TOURISM TROUBLES
I agree with the Aug 18 editorial “A need to look in the mirror” that Thai tourists should have respectful behaviour when visiting attractions both in Thailand and abroad, just as non-Thai tourists should act the same way. I encountered the video clip from Yellowstone National Park that sparked the debate when a Thai Facebook friend posted it earlier this week. It garnered comments criticising the Thai visitors to the park, but I had a different reaction, and think the tourists shown actually had good reasons to believe they were doing nothing wrong.
The American fellow who recorded the video, showed it to a park official and then posted it online seemed more intent on incriminating the tourists than actually making them aware of a perceived problem. He starts recording before saying anything, and then only shouts out “Hey, get out of there” twice with no other explanation before going silent as he continues to photograph them. He is heard to say that he was going to turn it in and states he took close-ups so individuals can be identified to park officials. However, four non-Asian, “Western-looking” people have been digitally blurred out so they cannot be identified.
The “danger” sign was quite small, and the single log it is on appears to be there to block motor vehicles, not people. He titled the video “Asian Group Damages Yellowstone National Park Thermal Feature” even though it appears no damage was done and that the intent of the warning was to prevent damage to people, not the geology of the park. The sign stated in very small print “Stay on officially marked and maintained trails”, yet the person recording later tells one lady it says “No walking”. The thermal pool is immediately next to the road, and no trail is needed to access it. If the intent was to restrict people from visiting it, the sign should indicate “No entrance” and a barrier of some sort be erected. If this is not the case, which is what I believe, these Thai visitors were acting decently. I am a geologist, and the place where they were walking appeared to be very firm and solid and fairly well-trodden.
As an American, I feel like apologising for the overzealous attitude of my fellow countryman as I think he misunderstood the situation and was rude to visitors as a result of this. I would have reacted negatively to a camera being thrust in my face.
Brian Greenhalgh