Either someone really didn’t think AirAsia’s latest advertising campaign through, or it was a ploy to allude to sex tourism in Thailand. Ultimately, the ad went down like a lead balloon.
The ad which was plastered on Brisbane buses and on a billboard at Brisbane Airport reads “Get off in Thailand”, with much smaller text saying “Fly direct from Brisbane to Bangkok”.
The ad is now being removed from both the buses and the billboard after receiving complaints from the public.
Collective Shout spokeswoman Melinda Liszewski has taken a strong stand against the ad saying that she saw it as a “dog whistle” to people who travelled to Thailand for sex tourism.
“Bangkok is a hub of sexual exploitation of women and children and 250,000 western male sex tourists visit Thailand every year,” she tweeted after seeing the bus.
She noted that 32,000 of these 250,000 western male sex tourists were Australian.
“Let that sink in for a moment. 32,000 Australian men visit Thailand each year for the explicit purpose of “sex” with impoverished women and children.”
Collective Shout spokeswoman Melinda Liszewski
Image: AirAsia/Facebook
This advertisement is for those men, she continued.
AirAsia began a new direct flight between Brisbane and Bangkok in February.
An AirAsia spokesman said the campaign was now over and that the last advertisements were being removed from around Brisbane.
“We take community feedback extremely seriously and sincerely apologise for the concerns raised,” the spokesman said.
- READ: #METOO: 7 things to do if you’re sexually harassed at a travel industry event
- READ: S̄wạs̄dī! AirAsia announces low-cost flights between Bangkok & Brisbane
