X (formerly Twitter) user and lawyer Ramanuj Mukherjee recently came into the spotlight after his tweet about declining tourism in Goa went viral. Following this, the Goa Tourism Department filed a police complaint against him. They accused him of spreading “false data.” Now, responding to this complaint, he wrote an open letter to Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant. Here’s what he had to say.
Amid False Tourism Data Row, X User Writes Open Letter To Goa CM
Dear @DrPramodPSawant, your tourism department has filed a police complaint against me for sharing data of plummeting tourism in Goa which started this debate.
It’s not supposed to be a shocker to you because at least two ministers in your government gave statements to media… https://t.co/eKN4W9PXbW
— Ramanuj Mukherjee (@law_ninja) November 10, 2024
A few days back, Ramanuj Mukherjee took to X (formerly Twitter) to share a CEIC Data report showing a decline in foreign tourism in Goa. The tweet went viral, and netizens blamed taxi mafias and inflated hotel bills for this tourism decline in the state. Now, he has written an open letter to Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and asked him to fix the underlying issues that have hampered Goa tourism.
Responding to the claim that the data shared in his earlier tweet was incorrect, Ramanuj said that even if this was true, Goa authorities must “realise that the data itself did not make the post viral.” He said tourists “felt cheated” by their experiences in Goa and that made the tweet so popular.
He said, “I remember how I started visiting Goa every year as a college student. You don’t visit Goa just once. Goa needs repeat tourists. People used to fall in love with Goa and went back there every chance they got. They still will if not mistreated.” He then said that he is “hopeful that this publicity” will push the concerned authorities to make changes that are desperately needed for the Goa tourism surge.
What The State Tourism Dept Had To Say About This Matter
After Ramanuj Mukherjee’s earlier tweet went viral, the Goa Tourism Department stepped forward to set the record straight and shared accurate data. In a statement, the department said that while Goa faced “unprecedented disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” it has been recovering well.
As per the data shared, over 450,000 foreign tourist arrivals were reported in Goa in 2023. This data shows that although the state’s foreign tourism has not reached its pre-pandemic levels, it is definitely recovering. On the domestic front, Goa welcomed more than 8 million visitors in 2023, surpassing its pre-pandemic figures.
What are your thoughts on this entire matter? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
Cover Image Courtesy: X/@law_ninja & Canva
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