Is this giving Aussie travellers a bad name?

Millions of Australians travel every year and arrive home unharmed, happy and can look back at their trip with pride, but the same may not be true for the stars of the new TV show ‘What Really Happens In Thailand’, which has just aired its second episode on Channel Seven.

It’s a grubby look into bad behaviour of young Australians in Thailand, though many of us can attest that these run-amok attitudes can be seen the world over. Is this the future of travellers?

Regardless of whether you watched the show or not (and who would), it just shows the level of disgrace our young people are now world-renowned for. So whose fault is it? Is it the show for perpetuating and glorifying these people, or is it the parents and grandparents of these 20-somethings that need to teach them some manners?

The show exhibits stupidity fuelled by high levels of alcohol – they view these foreign destinations as an endless party, leaving destruction and our country’s reputation in tatters.

Even going to Bali as an older traveller, I saw high school-aged girls and boys on the streets of Kuta, and as a result a taxi driver gave me a long rant about why he hated Australians. While that wasn’t Thailand, the similarities are obvious… they’re both cheap, they have plentiful alcohol and lack of adult supervision, and they are tourist friendly. However that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve respect.

To be fair, the 10-part series does show some redeeming characters such as the sisters who want to train elephants, or the girl who is donating to a Thai school. But that still doesn’t disguise what this show represents and glorifies.

So over to you: should these types of documentaries be boycotted by viewers? Or is there something deeper i.e. should parents be educating their children and disciplining them so shows like this wouldn’t have footage. Have you seen out reputation change overseas because of a few ruining it for the majority?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNyyG5qZfdo