By Admin 
A family is playing Garba in the premium lounge of Changi Airport in Singapore. In the holy temple of Bali, an Indian is busy making reels with his girlfriend, while on the other hand, even towels, robes and kettles are ‘missing’ from a luxurious hotel in Switzerland. In the last few years, countless such videos have gone viral on social media which have given a new identity to Indian tourists – ‘the world’s ugliest travelers.’ Have Indian tourists really become the most disliked tourists in the world, or is it a one-sided story?
What events gave rise to this debate?
Let’s start with the events that fueled this narrative:
- May 2026- Singapore Airport Garba Incident: A group of Indian passengers started playing Dandiya and Garba in the premium lounge of Changi Airport. Other passengers present there made a video of this and posted it on social media, which was viewed millions of times within a few hours. In a place like Singapore which is famous for discipline and peace, people described this act as violating the dignity of public space.
- April 2026- Statement from Japanese hotel with separate floor: A Japanese hotel operator wrote on social media that Indian tourists do not follow hotel rules, make noise and take food from the breakfast buffet to their rooms. He demanded a separate floor for Indian tourists. However, he later withdrew his statement after huge protests.
- January 2026- Switzerland hotel theft complaint: A popular hotel in the Swiss Alps has publicly complained that Indian tourists find towels, bathrobes, hair dryers and electric kettles missing from their rooms after they check out. The hotel management said that they have to do special checks of the rooms after the departure of Indian guests.
- May 2025- Bali temple reel controversy: An Indian tourist made an Instagram reel with his partner at a sacred temple complex in Bali, Indonesia. In this video he was seen dancing on the stairs of the temple. When the local people saw this, there was a huge uproar. Bali’s religious leaders called it an insult to the sanctity of the temple and the administration then warned of issuing special guidelines for Indian tourists.
Why do Indian tourists behave like this?
The report of Times of India states that there is not just one but many reasons behind this:
- Cultural Difference: In India, noise, crowd and celebrating festivals in public places is normal. We are used to living outside the same way as we live in our homes. But in places like Europe, Japan or Singapore, people give great importance to personal space and peace. Talking loudly, making noise in a group or dancing in a public place is considered bad there. This cultural clash often puts Indians in a bad light.
- ‘Value for money’ thinking: When many middle-class Indian tourists stay in an expensive hotel, they feel that if they are paying this much rent then everything in the room is theirs. They consider many things including towels, robes and slippers as part of their paid services. They do not realize that this luggage is the property of the hotel and taking it away is tantamount to theft.
- Traveling abroad for the first time: According to data from the United Nations Tourist Organization, about 3 crore Indians will travel abroad in 2025. This figure is expected to cross 5 crores by 2030. A large number of these are people who have gone abroad for the first time in their lives. They neither know the methods of international travel nor understand the local culture and laws. Due to excitement, they commit such mistakes which they themselves do not realize.
The other side of the story: Are only Indians being targeted?
The report of The Print emphasized that this entire story is not one-sided. Many times there is clear discrimination against Indian tourists. In places like Bali and Thailand, special restrictions are imposed only for Indian tourists, whereas tourists from other countries are not treated in the same way. In the Firstpost report it has been called a case of ‘race profiling’.
Travelers on Medium and Tripoto have written that Indian tourists visit foreign countries in large numbers, spend well and contribute significantly to the local economy. According to UNWTO, Indian tourists spend about 30 billion dollars every year abroad. Despite this, the algorithm of social media is such that negative incidents get more attention.
A video of an Indian family playing Garba gets millions of views, while the normal and respectable behavior of millions of Indians never goes viral. Some Western media outlets deliberately target Indian tourists, while similar actions by Chinese, Russian or British tourists do not receive the same coverage.
Can Indian tourists change?
The answer to this question is yes, and signs of change are beginning to appear. In the last few months, awareness on this issue has increased in India itself. Travel influencers are making ‘Dos and Don’ts’ videos before traveling abroad. Many travel agencies are now providing information about local culture and laws to their customers.
History shows that exactly similar things happened to Japanese tourists in the 90s and Chinese tourists in the 2000s. But with time the citizens of both the countries adapted themselves and today they are considered respectable tourists. Indian tourists are also on the same path. All you need is some wisdom, some patience and a look at your habits.
Look at the whole picture, not one sided
This ongoing debate regarding Indian tourists is not a simple story. On the one hand, it is true that some of us do things abroad which are wrong and which should be criticized. But on the other hand, it is also true that crores of Indians travel abroad every year with respect and leave a good impression behind them. Calling an entire country ugly on the basis of some viral videos is as wrong as stereotyping the people of another country.