Last year, while checking out of a hotel in Singapore, my family and I encountered an all-too-familiar sight. Our luggage was with the concierge, and we were waiting for our airport transfer. The lobby was packed with a group of Indian travelers who had just landed from back home. They had sprawled across the sofas, unpacking bags to grab snacks, while others caught up on sleep with their feet up on the furniture. The scene was both embarrassing and frustrating, especially because the people involved seemed completely unaware of their inappropriate behavior.
The Garba on the Tarmac Incident
A recent viral video from Vietnam reignited this feeling. It showed a group of Indian adults performing garba on the tarmac, treating an airport runway as a stage for their cultural expression. This is not a joyous celebration of heritage; it is a display of entitlement. While garba is a beautiful tradition, there is a time and place for it. An airport tarmac is not that place. This behavior is not about cultural pride; it is about basic civic sense.
Common Examples of Bad Behavior
The problem extends beyond dancing in inappropriate places. Indian tourists abroad are often guilty of:
- Not waiting in queues.
- Screaming across public spaces to converse.
- Treating every public area as their private living room.
- Littering and drying undergarments on hotel balconies.
This is cringe-worthy behavior on steroids. The Great Indian Tourist seems to impose themselves on the world without caring whether it is welcome. This entitlement stems from a lack of accountability back home, where such behavior is rarely called out.
The Stereotype Is Real
Thailand recently reduced visa-free stays for Indian tourists from 60 days to 30 days, partly due to a negative stereotype that is now deeply entrenched. There is the buffet-breakfast tourist who saunters down in pajamas and hotel slippers, picks up food with bare hands instead of using tongs, and is loud to the wait staff. There is the photo-taking tourist who blocks pathways and tramples on heritage structures. There is the fruit-and-flower-picking tourist who climbs on Buddha statues to reach their prize. And then there are the flights.
Flight Behavior
On flights, Indian tourists often stand up before the aircraft has stopped taxiing, stampede toward overhead bins for duty-free items, talk at loudspeaker volume, play cards on tray tables, watch action films without headphones, and pass around food packets with the aromatic force of chemical warfare. This behavior is not just annoying; it is disrespectful to fellow passengers and crew.
Why This Happens
Many Indians view etiquette as elitist and being 'bindass' as glorious. Social media has exacerbated this, turning every trip into a content opportunity. Every heritage site becomes a backdrop for a grand production of 'Look At Me Abroad.' This is sad, because many Indians are curious, considerate, and gracious travelers. But the loud ones have become the global stereotype, and stereotypes can harden quickly.
What Can We Do?
We need a national campaign to educate people on public behavior. We should call out bad behavior when we see it. But it starts at home: teach children the difference between indoor and outdoor voices, the importance of waiting their turn, clearing up trash, and respecting public spaces. Everything is not cultural pride; there is a time and place for everything, including dancing. If we learn this, we will be welcome everywhere, not merely tolerated.
