After a report that claimed international tourism in the state had fallen short of pre-Covid levels went viral online, a number of Indians came out to relate startling tales of the “Goa taxi mafia.” X user Ramanuj Mukherjee uploaded the CEIC Data report, writing: “Goa tourism is in a terrible state.” Already, foreign visitors have left the state. Compare the numbers for 2019 and 2023. Sri Lanka has been the destination of choice for Russians and British who used to travel there every year.
In 2023, there were only 1.5 million foreign visitors to Goa, down from 8.5 million in 2019, according to CEIC. The China Economic Information Center, or CEIC, acknowledged that domestic travel to Goa had risen gradually following the Covid pandemic, but Mukherjee forecast that this too would soon fall.
He commented on X, where his post has had over 2 million views, that “Indian tourists are still visiting, but they are likely to abandon it soon as word spreads about exploitation of tourists while there are so many cheaper comparable locations abroad.”
Is Goa’s tourism suffering?
Many social media users have come forward to describe their own negative experiences in the coastal state, which is one of India’s most popular tourist attractions, since Mukherjee’s tweet went viral with over 2 million views.
A number of Indians revealed how they had been intimidated and mistreated by cab drivers for providing rides to tourists, and they blamed the “Goa taxi mafia” for the drop in tourism. Another issue that surfaced was expensive accommodations.
Sagar, an X user, stated, “Goa is doomed all thanks to the alliance of local taxi mafia and administration.” The arrival of well-known ride-hailing applications like Ola and Uber in Goa has been resisted by the state’s taxi unions. Local taxi unions went on strike in Goa in 2014, pushing the government to outlaw both Ola and Uber.
“The Goa taxi mafia”
X users attributed the drop in tourists on the Goa cab gang.
Madhur, an X user, claimed that when he went to pick up a German friend at a well-known beach, around ten cab drivers banded together against him. He said, “Goa’s taxi mafia is responsible for it,” exposing how a German woman was made to pay a cab driver ₹1,800 for a 37-kilometer travel.
“A local Goan buddy joined me as I went to pick up a friend (from Germany) at Benaulim Beach. When a cab driver in Benaulim noticed us, he pulled us over, and soon after, ten or more cab drivers were waiting to beat us up,” he recalled.
A similar tale was told by fitness influencer Chirag Barjatya: “We once gave a foreign tourist a lift in our car while we were in Goa. We were stopped by a cab driver who threatened to smash the car unless we got out. The taxi mafia’s actions have severely damaged Goa tourism, he wrote.
Others expressed disapproval while requesting that Ola and Uber be let to operate in the state. “I paid 2500 ₹ for a friggin taxi from Goa Airport to Arambol, and I paid 2000 ₹ for a ticket from Mumbai to Goa in 2018! One user said, “Their Taxi Mafia is next level.”
Thailand benefits from Goa’s loss.
Numerous Indian travelers, meanwhile, stated that they now would rather travel to South East Asian nations than Goa.
Many people believe that Goa is overrun with tourists. In the meantime, places like Southeast Asia, coastal Spain, etc., have better transportation, greater living standards, better-preserved natural environments, and serve exponentially more tourists for far less money. Siddharth Singh, an X user, stated, “We’re failing Goa.”
Not only Goa. arranged a trip to Wayanad last year. decided to go to Sri Lanka instead after figuring up the duration and expense of the trip,” someone else said.
“Up until 2019, everyone, especially the younger ones, views a trip to Goa as a fantasy vacation. One person said, “Goa’s game was over after COVID, once people learned about Vietnam and Thailand/Malaysia opening up with virtually no restrictions.”
Another said, “Goa will suffer now that Thailand is granting Indians visa-free travel.”
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