PANAJI
The infamy of Goa tourism on social media in the recent weeks became a topic of intense discussion at Wednesday's cabinet meeting and at least two ministers -- Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte and Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho -- voicing concern over the alleged "toolkit" campaign by some influencers and demanded that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant direct an investigation.
Cabinet sources said, both Khaunte and Godinho were vociferous during the off-agenda discussions in the cabinet meeting and alleged that the anti-Goa views being posted on social media platforms appeared to be a paid campaign and following a 'toolkit'.
Social media posts in recent weeks have generated much discussion related to the tourism appeal of the State with some influencers arguing, albeit without solid data or evidence, that tourists are abandoning Goa because of pricing and other reasons such as the cliched 'taxi mafia' argument.
That these social media posts have upset many in the government is evident from the reports that the Tourism department has finally woken up to the reality and commissioned dozens of influencers it had enumerated several months ago to counter the narratives on social media which paint Goa as a destination in bad light.
