'Goa, are you listening?': Ex-Jet CEO Sanjiv Kapoor points to clean, barefoot-friendly streets in Thailand
Concerns over the lack of cleanliness in Indian tourist hubs are not new. Visitors have frequently voiced frustration over littered beaches, overflowing garbage bins, and poor public sanitation
- Mar 30, 2025,
- Updated Mar 30, 2025 12:57 PM IST
Former Jet Airways CEO Sanjiv Kapoor on Sunday drew attention to the stark contrast in cleanliness between India's tourist destinations and those abroad, singling out Goa while sharing pictures of Thailand's clean streets.
"Koh Samui, Thailand. No garbage bins anywhere. Yet streets are clean, no litter to be seen. How?" Kapoor wrote in a post on X. “Shopkeepers and vendors are required to manage the trash generated by them AND their customers. And tourists and locals have civic sense. A lot we can learn. Goa, are you listening?”
In another post, Kapoor added, “Tourists, entire families including kids, freely walk barefoot on these streets in Fisherman's Village, Bophut. Unthinkable in India.”
The comments triggered a wave of reactions online, with several users echoing his sentiment. Pranjal, one user, said: "It's also low-income - high-density area. Two most common excuses I've heard by normal people of why this isn't possible in India."
Kapoor replied, “We have an excuse for everything. All basically the same ‘India is different’ tripe.”
Another user, Aditya Mendiratta, said, “When I visited Thailand, I gave up on India because of the issues the country is busy fighting on. Ko Samui, Phuket even are completely clean with so much footfall. Everyone drives in their lanes. India is far far behind even Thailand, let alone compared to China.”
Concerns over the lack of cleanliness in Indian tourist hubs are not new. Visitors have frequently voiced frustration over littered beaches, overflowing garbage bins, and poor public sanitation, especially in places like Goa, which see heavy domestic and international tourist footfall.
In a bid to address these concerns, the Goa tourism department recently appointed a new contractor to manage comprehensive cleanliness across 51 beaches. The contract, effective from March 1, includes daily cleaning in two shifts and covers garbage from beach shacks, restaurants, and approach roads.
In December last year, Nikhil Saini, a social media user, said that many tourists treat some destinations like dumpsters. "Tourism is a double-edged sword. Locals respect their land, but tourists? Many treat it like a dumpster. From jungles to roads, every ‘scenic spot’ is now a garbage dump. Is it lack of infrastructure or just lack of shame? Either way, it’s the environment that pays the price."
Saini also shared a video of Manali, where some tourists were seen throwing away garbage on the street. "Just yesterday posted about Uttarakhand, and today here’s Manali—tourists shamelessly littering everywhere! Not a single spot in this country spared from this disgrace. Until the govt imposes hefty fines, clean India is impossible goal."
Former Jet Airways CEO Sanjiv Kapoor on Sunday drew attention to the stark contrast in cleanliness between India's tourist destinations and those abroad, singling out Goa while sharing pictures of Thailand's clean streets.
"Koh Samui, Thailand. No garbage bins anywhere. Yet streets are clean, no litter to be seen. How?" Kapoor wrote in a post on X. “Shopkeepers and vendors are required to manage the trash generated by them AND their customers. And tourists and locals have civic sense. A lot we can learn. Goa, are you listening?”
In another post, Kapoor added, “Tourists, entire families including kids, freely walk barefoot on these streets in Fisherman's Village, Bophut. Unthinkable in India.”
The comments triggered a wave of reactions online, with several users echoing his sentiment. Pranjal, one user, said: "It's also low-income - high-density area. Two most common excuses I've heard by normal people of why this isn't possible in India."
Kapoor replied, “We have an excuse for everything. All basically the same ‘India is different’ tripe.”
Another user, Aditya Mendiratta, said, “When I visited Thailand, I gave up on India because of the issues the country is busy fighting on. Ko Samui, Phuket even are completely clean with so much footfall. Everyone drives in their lanes. India is far far behind even Thailand, let alone compared to China.”
Concerns over the lack of cleanliness in Indian tourist hubs are not new. Visitors have frequently voiced frustration over littered beaches, overflowing garbage bins, and poor public sanitation, especially in places like Goa, which see heavy domestic and international tourist footfall.
In a bid to address these concerns, the Goa tourism department recently appointed a new contractor to manage comprehensive cleanliness across 51 beaches. The contract, effective from March 1, includes daily cleaning in two shifts and covers garbage from beach shacks, restaurants, and approach roads.
In December last year, Nikhil Saini, a social media user, said that many tourists treat some destinations like dumpsters. "Tourism is a double-edged sword. Locals respect their land, but tourists? Many treat it like a dumpster. From jungles to roads, every ‘scenic spot’ is now a garbage dump. Is it lack of infrastructure or just lack of shame? Either way, it’s the environment that pays the price."
Saini also shared a video of Manali, where some tourists were seen throwing away garbage on the street. "Just yesterday posted about Uttarakhand, and today here’s Manali—tourists shamelessly littering everywhere! Not a single spot in this country spared from this disgrace. Until the govt imposes hefty fines, clean India is impossible goal."