All it took was one Instagram reel. Earlier in the month, a viral video from Thailand showed scores of ‘desi travellers’ relaxing, drinking alcohol in the open and sleeping on the Pattaya Beach. The caption read, “Indian vibes on Pattaya Beach! Enjoying the sea, and endless fun in Thailand!” The beach, trashed with snack wrappers and beer cans, is no different from any tourist-dense Indian beach. The world is now the desi traveller’s litter bin. The responses to the video were charged with high voltage disgust and shame. One post read, “As a fellow Indian, I feel extremely ashamed and very sad watching this. This kind of behaviour should be punishable.” Another nomad, currently in Pattaya, wrote, “I’m in Pattaya now, visiting from California, and I can confirm this. I thought I was in New Delhi.” Though there is no proof that the boors were exclusively Indian, the video sparked a heated debate online, with ping-pong attacks and counter-attacks by individuals accusing Indians of uncouth behaviour. One heartfelt post read “Not every brown is an Indian.”
Nonetheless, the Pattaya video was not the first one to high beam the ugly face of desi travellers.
Indian tourists seem to be out with a vengeance to tarnish the country’s image abroad and at home. A Reddit post by an Indian visiting Vietnam revealed he felt a deep sense of “second-hand shame” after witnessing a group of his countrymen being thrown out of a nightclub on Hanoi’s infamous Beer Street. “For every one decent, respectful Indian traveller, there are five who ruin it for everyone else. And guess who gets the heat for it?” he lamented. Another user took it further, “I’ve been solo travelling for almost 15 years now and trust me, our reputation is done. Will take major effort and focus to bring it back even 10 per cent. Most Indians however are arrogant and almost delusional to the point they don’t even realise that their behaviour is shitty.”
Last week an Air India flight from Chicago chock full of Indians was forced to turn back mid air. Reason; eight of the 12 toilets onboard were clogged with polythene bags, blankets, innerwear, diapers and waste rags, and even clothes, flushed down the toilets. “Potty training Indian travellers perhaps should be part of visa requirements,” says frequent flyer Prabha Menon from Kochi. Air India has urged passengers “to use lavatories only for the purposes that they are meant for.” The blocked toilets were not all Economy, but Business Class too.
The uncouth desi tourist is the new brand ambassador for India abroad. And they aren’t doing Mera Bharat Mahan any favours.
However, facts refute this urban myth; Indians are not the worst tourists in the world. The Chinese have topped the list for years in a row. The Chinese government was forced to hand out pamphlets to point out what kind of behaviour is unacceptable in public while travelling, such as defecating on street corners. When in 2013, 15-year-old Ding Jinhao carved his name into Egypt’s Luxor Temple, Chinese tourists became unwelcome in cities from Paris to Phuket. An Expedia Best Tourist Index once named British tourists as the worst behaved in Europe: messy, bad tippers and habitually peevish, and French, miserly. American tourists are infamous for their ignorance and cultural insensitivity, earning the title ‘Ugly Americans’—a Graham Greene novel take off. The British are a different stereotype—after a few drinks, they have been caught streaking through foreign streets. As per the YouGov statistics (2019), Chinese tourists were vastly unpopular in the countries where they make up a large proportion of foreign visitors. Three-quarters of Singaporeans surveyed say Chinese are the worst tourists. In Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam, around 40 per cent of locals feel the same.
INDIAN SMALL TOWN MONEY POWER IS DRIVING TRAVEL
In the late ‘90s and beginning of the 21st century, the Indian was a valued guest in the West. Liberalisation opened up a new alternate job universe, new businesses and multi-crore startups creating overnight millionaires. Those were the halcyon days of the Indian economy and the Indian traveller was on a global shopping spree. Indians were a common sight in Paris and Milan designer boutiques, eating in tony restaurants, buying pricey real estate in Mayfair, Dubai and California and flying First or Business Class. Travel re-profiled the penurious Socialist-era bharatiya. The picture is different today, with more Indians from small cities going shopping and partying in South Asian countries. As India’s Tier-2 and Tier-3 towns experience comparatively high economic growth, two distinct generations of travellers are shaping the travel industry. According to a report by capital markets advisory firm EY, “Gen ACE and Gen LUX. Gen ACE, under 40, are adventurous, celebratory, and exploratory, often travelling with peers and influenced by social media. Gen LUX, over 40, seek luxury, uniqueness, and experience, travelling with family and influenced by offers and vacation schedules.”
