TOURIST SAY DELHI ISN’T A PLACE FOR THE FAINT-HEARTED
We ask foreign tourists about their experiences in Delhi, and most say they have been cheated in some way or the other
Henna Rakheja
When visiting a new country, no one would want to have a nightmarish experience. And tourists in India aren’t that lucky either. There are many instances where foreign nationals have reported that they were misguided by tour operators or taxi drivers in India. One of the incidents that made headlines recently was when a US national was bullied and duped of $1,294 (₹91,734) after being picked up from the Delhi airport, and told that a part of the city, including his hotel, is closed due to festivities. After he filed an FIR, the spotlight returned on how frequently tourists are cheated in the Capital.
‘BECAME SMARTER AFTER ONE BAD EXPERIENCE’
A casual outing in Connaught Place and one comes across several tourists who recount similar experiences. Trystan Youngjohn, a teacher from USA, shares, “When we landed in Delhi and booked a cab, the man at the airport said that we have to pay ₹700 when we reach our hostel near Delhi Gate Metro Station. But the cab driver later asked us to pay ₹1,500! After one bad experience, we became smarter and didn’t let anyone else scam us.”
Saeed Maghadasy, an IT student from Iraq, tells us, “Just last evening, we called a cab via a mobile app. The cost shown while booking the cab was ₹600. But the driver later asked for ₹1,000. Since then, we haven’t taken a cab. We’ve been either walking or taking the public transport...”
‘EVERYONE WANTS TO EARN A COMMISSION’
Enticing tourists to buy from their preferred seller in order to earn commission is also extremely prevalent, and only the most experienced travellers can avoid the trap.
“We’ve been trying to come to the Cottage Emporium for the last two days, but either a taxi driver takes us to some other place that’s also an ‘emporium’ or someone tells us that it’s closed,” says Jane Stewart McDonald, a travel writer from Bahrain, Middle East. She and her partner Greg McDonald have travelled to over 100 cities, and say they can sniff scammers from afar. Greg says, “Even when we reached the Cottage Emporium, a man told us it’s closed… This attitude is everywhere. The other day, a shopkeeper tried to force us to buy something by saying that everything is closed tomorrow.”
Jane adds, “It’s sad that one incident tarnishes the image of a country, but how do you tell people to not lie? It’s also important to educate the tourists to not be gullible.”
We booked a cab, and the man at the airport said that we have to pay ₹700... But the cab driver later asked us to pay ₹1,500!
TRYSTAN YOUNGJOHN A TOURIST FROM USA
We’ve been trying to come to the Cottage Emporium for two days, but taxi drivers take us to some other place or someone tells us that it’s closed...
JANE STEWART MCDONALD A TOURIST FROM BAHRAIN