Will Thais make a SPLASH ABROAD over Songkran?

Last November, the Thai Embassy in Tokyo released a guide to manners for Thai tourists after a spate of incidents brought mounting criticism of their behaviour. Some of the miscreants had no clue why their actions were deemed unsuitable by Japanese, who take politeness very seriously, especially in the public sphere. The “do’s and don’ts” guide helped create awareness among Thais, but complaints over fresh offences continued to flow on the social media.

The latest incident has gone viral, helped by the fact that the “perpetrators” were young actors from a hit TV series. The teenagers danced down the aisle of a train as Japanese passengers sat frowning at the disturbance. Their actions would never have surfaced but for the fact that one of the actors took a video and uploaded it to the social media. The result is that group are now being bombarded with criticism for disrespecting the social norms of their hosts.

Thai social media users have been quick to criticise their compatriots’ wayward behaviour, fearing it would tarnish Japanese people’s image of all Thai tourists and create an atmosphere in which they were no longer welcomed.

In truth the offending Thai visitors should know better. After all, 

 we have been complaining about the behaviour of Chinese tourists in Thailand for some time. Their ignorance of the local culture has spawned incidents that have made the news, been circulated on the social networks and become hot topics of discussion. In one much-talked-about case, they were even banned from using the toilets at a famous temple in the North after one party of Chinese visitors allegedly left them in a terrible state. 

Like Chinese tourists in Thailand, Thai visitors to Japan enjoy the freedom to explore the world. They are afforded that right, in part, because they generate much-appreciated revenue for local tourism. But with that right comes an obligation to respect and observe local norms. The obligation must also be borne by those in the tourist industry, who are the main beneficiaries of visitor spending. Tour guides must provide guidelines and supervise tourists so as to avoid causing annoyance to local people. 

The tourist trade is not limited to hospitality, the transportation sector and visitor attractions. Tourism is also about the interaction of visitors and host communities. Whether on a big or a small scale, tourism can have major impacts on host communities both during the time that visitors stay and afterwards. These impacts can seldom be avoided altogether, but they can be minimised with responsible tourism.

In the era of social media, news of tourist misbehaviour can spread across a host nation in minutes through the Internet. Failing to observe the rules of that country will gradually create misunderstanding among its populace. Left unchecked, the tension is likely to grow, eventually hurting tourists, their hosts and the industry on which both depend.