© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
The debate over ideal travel destinations for Indian tourists has flared up again, this time comparing Goa with Vietnam, a popular international destination. Podcaster Ravi Handa sparked controversy by sharing why he opted for Vietnam over Goa this New Year.
In a now-viral post on X, Handa criticised the behaviour of certain North Indian tourists, both in Goa and abroad, for causing disruptions. He recounted an incident on a train in Vietnam where a group of Indians loudly chanted “Bharat Mata ki Jai” upon noticing other Indian passengers. Handa also pointed out instances of queue-cutting by some North Indian tourists, which he described as frustrating.
He shared another experience at a cable car line where he confronted a person for breaking the queue, only to be told, “Hum logon ke pass special pass hai (We have a special pass).” Handa said he avoided escalating the situation to steer clear of conflict.
“Goa has too many North Indian tourists and they ruin the experience. Even in Vietnam, the only bad behavior was from North Indian tourists. A group literally started shouting Bharat Mata ki Jai in a train coach because they saw there were many Indians around. Another couple cut the line with the woman saying, “Aage chalo, yahan koi nahi rokega (Keep moving, no one will stop us here).”
See the post here:
https://twitter.com/ravihanda/status/1875766366432813186
The said post left social media users divided as many accused Handa of deliberately making a controversial post. “Stereotyping North Indians surely will get you two cents Ravi from like minded people, but this mentality has only not allowed us to progress as a society, coz everyone is busy in North vs South vs East vs West debate,” a user wrote. “That’s the same in Goa. Culture changed with Northie tourists and migrant workers. Now tourists are rude and so are the workers,” another user commented.
“And that’s why Indian tourists now have a bad reputation outside India. Some clubs have even introduced entry fees specifically for Indians to discourage such crowds,” a third user wrote.
