Whither,Travel Etiquettes?
The recent tweets of Naveen Kopparam and Sumit Saurabh, detailing instances of entitled tourist behaviour in Switzerland of Indian families, serve as an unfortunate social trend, which needs introspection and correction. Not that all Indian tourists are loud and unbearable, but it is those few who are tarnishing our reputation, as a nation which is ill-mannered and uncouth.
The two tweets are as follows:
Naveen Kopparam @naveenkopparam “I visited the Lindt Chocolate Museum in Zürich a few months ago. Apart from Mount Titlis, that’s probably where I saw the highest number of Indian tourists most of them seemed to be part of tour groups. What struck me was that hardly anyone from the group seemed interested in learning about the chocolate-making process. Instead, they all rushed straight to the tasting tables, crowding around and barely letting others get a turn.”
“Things got really awkward when the staff announced that visitors could take one sample chocolate of each flavour home. Many people started grabbing multiple pieces, stuffing them into their pockets, and even returning to the queue multiple times. Kids were snatching 5–10 chocolates at once while their parents stood by laughing. I felt genuinely embarrassed watching that behaviour. I didn’t even bother collecting my samples, just left the place because I didn’t want to be associated with that group.”
Sumit @sumitsaurabh “I’m staying in a hotel in Zürich. An Indian family, after having the breakfast, they filled their empty buckets with food, fruits, yoghurt, boiled egg, which they can eat during the day. It was clearly mentioned at the entrance of the breakfast area, not to pack anything and not to take any food beyond this point! Literally, everyone was surprised and shocked to see this behaviour. The Indian family was on Switzerland trip. I’m sure they must have paid a bomb of money. Still, they showed why we are being hated across the globe.”
About four weeks back, I was sitting with my three friends at a table, in the restaurant of a hotel in Indore, where a buffet lunch was being served. I was stunned when suddenly a young man picked up the fork from our table, as he was passing by. As if it was his right to do so. At the airport, an entire family of four had no qualms about breaking the queue and going forward.
There are many such instances and the unfortunate trend shows in Google/AI searches—being excessively loud in public spaces like trains, hotel lobbies, and airports; cutting lines and queues, and not waiting for their turn; littering and a lack of civic sense regarding waste disposal; disregarding local rules and cultural sensitivities, such as dress codes; or expected quietness in certain venues; lack of respect for personal space and staring at others, and a sense of entitlement, with some individuals feeling that because they are paying, the rules do not apply to them.
What does it require for a decent travel behaviour? Observing decency, sensitivity to the local culture and ethics, and being mindful that we are in a public space, which we must respect. Is this rocket science for travellers of a country, which is amongst the leading economies of the world? Think!