No Skirts: India Warns Female Tourists Against Provocative Clothes

New Delhi (Sputnik) – India’s Minister of Tourism and Culture Mahesh Sharma said that female foreign tourists to India should avoid wearing skirts and skimpy clothes while visiting small cities for their own safety citing cultural differences. The Tourism Minister also cautioned foreign tourists to avoid going out alone at night in small towns.

Visiting women tourists should not wear skirts in India: Union culture and tourism minister Mahesh Sharma pic.twitter.com/BDJudDpxIc

— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) 29 августа 2016 г.

“We provide a welcome kit to the tourists when they land at the airport. The kit contains a card in which the ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ for the tourists have been written clearly. We have mentioned that the tourists should not go alone at night while travelling to small towns. Do not wear skirts in small towns. We have also informed the tourists that they should take a picture of the registration number of the vehicle that they are using and send it to a friend,” Minister of Tourism and Culture Mahesh Sharma told media in Agra when asked about the safety of tourists during their journey to Taj Mahal.

Mahesh Sharma further added that, “We are not giving diktats about what they wear and we are not trying to change anyone’s preferences. For their own safety, female foreign tourists should not wear short dresses. We have not given any specific instructions regarding what they should wear or not wear. Our objective is to convey to the female foreign tourists is that India is a country of different cultures and religious places. The foreign tourists should dress accordingly.”

The Indian Tourism and Culture Ministry’s latest advisory threatens to dent India’s tourism industry by portraying the country as dangerous for female tourists.
Twitter, or course, was soon buzzing after the comments from the Minster.

Don't wear skirts in small towns but we will bring naked people in Vidhan Sabha! BJP is full of sick people! pic.twitter.com/tGRbnIFeX1

— Ambedkar's Caravan (@AmbedkarCaravan) 29 августа 2016 г.

just have to periodically resuscitate this tweet, so skirts aren't ok for sharmaji, & this isn't indian? https://t.co/ctq3sE9oH1

— Hartosh Singh Bal (@HartoshSinghBal) 29 августа 2016 г.

"Foriegn Tourists don't wear skirts"-Fatwa of Modi Govt!How long this stupidity ⁉️ #IncredibleIndia ?@wilson_vanaja pic.twitter.com/Li3LyaxE8B

— Rohith kannan (@rohithkannan) 29 августа 2016 г.