dunkin2012 Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 The Hangover 2' May Already Be Hurting Thailand Tourism May 27, 2011 at 12:20 PM | by cmb The Hangover 2 just hit theaters and its already expected to be one of the biggest movies of the summer, if not the plain biggest. That means there will be millions of people getting an up-close look at Bangkok, where the movie was filmed, but will they leave with a good impression of the city? read more www.januated.com http://www.jaunted.com.....Hurting+Thailand+Tourism Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunkin2012 Posted June 3, 2011 Author Share Posted June 3, 2011 (edited) In just under a week, "The Hangover Part II" made more than US$200 million worldwide. But many citizens in Bangkok -- the backdrop for much of the movie -- are growing increasingly upset about the image the raunchy comedy portrays of Thailand. Among their complaints is the way Bangkok in particular is depicted, from the gritty, slummy feel of the cinematography to the vulgarity of some boundary-pushing R-rated images. I suppose that these are the same people that see the "Amazing Thailand" ads from the Tourist Authority of Thailand and say, "Oh, yes. That is the Thailand I know and love." Do they have any idea how Thailand is perceived overseas? While some of those sugar-coated perceptions might be rooted in hyperbole or exaggeration, the images that we see in the "The Hangover Part II" are rooted in fact. Like it or not, the ping-pong shows, the lady boys, the prostitution, the weapons smuggling and the drug dealing exists here. And on a widespread scale. Drugs? News stories about foreigners getting caught at Suvarnabhumi International Airport trying to smuggle drugs in or out of the country appear regularly in the daily newspapers . http://www.cnngo.com/bangkok/ read more http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/470809-the-hangover-part-2 Edited June 3, 2011 by dunkin2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jumbo Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Same happened in Vegas, empty place now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
random Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Find a fault, then find an excuse, then find a way to blame foreigners. Just another normal day in Thailand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welsh1 Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 The movie as only been out a few weeks and they say it is hurting tourism..What a load of Crap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard4849 Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 If tourist numbers are down this year by a single person, I'll gladly eat my hat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soutpeel Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 The movie as only been out a few weeks and they say it is hurting tourism..What a load of Crap Do I sense the ministry of culture getting involved and ordering a crack down on all American movies in Thailand for undermining Thai culture and presenting Thailand in a negative light on the world stage ?..... .....they may take sweeping measures like ordering the distribution on 20,000 booklets on the subject.... So where are we with the "new laws" introduced by the ministry of silly walks... All foreigners both male and female are prohibited (under the threat of arrest and deportation) from flashing their boobies during Songkran All Foreigners arriving at airports will be stripped naked to ensure they are not concealing illegal tattoo's on their person Any foreigner found importing American movies into Thailand will have said offiensive material confiscated and offender will be deported and blacklisted Welcome to Amazing Thailand.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard4849 Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Too late for the culture ministry to get involved, as they gave the green flag for the movie to be made and shown in Thailand in the first place! And good on them for doing so! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soutpeel Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Too late for the culture ministry to get involved, as they gave the green flag for the movie to be made and shown in Thailand in the first place! And good on them for doing so! Ah..so we should expect a press release from the esteemed minister of culture very soon ?......should be interesting how he will spin this one, suspect it will be as entertaining or more entertaining than the movie.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratcatcher Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Anyone who has spent any amount of time in Thailand and has seen this second rate follow up to the original set in the USA will immediately see that it is a coarse, crude comedy peppered with all the usual language and jokes. It's not as good as The Hangover I, but will probably help increase tourism in the sector that it portrays, ie nightlife etc. Yes, some of the scenes and time frames are stupid, but it's not an intellectually challenging movie is it?. Thais shouldn't be offended, other world cities have been portrayed in negative light and still get plenty of visitors. People offended by this need to get out more often. IMHO :jap: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulysses G. Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 The Hangover 2 is a lot better for tourism than another replay of the Red Shirt/Yellowshirt nonsense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard4849 Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 I wouldn't expect any "statement" from anyone, as it us a complete non-issue to almost everyone, except perhaps some silly farangs on various web forums, plus a few hack writers trying to make something out of nothing because it's apparently a slow news day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soutpeel Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 I wouldn't expect any "statement" from anyone, as it us a complete non-issue to almost everyone, except perhaps some silly farangs on various web forums, plus a few hack writers trying to make something out of nothing because it's apparently a slow news day. Richard..Richard mate..you really need to lighten up, there is surgery one can get to remove the stick from your bottom... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard4849 Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Don't ask the question if you don't want an answer, howza bout? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soutpeel Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Don't ask the question if you don't want an answer, howza bout? You must be great fun at parties... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3billygoats Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Just wanted to say that I love Thailand, Bangkok and Hangover 1, I had great expectations of part 2 and was even prepared to be rather biased. Sadly, it's a load of crap that is not at all Thai, not at all Bangkok and not very funny at all. I didn't want it to be like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooner Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Haven't seen Hangover 2 but I don't think a film will cause a problem with tourism. Too many other factors! But I'm happy with less tourists! