Thailand’s tourism ministry and the National Federations of Thai Film Associations have produced this video to attract tourists.

Thailand’s tourism ministry and the National Federations of Thai Film Associations have produced this video to attract tourists.

TOURISM Thailand’s latest marketing campaign seems to have backfired with the “stalker-like” video labelled “creepy” by the travel industry.

The 16-minute film, called Love en Route, features an American man who travels to Thailand to heal a broken heart.

He focuses on the Instagram account of a Thai woman who is travelling in remembrance of her sister with scenes showing him scrolling through her Instagram account.

When he finally tracks down the woman on a beach, he is shown creepily standing behind her and messaging “#Alone!! #need Friend?” to which she replies she has enough friends with a string of fish emojis.

After initially resisting his attempts to pursue a friendship the woman eventually gives in and they spend time touring Thailand together.

Produced by Thailand’s tourism ministry and the National Federations of Thai Film Associations, the video is intended as a love letter to the country’s sights, sounds and culture while encouraging visitors to share their photos with their social media friends.

However the video has been called creepy and criticised for its stalker-like scenes.

Jennifer Perry, CEO of the Digital-Trust, an abuse charity, told The Independent: “[The man in the video] is trying to find someone to love online but in order to do that he is tracking an individual down. A lot of times it might turn out just fine, but in the world I deal with there are a lot more abusive scary individuals out there than you would think,” she said.

As the man’s holiday comes to an end the video shows an awkward goodbye at the airport between the two. However, after walking away in silence the woman then realises that he may be her “destiny.”

“I embarked on this journey to remember a special someone, but now I met someone who I’ll never forget. Now I’m falling in love. Maybe he is my destiny,” the woman concludes in the video.

It’s not the first time Tourism Thailand has been slammed for its media campaigns. In November last year it released its “I hate Thailand” video that used a strange strategy of reverse psychology to attract tourists. The video was initially thought to be posted by a legitimately jilted traveller until Tourism Thailand revealed they were behind the stunt.

I HATE THAILAND