How Violence Against Women In India Is Hurting Tourism
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The NY Times is reporting that the number of female travelers to India has dropped a whopping 35 percent in the first quarter of the year compared to last year, a decline almost wholly attributable to the spate of highly publicized attacks against foreign women in the country over the last six months including the gang rape of a Swiss woman in Madhya Pradesh and an incident involving a British woman jumping from her balcony in Agra to elude a hotel manager.
Visits to India by female tourists dropped 35 percent in the first three months of this year compared with the same period last year, according to the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India. That three-month period came after the fatal gang rape of a 23-year-old student in New Delhi in December, which brought protesters to the streets and shined a spotlight on the harassment and intimidation women face every day in India.
Having just been to India, I know that the fear women feel is real, and that the touching, grabbing and uneasiness is unfortunately a very prevalent theme for all women who spend time in the country. Traveling the country as a solo male traveler, it’s hard for me to relate to these feelings, as my experiences with the Indians I met everyday in the trains, on the street and in the auto rickshaws and taxis were almost always enlightening, and provided me with a better understanding of the Indian people and the opportunity to learn more about a culture I was unfamiliar with.
In fact, I can’t think of a single time that I felt threatened, in danger or worried about my well-being (except for the one time I got too close to a grazing bull near the Ganges River in Varanasi and had to quickly hightail it in the other direction as he lowered his head and charged me with his sharp horns).
Having such a different experience than many women do in India makes it almost worse for me. I constantly encourage people to travel the unbeaten path and to explore places that have reputations for being unsafe. In my experience, these countries’ dangerous reputations are almost always unfounded, and the very fact that they are considered dangerous often lead to a more unique, authentic experience as a result of the lack of foreign travelers.
For a country such as India, I would undoubtedly recommend people visit, male or female, as I had an amazing time exploring the country. Along the way I met countless numbers of solo male and female travelers who no doubt felt similarly, yet I can attest to the fact that the female travelers I met did feel a certain amount of concern for their safety as a result of the very actions I mentioned above.
Thought no female I met ever had any sort of violent experience while in India, almost every one could recount incidents of unwelcome touching, grabbing or prodding. Some combated this by dressing in loose-fitting traditional Indian clothing, while others attempted to travel as often as possible with a male companion. But either way, their will to travel was never broken, and their overall experience of the country was almost wholly positive.
Which is not to say it couldn’t have been better, or even easier, but hopefully the presence of female travelers and their unwillingness to let these types of attacks dissuade them from traveling in India will only help to initiate the very real changes that are needed in the country structurally as well as culturally to ensure women experience the country in the same manner as men: safely and positively.
[India Scrambles to Reassure Tourists Shaken by Recent Attacks on Women via NY Times]
By Matt Stabile
About the Author
Matt Stabile is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Expeditioner. The Expeditioner began in 2008 and is headquartered in New York City. You can read his writings, watch his travel videos or contact him at any time at TheExpeditioner.com. (@TheExpeditioner)