Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul vowed on Wednesday to tighten oversight of tourists’ behaviour after a series of incidents including foreigners having sex in public, warning they damage the country’s image.
Mr Anutin ordered strict enforcement of laws against tourists engaging in inappropriate behaviour that violates Thai law, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.
“Tourists exhibiting inappropriate behaviour or causing disturbance to the public and other tourists must be prosecuted strictly according to the law, without exception, especially those engaging in behaviour that violates Thailand’s fine cultural values and those related to drug use,” deputy spokesperson Ploytalay Laksmisangchan quoted Mr Anutin as saying.
The comments came in response to several incidents of foreigners behaving badly that have attracted widespread attention recently. Among them:
- In Pattaya, local residents complained about public indecency after witnessing four couples engaging in sex in the water earlier this week.
- Also in Pattaya, a tourist attempted a backflip on the roof bars of a moving songthaew, only to lose his footing and slam face-first onto the road.
- In Phuket, police have deported a Spanish man and a Peruvian woman after they confessed to having sex in a moving tuk-tuk.
- Last month, a French couple was arrested and deported after video of them having sex on a Phuket beach went viral.
- Another couple from France was blacklisted and had their visas revoked after video of a tuk-tuk sex romp in Phuket earlier this year triggered outrage online.
Mr Anutin also said that checks by authorities of entertainment venues would be stricter in order to maintain public order. (Story continues below)
Tourists visit Maya Bay in Krabi, where its world-famous beach was reopened after being closed for three years to allow the ecosystem to recover from the impact of overtourism, in January 2022. (Photo: Reuters)
The government has forecast 33.5 million foreign tourists this year, up from 33 million in 2025. However, authorities concede the forecast could be revised downward in light of the impact the Middle East war has had on travel.
Total international tourist arrivals dropped 7% in April compared to the same month last year, with visitors from Europe declining nearly 16%, according to the latest figures from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
