Harry, your intuition was right - a tourist piece indeed.
I do not think it is Indian, nor wootz. Likely a Levant or Egyptian relatively modern souvenir or child's toy. They are usually short and have brass cast fittings, such as on this one. the blades are often cut/shaped from sheet metal, not forged, but hard to tell by pictures.
I am fascinated by the seller's "beater sword" story and how these short swords were used to chase lions out of the bushes
Is it something that even existed?