India may be one of the world’s biggest outbound travel markets, but a new kind of Indian traveller is going viral — for all the wrong reasons. Last month, a video showing Indian tourists performing garba on an airport tarmac in Vietnam sparked outrage online. It wasn’t just the dance that drew criticism. It was what many felt it symbolised: a growing tendency among some travellers to treat every public space as a stage, regardless of where they are.
Another video in May-end showed tourists dancing to ‘Chaiyya Chaiyya’ on Hanoi’s famous Train Street, where trains pass dangerously close to visitors. Before that, a group in matching yellow T-shirts performed garba on the 124th floor of the Burj Khalifa. Then came footage from Nepal’s Annapurna Conservation Area, showing Indian tourists allegedly littering in one of the world’s most protected Himalayan regions.
The videos keep coming.
Journalist and author Vir Sanghvi summed up a sentiment many Indians share: “There are just too many stories like this to ignore. As a Gujarati, I feel deeply embarrassed and ashamed.”
He is far from alone. Over the past year, social media has made viral many clips of Indians behaving badly abroad: turning aircraft cabins into picnic spots, blasting Bollywood music in hotel lobbies, dancing in inappropriate places, and conducting loud video calls in public spaces. For every Indian traveller cringing at such behaviour, another remains entirely oblivious.
Growing market & problem
According to a 2025 UN Tourism report, Indians spent $35 billion on overseas travel in 2024, up more than 41 per cent from the $22.9 billion spent in 2019, before the pandemic disrupted global travel. If current projections hold, that growth is only just beginning.
A 2024 Bernstein report estimates that India’s outbound travel spending could reach $89 billion by 2027, making it the world’s fifth largest outbound tourism market. Indians are travelling farther, more frequently, and in greater numbers than ever before. A visible minority, however, is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
On a Reddit thread, an Indian traveller in Phu Quoc, Vietnam, recently asked a question many have: “Why do so many Indians behave so badly when travelling abroad?” It quickly gained traction.
“Before anyone jumps in with ‘not all Indians’, yes obviously,” the traveller wrote. “But enough Indians behave badly that the stereotype exists for a reason.”
Three recurring complaints stood out: entitlement on flights, including rude behaviour towards cabin crew; refusal to adapt to local food or culture; and persistent littering in public spaces. Thousands responded. Many Indians living overseas said they recognised the pattern instantly.
In a recent column, Sanghvi offered his own catalogue of what he called the ‘Ugly Indian Tourist’. “Indian visitors are not seen as rich and arrogant,” he wrote. “They are seen as badly behaved cheapskates who flout every country’s norms of civic behaviour.” He cited examples ranging from overcrowding hotel rooms and arguing over restaurant bills to jumping queues, refusing to pay minibar charges and watching videos at full volume on aeroplanes and trains.
The examples are not difficult to find.
In Davos, an Indian businessman reportedly blasted Punjabi music so loudly in a club that it could be heard across town. He called it “soft power”. Others had different descriptions.
A few years ago in Bali, a hotel reportedly discovered that an Indian family had packed not only their own belongings but also hotel property, including bathrobes, towels, hangers, soap dispensers and a hair dryer.
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In 2019, industrialist Harsh Goenka shared a photograph from Hotel Arc-en-ciel in Gstaad, Switzerland. The notice, directed specifically at Indian guests, requested that they keep their voices down and refrain from taking food from the breakfast buffet.
n 2019, industrialist Harsh Goenka shared a photograph from Hotel Arc-en-ciel in Gstaad, Switzerland. The notice, directed specifically at Indian guests, requested that they keep their voices down and refrain from taking food from the breakfast buffet.
Goenka later admitted he felt “angry” and “humiliated”. But he also acknowledged the uncomfortable reality. “With India becoming an international power, our tourists are our best global ambassadors. Let’s work on changing our image.” The notice itself was embarrassing; the fact that it was apparently necessary perhaps more so.
Shriya Nene, who has lived in Raleigh, North Carolina (USA), for nearly two decades, says the behaviour has consequences far beyond a single holiday. “The loud ones make it worse for all of us,” she says. “I cringe every time I see a group of Indian tourists at an airport because I know what people around me are thinking.”
Rajesh Menon, an Indian hospitality professional working at a luxury hotel in Montenegro, says the impact extends far beyond a single incident or destination.