According to a report jointly prepared by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation and Expedia group, The number of Indian holidaymakers could treble by 2025, of which 40 per cent will be international air trips; Gen ACE makes up the majority. This boom in foreign vacations will be driven by people in Tier-2 cities, which has been experiencing an economic boom. A review of visa trends indicate Tier-2 city tourists prefer going abroad—40 per cent of the total— to domestic travel which the Tier-3 cities traveller likes.
On July 22, 2019 business magnate Harsh Goenka tweeted a picture of a notice put up by the manager of the expensive Hotel Arc-en-ciel, in Gstaad, Switzerland to “guests from India”. Among his instructions were, Indians must talk quietly in the corridor and on balconies since there are other guests who like silence, and that items in the breakfast buffet should not be taken away, and if they do, the tourist will have to pay for it. Goenka confessed to feeling “angry, humiliated and wanted to protest” after reading the note, but said,“With India becoming an international power, our tourists are our best global ambassadors …Let’s work on changing our image!”
Harjit Singh, Founder and Chief of Guest Experience at Travel Twist, says, “Social media and travel influencers have contributed to the overtourism of many destinations by promoting the idea of cheap, budget-friendly travel. As a result, many travellers now choose Vietnam or Thailand over traditional hotspots like Goa or Kerala attracted by the online buzz. Unfortunately, this trend often leads to travel without regard for local culture or knowledge, with many travelling purely for the status symbol of going abroad.” India’s economic boom has enriched its smaller cities and towns, encouraging the new middle class to spend on branded clothes, even if they are knockoffs, alcohol, clubbing and eating.
A quick scroll through ‘X’ and Instagram would reveal a flood of reels featuring inappropriate Indian tourist behaviour. But, what makes them so ‘uncouth’? Why do labels like “bargain-seeker”, “miser” and “rowdy” stick to the Indian tourist’s identity? With the country’s outbound tourism market growing at a record pace, in 2023 alone, Indian tourists spent $33.3 billion, prompting many countries to recognise their potential and roll out the red carpet with e-visas and simplified visa processes.
The tourism boom is also fuelled by budget airlines and the influence of Bollywood films, with Southeast Asian destinations.
IDENTIFYING THE BOORISH TRAVELLER
However, unused to and unaware of foreign customs and civility, the desi traveller is travelling abroad not just with a suitcase, but also a bag-pack of the same abhorrent manners they get away with at home. Jaya Sukul, Head psychiatrist and founder, Head Space Healing says this behaviour is a product of our “subcontinental history” and “sociological history of getting away with anything and everything.” Explaining such behaviour, she says that rules that govern society in the subcontinent are remarkably different from that in Europe, America and Southeast Asia. She adds, “Even while growing up, we are conditioned to this particularly Indian thing called Jugad or shortcut. When one thinks of shortcuts or the idea that I can get away with anything. I can get away with a Police challan with a `100 bribe; I can get away with littering because some guy will come and clean it up for me. We behave similarly in our country, but it doesn’t get pointed out.”
For example, jumping the queue is as old an Indian habit as is spitting in public. Incidentally Indian-origin Singaporean Jasvinder Singh Mehar was sentenced by a Singapore court to two months’ jail time for shouting “corona, corona” and spitting on a hotel floor at the Changi Airport way back during the pandemic. Spitting in public invites fines from 1,000 to 5,000 Singapore dollars, which is incomprehensible to millions of Indians, even those who have migrated to higher income countries. A Redditor posted wrote, “I live in Canada and there’s been a huge influx of young Indian immigrants here. Whenever I’m in a line, there’s always Indians cutting right in front of me when the person ahead of me is an inch forward.” Sympathetic users added their own stories. “Call them out, I am Indian too, and I hate this.”
An unforgettably humiliating video was one of the first visuals to highlight the Ugly Indian Overseas Traveller—an uncouth, messy and thieving bunch. Shared widely, it depicted an Indian family caught by the hotel staff in Bali for stealing accessories. Hotel employees stopped them from leaving, to check their baggage, and discovered stolen mirrors, clothes hangers, artifacts, a hairdryer and even soap dispensers. Caught, one of them is seen begging the hotel management to not call the police; she even offered to pay for the stolen items.
Ethnic typecasting of the Indian traveller is becoming too common on social media. Recently popular podcaster Ravi Handa, who celebrated New Year in Vietnam instead of Goa, posted on X that the behaviour of some North Indian tourists, both in Goa and abroad, is disruptive and inconsiderate. The podcaster shared several personal anecdotes such as a group of Indian passengers travelling by train in Vietnam loudly chanting “Bharat Mata ki Jai” after coming across other Indian travellers. Handa talked about taking on an Indian man who jumped the queue at a cable car station, who retorted, “Hum logon ke pass special pass hai(We have a special pass).” Seriously?
