Thailand Travel Industry, Which Said "Korean Tourist Attractions Are Lacking," Eventually Apologizes After Protests

Executive: "Korean Attractions Known Through K-Content Are Temporary"
Korean Cultural Center in Thailand & Korea Tourism Organization Raise Issues

The Vice Chairman of the Thailand Travel Agents Association (TTAA) made disparaging remarks comparing Korean tourism to that of Japan and China, prompting Korean tourism authorities to raise concerns, leading the association to issue an official apology.

On the 18th, Yonhap News reported that the Korean Cultural Center in Thailand under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization's Bangkok office recently raised issues with TTAA regarding remarks made by Vice Chairman Yutachai Suntonratanabhat. On the 11th, Vice Chairman Yutachai told the Japanese media outlet Nikkei Asia that "the decrease in Thai tourists visiting Korea is due to a relative lack of tourist attractions in Korea." He added, "Korean tourist spots are widely known through popular movies and Netflix, so this is temporary," and claimed, "China and Japan have more attractions, along with visa exemptions, lower prices, amazing views, and good atmospheres." Based on these remarks, Nikkei Asia published an article titled 'Thai Tourists Join the Movement to Ban Korea, Flocking to China and Japan.'

Foreign tourists visiting Myeongdong in Jung-gu, Seoul are enjoying sightseeing. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

After the report, when the Korean Cultural Center in Thailand and the Korea Tourism Organization's Bangkok office raised concerns with TTAA about Vice Chairman Yutachai's remarks, TTAA issued an official apology letter under the name of Chairwoman Jatarn Wangananon. Chairwoman Jatarn stated, "This was a personal remark by an individual, not the association's position, which caused misunderstanding and concern," and apologized, adding, "The association will continue efforts to send many tourists to Korea." TTAA is an organization of travel agencies that send Thai tourists abroad.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Thailand was the top Southeast Asian country for tourists visiting Korea, but recently the number of Thai visitors to Korea has declined. The decrease in Thai tourists visiting Korea has continued for seven consecutive months, and as of June, Thailand has fallen to fifth place among Southeast Asian countries in terms of tourists visiting Korea. Additionally, the hashtag 'Ban Korea' is trending on Thai social media platforms.

The tourism industry attributes the decline in Thai tourists visiting Korea to anti-Korean sentiment stemming from controversies over entry denials. At the end of last year, posts spread on local social media claiming that electronic travel authorizations (K-ETA) required for entry to Korea were unjustly denied or that unfair treatment was experienced during immigration inspections in Thailand, escalating the controversy. Introduced in September 2021, K-ETA is a system requiring nationals of visa-free countries to input information on a website before departure and obtain entry approval to Korea. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism requested the Ministry of Justice to temporarily exempt Thais from K-ETA until the end of this year to attract Thai tourists, but the Ministry of Justice reportedly holds a cautious stance on temporarily exempting countries with high illegal stay rates from K-ETA. Thailand ranks first among countries with illegal residents in Korea.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.