This survey was floated among natives of countries other than India and who has at least once

visited India. With this survey, we have tried to find their experiences of India and their

perception about India and its people. Among respondents to this survey, 71% were female and

remaining 29% were male. India has gleaming palaces, alluring hill-stations, lush-green tea

gardens, and exotic beaches and more, which attract tourists from all over the world. On a scale

rating of 1 to 5, where 5 being the best, foreign tourist has rated both culture and places of India

as 4.07. Delhi, Goa, Rajasthan, UP, Karnataka and Kerala has been most famous states among

tourists coming to India. Tourists have also found people of India open and helping. As quoted

by a French tourist, “The best moment I had often happened in trains where I always met every

nice people sharing food and discussing and exchanging our point of views.”

Although all these things make India a wonderful place for tourists, but there has been raising

concerns among most of them about increase in crimes against foreign tourists in India. When

asked about their bad experiences, many confessed that they have been victims of such crimes.

As quoted by a French tourist, “I was in Udaipur with my friends and have decided to do some

bicycle, a men has followed us (with his bike) from the city centre to the lake. When we were

next to the lake, the man has hit me and then he left.” This is not just one instance, 64 % of our

respondents said that they have been victims of such crimes which mainly includes staring, fraud

and unwanted following. It is said that Southern region of India is more safer than other regions,

but it is no more a exception, as quoted by another foreign tourist, “No but I cannot say that this

particular part(southern region) of India is safer than any other part. I think the danger is present

everywhere. For example, in 2012, I was in a shopping mall alone in Chennai. There was a guy

who was following me for about an hour. Even though Delhi is known for rape cases, I felt

safer!” Delhi, the capital of India, is also facing same humiliation among tourists coming to

India. One of the respondent said, “In Delhi and much more in the Old Delhi there is much more

people and it is more scaring because people stare at you as if you are a creep, and more unsafe,

for one of my friends things has been stolen…while in Goa, there is more tourists and Goa

people are welcoming.”

There have been many cases of intrusion of privacy and fraud with foreign tourists in India. One

tourist confessed, “The worse thing we faced is when people stared at us (my girlfriend and I) or

took pictures of us without any discretion or permission. If it’s only a couple of time then it’s ok,

but when it is always the case, at the end it is really boring. Another problem is the commission

(rickshaws will always try to drive you through the shop where he will get a commission) and

the fact that as we were tourists people were always trying to put mad prices on us. Usually we

knew the real prices because we were looking on the internet or asking people that had nothing

to do win from the transaction but the seller would still don’t want to negotiate to the good price.

Again, always having to negotiate is really boring and the overall experience is weakened.” Due

to these reasons, none of the foreign tourists like to visit India alone.

When asked about feeling safe in India on a scale rating of 1 to 5, where 5 being the worst,

foreign tourists rated only 2.74. The reason of such poor rating could be the above quoted

incidents. It is due to such reasons that tourists take many precautions like they dress

conservatively, avoid dark places, avoid taking rickshaws and taxis when alone or after dark and

more.

When asked about overall experience in India, due to above reasons, foreign tourists rated only 2

on a scale of 1 to 5, where 5 being the worst and only 14 % of the tourists have responded that, if

given a chance they would like to visit India again.