The demography of these travellers reflect how and where India lives. The tourism ministry recorded the number of departures by Indians in 2023 at 28.2 million, surpassing the 2019 pre-pandemic figure of 26.9 million. RBI data showed that Indian travellers notched a new record in overseas spending— $31.7 billion in the 2024 fiscal year—$17 billion on international spending, a 25 per cent increase from the year before. The FICCI report finds that Indian tourists are fine with spending up to $7,000 (Rs 6 lakh) on international trips. Of these, people from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, and West Bengal top the number of outbound travellers.
Rajesh Mittal (name changed), a successful tour guide of an outbound travel agency talks despairingly about taking group tours to Europe and America. “The first time was bizarre. There were people in the group travelling with food packed at home, like pickles and thepla.” He says that any time a tour bus stops at a destination, the ladies rush out of the bus holding empty plastic drinking water bottles to be filled up in the restaurant loos. They chatter and laugh loudly annoying others around. Sometimes a restaurant manager will yell at them, and it is me who would pacify them—both the restaurant and my customers who feel insulted cannot understand why they were being blamed. I feel ashamed to be Indian at such times.”
Sidhant, a student recalls a group of women passengers taking out hoards of onions, tomatoes, and coriander from their handbags on an aircraft abroad. “They were so shameless that they asked the air hostess for knives and a chopping board so they could make bhel or whatever other concoction they wanted to have instead of plane food. When the crew refused to help, they took out a plastic ruler and started chopping the vegetables. Not only was the stench of it all repugnant, but also, the family was not seated next to each other, which resulted in them shouting out to each other to pass around the ingredients! Finally, even the air hostess freaked out over the impromptu sabzi-mandi (vegetable market) and asked them to stop. But it was such a facepalm moment that I almost died laughing.” Content writer Dhvani remembers visiting Switzerland and the first Indian she met in many weeks was peeing by the road side to Mount Titlis.
The ‘messy’ Indian lands in foreign lands with little or no respect for local food, customs and cultural norms. Littering every place like at home, expecting freebies, demanding Indian food tailored to their taste and treating service staff like personal attendants. Rajat Mirta, a psychology professor says, “They have a sense of entitlement and the belief that money can buy them immunity from the need to behave with decency.” They have a lack of awareness and refuse to adapt. These traits make the Indian international traveller stand out, not in a good way,” he adds. Hence uncouth behaviour gets associated with them, adding to the growing list of stereotypes attached to the Indian identity.
Reha Adani, a 23-year-old Instagram travel content creator who frequently travels abroad, says, “Our less-than-flattering behaviour overseas not only causes embarrassment but also leads to broader consequences.” She notes that in many countries, hospitality staff, locals, and vendors are often reluctant to engage with Indian tourists. Vanashree Nair, who travelled to London in 2023 for a fortnight-long work trip found that typical behaviour patterns of Indian tourists abroad have serious consequences—cold shoulder at the least, bias and racism at the most. She recalls an incident on a bus when a white woman approached her and asked, “Are you Indian?” before saying, “Leave our country!”
“While we take pride in certain aspects of our culture, it is important to consider how our behaviour can contribute to violence and oppression against our own people.” says Sukul. “It’s not just about who you are as an individual, but also about where (India) you come from,” she adds. As India’s shining moment is cheered about, it certainly does not include the dirty deeds of our unofficial ambassadors abroad.
Home Invasion: Libidinous Lechers
In 2005, after a spate of incidents involving harassment of foreign tourists, the government launched the Atithi Devo Bhava campaign. The official mandate by the Tourism ministry read, “The campaign targets the general public, while focusing mainly on the stakeholders of the tourism industry. The campaign provides training and orientation to taxi drivers, guides, immigration officers, police and other personnel who interact directly with the tourist.” The targets however, continue to be foreigners. On March 7, two women, one of them an Israeli tourist, were gangraped while they were out with other travellers stargazing near Hampi—a popular tourist destination in South India. Previously, in March 2024, a Spanish woman was gang raped in Jharkhand’s Dhumka district, when she, along with her husband, was on biking trip from West Bengal to Nepal. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2022 report, 147 crimes of various nature were recorded against foreigners across the country. Among these, 25 cases registered were of rape, involving foreign tourists and foreign nationals.
