BANGKOK
"I hate Thailand," the man screams in an online video, swearing as he bemoans his fate to a policeman in a counterintuitive strategy by the Southeast Asian country as it attempts to halt a drop in tourist numbers.
The tourist - James - stumbles from misunderstanding to misunderstanding as he attempts to find a lost bag at a Thai beach resort, at each turn exclaiming "I hate this place" until he finds help in the form of a young attractive local girl on a motorbike.
"Are you ok?" she asks. "Do I Look ok?" comes the reply.
The five-minute video has gone viral with over 1.4 million views as of Wednesday, throwing the spotlight on a country whose international image has been battered by violent political disturbances, a May coup, the murder of two British tourists, and the subsequent bungled inquiry.
It was originally posted from a YouTube account, but after receiving flak in online forums, and Thai newspapers reporting it was for real, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) stepped in Monday to say it was behind the "romantic-comedy short film."
"The intention of this video is solely to depict the renowned Thai hospitality," said TAT Governor Thawatchai Arunyik in an accompanying statement.
On meeting the girl, James goes to her workplace and on being served a drink explains that he has no money. "My pen rai (never mind)," she says, handing him a charger for his one remaining possession - his phone - as the two then venture off in search of his bag and possessions.
They cross beautiful beaches, and as night falls he is invited to stay for free with some locals, admitting to the hand-held camera that continues to follow him around "From that day my life changed forever."
We then meet a new James teaching English to local children, learning new words in Thai, and as he and his female companion stare out across the bay he announces that she is "Narak (cute)."
"I almost forgot that I lost my bag," he exclaims, but - of course - it is eventually returned, having been retrieved from a thieving monkey.
And then we find him sitting pensively on a beach, staring out at the waves.
"I once said I hated Thailand, but that was because I didn't know Thailand well enough," he says, having now extended his trip to two years.
Critics have called the video unrealistic; one YouTube user leaving the comment: "It's too good to be true."
According to Thai immigration police, the number of arrivals at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport between January and September has dropped 19 percent compared to the same period last year – a serious blow to a country where tourism has always increased despite political troubles or natural catastrophes.
The largest decline - minus 30 percent - was among visitors from northeast Asia, who make up the bulk of the tourist population. Several local tourism associations have renewed calls for the junta to lift martial law, claiming it is the major cause of the collapse in tourism.
“Foreigners are still unsure about their safety in the country and feel uncomfortable about coming here at a time when martial law is in force," Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn, president of the Thai Travel Agents Association, told The Nation newspaper in October.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54uzEouACYs
www.aa.com.tr/en
