As Thailand cracks down on foreigners, a tourist paradise reconsiders its welcome
Thailand is facing a backlash from locals regarding the influx of foreign-owned businesses and land ownership in popular tourist destinations. The 'Take Back Thailand' movement reflects growing resentment toward foreign influence and perceived disrespect by some tourists.
Why it matters
The tension highlights the challenges of over-tourism and the economic friction between local populations and foreign expatriates in developing economies.
PHNOM PENH/BANGKOK (Bloomberg): As tourists step off the pier on Thailand’s Koh Phangan island, they’re greeted by a sales pitch tailored to outsiders - billboards touting luxury beachfront plots or clifftop villas as high-yield investments, a message repeated along the palm-fringed roads winding up into the hills.
This tiny tropical island of fewer than 10,000 is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Southeast Asia, welcoming more than one million overseas visitors a year. But locals say a surge in internationally run businesses and land ownership is reshaping it beyond recognition, breeding resentment toward some foreigners that has spread across the country.
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