Special Rules for Indians in Swiss Hotel Brings Global Shame: Harsh Goenka's Old Viral Post Sparks Debate on Indian Tourists' Civic Sense

ON MARCH 31, 2026, the chairman of RPG Group shared a post about how some Indians' behaviour in foreign countries is making foreigners sceptical towards Indian tourists. He shared a screenshot of a Swiss hotel's rule book where a special list of rules, according to him, was displayed exclusively for Indian guests. The rules made him question whether civic sense in India needs to be updated. He also shared some other instances where Indians acted in ways they shouldn't have.

Many people in the comment section then shared their own experiences and said they wanted to get angry about these extra rules but couldn't. Many said it was distressing to hear, but there are more and more reports where Indians' behaviour in foreign countries is being questioned. So, do we need to question these foreigners for their special rules, or should we question ourselves and ask why a hotel felt the need to put up such a notice?

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Goenka further gave examples of several incidents. "Today, videos of garba in restaurants, loud conversations in airports, and turning aircraft cabins into picnic spots keep doing the rounds. Even in Davos, an Indian businessman blasted Punjabi music in a club so the whole town could hear it, calling it 'soft power' but to everyone's annoyance," he wrote. He further added that Japan is globally known for the courtesy and civic sense of its people, and if India wants to "be a true global superpower, the world should remember Indians for their excellence, consideration, and respect for others."

Swiss Hotel Special Rules for Indian Guests 

The hotel, Arc-en-ciel Hotel and Restaurant, starts the notice with, "Dear guests from India." The rules then states that, in order to enjoy their stay at the hotel, guests are requested to follow certain rules. Some of these include: "The breakfast buffet is open from 7:30 am to 10:30 am. Everything you will find on the buffet is freshly prepared and comes from local producers. Please do not take anything with you; the food is for breakfast only. If you would like a lunch bag, you can order it from the service staff and pay for it." This was the first rule on the list.

Further, the notice asks guests to use only the utensils provided by the hotel while eating from the buffet. It also requests guests to remain quiet, as other visitors from around the world are staying at the hotel and appreciate peace and quiet. Guests are requested to keep noise to a minimum in the corridors and avoid speaking loudly on balconies out of consideration for others. The notice also states that the reception desk operates daily from 7:00 AM to 10:30 PM, and after these hours, guests should call only in case of an emergency. There were several other rules, including requests not to speak loudly on balconies or shout in the corridors.

What Indians Are Saying About Tourist Behaviour Abroad

Vir Sanghvi, a journalist with ThePrint, in an article about Indian tourists, compared them with American tourists and said that Americans also behave poorly at times, but there is a difference. He said that in foreign countries, Americans who behave badly are often seen as rich and arrogant, whereas Indians are seen as badly behaved cheapskates with no civic sense.

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He went on to explain this with several examples. According to him, some Indians book a room for two but try to accommodate seven people, argue over restaurant bills, refuse to pay after drinking in hotel bars, jump queues even when others are waiting, and play reels loudly in public places instead of using headphones, disturbing everyone on trains and in other public spaces.

The conclusion many people drew was that the problem is a lack of civic sense. They also said that, apart from lacking civic sense, some tourists behave in a stingy manner while throwing tantrums, something no one wants to witness. In the comments section of Goenka's post, many people also shared their own experiences. One person wrote, "I was speaking at a Film Festival in a Swiss Italian city recently. All arrangements were in a very posh hotel. Same story. It's beyond embarrassing."

Another person wrote, "So distressing to hear more and more reports coming in about careless and callous behaviour from Indians. We are becoming the most despised tourists. That erases our enormous progress and negates our spending ability."

One other person wrote, "Many a times the Swiss train bogeys get turned into loud Antakshari dens, and not just that, Indian groups travelling have a habit of passing their farsan packets between them without realising how people are inconvenienced. If we post anything like this, we are called brown sepoys by some 'nationalists.'"

(Edited by Harsh Pandey)

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