wat rong khun

Thailand Publishes Guide Book Telling Chinese Tourists How to Behave

Multiple incidents of improper tourist behavior

thai temple

Chinese tourists caught up in the freedom traveling in Thailand can start to feel right at home now that a new handbook written specifically for them has established new rules for controlling all aspects of  their behavior.

The Thailand Tourism Agency published the handbook on February 16 in advance of the Spring Festival rush, a time of year that normally sees a rise in mainland Chinese tourists.

The handbook covers behaviors that are and are not permissible by Chinese tourists. Although the report doesn’t go into specifics as to what the content of the handbook includes, it’s said to cover things like not touching paintings and proper driving.

A string of incidents profiling bad behavior by Chinese tourists while visiting Thailand has caught locals’ attention lately.

An incident on February 3 gained notoriety when Chinese tourists were temporarily banned from entering Wat Rong Khun in Chiang Rai for their unhygienic behavior. As the caretaker for the temple explained to reporters:

There were stains everywhere all over the bathroom. Someone had even stuck a used sanitary napkin on the wall. The toilet was completely full… my goodness, I was so surprised!

Another recent incident at another temple involves a Chinese tourist breaking a part of the historical attraction.

And then there was the Chinese tourist that was photographed drying out her underwear in a public waiting hall at the Chiang Mai airport, and were broadcast on a Thai morning TV show.

Thailand remains one of China’s biggest destinations for its tourists, with 4.6 million tourists visiting Thailand in 2014. One of the reasons the country is popular is because Chinese nationals are able to get visas on arrival, rather than applying in advance.

Charles Liu

The Nanfang's Senior Editor