Often, crimes such as catcalling, harassing and making sexual innuendos toward foreign women go unreported and unregistered, indicating the number of incidents are likely to be higher than what official records suggest. A quick scroll through X or Instagram reveals a flood of videos featuring Indian men behaving badly with foreign tourists—whether it’s assigning ‘prostitution prices’ to naïve non-Indian tourists or slapping the infamous ‘6000 rupees’ label on any woman who bears a passing resemblance to a Russian. This ‘ugly Indian male’ behaviour is hard to ignore, let alone the relentless hounding of foreign tourists with endless cries of “One selfie, please!” and “Can we be friends?” at tourist sites. Sadly, the so-called ‘India tour experience’ is often sullied by such unsettling conduct.
Last year, Jaipur police arrested a man after a social media video showed him harassing foreign women tourists for Instagram reels. In the video, the accused filmed several unsuspecting women waving at his camera while he made vulgar remarks in Hindi, saying, “She is available for `150, she is for ` 200, you can get her for `500, and this one is for `300.” Not knowing the language, the women continued to wave back innocently. The video sparked widespread outrage on social media, leading to the man’s arrest by Jaipur police. The old trope that Indians think ‘white women are easy’ is alive and well. In January, a Sloviakian woman with the Instagram handle ‘Avocado on the Road,’ was travelling solo from Delhi to Agra when a man invaded her space and tried to talk to her despite her repeated objections. Travellers, especially white women, often face extra attention. They are routinely asked by men for their names, selfies, social media handles, nationality, and marital status and what not.
YouTuber Mithilesh Backpacker had a harrowing experience last month in Rajasthan’s Udaipur, which he was visiting with his Russian wife, Lisa. His 15-minute YouTube recorded a group of men following the couple and their two- year-old son. The men were leering at Lisa, calling out “6,000 rupees?” at the City Palace. “I was with my family, and I was shocked to hear such comments”, Mithilesh recalls his ordeal. “I confronted the boys, even called for security, but no one took me seriously. Instead of involving the police, the fort security brushed the incident aside with a half-hearted apology from the group.” The realisation that such behaviour was normalised in his own country left him humiliated.
Says psychologist Rajat Mitra, “There are a lot of myths in India about white women. One is that they are sexually permissive. Almost all my white female friends were approached by Indian men saying, ‘Ma’am, can I have a photograph with you?’ This is almost universal.” On the other hand Psychiatrist Jaya Sukul suggests such actions are a form of “internalised racism” and “a mindset rooted in Colonial past” that shapes Indian behaviour toward white tourists, especially women. However, all Indians do not fit the mould. “Indians are known to be warm hosts and we take pride in our hospitality. Putting foreigners on a pedestal also fosters inappropriate, unhealthy, and problematic behaviours. At times, our eagerness to be hospitable crosses boundaries, and we fail to recognise when our actions become disrespectful,” adds Sukul.
Don't Blame Us Alone
The Indian traveller may not be the worst kind of tourist, though an element of racism does make brown skin more susceptible to public shaming. Cathay Pacific banned an American couple, who got physical with flight attendants over reclining seats etiquette. In January, an All Nippon Airways (ANA) plane was diverted after a man bit a female flight attendant. A Chinese man delayed a flight for four hours after he threw coins into the engine for “good luck.” US Customs caught passengers with 100 live snakes down their pants, 300 tarantulas and 90 giant African snails strapped to their bodies.
A young American woman was fined for kissing and mimicking sexual acts with a statue of Bacchus, in Florence, Italy. There is a general anti-tourist movement in Europe. A Japanese town put up a barrier to block the view of Mount Fuji after foreign tourists littered the street and caused traffic jams. Thrill seeking two minutes of fame on social media platforms has led to infamy: the rush of YouTubers, and TikTokers trespassing on the closed-to-tourist 3,922-step Haiku Stairs forced Hawaiian authorities to dismantle the historic monument. Human excrement had piled so much on and around Mount Everest that climbers, by law, must take ‘poop bags’ with them.
In 2024, an anti-mass tourism movement erupted in Europe and taxes were hiked. Barcelona blackballed tourists from renting apartments, Italy has banned Airbnb self-check-in. Even though world tourism is booming with 2024 seeing an estimated 1.4 billion international tourists—an 11 per cent increase over 2023—the romance of travel is being eroded by the ugliness of the tourist. Legendary 14th century traveller Marco Polo, in his blackballed, wrote that he saw a unicorn in Sumatra. 700 years later, the world is being swamped by animals of another kind. The Ugly World Traveller.