How dehatism is ruining tourism

India Today

2 days ago

A man dances shirtless in Switzerland to blaring Haryanvi music. On the Burj Khalifa's skydeck, Indians spin to the popular Gujarati soundtrack "Chogada", arms flailing, as other visitors, shocked, quietly move away. Then there are the selfie-seeking tourists raiding Goa's quaint Fontainhas, stripping residents of peace and privacy. This is dehatism for you. The dehatism that some are flaunting and killing the joy of tourism for others. And because of the dehatis, even well-behaved tourists are facing a backlash now.advertisementThe shirtless man dancing in the Swiss snow to 'Mere Balka ki Ma Tanne I Love You' is popular influencer Raja Gujjar. We know about it because the dance video was uploaded on YouTube with pride.In Phuket, an Indian man slips past barriers into a tiger's cage for a selfie, screaming moments later as the tiger charges. These moments go viral. Not because they are rare, but because they are increasingly becoming routine.
Be it a popular influencer, a wannabe vlogger or just a group of friends, dehatism — the "We Are Like This Only" attitude — is bringing shame and disrepute to India. In India, these dehatis are a nightmare for locals and tourists.This too is the economy, stupid.Entire generations slogged to gain wealth and respect. Going on holidays with family was a privilege. People soaked in the locales, respected the locals. That was a time when money came after education.After the liberalisation of the 90s, things turned by the turn of the century. Now you have millions of nouveau riche for whom money came regardless of education.Dehatism has nothing to do with people from the mofussil, but with uncouth behaviour that comes with big money and little education. For one, it isn't the people from the rural areas who are the rowdy ones, but the SUV-driving city-dwellers, who create a nuisance at tourist hotspots.The dehatis scare women, tourists and residents alike. They believe they own the place because they are spending and have zero regard for locals and their norms. The only things they leave behind are beer bottles, trash and disturbed locals.If this dehatism isn't curbed, tourists will be greeted with only cold stares and abuses. The signs of which are already available in Goa, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.DEHATIS A NIGHTMARE FOR WOMEN TOURISTS, LOCALSFrom Goa to Vietnam, reports of harassment by Indian male tourists are piling up, painting a disturbing picture of what is a "dehati menace".In Goa's Arambol, harassment has become routine: women being followed, filmed, catcalled.A Herald Goa report from May 2025 detailed how foreign women were stalked, filmed while sunbathing, and even followed to their shacks by Indian tourists. Police say complaints surge every peak season.advertisementVarkala in Kerala has seen worse.On New Year's Eve, a German resort owner described multiple women being harassed by gangs of men. That same week, tourists at a women's hostel were groped while asleep.Outside India, the dehatis are no better.A February 2025 Reddit post from Pattaya, Thailand, described two Indian men molesting a Thai woman. One of them groped her, while the other filmed, and both turned aggressive when confronted.Others recount being stared at and surrounded in swimming pools and public areas.In Vietnam, a video went viral showing Indian men queuing for selfies with a visibly uncomfortable woman in traditional dress.Tourists also reported men dragging children, waitresses, even strangers into photos. In Hanoi nightclubs, loud, intrusive behaviour by large Indian groups has become a red flag.Dehatism isn't about geography, it's about attitude. It's about being loud, lawless, and oblivious to context. It's the entitlement, flaunted with money, cameras, and zero awareness.TOTAL DISREGARD FOR LOCAL CULTURAL NORMSIn early June 2025, a video of over 40 Indian tourists in Europe blasting Garba music and dancing in the middle of a public street, hijacking a local performance, went viral.advertisementWhat they called cultural pride was seen by many as disruptive entitlement, overshadowing local art and violating public space.In Thailand's Pattaya Beach, authorities recently flagged Indian tourists for urinating in public and leaving behind piles of trash, all within sight of families and other beachgoers. The disregard for hygiene and basic civic behaviour sparked a wave of complaints from both locals and fellow tourists.Back in India, the problem is just as stark.In Himachal Pradesh, videos showed tourists drinking and littering by scenic waterfalls.Visitors dancing on the road at Rohtang Pass to loud Haryanvi and Punjabi songs from car audio systems is a common sight. Drinking on the road, turning the car's boot into a bar, is again a regular sight in the hills.Beer bottles, food wrappers, and plastic waste now litter forested paths and streambanks in Himachal.Environmental authorities have been forced to increase patrols, not for wildlife safety, but to manage wild tourists.Tourist hotspots in Uttarakhand like Nainital, Mussorie and Dehradun are facing a trash deluge.On December 14, 2024, tourists in Nainital were filmed tossing cake wrappers into the valley. When locals politely asked them to use the bin, they snapped back: "Mind your own business". The video went viral, not because it was shocking, but because this behaviour has become so common.advertisementIn Mussoorie and Dehradun, social-media tourists