British travel creator Jack Heaton arrived in Madhya Pradesh with almost no expectations. A few days later, he was calling it one of India's most overlooked destinations. Heaton, who is travelling across India with the aim of visiting and ranking all 28 states, recently documented his experience in Indore. The city surprised him with its cleanliness, street food and repeated encounters with strangers who welcomed him warmly. “This has to be the most slept-on place in all of India,” Heaton said in the video, according to NDTV. The reaction has put another spotlight on Madhya Pradesh tourism, particularly Indore, a city already well known within India for food and cleanliness but less prominent on many international travel itineraries.

Madhya Pradesh Surprises Jack Heaton in Indore

Heaton had visited seven Indian states when NDTV reported on his ranking project. His list placed Kerala first, followed by Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka. Madhya Pradesh came fifth, ahead of Telangana and Tamil Nadu. But Heaton was also clear about the limits of that ranking. His visit to the state was concentrated mainly around Indore, and he acknowledged that a few days were not enough to properly explore everything Madhya Pradesh offers. He said he wanted to return and see more of the state. That context matters. His comments are a traveller's first impression of Indore rather than a comprehensive review of Madhya Pradesh. Still, what he did see appears to have exceeded his expectations.

Indore's Cleanliness Makes an Impression

One of the first things Heaton noticed was how clean Indore appeared. He described the city as “pretty damn clean” and said he noticed that residents appeared to take keeping their surroundings clean seriously. That reputation is not based only on a tourist's impression. Indore has been one of India's strongest-performing cities under the central government's Swachh Survekshan programme for years. Under the redesigned Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 system, it entered the premier Super Swachh League, a category created for cities with a sustained record of high cleanliness performance. So when the British travel vlogger noticed the city's sanitation standards, he was picking up on something that has also been recognised through India's official urban-cleanliness programme.

Indore Street Food Becomes the Biggest Surprise

Clean streets were only part of the attraction. Food appears to have made an even stronger impression. Heaton called Indore's food scene the best street-food experience he had encountered in India up to that point. The praise fits Indore's established culinary identity. The city's tourism information highlights its street food and night markets, while Sarafa Bazaar is particularly famous for transforming from a jewellery market during the day into a busy food destination after dark. For anyone exploring Madhya Pradesh tourism, Indore offers dishes and experiences associated closely with the city, from poha and jalebi to bhutte ka kees and the late-night stalls of Sarafa. But Heaton's experience was not only about what was served. It was also about who paid for it.

Strangers Refused to Let Him Pay

Heaton said people repeatedly approached him during his stay and made him feel welcome. On two occasions, according to NDTV, locals even refused to allow him to pay for what he had ordered. Those encounters became an important part of his overall assessment of Indore. Rather than focusing solely on monuments or tourist attractions, his video centred on everyday experiences: walking through streets, eating local food and speaking with people. That is also why the video resonated beyond a conventional travel review. Many of the reactions cited by NDTV encouraged him to visit more places within Madhya Pradesh before making a final judgment about the state.

This Isn't Jack Heaton's First Viral India Experience

The Indore video follows several other widely shared moments from Heaton's journey around India. In July, he attracted attention after travelling from Delhi to Jaipur on a private AC sleeper bus. He praised its cleanliness, sleeping space and affordability, saying the experience could “put Europe to shame.” Business Today reported that the roughly seven-hour journey cost about ₹386. Earlier, his experience in Kerala also went viral. The Indian Express reported in May that Heaton injured his leg during his travels and spoke about local people coming forward to help him. He said those experiences challenged some of the negative narratives about India he had encountered online before visiting. Together, the videos show how his state-by-state project is being shaped as much by everyday interactions as traditional tourist attractions.

Why the Video Matters for Madhya Pradesh Tourism

One viral travel video cannot tell us whether tourist numbers will rise or whether attitudes towards an entire state will change. But it can generate visibility. That is particularly useful for destinations that may not immediately appear on the standard international tourist route through India. Heaton himself compared Madhya Pradesh with places that have more immediately recognisable attractions. Goa has its beaches, while Himachal Pradesh has its mountains. He felt Madhya Pradesh did not necessarily provide that same instant visual “shock factor.” What impressed him instead was the experience of actually being there. For Indore, that meant cleanliness, Indore street food and interactions with local residents.

And that may explain why his description of the state as India's “most slept-on” destination has travelled so widely. Heaton still has most of India left to explore, and his ranking can change as the project continues. NDTV reported that Punjab is next on his journey. For now, though, a traveller who arrived with “0 expectations” has left Indore saying he needs to come back. For Madhya Pradesh, that may be the more meaningful endorsement than fifth place on any list.