Many travellers behave badly

Readers say that people from all backgrounds can misbehave on holiday. Other topics: road accidents, industry trends.

It is wrong to put all Arabs in one bracket by looking at a few badly-behaved travellers, readers say. Stephen Lock / The National

With reference to Rym Ghazal's opinion piece Arabs are making headlines for all the wrong reasons (August 12), I'm an avid traveller and I've seen people of many nationalities behave badly. So why devote a whole article to a few mistakes of a small number of Arabs? I've seen European people commit travel travesties that would make even the most worldly travellers cringe and look away.

Ro Bint Hala, Abu Dhai

I don’t think this is an Arab phenomenon, but one that affects the Gulf. However, I am glad that an Arab has decided to take a hard look at her own culture.

An area that developed and became wealthy so fast is bound to leave some gaps. Those gaps are in education. Traditionally, Gulf Arabs are aware of the harsh environment they inhabit. It is only now that wastage of material has become so prevalent. So by no means can one blame Arabs for such behaviour.

We find this same behaviour in other cultures that have risen in their wealth indexes quickly.

Suhail Jashanmal Jhangiani, UK

I think this report is unfair. In fact, all such generalisations are unfair. Occasionally we encounter people who are not so good.

Unfortunately, they are the ones that make headlines.

Ali L Cuuex, Dubai

Don’t blame the roads for accidents

The roads between the UAE and Salalah are perfect (People urged to fly, not drive, to Omani resort, August 12). Roadways play an essential role to connect communities, which stimulates commerce. To label it as a killer road sends the wrong message to the motoring public, not to mention the business community.

Roads that are in excellent condition don’t kill, it’s negligent drivers who do not pay attention to speed limits that kill. Rather than sweeping the problem under the carpet by urging people to fly, what is really required is re-enforcement of safe driving habits using social media, radio and print media.

Billboards with safe-driving messages should be strategically posted along the route and during holiday periods highway patrols should be stepped up. The presence of policemen is a more effective deterrent than speed cameras. The motoring public should also be encouraged to alert the police to dangerous drivers, using a hotline or special app. Finally, well-equipped rest stops should be installed along the route to encourage drivers to stop and take a break.

Randall Mohammed, Dubai

By urging people to fly, they take the responsibility away from irresponsible drivers who put others’ lives in danger.

Christina Murphy, Abu Dhabi

To honour the memories of those who died in car accidents, might all of us take the opportunity to drive slower, perform more shoulder checks, give right of way rather than take it and show more courtesy to our fellow travellers instead of regarding driving as a contact sport?

Rasouleh Kazerouni, US

A disturbing trend in industry

It is during times of economic challenges that we are all tested – as individuals, and also as companies and institutions. When budgets are cut, companies are forced to readjust, as is happening in some organisations right now. They do this by laying off people, paring down projects, and/ or reducing overhead expenditures.

A rather curious, and disturbing, trend involves what I call “reverse negotiation”. In a “reverse negotiation”, you get an approval (a purchase order) from a client. You begin the job, hiring subcontractors if needed, and as you reach the middle phase or near completion, the client comes back to renegotiate the cost.

This can be especially disastrous if you are an SME providing the service.

Reverse negotiation is wrong because it creates a false economy built on a vicious cycle of broken promises, erodes business confidence and trust in contracts, upsets the SME ecosystem, and is damaging to reputations. It is unethical and unfair, and it has to be nipped in the bud.

Sana Bagersh, Abu Dhabi