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Tourist as ambassador

The tour operator at the Kruger National Park (South Africa) shouted above the hurtling roar of the van, “You’ll soon see Jessica, the home-grown hippo. You’re allowed to feed her from the deck built over her pool and press her back with your feet.” He turned to me. “Jessica’s in a delicate stage of maturity. I suggest you don’t do it.” One doesn’t pass this up. Just who would press an animal’s back with their feet, I bristled. Ours is a culture that reveres animals. Safaris are about learning to respect animals and their habitats.

There’s a lesson in this. Consider. Eight million Indians queued up for security-check at international airports last year.

After work and study, we now holiday abroad. We tour Alaska and China with stopovers in Scandinavia. A group is planning a trip to Antarctica. We shop at malls and boutiques in Florence, Chicago, London and Kuala Lumpur. We crowd the souks in Dubai.

We scuba dive and splurge at spas to wash off the fatigue. New Zealand wants big-spending Indian tourists; Singapore has special schemes for us.

But even as our passports get pock-marked and suitcase wheels wear out, are we gathering testimonial we can’t add to our resume?

Sure, we are very welcome. Our love for foreign goods and our value-for-money wish for tourist attractions make us valued “guests”. Won’t it help if we’re a little less conspicuous, more punctual, and leave only a good impression behind us?

Doesn’t do the country’s image much good to have “Don’t litter” signs in Hindi on the Swiss Alps!

“Abandon the ‘chalta hai’ attitude when you embark on a journey,” says Avis, chief-dreamer at Imagequity. “Respect the law of the land you’re in, be it traffic rules, garbage disposal or security clearances. Rules abroad are non-negotiable.”

“Don’t be a currency converter,” is his advice, “and don’t estimate values in INR.”

“The high-frequency kuruvi traffic going to the far-east needs a crash course in behaviour,” says Dinesh from the Airlines industry.

“We need to tone down shouting and jostling. There’s this new class of travellers who boss about on the plane, want to be waited upon in cafes, and look for bell-boys at hotel check-ins. We’re super-service oriented, and expect it as tourists. And end up getting dirty looks and polite no’s.”

The point is this. The world is waking up to our soft appeal. India is in. We could, each one of us, use “civilization” to our advantage while we travel. Ever considered these PRO points?

* Learn on-plane etiquette.

* Be patient if plans get changed. Why raise your BP?

* Keep your stuff ready (things that’ll go into the tray) in a security-check queue.

* Cut out sarcastic remarks about culture and cuisine. If you want food like at home, stay home.

* Prepare to be warned if you push your way into a Paris Metro.

* Remember to tip those who help you. Leave the hotel room reasonably clean.

* Indian clothes are a big hit everywhere. Go ethnic chic.You can’t top that for a conversation opener.

* Educate yourself on our customs and traditions. “Why do you wear a bindi?”, “Do you still have arranged marriages?” and “What is Hinduism?” are FAQs.

Be proud to be able to set right misinformation.

“If we don’t allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by another land and retain our self-esteem, we will behave better,” says Avis.

“The spirit of India must be channelised to help conduct ourselves as ambassadors of our great nation while

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