SAMAJ WEEKLY UK
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
A video of a group of Indian tourists, reportedly from Gujarat, performing Garba on the airport tarmac in Vietnam has gone viral on social media. The group, consisting of men and women, was seen dancing in front of their aircraft, making considerable noise, ignoring instructions from airport staff, and disrupting the boarding process for other passengers.
The incident triggered widespread criticism online. Many viewers expressed outrage and began recalling similar episodes in which Indian tourists have displayed a disregard for local norms, civic behaviour, and public etiquette while travelling abroad.
Thailand recently ended its visa-free entry policy for Indian tourists, which had been introduced only a year ago. Both Nepal and Thailand have witnessed instances of behaviour by some Indian visitors that locals have found embarrassing and disruptive. Anyone who has travelled on flights from Delhi to Bangkok or Delhi to Kathmandu may have encountered passengers speaking loudly, treating public spaces as private ones, and behaving in ways that disregard the comfort of fellow travellers. Such conduct becomes particularly noticeable when passengers repeatedly pressure cabin crew for additional services or ignore basic travel etiquette.
In Nepal, complaints about the behaviour of some Indian tourists have periodically surfaced. A recent video showed visitors travelling in vehicles bearing Gujarat registration numbers allegedly littering a protected conservation area with plastic bottles and other waste. Local youths reportedly confronted them and asked them to clean up the area. Whether such incidents involve a few individuals or not, they inevitably create negative impressions about visitors from India.
Similarly, on public transport systems abroad, including the London Underground, it is not uncommon to encounter tourists from various countries, including India, speaking loudly, recording videos, or creating disturbances that attract criticism from locals.
Having travelled extensively within India and abroad for more than three decades, I do not believe things were always this bad. One feature that I have often observed, however, is the tendency among many Indian tourists to remain confined within their own groups. Rather than engaging with local communities, they often prefer to socialise exclusively among themselves while making comments about others based on appearance, language, or cultural differences.
Food is another revealing aspect. Many travellers carry their culinary preferences so rigidly that they resist engaging with local cuisines altogether. Tourism is not merely about reaching a destination, taking photographs, recording videos, and returning home. Nor is it about exporting one’s own social habits and cultural assumptions everywhere. It is about understanding and appreciating the culture, geography, traditions, and people of the places one visits.
If someone claims to have travelled across India—a country of extraordinary diversity—or around the world, yet remains confined to familiar foods, familiar company, and familiar prejudices, one must ask what they have truly learned from those journeys.
Part of the problem stems from a growing sense of entitlement that has become visible among sections of India’s expanding middle classes. Public displays that would once have been considered inappropriate are increasingly celebrated as expressions of cultural pride. Religious processions frequently occupy public roads for extended periods, causing inconvenience to commuters. In some cases, authorities themselves appear to encourage such displays.
We have also witnessed incidents on trains and aircraft where groups of passengers chant religious slogans or sing devotional songs in ways that make others uncomfortable. Such behaviour did not emerge overnight. One can trace it back to earlier instances in which airports and other public spaces were transformed into venues for cultural performances without sufficient consideration for whether all passengers wished to participate or watch.
When these practices become normalised, some individuals begin to assume that public spaces belong to them. The result is a growing disregard for rules, fellow citizens, and local sensibilities. The problem is not limited to one state, one community, or one region. Similar complaints arise in different parts of India involving visitors from different backgrounds.
Uttarakhand provides a useful example. Residents have increasingly complained about groups of tourists arriving in large vehicles, consuming alcohol near rivers, littering public spaces, creating excessive noise, and sometimes engaging in reckless driving. There have also been reports of harassment, public intoxication, and confrontations with locals. Such incidents have understandably generated resentment among residents who depend on tourism but also value the ecological and cultural sanctity of their region.
An equally troubling development is the tendency to respond to criticism with calls for boycotts. Whenever tourists are criticised for inappropriate behaviour, social media campaigns demanding the boycott of entire states or countries often follow. We are told that destinations should remain grateful because tourists bring revenue. While tourism undoubtedly contributes to local economies, this does not give visitors the right to disregard local laws, customs, or environmental norms.
It is important not to generalise. The overwhelming majority of tourists are law-abiding and respectful. However, recurring incidents of misconduct can shape public perceptions. Encouragingly, many people from the very states whose visitors have been criticised have openly condemned such behaviour and called for greater responsibility.
One revealing aspect of contemporary nationalism is the assumption among some Indians that neighbouring countries should automatically accommodate them. This attitude is rarely displayed toward Western countries, where travellers are generally more careful to follow rules and avoid confrontation. Similar patterns can also be observed within India, where visitors to states such as Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Goa, or Jammu and Kashmir sometimes behave as though they are entitled to special treatment.
Tourists are ambassadors of their country when they travel abroad and representatives of their home state when they travel within India. Tourism is not simply about fulfilling a desire to visit a location and posting photographs on social media. It is about learning from people whose histories, traditions, languages, and ways of life may differ from one’s own.
A traveller who never interacts with local communities, never tastes local food, and never attempts to understand local culture may have visited many places without truly experiencing them. Travel offers opportunities to learn, to exchange ideas, and to appreciate diversity. It enables us to bring home useful practices while sharing the best aspects of our own culture with others.
Dancing on an airport tarmac, littering environmentally sensitive areas, intimidating locals, or responding to criticism with boycott campaigns are not examples of cultural confidence. They are examples of behaviour that undermine the image of both the traveller and the country they represent.
Following local laws and respecting local sensibilities are fundamental responsibilities of every traveller. Public institutions—whether airports, airlines, railways, or other transport authorities—must enforce rules consistently and prevent disruptions regardless of who is involved.
Ultimately, the behaviour we display at home shapes how we conduct ourselves abroad. If authorities fail to address misconduct in domestic public spaces, similar incidents will continue to occur overseas, bringing unnecessary embarrassment and damaging India’s reputation.
