Premier Wen advocated in 2011, regarding respecting diversity of civilization and
opting to have dialogue exchanges. At the same time, there has been controversy
over the trading off of cultural values, or what the TAT calls“preserving Thainess.”
Here below are some examples of not so pleasant news on Chinese tourists in
Thailand:
- Chinese tourists were banned for half a day from visiting Wat Rong Khun in
Chiang Rai after complaints of inappropriate toilet use (Bangkok Post online
2015a). - A young girl from China was pictured urinating in front of the Anata Samkhom
Throne Hall in Bangkok (Shianghaiist.com. 2015 ). - A Chinese passenger on Thai AirAsiaflight scalded aflight attendant with a cup
of hot noodle soup on a charterflight from Bangkok to Nanjing in China
because she was not allowed to sit with her husband. Many passengers took
pictures of theflight attendant who was screaming in pain (Dailymail online
2015a). - Police in Chiang Mai, Thailand, tried to locate a presumed Chinese tourist who
wasfilmed kicking^1 a prayer bell at a sacred Buddhist temple (Dailymail online
2015b). - Up to 500 Chinese tourists a day visit Chiang Mai University campus and
disrupt the running of the university.^2 The tourists pitched a tent near the Ang
Kaew lake and wrote“we are here”in paint on the ground, caused car accidents,
sneaked into classrooms to take photos of teachers and students, and messed the
canteen. They even buy or rent a university uniform and pose for a picture.
Moreover, on many occasions, the tourists in university uniforms sneaked into
classrooms and attended classes (Bangkok Post online2015b).
Discussion online and negative news about Chinese tourists have raised con-
cerns for Thais to think about ecotourism, cultural relativity, Thai–Chinese rela-
tions, and sustainability. This paper aims to study online media discussion on the
aforementioned discourses based on the Chinese-dominant Thai tourism industry.
Therefore, the main objectives of the paper are threefold:first, to understand the
discourse of tourism for sustainability; second, to explore intercultural communi-
cation between Thai-Chinese and to seek common grounds in sustainable tourism
via online communication; and third, to study development discourse in lieu of
tourism via online social communication.
(^1) Pointing with feet or using feet instead of hands to touch an object is considered very rude in Thai
culture.
(^2) These tourists are obviously‘inspired’by the success of a blockbuster comedy movie,“Lost in
Thailand”, that portrays fascinating landscapes of the Northern region of Chiang Rai and Chiang
Mai, and the fun parts of Thai culture, such as eating, drinking, hanging out, and outdoor
adventure. One of the scenes unfolds on the Chiang Mai University campus.
5.1 Introduction 73