“Most Indian guests are courteous and respectful, but unfortunately people remember the exceptions,” he says. “When videos of bad behaviour go viral, they don’t just reflect on the individuals involved. They affect perceptions of all Indians.”
A frequent traveller from South Mumbai, who requested anonymity, echoes that sentiment. “When I see videos of tourists dancing in airports or littering at famous destinations, I feel disappointed more than angry,” she says. “Most Indians travel respectfully, but these incidents are what people remember. It feels unfair that a few people shape how the entire country is viewed.”
An irony comes to the fore here. The country whose tourists are now under the scanner has produced one of the world’s largest immigrant communities. Be it in North America, Europe, the Gulf or Southeast Asia, Indians who settle abroad often work hard to understand local customs and social rules.
Fitting in is essential for immigrants. For some tourists, however, the mindset can be very different: the destination becomes a backdrop rather than a culture to engage with.
Visible consequences
Last week, Thailand ended its 60-day visa-free scheme for India and several other countries. The decision surprised many. Thailand has actively courted Indian tourists in recent years and remains heavily dependent on tourism revenue.
Yet, on Thai social media, frustrations had been building. Post after post criticised Indian tourists for noise, aggressive bargaining, and a perceived disregard for local customs.
Elsewhere, restaurants in Vietnam reportedly refused service to Indian customers. A group of tourists in Zurich claimed they were denied entry to a restaurant despite having paid in advance “because they were Indian”.
Vietnam saw more than 7.5 lakh Indian visitors in 2024-25. Thailand received around 28 lakh during the same period. The message emerging from some destinations and hospitality experts is not that Indian tourists are unwelcome. But that certain behaviours are.
Why is this happening?
There is no single answer. Part of it may be the speed with which international travel has become accessible.
For many middle-class Indians, foreign travel is no longer the distant dream it once was. Cheap flights, easy online bookings and a flood of travel content on social media have made overseas holidays more attainable than ever before. What has not always kept pace, however, is an understanding of how to be a traveller rather than simply a tourist.
Many first-time visitors arrive with little knowledge of local customs or expectations. Most often, they have one priority: capturing the perfect photo or video, not engaging with the place itself. Social media has amplified the trend. Countries such as Vietnam and Thailand have become popular partly because they are affordable and relatively easy to visit. The destinations themselves often become backdrops for content creation.
Abhay Rana, a hospitality consultant, believes something fundamental has changed. “International travel was once really special. People planned for it,” he says. “Today, it’s often an impulse decision: a long weekend, a cheap flight, a hotel deal. That ease has brought with it a sense of entitlement.”
According to Rana, many travellers approach destinations as customers rather than guests. “They believe that having paid for a hotel room or experience, things should happen on their terms. But it doesn’t work like that. You’re a guest in another country, and guests don’t make the rules.”
Psychologist Dr Shreya Chugh sees social media as an important factor. “It’s less about cultural curiosity and more about social display — being seen, being loud, asserting presence in an unfamiliar space,” she says.
Chugh feels the need for online validation can sometimes override basic respect for local norms. “There’s also a herd effect. When one person breaks a rule and faces no consequences, others follow. Very quickly, individual behaviour becomes collective behaviour.”
Other side of the story
However, it would be unfair to reduce Indian travellers to a stream of viral videos. Over the years, I’ve seen plenty of examples that tell a different story: families helping confused tourists navigate unfamiliar train systems, travellers gamely trying local dishes, and strangers striking up conversations across cultures with little more than smiles and a translation app.
In Montenegro recently, I watched an Indian couple chatting with a local baker through a mix of gestures, laughter and Google Translate. Neither spoke the other’s language, but the exchange ended with photographs and broad smiles.
Clearly, the bad behaviour is not representative of all Indian travellers. It is, however, visible and frequent enough to have created a stereotype. The destinations where such complaints surface are often those with easier visa policies and lower travel costs. Countries that require more planning and paperwork often attract a more prepared traveller.
“How Indian tourists behave abroad is not merely a question of etiquette. It shapes how India is perceived, how warmly its citizens are welcomed, and what reputation travels ahead of them,” Chugh says. In some places, that welcome appears to be cooling. And, it’s not difficult to understand why.
— The writer is a freelance contributor
