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By:

Naresh Kamath

5 November 2024 at 5:30:38 am

Indian Tourists Need a Reputation Reset

India has long taken pride in the philosophy of ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ - the belief that guests deserve warmth, respect and dignity. It is an idea deeply woven into the country’s cultural imagination, often been projected as a defining Indian value. As millions of Indians travel overseas every year, the conduct of a small but highly visible section of Indian tourists is increasingly shaping how India itself is perceived abroad. The issue is not about a single incident or a handful of viral...

Indian Tourists Need a Reputation Reset

India has long taken pride in the philosophy of ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ - the belief that guests deserve warmth, respect and dignity. It is an idea deeply woven into the country’s cultural imagination, often been projected as a defining Indian value. As millions of Indians travel overseas every year, the conduct of a small but highly visible section of Indian tourists is increasingly shaping how India itself is perceived abroad. The issue is not about a single incident or a handful of viral videos but a pattern that is drawing notice from hotels, tourism operators and local authorities across the world. The debate gained fresh momentum after reports emerged of a Swiss hotel issuing a notice specifically addressed to Indian guests. The advisory reportedly requested guests not to pack food from breakfast buffets for later consumption and reminded them to maintain silence in corridors and balconies. Hotels routinely issue guidelines. But when a particular nationality becomes the subject of a specific advisory, it inevitably raises larger questions about perception. “It is a sorry state of affairs. Indians, especially in groups, are displaying atrocious behaviour. This was anyway bound to happen,” says Subhash Motwani, founder of Namaste Tourism. Embarrassing Incidents Whether the notice was justified is another separate matter. The question is why such perceptions are emerging in the first place. Recent months have seen several incidents involving Indian tourists gain traction on social media. One widely circulated video showed travellers performing garba on an airport tarmac in Vietnam. Garba is among India’s most vibrant cultural traditions and a source of immense pride for millions. Yet airports are highly regulated spaces where safety protocols and discipline take precedence over celebration. The incident became symbolic of a larger problem. The rise of social media has encouraged some travellers to treat foreign destinations as stages for content creation. Public dancing, loud celebrations, disruptive behaviour and attention-seeking stunts may generate views and engagement online, but they can also leave lasting impressions on locals and fellow tourists. India is hardly the first country to confront such a challenge. During the 1950s and 1960s, American tourists acquired a reputation for arrogance abroad, giving rise to the phrase “Ugly American.” Britain spent decades dealing with the international embarrassment caused by football hooliganism. China faced similar concerns as outbound tourism surged during the early years of the twenty-first century. A nation’s image is shaped not just by its economic achievements and diplomatic influence but also by the behaviour of its citizens overseas. India today finds itself in a similar situation. Indian tourists are now among the most visible traveller groups across Europe, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. This is, in many ways, a remarkable success story. However, with visibility comes responsibility. Hospitality professionals across destinations frequently point to recurring concerns. Excessive noise, queue-jumping, disregard for local regulations, overcrowding hotel rooms and attempts to bypass established rules through jugaad are among the complaints often cited. Collectively, repeated experiences can create lasting perceptions. The most revealing aspect of the debate is that Indian travellers often display exemplary discipline in countries known for strict law enforcement. In destinations such as Singapore, the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, compliance with rules is generally high. Complaints tend to emerge more frequently in places perceived as relaxed or lenient. That suggests the challenge is not one of awareness. Most travellers understand the rules perfectly well. The problem is often a mindset that rules can be negotiated when consequences appear unlikely. Changing that mindset is far more important than introducing additional regulations or issuing fresh advisories. Every interaction at an airport, hotel, restaurant, tourist attraction or public transport system contributes to how a country is viewed. These everyday encounters often shape perceptions more powerfully than government campaigns or tourism advertisements. As India stakes its claim to a larger role in the world, its citizens must recognise that national prestige is shaped not only by economic achievements and diplomatic successes, but also by everyday behaviour abroad. The overwhelming majority of Indian tourists travel responsibly and leave behind positive impressions. Their conduct rarely becomes news because courtesy seldom goes viral. Yet a handful of highly visible incidents can overshadow thousands of positive experiences. The challenge is to encourage responsible travel and a greater awareness that behaviour abroad carries consequences beyond the individual. The conduct of Indian citizens overseas should reflect the confidence and values of a nation seeking not merely recognition but enduring respect. (The writer is a senior journalist based in Mumbai. Views personal.)

One Health, One Future: Why India Must Lead the Way

Integrating human, animal and environmental health offers India a strategic path to resilience and global leadership.

In 2023, two incidents in southern India carried a chilling warning. A two-year-old girl in Andhra Pradesh and a man in Karnataka died of H5N1 bird flu, a rare but lethal zoonotic infection. Around the same time, Kerala reported nearly 200 deaths from leptospirosis after unseasonal rains triggered a surge in rodent-borne transmission. These were not freak events. More than 60 percent of all human infectious diseases originate from animals, and nearly three-quarters of new or emerging infections are traced back to this source. The invisible line separating the health of humans, animals, and the environment is constantly being breached.


