The Tourism Authority of Thailand has defended a marketing campaign which has been accused of featuring ‘stalking’ in its promotional video.
Its short film called ‘Love en Route’, which tells the story of a lovesick American tourist trying to find a young Thai woman through her Instagram pictures, has been criticised as ‘naïve’ by Digital Trust, a charity supporting victims of digital abuse.
But TAT claims it was not meant to encourage ‘stalker-like’ behaviour and was created to appeal and resonate with local Asian markets and not Europeans.
A spokesman said: "It is most certainly not the intention of the producers to portray or encourage ‘stalker-like’ behaviour. In an age of digital media the Ministry of Culture has simply drawn on a modern day way of life where people use social media to seek inspiration and make new friends with common interests.
"The mini film was first aired on the Television Pool of Thailand on 23 January, 2015. The creative concept, a love story, is similar to that of a Thai or Korean TV series. This is hugely popular in Asia and therefore this style of film is intended to appeal to and resonate with the Asian market."
Jennifer Perry, CEO of Digital Trust, said: "There are 700,000 stalking victims in the UK every year and with the growth in online dating and apps it is one that needs to be taken seriously.
"To suggest that you can go to Thailand and stalk the woman of your dreams is sending the wrong message – there are a lot of predatory men online. Nowadays we need to be more cautious."
The film, produced by Thailand’s tourism ministry and the National Federations of Thai Film Associations, features the country’s highlights while also encouraging visitors to share their photos with their social media friends.
