Goa gets tough on tourist nuisance with up to Rs 1 lakh fine
The state assembly on Friday passed a Bill, the Goa Tourist Places (Protection and Maintenance) Amendment Bill 2025, which expands the legal definition of "nuisance" and significantly increases penalties for activities deemed disruptive or damaging to public order. The Bill was pending governor's assent as of Saturday evening.
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"The state encourages responsible tourists and responsible tourism,"
Goa tourism
minister Rohan Khaunte told ET. He wants Goa to be known for sports, software and spirituality, in addition to the 3S: sun, sand and sea.
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In the past six months, Goa has seen an 8.4% increase in tourist footfall at over 5.4 million, the minister said. Of them, 5.18 million were domestic tourists and 0.27 million were foreigners.
Under the amended law, a range of actions-such as pestering tourists to purchase goods, drinking alcohol in unauthorised areas, littering, breaking glass bottles, cooking in open spaces, illegal hawking and ticket touting-will be explicitly classified as nuisances. Unauthorised water sports and boating activities will also fall under the purview of the updated legislation.
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The amendment includes a provision for biennial reviews, allowing the Department of Tourism to revise fines every two years by up to 10%.
The revised Bill introduces significantly tougher fines. While the earlier cap on fines was ₹50,000, the new penalties now range from ₹5,000 to ₹1 lakh. Depending on the severity of the offense, violators may also face prosecution under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
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