Idli, sambar, vada pao and Ukraine war: Goa MLA on why tourism is on a ‘decline' in state

NEW DELHI: A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA in Goa on Thursday blamed idli-sambar for the decline in Goa tourism. MLA Michael Lobo claimed that international tourist footfall in Goa was declining because of the sale of 'idli-sambar' and 'vada pao' in beach shacks along with ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Lobo said the government alone cannot be blamed if fewer foreigners visit the coastal state as all stakeholders are equally responsible.
“Some people from Bengaluru are serving ‘vada pav' in the shacks, some are selling idli-sambar. (That's why) International tourism has been declining in the state for the past two years," news agency PTI reported him as saying.
“There is a hue and cry because of the drop in tourist numbers. In the coastal belt, be it North or South, there has been a sharp fall in the arrival of foreign visitors. A lot of factors are responsible for this,” Lobo said.

Everyone, as stakeholders, should bear the responsibility of it, he said.
“The tourism department and other stakeholders should hold a joint meeting and study the reasons why foreign tourists are not ready to come to Goa,” he said.
Lobo said because of the war, Russian and Ukrainian tourists have stopped coming to Goa. “The tourists from former USSR countries have stopped visiting Goa,” he said.
The MLA said the state should sort out the crucial issues concerning tourism, including differences between the cab aggregators and local tourist taxi operators.
“If we don't put a system in place, we will see dark days in the tourism sector,” he cautioned.
Lobo claimed that the ongoing war has halted the flow of Russian and Ukrainian visitors to Goa. "The tourists from former USSR countries have stopped visiting Goa," he said.
He emphasised that the state authorities need to address critical tourism-related challenges, particularly the ongoing dispute between cab aggregators and local tourist taxi operators.
He warned, "If we don't put a system in place, we will see dark days in the tourism sector."