Tourists behaving badly: Locals protest for better respect

[snoop1130]

 

Thailand is not the only country in the world with badly behaved tourists. As Ibiza and Mallorca say no to tourists coming to party, it’s becoming increasingly clear that expectations on travellers in the world’s most popular destinations are changing.

 

In recent months, Thailand has seen an increase in crime committed by foreign tourists, from illegal employment to property damage and physical violence. Over 700 foreigners have taken over jobs reserved for Thai locals, according to the government.

 

In January, a Russian tourist caused significant damage to a governor’s office in Phuket Town Hall. One case of physical assault that has grabbed headlines is that of the Swiss expat who kicked a female Thai doctor who sat on the steps of his Phuket villa. This is just one of hundreds of badly-behaved farang cases in Thailand.

 

Unfortunately, Thailand is not alone.

 

In a bold move echoing protests in the Canary Islands last April, banners sent a clear message:

 

“Tourist: respect my land!”

 

With peak travel season approaching, a wave of anti-tourist sentiment surges among locals in summer hotspots. Barcelona, Athens, Málaga, and other tourist-laden cities in Europe have witnessed similar protests.

 

Residents in over-touristed locales crave a better breed of tourist: one honouring local culture and nature, not guzzling cheap beer on beaches, leaving litter behind. Now, global destinations voice preferences on visitors. On the yes list: spenders boosting local economies, behaving respectfully. On the no list: boozy tourists, often nuckle-dragging, xenophobic Brits, flouting local norms, harming communities.

 

Carina Ren, tourism researcher at Aalborg University, notes a surge in poorly behaved tourists, attributing it to sheer volume. Sebastian Zenker, overtourism expert, stresses the need for tourism to benefit locals financially. Antje Martins, from the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, urges better management to address behavioural issues.

 

Industry shifts are underway. Soft initiatives like tourism pledges aim to guide behaviour, while tougher measures like tourism taxes, as seen in Venice and Bhutan, curb influx. Some cities, like Amsterdam, limit tourist beds to control numbers.

 

Zenker predicts a rise in destinations rejecting certain demographics, like Amsterdam’s Stay Away campaign targeting rowdy British stag parties. Flashpoint issues this spring hint at broader industry change. Martins warns that unless tourism becomes sustainable, destinations face ruin, reported BBC UK.

 

Travelling responsibly is paramount. As Martins underscores, these destinations are home to many.

 

By Puntid Tantivangphaisal

Photo courtesy of The Kaleidoscope

 

Source: The Thaiger 2024-05-22

 

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[Will B Good]

The only solution is draconian action that is well publicised, so even the morons know it just isn't worth the hassle of behaving like a ****.

,

Rapid deportations, life time bans, prison sentences, very heavy fines....etc.

[Tropicalevo]

10 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

boozy tourists, often nuckle-dragging, xenophobic Brits,

Looks like Gottfrid wrote this story.

[Galong]

It's a supply vs demand issue. Locals are the suppliers of the demands of the visitors. Stop the supply and the demand dries up.

[Will B Good]

Suddenly thought.......deport to Rwanda.....that'll work.....🤭

[connda]

Easy.  Tell the world that Thailand doesn't want tourist or their money.  Stop issuing visas - Bob's your uncle! 

"Ai farang.  We don't need no stinky tourists."
Signed,
Uncle Anutin

[John Drake]

Maybe it's just the increase in news about this topic, but it seems to me that post-Covid people are meaner and more violent. That's the way they are at home, and they bring it with them when they go on vacation to foreign countries.

[brian2322]

28 minutes ago, John Drake said:

Maybe it's just the increase in news about this topic, but it seems to me that post-Covid people are meaner and more violent. That's the way they are at home, and they bring it with them when they go on vacation to foreign countries.

 

I think you're right, it's the increase in news on the topic.  Boots on the ground in Pattaya for a couple decades, things were far more violent before social media/camera phones took over.  I used to see a 5-10:1 group of thais beating up a tourist at least once a week, but I think due to the increased likelihood of serious consequences because of videos posted to social media, it's dwindled to a trickle.  It's a big deal nowadays when there is a brawl on walking street that makes it to social media.  

[BangkokReady]

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

Residents in over-touristed locales crave a better breed of tourist: one honouring local culture and nature, not guzzling cheap beer on beaches, leaving litter behind. Now, global destinations voice preferences on visitors. On the yes list: spenders boosting local economies, behaving respectfully. On the no list: boozy tourists, often nuckle-dragging, xenophobic Brits, flouting local norms, harming communities.

 

It's fine to want this, of course, but they have to face up to the fact that they caused this by marketing their countries to attract this for the past 40 years. 

 

Don't be surprised if it is difficult to deter the "bad tourists" and equally difficult to attract the "good tourists".  You first need to change whatever attracts the "bad tourists" and bring in something to attract the "good tourists".

[FritsSikkink]

47 minutes ago, connda said:

Easy.  Tell the world that Thailand doesn't want tourist or their money.  Stop issuing visas - Bob's your uncle! 

"Ai farang.  We don't need no stinky tourists."
Signed,
Uncle Anutin

Tourists in general is not the problem, keeping the morons out apparently is.

[rocketboy2]

Thailand thinking they are still special.

Thailand sold itself down the river for money years ago.

suck it up.

as for respect, what a laugh. , most have no clue of the meaning of the word.

 

[Andre0720]

Might just get worse, if one looks at how people in many countries are getting violent.

Used to be able to go on vacation in south America, Central America, places like Acapulco, Cancun, Haiti. Just too dangerous now.