Climate change and antimicrobial resistance compound India’s health risks. The WHO warns of 250,000 additional climate-related deaths annually by 2050, while the IPCC forecasts six billion people in dengue-prone zones by 2080. India’s warmer, wetter climate is already extending mosquito seasons and worsening malaria and dengue outbreaks. Melting glaciers may release ancient pathogens. Meanwhile, drug-resistant infections caused 1.27 million deaths globally in 2019, with misuse of antibiotics in healthcare and agriculture driving resistance in India. These intertwined threats all converge under the One Health imperative.


One Health is not just a slogan but a recognition that human, animal, and environmental health are deeply interconnected. It serves as the guiding principle for prevention in the 21st century. The European Union’s EU4Health program has allocated €4.4 billion for surveillance and antimicrobial resistance control. Germany has established a dedicated One Health unit, and the United States launched its first National One Health Framework in 2023. The World Bank’s Pandemic Fund has raised billions, with new pledges at the G20 summit in 2024, including India’s $12 million commitment. The key lesson is that prevention is more effective and less costly than remediation.


India has made some progress in this area. Programs like the PM-Atmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana and the National Health Mission can serve as platforms for incorporating One Health principles. Even a small reallocation of funds could support veterinary laboratories, zoonotic surveillance, and environmental monitoring. Although overall health spending is low at 3.3 percent of GDP, establishing state-level One Health units and inter-departmental teams would not require huge resources. However, budgets alone are not sufficient. India’s strong pharmaceutical, biotech, and agri-tech industries need to be involved, developing rapid diagnostics, veterinary vaccines, and protocols for antibiotic stewardship. Well-designed public–private partnerships can help ensure that innovations are quickly translated from labs to real-world application.


The main obstacle is institutional. Ministries of health, animal husbandry, environment, food safety, and wildlife all have overlapping responsibilities but mostly operate separately. They lack shared budgets, common dashboards, and methods for real-time data exchange. The National Standing Committee on Zoonoses exists, but without legal authority or a dedicated budget, it cannot maintain momentum. Recognizing this, the government held a national consultation in 2024 to explore harmonizing laws across human, animal, and environmental health sectors. It is crucial to align the Epidemic Diseases Act, Livestock Importation Act, and wildlife regulations with outbreak surveillance. A biennial One Health legal review could identify conflicts early before they become crises.


States offer inspiring examples. Karnataka and Kerala have shown that multi-agency responses to Nipah and dengue can be quick and effective. Gujarat’s brucellosis control program serves as another model. Scaling these successes requires establishing State Zoonoses Committees connected to District Task Forces, conducting simulation exercises, and ensuring joint incident reports within 48 hours of outbreaks. Training is just as important. Medical officers, veterinarians, forest staff, environmental officers and community health workers need joint courses in triage, biosafety, digital reporting and outbreak investigation. Expanding India’s disease surveillance system to include animal and environmental indicators, with open data sharing across agencies, could be transformative. Abattoirs, live-bird markets, fisheries, and wastewater systems could all serve as early warning sites for emerging threats.


COVID-19 reduced India’s GDP by 7.3 percent in 2020. Early detection of zoonoses in animals could prevent such shocks and save billions. WHO estimates zoonoses already cost low-income countries one trillion dollars annually in productivity losses, livestock deaths, trade bans, and health expenses. A national One Health investment ledger that tracks avoided costs could attract finance ministries and investors, making resilience a matter not just of science but also of economics.


India is well positioned to lead globally. During its G20 presidency, it promoted the idea of ‘One Earth, One Health’ and helped secure commitments on zoonoses and antimicrobial resistance. The proposed National Institute of One Health in Nagpur can serve as a center for research, training, and regional collaboration. India’s strengths in affordable innovation, from mobile apps to veterinary vaccines, can benefit South Asia and Africa. Its manufacturing capacity can be expanded to serve the Global South. By linking climate finance to health outcomes, India can also demonstrate how fighting deforestation, waste mismanagement, and water insecurity reduces both emissions and disease risks.


The convergence of zoonotic spillover, climate-related illnesses, and antimicrobial resistance is among the greatest challenges of our era. For India, adopting One Health is not optional but a strategic necessity. The launch of NAP 2.0 and the Nagpur Institute represents a historic milestone. If India rises to the occasion, One Health could become not just a national model but a global legacy of foresight and accountability.


(Dr. Deo Prakash Chaturvedi is a scientist with the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, New Delhi; Dr. Kishore Paknikar is the former Director, Agharkar Research Institute, Pune and Visiting Professor, IIT Bombay. Views personal.)

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