A recent viral Reddit post by a British Indian tourist has sparked heated discussions across social media. After three years of traveling through India, the traveler called the country an “overpriced dump” and criticized its infrastructure and facilities, saying they were inferior to some less wealthy countries.
The post has sparked debates about India's appeal as a tourist destination, with users reflecting on the tourism situation. Many revisited Javed Akhtar's past comments and shared videos of his insights on similar issues.
In a now-deleted Reddit post, a user recounted a three-year travel experience in India that began at the height of the Covid pandemic. The user criticized various aspects of the country, saying, “The roads suck, the infrastructure is crumbling, every other corner is littered with filth, and there's no such thing as a sense of civics – the poverty gap is staggering, and it's becoming. More expensive to live in.” “
The post resonated with many online, who expressed similar frustrations and agreed with the sharp criticism.
Anand Sarkar, a social entrepreneur in the tourism industry, shared X's account, commenting, “We have become an expensive dump of a destination.”
Ananda Sarkar highlighted the growing concerns raised by international partners and representatives from countries such as the UK, EU, Australia and the USA, questioning critical issues such as “air quality, general hygiene and cleanliness, women's safety and inconsistent internal logistics”.
Addressing these issues, Sarkar explained that a lot of time is spent on promoting India as a tourist destination. Referring to India's declining reputation in global tourism, he said, “There is no more optimism and mystique – every potential visitor is seeing news and reading on social media.”
Discussing the impact on domestic tourism, Sarkar noted a shift in preferences, with Indians increasingly opting for international travel. “Mainly middle and upper-middle-class domestic tourists have been delayed by high domestic airfares and expensive domestic logistics,” he observed, adding that businesses catering to tourists with a daily budget of less than Rs 10,000 have seen their customer base shrink over the past three years. Said to have disappeared.
Sarkar also expressed his frustration with policy makers, saying, “I am at a loss as to why this crisis is not being taken seriously.” Despite these challenges, domestic tourism has yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels, and reputation and pricing issues continue to hamper growth, he pointed out.
Meanwhile, an old video of Javed Akhtar discussing India's untapped potential in tourism has resurfaced and gone viral, reigniting discussions on the topic.
In the resurfaced video, Javed Akhtar highlights India's rich cultural and historical heritage, mentioning iconic landmarks like the Taj Mahal, palaces of Rajasthan, temples of South India, Ajanta, Ellora and Khajuraho. He mentioned, “Things like this are here – we are born. We have no respect for our heritage.” That is, “There are such things here – broken. We do not respect our heritage.”
The 79-year-old lyricist and screenwriter highlighted the untapped potential of tourism in India. “If tourism has proper infrastructure, this country will be rich only from tourism.” That is, “If we had the proper infrastructure for tourism, this country could be rich from tourism alone.”