Gang violence in Mexico, mostly related to drug cartels.

I remember a Thai Visa member telling how nice it was to visit Somalia.

Just the word Nigeria raises eyebrows.

 

Was there more respect in Thailand years ago, that I do not know. But for now, I do not see respect here from Thais. On the roads, parking, Tuk Tuk, stabbings, shootings, and so much more.

 

But the world is getting more violent, so of course many visitors in Thailand nowadays come with a taint of that.

 

I always thought that it was the result of 'awareness'. Some 60 years ago, people were not aware of that many people were rich, while they were not. So they just lived their life as it was, and were happy with it.

Then they realized that these visitors had money. That all they had to do is steal some, or scam some of these people.

And then there was drugs, lots of money in there. So cartels were formed, and of course territorial fight amongst them.

And then society got accustomed to that.

 

I remember how horrified we were at home when the news described a stabbing downtown. Never heard of that before. And then we were told that they were Asian newcomers in our town.

And now, we no longer react to news like that.

 

But Thais are reacting hehe.Well welcome to the 21st century..

[bkk6060]

The doors are open.  The "hub" of disrespectful, arrogant violent tourists.

[BayArea]

It's difficult for tourists in LOS to respect the country and its way of life when most of the native population don't.

[DonniePeverley]

OPening up the borders, relaxing visa rules and attracting low spend tourists was always going to be a problem. 

 

Allowing RUssians to stay long term is also an issue as they are pushing local thai's out of workplaces and accomodation in many places. Sri Lanka already got rid of them. 

[loong]

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Over 700 foreigners have taken over jobs reserved for Thai locals, according to the government.

These are not really tourists, are they?

[SAFETY FIRST]

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Tourists behaving badly 

Nothing wrong here. 

 

[thesetat]

13 hours ago, rocketboy2 said:

Thailand thinking they are still special.

Thailand sold itself down the river for money years ago.

suck it up.

as for respect, what a laugh. , most have no clue of the meaning of the word.

 

They do it for the money... all smiles when you are handing them some cash for overpriced products or service. Then as you turn your back they are complaining about the tourists... They sold themselves out to Russia and China and several other countries already for the baht. Why bitch about the consequences when they permitted it and even encouraged it to happen? 

[soalbundy]

13 hours ago, BangkokReady said:

 

It's fine to want this, of course, but they have to face up to the fact that they caused this by marketing their countries to attract this for the past 40 years. 

 

Don't be surprised if it is difficult to deter the "bad tourists" and equally difficult to attract the "good tourists".  You first need to change whatever attracts the "bad tourists" and bring in something to attract the "good tourists".

No change because it's all about money, the knuckledraggers bring in more money than old and middle aged eco tourists, not much profit in a round of herbal tea, kick out the filth and the locals will complain about loss of income. Stricter 'boots on the ground' policing to dissuade bad behaviour, not just retro acting after a crime has been committed could help somewhat but Thais should also look closer to home, some of this bad behaviour will have been caused by Thais themselves, rip offs and aggressive lady-boys invites violence.

[hotchilli]

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Over 700 foreigners have taken over jobs reserved for Thai locals, according to the government.

Thailand living in the dark ages... keep complaining and tourists may just go elsewhere.. then you will have something to moan about.

Thailand asked for everything it gets when it opted for quantity over quality...

All TAT think about are numbers. 20 million, 30 million, 40 million 50 million... and rising... 

 

[Ben Zioner]

Hundreds of thousand of whores, free access to steroids, Cannabis, streets line with bars, what could go wrong.

[watchcat]

14 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

Tourists in general is not the problem, keeping the morons out apparently is.

 

No entry for tourists with tattoos?

[cncltd1973]

You get the tourists you deserve, and Thailand is getting the bottom of the barrel. Makes me miss the years growing up in the Caribbean with classy tourists.

[steven100]

respect ......  do they even know the meaning. 

[Surasak]

16 hours ago, rocketboy2 said:

Thailand thinking they are still special.

Thailand sold itself down the river for money years ago.

suck it up.

as for respect, what a laugh. , most have no clue of the meaning of the word.

 

Thia's show 'respect' to their elders and supposed betters. The problem is, it has been forced on them by their elders and supposed betters from a very early age, over many centuries, so ingrained in the culture.

[newbee2022]

19 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

British stag parties

They are a nuisance. Majorca, Riga, Gdansk, Copenhagen, Berlin, Barcelona....everywhere where you get a cheap flight and barrels of beer.

Loud, aggressive, zero education, no behaviour, no respect. Groups of those should be prohibited to enter any foreign country.🙏

[Gecko123]

What an idiotic and poorly written article! The protests in Europe are directed at overtourism, overcrowding, loss of community, and unaffordability of housing for local residents due to AirBNB vacation rentals, not misbehavior by individual tourists.

[GanDoonToonPet]

Only a half-wit would judge the people from another country by a small, badly behaved minority of tourists. Not exactly a representative sample. Mainly young people letting their hair down and old people with no hair.

 

What next? All muslims are terrorists? All black people are violent criminals? All white people are privileged?

 

These clever apes will never change 😟

 

 

[Almer]

But the 700 jobs taken over by outsiders are not wanted by Thai people, ask my local bar/eatery they have had 2 vacancies since December, if a person Starts after 2 or 3 days they vanish

[Almer]

I would say to the government, put up or shut up, but with regards to bad behavior let's not forget those that are calling for action, what's good for the goose is good for the gander