Tourists blacklisted for bad behaviour

This article is more than 12 months old

Sep 14, 2015 12:10 pm

They let their anger get the better of them. Because of that, they went viral. And now they have been 'blacklisted'.

Last Friday (Sept 11), footage of four tourists from China spread online after they let their anger get the better of them at the Bangkok airport.

All 260 passengers in the departure lounge were told that their Orient Thai Airlines flight to Chongqing, China would be delayed by more than 10 hours due to bad weather.

The four tourists protested, asking for compensation and refused to board the delayed plane.

They started shouting the China national anthem and tried to get the other passengers to join in.

This behaviour caught the attention of the authorities.

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South China Morning Post reports that the four have been named and shamed by the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) for their "uncivilised behaviour".

In a statement, CNTA accused them of "behaving badly, inciting other tourists to disrespect public order in the airport, speaking and acting hysterically and seriously harming the image of Chinese tourists abroad".

The four people will be blacklisted for two to three years as part of the CNTA's drive to stem unruly behaviour of the country's tourists.

OFFENDERS

The “bad behavior record” was first introduced by the CNTA in March this year amid growing concerns about the bad manners of some Chinese tourists — both at home and abroad.

Xinhua news agency says that it is unclear how the “blacklist” status will affect the offenders, but experts say the rule functions more as a warning.

These tourists will likely face more restrictions when they sign up for group tours or seek lodging in hotels.

CNTA also vowed to investigate bad behavior involving Chinese tourists and punish offenders.

Outbound tourism is booming in China thanks to rising disposable income, with roughly 97.3 million passengers traveling overseas in 2013, according to official statistics.

In 2014, the number of Chinese tourists traveling abroad increased to 109 million, nearly 13 times the level in 1998, according to CNTA data.

However, stories of public vandalism and outbursts by tourists have embarrassed China.

For example, in 2013, a boy was caught carving Chinese characters in the Luxor Temple in Egypt. In December 2014, four passengers grabbed headlines for causing chaos on a Thai budget flight, forcing the aircraft to return to Thailand.

WATCH: Chinese tourists stage protest at Bangkok airport by singing National Anthem