I hate Thailand video posted by TAT
An ‘I hate Thailand’ video, which starts with an angry and rude young backpacker claiming to have been left with just a few baht after losing his bag at a beach party, was funded by the tourist authority.
It said the video, which it posted under a fake account on the video-sharing site Youtube, was intended to both remind tourists of the kindness of Thai people and to remind locals to be kinder to tourists.
The English-speaking version has attracted more than 1.5 million views in 10 days and more than 20,700 ‘likes’, but it has also attracted some negativity. Some people complained that the video was "TAT propaganda", one called it ‘a scam’ and one said it was "laughable".
The video was released in the wake of the murder of British backpackers on the island of Koh Tao in September.
At first it appears to be home-made video of a British guy called James complaining that he hates the country where he was robbed of his belongings and features scenes where he shouts at a policeman and throws a rock at a passing vehicle.
But it then shows him being taken care of, first by a Thai woman, and later by other locals who give him a drink, despite his lack of funds, and somewhere to sleep.
During the course of the video he warms to Thailand, teaching English and later scuba-diving. His bag is eventually found, having been snatched by – a monkey. The video ends with ‘James’ saying he’d planned to stay only a week in Thailand but he’s still there after a year.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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