US man's Delhi airport criticism draws backlash. Harsh Goenka says it can be better

A video by US architect Damon Zumbroegel criticising Delhi airport's immigration and duty-free arrivals route has garnered divided opinions. The post was later amplified by Harsh Goenka.A video shared by a US architect about Delhi airport's duty-free experience has gone viral. (Photos: X/@DamonZumbroegel)A US architect criticised the sales push passengers face after immigration at Delhi airport in a viral video that has caught the attention of Harsh Goenka and garnered varied reactions on the matter.Damon Zumbroegel, an architect from California who frequently visits India, shared a video showing the route passengers take after immigration at Delhi airport. He was critical of both the immigration experience and the commercial area that follows it.“Here we are arriving in India, where every time I come to India the immigration is so mean,” he said, before turning the camera towards the duty-free area.Zumbroegel described it as the first thing visitors encounter after what he called a difficult immigration process. “They literally make you walk through this. This is the first thing you see in India,” he said. In the caption accompanying the video, he wrote, “Welcome to India? This is how one enters India in Delhi. Immigration, then, ‘Buy Buy Buy Buy!’ Not even 5 feet from immigration.”Watch the video here: WELCOME TO INDIA? This is how one enters India in Delhi. The welcome to all visitors..Immigration..then..”BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY!”.Not even 5 feet from immigration.This is a real video of immigration in Delhi. pic.twitter.com/VHYuYZ45YE— Damon Zumbroegel (@DamonZumbroegel) August 23, 2026His post caught the attention of industrialist Harsh Goenka, who reshared the video and raised a separate concern about the airport experience.“At most of our airports, as you clear immigration and walk through the duty-free area, salespeople swarm around passengers, aggressively pushing products,” Goenka wrote. “Surely we can do better. Let’s give passengers a dignified, hassle-free entry into our country.”He also tagged Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu in the post.See the tweet:The discussion, however, was not entirely in agreement with Zumbroegel’s assessment. Several people pointed out that duty-free shopping areas are a standard feature of international airports and are not unique to Delhi.Damon Zumbroegel responded by saying his criticism was based on his own experience of travelling internationally. “I’ve been coming to India for 30 years. I’ve been to 6 different countries in the last few months. No one does this like Delhi,” he wrote, describing the Delhi airport experience as the most chaotic he had encountered.The exchange has since opened up a broader conversation about the balance between commercial activity and passenger experience at international airports, particularly at the point where visitors are entering a country.- EndsPublished By: Srimoyee ChowdhuryPublished On: Aug 24, 2026 11:27 IST