The recent spate of foreign tourists’ videos slamming tourism in India for poor hygiene, infrastructure, or poverty has us asking: Is this stereotyping or just reflecting reality?
File pic for representation/Getty Images
If you scroll through Instagram or YouTube, you’d agree that the pattern is now depressingly familiar. A young, usually Caucasian, travel influencer posts a video focusing obsessively on India’s poverty, trash, or unhygienic conditions.
The comments section explodes. Some comment with defensive patriotism, and the other half with weary acknowledgement. These videos, experts say, are designed to shock the audience for maximum views, engagement, and ad revenue. And, posting content around India has become the fastest way to build a following.
Foreign travellers defining India as problematic is not new, but the line is thin between highlighting the truth and plain old ‘gawking tourism’. Yes, we mean that viral video that surfaced on X and showcasing crowds of foreign tourists gathered to film a traditionally-dressed Indian woman sipping her chai on the cot. The exact location of the video is unknown, but the clip seems to be from a village in Rajasthan.
Rory and his girlfriend Mia during their visit to India in March 2025. He says while he was initially overwhelmed, he fell in love with the country
However, we need to own up to the uncomfortable truth: much of India is not urban, and our hygiene and civic standards are often not up to the mark. The lack of civic sense contributes to the narrative that some foreign travel creators exploit.
India’s tourism numbers demand some introspection. In 2023, India saw approximately 73.7 lakh international tourist arrivals (ITAs). However, the scale of domestic travellers dwarfs the international figures. The Ministry of Tourism reported over 17,300 lakh domestic tourist visits (DTVs) in 2023.
This disparity means that tourism infrastructure spending and quality control are geared toward the domestic traveller, who often has less expectations of world-class amenities. This leaves international visitors feeling let down.
Bharat Gothoskar, Rory Porter and Gayatri Sapru
Then, there is the question: are we complicit in our own stereotyping by offering tours that focus on our less polished sides? For example, are slum tours ethical, or do they feed the very gawking tourism we resent?
Sunil Rayana, founder of Dharavi Slum Tours and Travel, confirms that 96 per cent of participants are foreigners. He outlines how the tour is designed specifically to counter the slum label.
The tours are an effort to bring out the history and heritage of Dharavi, including the pioneering tanneries, the recycling efforts, the Tamil culture, and the Kumbhar communities, among others. They focus on showing grit, not just struggle. After all, Dharavi’s informal economy has an annual turnover of $1 billion (R8900 crore) by some estimates.
Rayana emphasises the economic benefit to the community as well. Guides are Dharavi residents, and tourists are taken to eat at local establishments, generating direct income. “The community is welcoming because such tours bring them business,” he says. While photography is allowed, there are strict rules to maintain the dignity of the communities that live there.
Gayatri Sapru, cultural anthropologist and founder of Folk Frequency, a cultural strategy consultancy, argues that the rise of “dirty India” content is likely less about foreign bias and more about an algorithmic reward system.
“The algorithm rewards polarising narratives because the human mind has evolved to react more to things which have a lot of contrast and which startle us, shock us or disgust us,” she explains.
This incentive structure is magnified in India, which is now a massive online market. Industry reports show India has well over 40 crore Instagram users and 45 crore YouTube users, dwarfing the user bases of Western countries like the US (approximately 17 crore and 24 crore, respectively).
The platforms also favour sensationalism. Advertising rates (cost per mille, or CPM) are significantly higher when views originate from the US, UK, or Europe. A content creator can earn five to ten times more revenue per 1000 views by polarising a Western audience than by creating positive content for an Indian one.
This financial reward structure directly incentivises the shock and disgust approach, making rage-baiting a rational business strategy for Western vloggers.
At the same time, some creators post positive India content. In the travel segment, one such example is Stephen Häuser, whose follower numbers have jumped from the 10,000-range to over 22,000 within the last two weeks, and continue to grow. Häuser for the last month has been regularly posting videos where he hate-watches travel bloggers who criticise India, and defends the country from his experience of travelling around it.
As for Indians outraged over the negative comments, Sapru insists it stems from denial. “Many parts of India are underdeveloped and unsafe. So if someone is showing that, the problematic thing is to call this stereotyping… because that’s the reality of much of India.”
While the anecdotes of chaos from tourists are common, international metrics show some improvement. India ranked 39th globally in the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI) 2024. In 2021, it was in 54th place. The report validates domestic efforts, highlighting some progress. Safety and Security saw significant improvement, moving to 91st globally by 2021 (up from 122nd).
Bharat Gothoskar, founder of Khaki Tours, is blunt about the need for India to improve its basic tourist amenities if it wants to compete with other destinations. He highlights the lack of investment in tourism infrastructure.
“India, unlike what people feel, is not a great value-for-money country for tourists. Unlike Southeast Asian destinations, we have high prices for the standards we offer,” he says. For tourists, this translates into “less bang for your buck” compared to countries like Thailand, Sri Lanka, or even Uzbekistan, which have actively invested in the tourist experience.
“Solid waste disposal is a problem… The amount of litter that you see in the touristy area in Mumbai is unbelievable,” he points out. “Hygiene is a major issue… on streets, as well as with food!”
Gothoskar emphasises that sensitising the local population about being a good host is essential. He cites Thailand’s SMILE initiative which focused on fostering a hospitable environment through awareness campaign to improve tourism experiences. India, too, has had similar campaigns, such as the Atithi Devo Bhava ads that were launched in 2002.
UK-based travel vlogger Rory Porter, who visited India in March 2025, offers the perspective of a visitor who fell in love with the country after initially feeling overwhelmed.
He says that before his visit, his biggest misconception about India was that there would be scams at every corner. “Now, I don’t think it is as bad. It’s like any other country, where you [foreign nationals] end up paying a little more than the actual price.”
He feels that a lack of reliable, standardised government support leaves visitors vulnerable to exploitation, reinforcing the narrative that India is an exhausting place to navigate. “Every country has problems, but I think a lot of bloggers intentionally film poverty or rubbish on the streets,” he says. “It is important to show the good and the bad. But if you only show the bad experiences, that’s an unfair portrayal of India.”
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
