'No defecating in public': Thailand issues etiquette guidelines for Chinese tourists

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'No defecating in public': Thailand issues etiquette guidelines for Chinese tourists

Thais voice outrage at irreverent acts in sacred locations while admitting they need the revenue

PUBLISHED : Thursday, 26 March, 2015, 11:09pm
UPDATED : Friday, 27 March, 2015, 9:03am

Reuters in Bangkok



A tourist strikes a pose similar to statues at the Grand Palace in Bangkok this week. Photo: Reuters

Drying underwear at a temple and defecating in public, kicking a bell at a sacred shrine and washing feet in a public restroom: that's just a sample of complaints about the behaviour of tourists from China in Thailand.

Public outrage forced the Thai government to issue thousands of Chinese-language etiquette manuals last month in an effort to ensure the sightseers behave.

Feathers were ruffled anew in March when a Thai model posted a video on Facebook accusing tourists from China of jumping the queue at an airport, prompting heated debate from Thai and Chinese bloggers.

But with Thailand struggling to revive a stagnant economy after a military coup ended months of political unrest last year, tour operators in the "Land of Smiles" say they have no choice but to grin and bear it.

Tourism accounts for nearly 10 per cent of the country's economic output and Chinese holidaymakers are Thailand's largest group of overseas visitors.

It is not just mainland tourists Thailand is wooing: China is a top trading partner. The government has sought to strengthen ties with Beijing since some Western countries downgraded diplomatic ties when the military seized power last year.



A tourist takes a picture at Wat Phra Kaeo temple. Photo: Reuters

Raising revenue from tourism is a government priority to compensate for weak exports, said Colonel Sansern Kaewkamnerd, the country's deputy government spokesman.

Thailand, therefore, has to tolerate bad behaviour for the sake of its tourist industry, he said.

"We have to endure because having tourists is better than having no tourists at all," Sansern said. "Our exports are dependent on the economic situations of other countries. So we are focusing on tourism. This is something we can control."

At the Erawan shrine in the heart of downtown Bangkok, Kanlaya Yimpreeda, 29, a garland vendor, reels off complaints about visitors from China.

"I recently saw a Chinese couple take their kids' underwear off so he could pee near the shrine," she said, with a look of horror. "Right there in the corner next to one of Bangkok's holiest places."

Tourism took a hammering during months of protests last year that saw parts of Bangkok shut down. Many countries issued warnings against non-essential travel to Thailand.

The China market was one of the first to bounce back, said Srisuda Wanapinyosak, the Executive Director of the East Asia Region at the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

TAT has Chinese-language specialists manning its official account on the microblogging site Weibo around the clock to communicate with potential travellers, Srisuda said.

Over 560,000 tourists from China visited Thailand in January, accounting for over a fifth of total tourist arrivals, according to the tourism ministry. That was up nearly 60 per cent on the previous year.





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