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jiu-Jitsu Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 (edited) Erm... this was the perception of Thailand 20 years ago. Many parents would try to discourage their children from visiting because of the perception that drugs would be planted on them. Then there was the perception of widespread prostitution and mail order brides. It was only because said travellers/backpackers pressed on regardless that created a new confidence in Thailand for Westerners. Of course this doesn't include the sex tourists, who aren't easily discouraged. It seems more likely that the film will attract more tourists. As aforementioned, the real problem is that the film's portrayal doesn't fit with the propaganda. Edited June 4, 2011 by Jiu-Jitsu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farang000999 Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 my big fear is that these types of films might make people think that these thai girls with farang men twice their age are just interested in their money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanLaew Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 With over 4,600 posts here, It doesn't look like you attend many parties...or many activities involving anyone other than yourself, for that matter. "That's why you'll always find me in the kitchen at parties...." And I may add that 98% of men w^nk and the other 2% lie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davethailand Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 The movie as only been out a few weeks and they say it is hurting tourism..What a load of Crap Agreed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwinchester Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Haven't seen it myself yet as I live out in the sticks but a couple of my Thai friends who have said it was hilarious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckizuchinni Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 Went to see it yesterday with my better half. It wasn't nearly so funny as Part 1, but then again, not many movies are as good as the first one of the series. But as we walked out, my partner asked me what was the big fuss. It didn't portray Thailand as all that bad, nothing that is not really portrayed in Thai movies, except possibly the drug use and sales by the foreign characters. Not that there isn't drug use in Thailand, but not cocaine and not as depicted. Most of the "evils" in the movie were being done by foreigners (drugs, shooting, getting into bar fights, selling weapons.) For Thais, all you really had was the snobbish father of the bride, a monkey, a "genius" 16 year old, and ladyboys, and as my partner remarked, well, Thailand does have ladyboys. (The whole ladyboy scene evoked the biggest laughs from what was an entirely Thai (minus one) audience.) Even the photo of the monk in the bar, which was mentioned in the other thread on the movie, elicited laughs. On the other hand, the movie showed beautiful scenery, a beautiful resort which they called a "paradise," and even cheap medical care ($6 for 8 stitches.) The negative portrayals in the movie were pretty much all on foreign characters, not on Thais. How this will negatively affect Thai tourism is beyond me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelmann Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 The movie as only been out a few weeks and they say it is hurting tourism..What a load of Crap Wonder what would happen if some folk closed the airport down for a week or two??? nahhhhhhhhh that'd never happen now would it? At leastwe can rest assured our hotel roms have all been sprayed correctly with the appropriate chemicals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard4849 Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 Yes, travelman -- there were so many "final nail in the coffin of the Thai tourism industry" statements flying around after the airport incident...but it sure didn't take tourists long to forget about that, did it? Which makes the theory that a stupid Hollywoid movie might have an impact on tourist numbers even more laughable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bagwan Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 Haven't seen it myself yet as I live out in the sticks but a couple of my Thai friends who have said it was hilarious. Well some might well come to the conclusion that if Thai people think the movie is hilarious, then the oeuvre is, in farang judgment, juvenile and give it a miss, preferring to spend their time giving one to a Miss or Missus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanForbes Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 I haven't seen the movie, so I can't comment on it. But, I'm always reminded that in the fields of the media and tourism that ANY publicity, either good or bad, always attracts certain elements of society that might not otherwise have bothered. I remember when the movie "Pulp Fiction" came out and a bunch of well respected critics panned it. But, It became an instant hit and is still being rented at video stores. I went against the critics and thought it was great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard4849 Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 I saw it last night. Dumb movie. No offense caused to anyone in the audience. And I think they actually went out of their way to be respectful to the Thai people. No ham-fisted slant-eye or ching-chong jokes, and the monks even were not in orange robes so as not to offend the Sangha (the monks in the movie were some imaginary Chinese sect that practices a vow of silence and bamboo stick slapdowns -- and wear Chinese-style robes like those fake monks on Khaosan Road). The Thai wife to be, her parents, and younger brother were just about the most likable characters in the movie. Too bad they couldn't have used all Thai or Thai-American actors for the Thai parts, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottyd Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 I predict a rise in tourism as the Thailand portrayed in the movie is the reason you go to Thailand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grantbkk Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 The OP has a flawed premiss and and seems very closed minded. Who can predict declining tourist figures as it relates to one of the most corrupt countries in the world? With violent crime and fraud of all kinds right up there with Nigeria can anyone really expect a movie to have much affect on the tourism numbers? Even with a raging civil war in the south of Thailand AOT and TOT says were still swimming in ever increasing numbers of tourists. The atrocities committed everyday here that include beheading, lighting people on fire, rape, simple executions of men women and children in the name of one's God, thousands since record keeping began in 2004, has little or no effect on the tourism numbers. The Thai police even brag that during election season they are watching closely 100 to 200 "hit-men" so violence will be reduced against politicians during this period. One, Why are there no "hit-women" and two, can a comedy set in Thailand really have a negative effect on tourism? Total BS! Having the countries name out there in an successful, outlandish comedy will remind people we are still here and some will book a trip so see what it's all about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.png.3b3332cc2256ad0edbc2fe9404feeef0.png)
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now