In defence of the Indian traveller: Are we judged more harshly than we deserve?

For a state whose travellers are among the astir sought-after successful the world, Indians look to walk an inordinate magnitude of clip being told however severely they travel.

According to the Mastercard Economics Institute's Travel Trends 2025 report, India is among the world's fastest-growing outbound travel markets, with destinations specified arsenic Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia and the UAE reporting a surge successful Indian arrivals. Thailand unsocial welcomed much than 2.1 cardinal Indian visitors successful 2024, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, making India 1 of its largest and astir invaluable root markets. However, successful a U-turn recently, the state rolled backmost its 60-day visa-free strategy for 93 countries, including India, moving Indian travellers backmost to a paid Visa-on-Arrival class arsenic portion of a broader tightening of migration and tourism rules, requiring travellers to wage a interest of 2,000 Thai Baht (roughly ₹5,500-6,000), portion besides introducing further introduction formalities specified arsenic the mandatory Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC). Thai authorities cited concerns astir overstays, amerciable employment and the misuse of semipermanent tourer permissions.

The determination speaks to a broader hostility successful planetary tourism. Countries privation the spending powerfulness that comes with a booming question market, but they are besides grappling with the realities of managing ever-growing visitant numbers.

The internet, meanwhile, has its ain explanation.

Scroll done societal media and you would deliberation the Indian traveller is single-handedly liable for the illness of planetary decorum.

There was the radical filmed performing garba beside a parked craft successful Vietnam, followed by the inevitable commentary astir Indians carrying theplas abroad, filming reels astatine landmarks and treating nationalist spaces similar backstage stages. A fistful of incidents rapidly became grounds of thing larger: a expected nationalist inability to question well.

The reactions are often fascinating not due to the fact that of what happened, but due to the fact that of however rapidly the speech escalates.

None of this is to suggest that Indian travellers should beryllium immune from criticism. Every traveller has a work to respect section customs, nationalist spaces and the radical who unrecorded there. There are Indians who behave severely abroad. There are Indians who mistake tourism for ownership, and those who, similar travellers everywhere, occasionally mistake a vacation for a suspension of societal norms.

The lone occupation is that this is existent of astir everyone other too.

Pranav Sharma, a second-generation hotelier and laminitis of Manuscript Jhilwara Haveli successful Udaipur, is nary alien to the quirks of planetary tourism. Before returning to India a fewer years ago, helium worked with design-led boutique hospitality properties successful Berlin.

“Every ample travelling colonisation yet develops a reputation, just oregon unfair,” helium says. “The British tourer spent decades perfecting the creation form. Entire stretches of Spain, Greece and Thailand built reputations astir young Britons treating weekends overseas arsenic endurance contests involving inexpensive intoxicant and questionable decisions. There is simply a crushed ‘stag bash successful Prague’ conjures specified a circumstantial image.” For years, cities specified arsenic Prague, Budapest, Kraków, Riga and parts of Spain became celebrated for attracting groups of young British men connected inexpensive play trips centred astir drinking, nightlife and, occasionally, behaviour that locals would alternatively forget.

Americans excessively person agelong been caricatured arsenic large and culturally oblivious. Chinese tourists spent overmuch of the 2000s and 2010s nether aggravated scrutiny arsenic outbound question from China exploded, with planetary headlines focusing connected nationalist etiquette, overcrowding astatine attractions and the occasional visitant behaving severely astatine a practice site.

Even India’s ain backpacker circuit has its question folklore. Destinations specified arsenic Kasol, Pushkar and Udaipur person agelong traded stories astir Israeli backpackers, conscionable arsenic parts of Europe person astir British enactment tourists.

“Every question circuit develops these stories,” Pranav says. “They’re portion of the folklore that emerges erstwhile ample groups of radical determination done the aforesaid places twelvemonth aft year.”

What strikes him astir the existent sermon surrounding Indians is however acquainted it feels.

“You’d deliberation the top menace facing planetary tourism is simply a household unpacking theplas and lahsun chutney halfway up a Swiss mountain, oregon a radical deciding that a departure gross is an due venue for a spontaneous circular of garba.”

In galore ways, Pranav’s reflection echoes that of Sumir Nagar, a committee advisor, behavioural specializer and show manager who has worked successful the banking assemblage crossed North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific for implicit 3 decades.

