Goa, July 24 -- A war of words erupted in the Goa Assembly over the state's tourism performance, with Calangute MLA Michael Lobo alleging a decline in both domestic and international tourist footfalls over the past five years. Lobo also questioned the credibility of official data, particularly for the year 2020, citing pandemic-related travel restrictions.

"The government's figures on foreign tourist arrivals are misleading, especially for 2020 - the COVID year. Travel was restricted globally, yet the numbers suggest otherwise," Lobo said, accusing the government of painting an inaccurate picture.

In a strong rebuttal, Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte denied any decline in tourist arrivals. "Tourism is on the rise in Goa. We have not only...