Repeated incidents involving domestic tourists raise serious concerns
SHAME ON THE SHORE: A foreign woman is hemmed in by Indian tourists insisting on photographs on Calangute beach on Wednesday – another incident denting Goa’s claim of safe tourism.
MAPUSA
A disturbing and increasingly frequent pattern of harassment of foreign women tourists by domestic visitors is playing out along Goa’s most popular beaches, threatening the State’s reputation as a safe and hospitable international destination.
Fresh videos circulating on social media show foreign women being aggressively accosted by groups of domestic male tourists along Calangute beach – one of Goa’s busiest tourist hubs.
UNWELCOME ADVANCES: A domestic tourist moves around a Goa beach last week, shaking hands with foreign women despite visible discomfort, raising concerns over enforcement.
In one such clip, two foreign women bathing in the sea are surrounded by at least half a dozen men who repeatedly touch them, crowd around them and insist on taking photographs, despite the women’s visible discomfort and repeated appeals to be left alone.
The harassment continues unabated in the water, turning what should have been a routine beach outing into an episode of public humiliation and distress. Another viral video from the same stretch shows a lone foreign woman encircled by Indian tourists who try to photograph her from multiple angles and forcibly shake her hand, creating an awkward and intimidating situation.
These are not isolated incidents. Just a week ago, another video showed a domestic tourist roaming the beach, approaching foreign women uninvited, shaking hands and posing for photographs against their wishes – apparently to create social media content.
The women appear visibly uncomfortable as the man smiles and performs for the camera, indifferent to their consent.
Such episodes have become alarmingly common across the Calangute–Baga and Anjuna–Vagator belts, areas that attract thousands of international tourists every season.
While police have acted in a few cases – detaining or arresting offenders – the rising frequency of such harassment, particularly targeting foreign women, has caused deep embarrassment and raised serious questions about enforcement and accountability on Goa’s beaches.
The incidents have also reignited an uncomfortable but unavoidable debate about the nature of mass domestic tourism being promoted in the State, and whether authorities are adequately prepared to manage its social consequences.
Traditional Shack Owners Association president Manuel Cardozo said Goa’s image is taking a severe beating.
“There are many such incidents happening on the beaches. Only a few come to light because of social media,” he said.
Cardozo added that shack owners had repeatedly urged the Tourism Department to install prominent boards outlining do’s and don’ts for beach behaviour, but the proposal remains unimplemented.
He also flagged weak enforcement, pointing out that while tourist police patrol beaches, their numbers are grossly inadequate given the State’s long and crowded coastline.
As videos of harassment continue to surface, the question facing the government is no longer whether Goa has a problem, but how long it will allow the problem to fester.
Without visible deterrence, strict policing and clear messaging on consent and conduct, the State risks normalising behaviour that not only violates women’s dignity but also undermines Goa’s standing as a global tourist destination.