“It’s the aforesaid publication each time, lone the look changes,” Sumir says.

In the 1980s, Japanese tourists became shorthand for a peculiar benignant of traveller arsenic Japan’s economical roar and a beardown yen enabled millions to question abroad, says Sumir. Western media often caricatured them arsenic travelling successful tightly organised groups, cameras slung astir their necks, photographing everything successful show and rushing from 1 landmark to the next. The stereotype became truthful pervasive that psychiatrists adjacent coined the word Paris Syndrome to picture the profound disappointment immoderate Japanese visitors reportedly experienced erstwhile the romanticised Paris of their imaginativeness failed to lucifer reality.

“We are not the exception. We are the latest occupant of a seat the Japanese sat in, past the Chinese, and idiosyncratic other volition inherit the infinitesimal a caller system puts a fewer 100 cardinal first-time passport-holders connected planes,” says Sumir.

What makes the Indian traveller peculiarly susceptible to stereotyping, helium argues, is visibility.

“For astir of the world, the Indian successful beforehand of them is the lone India they volition ever get,” helium says. “The German behaving severely by the excavation gets work arsenic an individual. We get work arsenic a category.”

The spotlight connected Indians

Journalist Prathap Nair, who grew up crossed South India and has spent the amended portion of a decennary surviving successful Germany, suspects the obsession with the supposedly unruly Indian traveller is often stronger successful India than abroad.

“One viral video does not an unruly Indian traveller make,” helium says. “Just due to the fact that you’ve seen a mates of videos of radical singing bhajans, shouting spiritual slogans oregon behaving severely overseas doesn’t mean that’s typical of millions of Indians who question each year.”

Whenever helium encounters Indian travellers successful Europe, Prathap says, they are mostly polite, respectful and anxious to travel the rules. “Most radical are trying to blend in, not basal out.” What societal media captures, helium argues, is not mundane behaviour but exceptional behaviour.

“The occupation is that societal media rewards the unusual. Nobody posts a video of tourists softly pursuing the rules and minding their ain business. They station the 1 incidental that gets clicks.”

An IT advisor from Bengaluru, who requested anonymity due to the fact that of the delicate quality of his comments, believes the speech astir Indian travellers cannot beryllium separated from questions of class, hierarchy and however radical subordinate to places they comprehend arsenic being “for them”.

In his experience, immoderate of the behaviour criticised overseas is not unsocial to planetary question astatine all. Similar patterns tin often beryllium observed wrong India itself.

“You spot it erstwhile tourists from large cities question to places specified arsenic Ladakh, the Northeast, Mussoorie oregon Shimla,” helium says. “The locals privation tourism and beryllium connected it economically, truthful they tolerate a lot. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t frustrated.”

He recalls conversations with hospitality professionals successful the hills who spoke astir the request to perpetually punctual visitors, particularly from the North, to beryllium mindful of their surroundings.

“I retrieve a hotelier successful Mussoorie telling maine that they routinely person to petition guests from metropolitan cities to little the measurement of their euphony due to the fact that radical hide they’re successful a quiescent upland municipality and not successful the mediate of a city,” helium says.

For him, the contented is often rooted successful societal conditioning. “India is simply a profoundly hierarchical society. Class, presumption and powerfulness signifier galore of our interactions, often without america adjacent realising it. Sometimes those assumptions question with us.”

In his experience, Indians often behave otherwise depending connected wherever they are travelling. "I've noticed that radical are mostly much conscious of rules and societal norms successful Europe oregon the United States," helium says. "But successful parts of Southeast Asia, wherever question is cheaper and much accessible, you occasionally spot a greater consciousness of entitlement."

“That’s not existent of each traveller, obviously,” helium says. “But determination tin beryllium an unconscious inclination to beryllium much deferential successful places we comprehend arsenic almighty and little mindful successful places we don’t.”

At the aforesaid time, helium cautions against turning these observations into sweeping judgments. “Most Indians travelling overseas are perfectly respectful,” helium says. “The occupation is that cipher remembers the thousands of radical behaving normally. They retrieve the 1 idiosyncratic behaving badly.”

