Can advertising soothe Goa’s tourism woes?

If Dil Chahta Hai was made in 2024, Akash, Sameer, and Sid might have chosen Sri Lanka or a Southeast Asian island over Goa. 

For some time now—although complaints have grown louder this year—travellers to Goa have lamented the state’s taxi monopoly (no Ola or Uber cabs are allowed), the high cost of everything, and the perception that locals are more irritated than pleased by tourists.

Tourism is crucial to Goa’s economy. According to CNBC, Goa’s tourism minister, Rohan Khaunte, stated in June 2024 that the total number of visitors surpassed the one-crore mark during the 2023-24 tourist season. The report’s headline read: “Goa attracts over 10 million travellers in the 2023-24 tourist season; foreign tourist inflows spike 150%.”

On the other hand, this tourism overload has worn Goans out. The behaviour of tourists disheartens them, as they show little interest in the state’s rich history and traditions, instead engaging in boorish conduct and treating Goa as a cheap destination for alcohol.

A couple of months ago, X user Ramanuj Mukherjee cited CEIC data, an economic database platform, to highlight the decline in foreign visitors to Goa. He pointed to 2019, a year before the pandemic, when 8.5 million foreign tourists visited the Indian coastal state. However, by 2023, that number had plummeted to just 1.5 million.

Historically, a significant proportion of Goa’s tourists were Russians and Israelis. During the pandemic years, travel-starved Indians turned to Goa as international travel remained restricted, and made up for the fall in international tourists. However, foreign tourists never returned in large numbers, and even domestic travelers began to grow weary of the challenges they encountered in Goa, which has only exacerbated by now.

SriLankan Airlines’ Ramayana ad wins hearts, Goa Tourism fights X user

Meanwhile, countries like Sri Lanka and Southeast Asian nations are emerging as affordable alternatives to an increasingly expensive Goa. Visa-free travel to these destinations adds to their appeal. Data from the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, as reported by All India Radio News, revealed that of the 15 lakh tourists who visited the island nation up to October 2024, over three lakh were Indian, making India the largest source of tourists for Sri Lanka.

SriLankan Airlines capitalised on this trend with an advertisement promoting locations linked to the Ramayana, urging Indians to experience them. Talk about reading the room.

Addressing these issues will require policy-led changes spearheaded by the government and civil society. But can advertising play a role? Advertising has the power to influence perceptions of a region and people’s behaviours.

On the busy streets of #Bengaluru, Azzu Sultan, an autorickshaw driver and content creator known as ‘Auto Kannadiga’, stands out with a unique mission. Azzu teaches basic #Kannada phrases through a laminated placard stuck inside his auto, to help his passengers navigate the city,… pic.twitter.com/AYpmH9gLNQ

— The Hindu (@the_hindu) October 22, 2024

Consider campaigns like Cool Japan and South Korea’s Hallyu Tourism promotions, which have made these countries must-visit destinations. One might also recall the Incredible India ad featuring Aamir Khan, which highlighted the importance of respectful behaviour, especially towards women. Simple initiatives, such as placards inside Karnataka auto-rickshaws translating common English phrases into Kannada, can create a sense of warmth and welcome.

So, does Goa need a mass-media campaign, or would small, consistent efforts to reinforce desired behaviours suffice? We (afaqs!) asked creative minds if advertising could help ease Goa’s tourism troubles.

Edited excerpts:

Nikhil Narayanan, head of creative strategy and brand director, Zlade, a grooming brand (formerly with Ogilvy and McCann Worldgroup)

If there is a state-wide policy change, advertising can persuasively communicate that, and it can urge people to adopt a behaviour because there’s a policy change. However, multiple variables have impacted tourism in Goa. Can advertising solve them? I do not think so.

A celebrity-led campaign may move the needle a little. But the ground reality has to change. If the product is bad, great advertising cannot solve it, and great advertising, they say, will ruin a bad product even quicker.

Manish Kinger, executive creative director, Schbang, a creative, media and technology transformation company

Earlier this year, Miami city released an ad campaign discouraging rowdy spring break—a vacation period for school and university students—travellers after violent activity in 2023, during the same time, led to the city’s authorities imposing a curfew. The ad further warned spring breakers about curfews, restricted beach access, and DUI checks.

Miami found an advertising solution for an issue—rowdy tourists—and it worked. Now, unlike Miami’s issue, which happened in 2023, Goa’s troubles have existed for a while, and it is extremely simplistic to assume it’s a creative solution, but such an example tells me that there is absolute merit in exploring this direction.

Now, we haven't seen anything like this in India, where a creative solution of such a scale has translated into a positive outcome. But a bit of behavioural science, and you know, how the human brain functions and turning that into a creative campaign definitely seems like a shot in the right direction, because nothing else is working.

Prathap Suthan, managing director and chief creative officer, Bang In The Middle, an independent advertising agency

Creative advertising can certainly shape perceptions and influence behaviour, but it's unlikely to be a silver bullet solution to the complex issues facing Goa's tourism industry.

It could highlight lesser-known destinations, encourage responsible tourism, and educate tourists about local customs and etiquette. However, it cannot address systemic issues like the taxi mafia, overpricing, and poor tourist behaviour.

A more holistic approach that combines advertising with policy interventions and community engagement is essential. This could involve strengthening local governance, developing sustainable infrastructure, promoting responsible tourism, and enforcing strict regulations.

Ultimately, a balance must be struck between promoting tourism and preserving Goa's unique culture and environment. More importantly, the measures to fight the issues—mafia, Russian dominance, etc—must be advertised and should be shared on social media; otherwise people won’t believe.

Along with the progress. And you need a fabulous ambassador who can stand up and take issues on the chin and be honest and upfront about issues.

Pragati Rana, head of originals, regional creative officer, and founding partner, TGTHR

One of the things that can make an impact is those two-pronged campaigns —you make two cuts of a campaign, one for the customer and one for the stakeholders.

For Goa, one leg of the campaign should speak to the tourists and basically reset their mindset about how they experience Goa; something similar to the Palau Pledge, where all visitors to the Western Pacific Island sign a pledge to act in an environmentally responsible way on Palau. The campaign’s other cut speaks to Goans, reminding them of what the true Goan values are, how friendly they are, how open-minded they are, and how they are full of joy and madness.

I think such a campaign is an interesting answer to the problem that is going to grow only bigger in the future if it's not tackled at the right time, which is now.

P.S.: In what are unexpected coincidences, Goafest, an annual event that also hosts the country’s biggest creative and media awards, was moved to Mumbai from the coastal state this year. And director Rohit Shetty, who shot his movies in Goa, moved the location of Singham 3 to Sri Lanka amongst other places; yes, the script demanded it but as we said before, unexpected coincidences.