Tourists have to be told: "Don't feed the bears"

Tourists can be dumb. Seriously dumb.

So dumb that they need to be warned not to feed wild bears.

The Japan Tourism Agency has had to roll out a series of pictograms warning tourists of the dangers of getting too close to wild bears, the Japan News reports. 

The signs warn against approaching or feeding bears, and urge caution in areas where bear populations are found.

The images were produced for local authorities to display in relevant areas and for local businesses that serve travellers in these areas.

JTA collaborated with the Environment Ministry to create the three images with the messages: ‘do not feed bears,’ ‘do not leave trash behind’” and ‘do not approach bears.’

It comes after a Spanish tourist was attacked by a bear in Gifu Prefecture in October.

Luckily, that tourist only suffered minor injuries.

That said, 13 people have been killed in bear attacks in Japan this year  compared to six in 2024, which was still a record year.

Thais get spicy with aggressive and critical tourists

Thailand is generally seen as a laid-back tourism destination but Thais officials are starting to crack down on bad behaviour and, more controversially, criticism.

On the holiday island of Phuket, the governor and senior police officials will hold a meeting with the consuls of a dozen countries to discuss measures to tackle the rise in crime perpetrated by foreign tourists and expats, Travel Mole reports.

This follows the arrest of a British tourist for the alleged assault of a taxi driver that followed an argument over the taxi fare.

The taxi driver made a police complaint and the tourist, named only as Graham by police, was tracked down on the Phi Phi islands and brought back to Phuket.

He is accused of slapping the driver and grabbing him by the throat. He could potentially face jail time and be deported.

More concerning is the growing trend towards acting against anyone criticising Thailand, particularly online.

Regular readers will remember that las year an American blogger was jailed and forced to apologise for online criticism of a Thai hotel.

And now Tourist Police have warned a British tourist identified as Mr. Thomas, against posting videos criticising the country on social media, citing the potential harm to the nation's image and security, Asean Now reported.

The deputy inspector of Mae Hong Son Tourist Police, Lt. Col. Suwit Boonyaphen, said that Mr. Thomas's videos were critical of Thai public and private agencies.

Mr. Thomas was tracked down at his residence in Pai district where police urged him to understand the potential consequences of his actions. He was ordered to delete all his videos hosted on YouTube and other social media platforms and was taken to the police station to be interviewed.

He was warned that if he continues posting "potentially harmful material about Thailand" online, he could face prosecution under Thai law.

Mr Thomas has now apologized on YouTube.

Our Thai correspondent says visitors should be reminded that defamation is a criminal act in Thailand, and the truth or fair criticism are not absolute defences. So visitors should be very, very careful.

Image: Winsor Dobbin