Goa government files police complaint against entrepreneur for ‘false’ tourism claims

Deputy director of tourism Rajesh Kale has lodged a complaint to the Superintendent of Police at Panaji’s cyber crime station regarding an incident of “public mischief” at 3:52 pm on November 5.

According to Kale, the entrepreneur, “disseminated false data through his social media X handles, thereby causing significant annoyance to local businesses and inducing fear or alarm within the local community”.

The business person has around 22,500 followers on the social media platform X. He has described himself as a founder of an “online legal learning platform”.

In his post about Goa, he said, “Foreign tourists have abandoned (Goa) already. Look at 2019 v 2023 numbers. Russians and Brits who used to visit annually have opted for Sri Lanka instead. Indian tourists still visiting, but soon likely to ditch it as word spreads about exploitation of tourists while there are so many cheaper comparable locations abroad.”

He also attached a chart with the text that suggested foreign tourists to Goa were dwindling.

In his complaint to the police, Kale said Goa’s pride as a prominent tourist destination for both domestic and international visitors was being destroyed through such false claims. The complaint said that the entrepreneur referenced China Economic Information Center (CEIC) data in his post but the information was not credible or vetted by the tourism department.

“The propagation of such false statements not only jeopardises the reputation of our state but also poses a serious threat to public tranquillity,” said Kale, according to The Indian Express.

The complaint filed by Kale also mentioned that the Department of Tourism is concerned by these events and suspects they are part of a larger plan to damage the state’s image.

Goa has recently experienced several negative reactions to cabs, hotels, and other parts of the state’s tourism infrastructure.