This week on Hafta, Newslaundry’s Manisha Pande, Jayashree Arunachalam and Raman Kirpal  are joined by writer and economist Vivek Kaul and environmental journalist Hridayesh Joshi. 

The episode begins with a discussion comparing India’s tourism landscape with that of Southeast Asian countries and why, despite its size, beauty and culture, India remains far behind its Asian neighbours as a global tourist destination. 

Manisha draws comparisons with cleaner, better-maintained cities like Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam and Indonesia, and questions why India continues to fall behind in basic urban infrastructure and tourist appeal. 

Jayashree says, “India is unsafe for everyone. That’s why tourists are unsafe here.” Vivek adds, “In 2024, Bali got a little over 6 million foreign tourists. In 2023, they got over 5 million…Forget Goa, Bali probably gets as many tourists as all of India does.”

On India’s cleanliness problem, Jayashree says: “Caste is the main driver of dirt. The wealthy produce the most waste and don’t care about where it goes.” Hridayesh says, “We dump solid waste into rivers; this happens with full knowledge of officials who take bribes.”

On environmental degradation and the floods in Himachal Pradesh, Hridayesh warns, “We are doing everything to facilitate a disaster, not prevent one.” He explains how unchecked construction and poor planning turns natural hazards into man-made disasters. 

This and a lot more. Tune in!

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