AirAsia has removed its “Get off in Thailand” advertisement campaign in Australia after receiving widespread criticism for what critics say is a message that promotes sex tourism in Thailand — a country that’s notorious for its sex industry.
A spokesperson from the Malaysian low-cost airline said that the company has officially ended the campaign, which began on Feb 18, and that the ads are now being removed from surfaces around the city.
Hey @BrisbaneAirport – when is this dog whistle to sex tourists coming down? #Shame @AirAsia @brisbanecityqld https://t.co/J8oFWRcujb pic.twitter.com/Ybyv5jhqL4
— Coralie Alison (@CoralieAlison) March 25, 2019
“AirAsia takes community feedback extremely seriously and the airline sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience caused from recent concerns raised,” company reps told the BBC yesterday.
Meanwhile, Brisbane city councilor Kara Cook made a public statement against the campaign, calling it an “absolute disgrace.”
“Council should be responsible & accountable for the ads on their buses… This shouldn’t have happened,” she wrote on her Twitter page.
Council should be responsible & accountable for the ads on their buses.
The LNP simply fobbed off residents concerns to an external agency.
I wrote to the LNP this morning demanding these buses be taken out of circulation.
This shouldn’t have happened https://t.co/eZDNXVtGO4
— Kara Cook (@CrKaraCook) March 25, 2019
The ad, which was intended to promote the airline’s direct flights from Brisbane to Bangkok, quickly went viral this week after it was seen plastered on buses and even at Sydney Airport — and netizens did not hold back on their outrage.
“‘Get off in Thailand’ a dog whistle promoting #sextourism brought to you by low budget low ethics airline,” writes one.
“Get off in Thailand” a dog whistle promoting #sextourism brought to you by low budget low ethics airline @AirAsia
Bangkok is a hub of sexual exploitation of women & children & 250,000 western male sex tourists visit Thailand every year. Now its just so convenient! #Shame pic.twitter.com/gykb9a2oPI
— Melinda (@MelLiszewski) March 22, 2019
“Brisbane City Council you are better than this,” wrote another.
In recent years, Thailand’s government and official tourism board has vowed to crack down on the country’s sex tourism, an industry that’s estimated to generate around THB4.3 billion (about US$136 million) of revenue per year — roughly three percent of the country’s income.
“The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) ensures that its marketing strategy and policy to move Thailand forward as the ‘Quality Destination’ has stepped in the right direction … and strongly opposes any form of sex tourism,” the TAT wrote in a statement released in February last year.
In its latest marketing concept, TAT has been aiming to reroute tourists away from our country’s notorious sex industry, instead encouraging them to enjoy “existing tourism products and attractions through new perspectives.”
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