now crowd around riverbanks and springs, flattening vegetation, trampling sacred spaces, and leaving behind everything from plastic cups to camera gear.Local guides say it's harder to control influencers than monkeys — at least monkeys don't vlog.advertisementINVASION OF PRIVACY: LOCALS ARE PROPS FOR SELFIESIn Goa's Fontainhas, famous for its 18th-century Portuguese villas and buildings, residents say they live under siege.Tourists lean on gates, climb porches, and shoot reels against private homes, often without asking. "We're not decorations," a media report quoted a local, tired of ring lights flashing outside their window, as saying.At the Taj Mahal, guides now warn foreigners about unsolicited selfies. Indian tourists often hover too close, snap photos without consent, and ignore refusals.In Mangalore, a Lithuanian woman filmed a group of men recording her as she relaxed on the beach. They fled only when confronted. This was shared by people on social media.Similar cases are common in Kovalam and Gokarna, where solo women now avoid quieter beaches.Locals, who depend on tourism, won't engage in such behaviour. These are mostly the dehati tourists and visitors from somewhere else in India.Trains and planes offer no escape. A Dutch influencer on a Delhi, Agra train said a man kept taking selfies despite her refusals.In the incident from Vietnam, Indian men were caught queuing to take selfies with a local woman in traditional dress. She stood stiffly, visibly uncomfortable. They laughed, posed, and left. The clip sparked outrage online.There are dozens of reports of similar behaviour, local women, kids, and even the elderly people pulled into photos without their consent.DEHATISM AND THE LITERRING PROBLEMIn Goa, littering has become a crisis.In just the first four months of 2025, over 1,000 tourist-related violations were recorded, more than half due to littering public spaces, according to Gomantak Times, a Goa-based daily.Beer cans, food wrappers, and plastic bags now dot beaches, markets, and heritage sites. In Fontainhas, locals start their day sweeping up after strangers' Instagram shoots.A video from Barot Valley's Lapas Waterfall sparked national outrage.It showed tourists turning the scenic spot into a loud, trash-filled picnic zone. Shot by creator Saumya Pathak, the clip exposed a pattern seen across Himachal: serene sites turned into open-air bars, then left behind like garbage dumps.Manali and Kullu face similar decay.Off-season garbage is around 10 tonnes a day, but peak season brings up to 50 tonnes, far more than waste systems can handle, according to a report by The New Indian Express. The rest ends up in rivers, gets burned illegally, or rots on hillsides.The once-clear waters are now choked with plastic, styrofoam, and chemicals.Not just the streams and waterfalls, beaches in India record plastic levels three times higher than the global average.Even pilgrimage towns are suffering.In Rishikesh, a 2024 image of liquor bottles scattered along the Ganga went viral. Locals say it's become common.TOURISTS ARE FACING BACKLASH FROM LOCALSTourism is a lifeline for many, and tourists are welcomed with folded hands. It promises livelihoods and development. And it isn't just about commerce in India, a country that goes by the motto -- atithi devo bhava (The guest is God).But thanks to dehatism, towns and valleys across India, which warmly opened their doors, are shutting them now.From Goa to Rishikesh, the frustration is growing. Locals are posting, protesting, and pleading, asking to be seen not as backdrops, but as people with homes and lives.In Goa's Fontainhas, Instagrammers crowd into lanes, posing outside homes. "It's trespassing," said one resident.Entrepreneur Alysha Maria Lobo put it bluntly in a post that went viral."Goan in the house here! We don't want tourists–period."She cited drunken fights, noise, and a growing sense of being unsafe."We want people who value our heritage, not cheap thrills and alcohol," she said.In Himachal Pradesh, the outrage is similar.A video of tourists trashing Barot Valley triggered a flood of anger online. Users called for regulation and heavy fines. One wrote, "Tourism is vital, yes–but at what cost? There will be nothing left."With rash driving and risky overtaking, they have turned roads in sleepy towns dangerous.In Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, locals have started refusing to guide or help occupants of cars with DL, HR, UP numberplates. Their short sentences and poker faces convey -- you are not welcome.That's because the dehatis from Delhi NCR had been there earlier and revealed their sorry side.Even in Rishikesh — known for Ganga and yoga — disillusionment runs deep."Throwing liquor bottles in Maa Ganga after camps is now common," said a Reddit user."Rafting opened the floodgates, loud music now disturbs even the animals," added another.In Kerala, satire says what many feel. One viral comment read, "Locals leave for work while tourists pay for banana leaves and fan rooms in the name of rustic charm."Behind the joke is the reality of being priced out, overrun, and turned into props.Everywhere, the sentiment is the same: we didn't sign up for this. The joy of hosting has turned into fatigue. The backlash is now a chorus, demanding civil behaviour, regulation, and relief.If tourism is to flourish, some will have to learn to listen and follow the norms. Because dehatism, with its 'we are like this only' attitude, is killing tourism.- Ends