A viral video showing Chinese tourists allegedly being threatened by a tour guide in Thailand has sparked outrage across Chinese social media.
According to Chinese media reports, a Weibo account named “长春西门大官人” posted the video, claiming it was filmed in Thailand, with the caption: “Thai tour guide’s bad attitude, insulting Chinese tourists — saying they can’t return to China if they don’t spend money! Deceiving consumers.”
The footage, filmed inside a tour bus, shows a man in a purple shirt holding a microphone and speaking aggressively to the passengers, while another middle-aged man repeatedly tries to calm him down.
The purple-shirted man can be heard pointing at a tourist and saying harshly, “I’m telling you, this man tried to stop me, and I held my anger. But once we arrive at the duty-free shop, if you refuse to shop, you won’t be getting back on the bus. I swear tonight you won’t be flying back to China.” He then demanded that the person recording the video delete it.
The incident quickly went viral online, with many netizens questioning the guide’s identity, suggesting that he might not even be Thai. Comments flooded in, saying, “This has nothing to do with Thailand — looks like Chinese people scamming Chinese tourists,” and “We joined a similar shopping tour in Thailand — it was awful. To have a good trip, don’t join these cheap tour groups.” Others lamented that this could further damage Thailand’s already struggling tourism industry.
A Chinese lawyer has since stated that, under China’s Tourism Law, travelers have the right to refuse forced shopping. The guide’s conduct, if confirmed, constitutes a violation of that law. The lawyer added that Chinese citizens whose safety is threatened while abroad should report such incidents to the nearest Chinese embassy.