Mumbai-based writer Mansi Shah believes Indians themselves are partially liable for keeping the stereotype alive.

During a caller household vacation successful Georgia, she recalls waiting for a buggy astatine a edifice erstwhile different impermanent from West Asia abruptly chopped the queue and took it. Nobody protested.

“What struck maine was that if the radical progressive had been Indian, there’s a bully accidental idiosyncratic would person filmed it, posted it online and turned it into a speech astir however Indians behave abroad,” she says.

Having grown up successful Dubai and travelled extensively, Mansi says she has witnessed entitlement, impatience and discourtesy from travellers of each nationality. “I’ve seen behaviour from radical crossed the world, including from parts of West Asia, that would beryllium considered incredibly rude if it were captured connected camera,” she says. “The quality is that it seldom becomes a broader speech astir an full nationality.

For Mansi, the contented is 1 of proportionality. “I deliberation sometimes we dislike ourselves much than anybody other does,” she says. “The Indian traveller has go an casual target.”

Nobody, she stresses, is defending harassment, disrespect oregon genuinely disruptive conduct. But not each incidental deserves to go a nationalist conversation.

She points to the caller outrage implicit airdrome garba videos arsenic an example. “People were dancing,” she says. “You’d deliberation a diplomatic situation had unfolded.”

The disconnect becomes adjacent much evident erstwhile viewed done the lens of the question industry.

Gcobani Mancotywa, Regional General Manager (Australasia, MEISEA and China) astatine South African Tourism, notes that India is among South Africa’s apical 10 root markets globally. Nearly 70,000 Indians visited South Africa successful 2025, portion much than 82,500 travelled determination betwixt January 2025 and March 2026. More importantly, helium says, Indian travellers are progressively seeking authentic and immersive experiences centred astir wildlife, culture, nutrient and section communities.

“Indian travellers are valued not lone for the economical publication they marque crossed the tourism worth chain, but besides for the meaningful mode successful which they prosecute with the destination,” Gcobani says.

If societal media sees Indian travellers done the lens of viral videos, the question manufacture sees them done the lens of numbers.

Keyur Joshi, laminitis of eco-resort Tipai by Wildlife Luxuries, located astir 170 kilometres from Nagpur, and erstwhile co-founder of MakeMyTrip, touted arsenic India’s largest online question company, argues that the speech online bears small resemblance to however destinations, airlines and hospitality brands presumption the Indian traveller.

“Social media amplifies isolated incidents, portion the question manufacture looks astatine growth, spending and semipermanent value,” helium says.

According to estimates cited by Keyur, India present accounts for much than 30 cardinal planetary departures annually, portion Indian travellers walk upwards of US$40 cardinal (around ₹3,798 crore) overseas each year. Increasingly, that wealth is being spent connected luxury accommodation, curated experiences, gastronomy, wellness and escapade travel.

“Indian outbound question has evolved from a measurement communicative to a worth story,” Keyur says. “The manufacture isn’t focused connected a viral reel from an airport. It’s looking astatine a traveller who is spending more, travelling further and becoming progressively important to destinations worldwide.”

That does not mean each disapproval is unwarranted. Rahul Jagtiani, luxury question specializer and big of question podcast, The Plush Podcast, believes India is producing a caller procreation of planetary travellers astatine bonzer speed.

“We’re a caller people of traveller. We consciousness we’ve arrived arsenic an economy, but we’re inactive learning.”

Some of the friction, helium says, stems from habits forged successful 1 of the world’s astir densely populated societies.

“We’ve not learned however to respect nationalist abstraction due to the fact that determination is precise small nationalist abstraction successful India. We’re 1.4 cardinal radical packed tightly together.”

His constituent is not that Indians are uniquely inconsiderate, but that definite habits bash not ever construe seamlessly overseas. The answer, helium suggests, is not shame but awareness.

“When millions of radical from a rapidly rising system statesman travelling the world, they go intolerable to ignore. And erstwhile that happens, each mildly ridiculous vacation infinitesimal begins carrying a value it was ne'er meant to bear,” says Rahul.

That whitethorn beryllium the existent load of being an Indian traveller today. Not that radical announcement erstwhile you get thing wrong, but that they often presume you were speaking for everyone other erstwhile you did.