The posts, including yours, seem to be going round in circles. The issue surely is that there are no objections to a surcharge if this is made explicit, even in small print, and drawn to one's attention, in whatever way
possible, before one orders a meal in a restaurant to allow the tourist to decide to eat in one place or another. This did not seem to
have happened in the case of Gabriel and he surely made this point, ever so clearly, not to require this circuitous series of posts.
If an Indian tourist had a surcharge demanded from him, at a restaurant, without due prior notice/attention, in the UK, not only would it be illegal but the establishment would risk censure in the media and even boycott if
this came to light. This is regardless of the fact that the same Indian injured crossing the road would receive free emergency medical services and of a quality equal to that for any permanent resident in the country. The
point I am making is that the waters do not need to be muddied with irrelevant and extraneous arguments as has happened on this issue. Most certainly, every Western tourist knows he/she is getting agood deal
in India because of the current exchange rate. Most would feel comfortable to pay extra, if necessary, as long as they do not feel ripped off.
To reiterate, I don't think there is much objection to the principle of a surcharge to tourists but it is a question of how it is yanked out of them. All that is asked for, and very reasonably so, is that they get to know
about any surcharge prior to the consumption of a service and not held to ransom by a hidden and undisclosed charge after the meal or whatever. This should be true in India or anywhere else, irrespective, of a country's stage of economic development. Minimally, it is an intelligent way of buying goodwill for better tips and increased tourism.
Instead of going round in circles on Goanet, I think all of us would be better served if the simple points made above were drawn to the attention of the Indian Tourist Board. The global competition for tourists is intense and India cannot afford to be out on a limb.
Cornel
