India can be incredible, so take precautions. That’s what the Indian government seems to be telling foreign tourists in the wake of a spate of attacks on foreign visitors in the last few months.

The government has framed a fresh set of guidelines for foreign tourists wanting to travel to India with a whole new section on “Safety and Security of Tourists”. While the government tries to assure the tourists that travelling in the country is safe, it also offers advice on the precautions that they should take in order to avoid any unfortunate incidents.

“It is safe to travel in India. It is, however, advisable to take some precautions like avoiding isolated places and going out alone late in the night,” says the guideline which has been drawn up by the Tourism Ministry and was circulated to state government officials and law enforcement agencies during a meeting last month to review security measures for tourists.

The tourists are being advised to avoid developing familiarity with strangers and use public transportation wherever possible. “Do not take/ accept lifts from strangers,” they are warned.

At least one of the incidents against tourists in the last couple of months was a result of the foreigner accepting a lift from a stranger. A 32-year-old UK national was raped in Goa by a stranger who waylaid her after offering her a lift in the evening. The Goa police is yet to nab the culprit.

In another incident, a foreign national was molested inside her hotel room after she had allowed a stranger to come inside. Accordingly, the new guidelines advise tourists not to open their hotel rooms “without the safety latch or without first verifying the identity of the person.” It adds: “Avoid entry of strangers into your room.”

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