China blacklists 4 citizens for bad behavior at Bangkok airport

Four poorly behaved Chinese tourists were punished and blacklisted on the record of "uncivilized tourists' behaviors," the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) said late on Friday.

According to the administration, a flight delay at the Bangkok airport earlier this month led to dissatisfaction and uproar among Chinese tourists.

The four blacklisted tourists behaved particularly badly, inciting other tourists to disobey public order at the airport, which severely tarnished the image of Chinese people, it said.

The four tourists came from Chongqing and Chengdu in southwest China. They will stay on the "bad behavior record" blacklist for two to three years, the CNTA said.

The incident led to criticism on Chinese social media.

The "bad behavior record" was first introduced by the CNTA in March this year amid growing concerns about the bad manners of some Chinese tourists both at home and abroad.

It remains unclear how the "blacklist" status will affect the offenders, but experts say the rule functions more as a warning. These tourists will likely face more restrictions when they sign up for group tours or seek lodging in hotels.

CNTA also vowed to investigate bad behavior involving Chinese tourists and punish offenders.

Outbound tourism is booming in China thanks to rising disposable income, with roughly 97.3 million passengers traveling overseas in 2013, according to official statistics.

In 2014, the number of Chinese tourists traveling abroad increased by 19.5 percent year on year to 109 million, nearly 13 times the level in 1998, topping the 100-million threshold for the first time, according to NTA data.

However, stories of public vandalism by tourists abound and have embarrassed China.

In 2013, a boy was caught carving Chinese characters in the Luxor Temple in Egypt. In December 2014, four Chinese passengers grabbed headlines for causing chaos on a Thai budget flight, forcing the aircraft to return to Thailand. Endi