Over the past few years, Sri Lanka has gained popularity among Indian tourists. According to data released by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, as reported by All India Radio News, over three lakh of the 15 lakh tourists who visited the island nation in 2024 up to October were Indians, making India the largest source of tourists for Sri Lanka.
It is not entirely surprising, then, to see the island nation’s national carrier release an advertisement around the Ramayana to lure Indians away from their usual winter destinations —in this case, Goa.
A five-minute ad from SriLankan Airlines shows a grandmother teaching her grandson about the epic Ramayana, explaining how the places mentioned in it are real and accessible to visitors. Some of the locations highlighted include the Ram Setu bridge, or the Adam's Bridge; the garden where Ravana imprisoned Sita; and Rumassala, a part of the mountain that Hanuman carried from the Himalayas to Lanka (now Sri Lanka). The ad aims to promote the Ramayana Trail, a tourism initiative that showcases key locations from the epic.
What is timely about the ad is the moment at which it is gaining praise and popularity in India. Just days ago, Goa’s tourism board filed a police complaint against an X user, Ramanuj Mukherjee, over his post, which used data to suggest that foreign tourists were increasingly choosing Sri Lanka over Goa.
According to the Hindustan Times (HT), deputy director of tourism Rajesh Kale alleged that Mukherjee had shared wildly inaccurate data to make the case that foreign tourist visits to Goa had dropped significantly.
“Mukherjee referenced China Economic Information Centre (CEIC) data in his post; however, the credibility of this data is questionable as he neither consulted with the Department of Tourism prior to posting nor validated the data he collected. His false assumptions regarding future tourist footfall in Goa further exacerbate the situation. The statements made by Shri Ramanuj Mukherjee appear to have the intent to cause public unrest and may incite individuals to commit offences against the state or disturb public tranquillity,” the complaint alleged, as per HT.
Mukherjee countered the claim on X, saying: “It’s funny that they claim CEIC data is Chinese. You can go to their ‘About Us’ page and see that it is headquartered in London. It has two offices in India—Mumbai and Bangalore—and a presence in 18 countries. Nowhere on its website does it say it is the Chinese Economic Information Center. The Goa government lied in a police complaint. Digest that. If you want to make up a story, do a better job, maybe? How incompetent are these babus?”
On social media, many people have raised concerns about the steep prices and the taxi mafia’s refusal to allow Uber and Ola to operate in Goa. Noted journalist and travel and food columnist Vir Sanghvi wrote in the Hindustan Times last December, “Frankly, you would have to really love Goa (as I do) or be very ill-informed to pay Goa prices. It is one of the most expensive short- to medium-haul destinations Indian tourists can go to.”
As the year winds down and travel plans begin taking shape on WhatsApp groups, SriLankan Airlines’ ad has certainly won many hearts.
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