Podcaster Ravi Handa sparked heated conversation after revealing why he left Goa for Vietnam this New Year. In a series of candid remarks, Handa shared his frustration with the behavior of North Indian tourists, both in Goa and abroad, describing their antics as disruptive.
“I went to Vietnam for New Year's break and Goa was the choice,” Handa wrote. “But not for the reason that any of you on Twitter will go crazy. Goa has too many North Indian tourists and they spoil the experience.'
He didn't stop there, recounting incidents during a trip to Vietnam that cemented his views even more. “Even in Vietnam, the only bad behavior was from North Indian tourists,” he said. Handa detailed a series of encounters, including a group loudly chanting “Bharat Mata ki Jai” in a train carriage full of Indians and another pair brazenly sticking to the excuse “Aage chalo. Yahan koi nahi rokega.”
In another incident, he confronted someone who was queue-jumping on a cable car line, only to be told, “Hum logon ke pass special pass hai”. “He didn't want to argue and gave up,” he added.
Hand's remarks were in response to a tweet by Deepak Shenoy, founder of CapitalMind, who shared his reasons for skipping Goa in favor of Thailand for the New Year. Shenoy wrote, “I went to Thailand for New Years break and Goa was the choice. But not for the reasons some of you on Twitter went nuts. Lifeguards in Goa whistle like crazy if you swim even a few meters into the sea. And that spoils the experience for me and my children.”
Hand's observations dovetail with a wider conversation about Goa's declining appeal as a tourist destination. Viral photos of empty cafes and deserted streets during peak season have reignited debates about how Goa is struggling with expensive flights, high hotel prices and what locals call the “taxi mafia”. Many Goans also voiced complaints about unruly tourists, with Handy's words adding fuel to the fire.
However, the Goa government pushed back against the story. On December 31, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant insisted, “The months of November, December and January in Goa will be full of tourists. All the hotels here are full and I believe all the flights to Goa have been booked.'
Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte echoed similar sentiments and accused influencers of spreading misinformation. “We have to ensure that no one creates a bad message,” he said, defending Goa's status as a premier destination.