tourism image, noting recent criticism about taxi services, hotels, and other amenities.
