Zara McDermott’s new documentary about the seedy underbelly to Thailand has provoked outrage in the country – with locals claiming the Love Island star made a mockery of the tourist destination.
Beloved by Brits, each year hundreds of thousands of holiday goers flock to the streets of Bangkok, the strips in Pattaya or Phuket, and to the notorious full moon parties on the country’s idyllic islands.
In Thailand: The Dark Side of Paradise, the Love Island and Strictly Come Dancing star, 28, visits Bangkok and Pattaya.
And while Zara’s BBC series shines a light on the more unsavoury aspects of the country – from the readily availability of drugs and prostitution – some living in the notoriously proud nation have slammed the show for its one-sided commentary.
Unlike the influencer, who describes the country as being ‘Benidorm on steroids: cheap, cheerful, full of women’ in her show, Thai’s say it is a ‘welcoming and warm country’.
Speaking to the Daily Mail on the famous Khaosan Road in Bangkok, souvenir shop owner Cletana Thangworachai said: ‘I have talked to my clients from around the world many of them, of course some are English, told me here is safer than in their own countries.
‘The documentary is unfair. It could make a negative image about safety here in Thailand and it could shake the confidence of foreign tourists.
‘I think what they report was not true particularly about the safety here. I regularly walk at night alone leaving it very late night or very early morning not only in Bangkok but also in the rural area.
‘I think those who made this story just wanted to boost their engagement.’
Zara McDermott ’s new BBC documentary about the seedy underbelly to Thailand has provoked outrage in the country
Souvenir shop owner Cletana Thangworachai said: ‘I have talked to my clients from around the world many of them, of course some are English, told me here is safer than in their own countries’
Zara describes the country as being ‘Benidorm on steroids: cheap, cheerful, full of women’ in her show
Local Anutr Tosirikul, 53, said the series could impact the thoughts of those who had never been to Thailand before.
He said: ‘What troubles me is that it seems she already had a predetermined outcome in mind.
‘The story appears to have been presented from only one side, which I believe is unfair to Thailand.
‘This isn’t the kind of approach we expect from journalists, and I think it undermines the credibility of the BBC.’
The photographer went on to criticise the claim that Thailand is the ‘sex capital of Asia’.
Throughout the programme young British men are seen soliciting sex with prostitutes for ‘as little as £23’.
‘It feels like some young Brits are behaving in Thailand in a way that they would never behave in the UK,’ Zara said in the show.
‘They can come over and live by an entirely different set of rules, and they quite like it.’
Local Anutr Tosirikul, 53, said the series could impact the thoughts of those who had never been to Thailand before
But Mr Tosirikul added: ‘Every country has its share of adult industries, including the UK.
‘To label Thailand in such a way is reductive and does not reflect the country as a whole.
‘Having travelled extensively in Europe, including the UK, I can confidently say that every country has its pros and cons.
‘Thailand for me, stands out as one of the most affordable and diverse tourist destinations.’
Meanwhile Sunny, 35, a bar worker at Soi Cowboy – or Cowboy Road – in Bangkok said: ‘For audiences who have never been to Thailand, watching this documentary might give them the wrong impression, and that could affect our tourism industry to some extent.
‘I want to say to those people: come and see for yourself. It’s better to experience the truth with your own eyes than to rely on limited and selective portrayals on TV.
‘As for those who were involved in producing this story, I strongly disagree with how they represented Thailand, and I condemn the way they approached it.’
Sanga Ruangwattanakul, The President of Khaosan Business Association also said: ‘In my view, every country has its own dark side including the United Kingdom, and of course, Thailand.
‘Therefore, I don’t believe this documentary will have a major or long-term impact on our tourism industry.’
He added that while places like Pattaya do have a number of legal sex-based businesses, they are ‘largely under control’.
Sanga Ruangwattanakul, The President of Khaosan Business Association, doesn’t believed the documentary will have a ‘major or long-term impact on our tourism industry
The Love Island and Strictly Come Dancing star, 28, visits Bangkok and Pattaya in her documentary In Thailand: The Dark Side of Paradise
Mr Ruangwattankul added ‘This production seems to exaggerate isolated issues and doesn’t give a balanced view of our country.
‘Every nation has flaws – but fairness requires showing both the good and the bad. Thailand is much more than what the documentary portrays.
‘Overall, I’m not worried. Thailand remains 99 per cent attractive, with only 1 per cent being negative. That’s a strong ratio in any country.
‘If you compare Bangkok to London, I would argue that walking the streets of Bangkok is safer than walking in London.
‘Every city has its challenges—but do you call that a dark side?’
The show has even made ripples in the UK with those who have lived in or spent significant amounts of time in Thailand – with many arguing it only showed a small part of why so many travel to the country each year.
Charlie Howard, 34, who spent months living in the country while training at the Phuket Singha Muay Thai Gym, said: ‘The show I thought essentially just hammers on the party scene in Thailand, which is a thing, but you can’t just sum up a whole country rich in culture and history to drunk tourists essentially.
‘Imagine seeing a documentary about the UK and it said all we do it gets drunk and go to Butlins.
‘I know Thailand is a poor country and a lot of the locals will work at these places because I imagine the tourist economy is pretty big, but it definitely has a reputation as somewhere where people can go to really go crazy and unfortunately that appeals to a lot of people from the UK.’
Charlie Howard, 34, who spent months living in the country, said: ‘Imagine seeing a documentary about the UK and it said all we do it gets drunk and go to Butlins’
Charlie, who was based on a street called Soi Taied which is known for its Muay Thai gyms, added: ‘The people are the most caring and accepting I’ve met. I did one month at a gym in Phuket called Singha and I trained with the fighters twice a day, every day, six days a week.
‘The coaches and team are super welcoming and caring once they realise you are not there to just party and go out, if you are serious and understanding of Muay Thai and it’s traditions, they will accept you wholly.’
The backlash comes just days after a YouTuber who featured in the documentary alleged the show was ‘full of lies’ and that ‘false scenes’ were staged.
The man called Mac, known for his channel Mac TV Travel Learn Inspire, is seen showing her around the red-light district in the city of Pattaya but has now claimed producers ‘edited’ his answers and ‘dramatised everything’.
The BBC told Daily Mail: ‘We refute any suggestion that this contributor was misrepresented and that any sequences were fabricated.’
A spokesperson added: ‘He was fully briefed before participating, fully consented and understood the nature of his contribution and the series as a whole.
‘Zara McDermott has explored a range of sensitive issues in multiple documentaries for BBC Three over the past five years.’
Zara’s main aim for the documentary is to discover why thousands of young Brits flock to the exotic location every year.
The backlash comes just days after YouTuber Mac, known for his channel Mac TV Travel Learn Inspire, featured in the documentary alleged the show was ‘full of lies’ and that ‘false scenes’ were staged.
From backpackers to those who are seeking longer-term roots – the new documentary will unearth the secrets of the vast and varied country.
Speaking to the BBC on Tuesday, Zara said of the time she spent speaking to sex workers in Thailand: ‘My work in the violence against women space allowed me to have some difficult and emotional conversations with sex workers.
‘My aim is for these women to feel completely seen and heard, because I truly believe that sharing our stories helps give us women power.
‘I have a huge amount of empathy for the women who are pressured to work in such an unpredictable and at times unsafe industry.’
The BBC have been contacted for comment.
