Horror travellers: People who give tourists a bad name
The TL;DR: Misbehaving holidaymakers and tourist-related accidents are frequently making headlines, with young people often at the centre of these incidents. As a result, some have faced serious repercussions – lives lost, historical artefacts vandalised and locals offended.
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In July 2023, a Canadian teen carved his name on a wooden pillar in the 1,200-year-old Toshodaiji Kondo Buddhist temple in Nara, Japan.
PHOTO: RONAN O'CONNELL
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As you embark on your year-end holidays, don’t give tourists a bad name. TL;DR rounds up some of the most chilling travel mistakes made by young people worldwide.
Death by selfie
Too engrossed in taking selfies at the Linn of Tummel waterfall in Perthshire, Scotland, two Dundee University master’s students from India slipped and plummeted into the river.
Mr Jitendranath Karuturi, 26, and Mr Chanhakya Bolisetti, 22, were swept away, said a friend who was with them.
A spokesman said Police Scotland received a report at around 7pm on April 17, 2024. He said: “Emergency services attended and following searches in the area, the bodies of two men were recovered from the water.”
The university said: “This has been a tragic accident which has shocked us all, and our thoughts are with the families and friends of the students.”
Defacement of places
The Toshodaiji Kondo Buddhist temple in Nara, Japan, was built more than 1,200 years ago, but this didn’t deter a Canadian teen from using his fingernail to carve the word “Julian” on one of its wooden pillars.
Caught in the act by a Japanese tourist, who notified temple staff of the incident on July 7, 2023, the 17-year-old was brought in for questioning the next day.
The teenager admitted to his act and told officers he was “bored” during the temple visit, Japanese broadcaster Yomiuri TV reported.
Though the teen was not detained, a monk at the temple said: “We are worried that the same thing could happen again. Even though it may have been done without malice, it is still regrettable and sad.”
Cultural disrespect
He must have mistaken the public beach for his personal dominion.
With his, ahem, family jewels on display, a naked Joseph William Kershaw, 23, walked around Ao Nang Beach in Krabi, Thailand – specifically in front of other tourists posing for a group photo, on April 8, 2024.
Unimpressed locals contacted the police.
The British backpacker was arrested the next day at his hostel, and he claimed he had stripped due to “being intoxicated and overexcited”.
At the police station, Mr Kershaw said: “I’m ashamed. I’m very sorry to all the people, I was very drunk. I appreciate that it’s not acceptable in your culture and it won’t happen again.”
He was fined the maximum amount of 5000 baht (S$192) and his apology was accepted by the police officers.
Wildlife disturbance
Despite having multiple windows of opportunity to escape, an unidentified woman ignored warnings from bystanders and was gored by a wild bull at Mexico’s La Fortuna beach in May 2024.
The incident was captured by witness Maria Leticia Montano Casas.
It is not known where the bull came from, but the tourist’s interactions with the animal were captured in a 53-second viral video.
Instead of stepping away, the tourist first fed the animal from a bowl, then repeatedly tried to yank her bags away after it started to sniff them.
“Lady, you are really playing with it right now. Please don’t do that,” a male bystander pleaded in English.
A few seconds later, the massive bull shoved its horns in her direction as she made a final attempt to grab her belongings, which had fallen to the ground.
Towards the end of the terrifying video, the woman was violently tossed to the ground and rolled in the sand, until a beachgoer threw a bucket of water at the bull.
The bull eventually walked away, and it is unclear what injuries the woman sustained.
Government official Victor Manuel Torres Garcia said that no report of the incident was made as federal employees do not regularly patrol the site of the attack.
He said many ranches are located near the beaches, and it is normal for livestock to be seen roaming the coastline.
Trespassing
A 21-year-old tourist was caught walking in a restricted area of Yellowstone National Park in the US in April 2024.
He was sentenced to a week in jail, fined US$1,500 (S$2000) and charged US$50 in fees, and banned from the park for two years.
Ignoring signs that said it was illegal to leave the boardwalk area, Mr Viktor Pyshniuk from Lynwood, Washington, crossed a fence to walk up a hillside to take photos.
On April 19, Mr Pyshniuk came within 4m to 6m of a steam vent of Steamboat Geyser, the world’s tallest active geyser, which can shoot hot water more than 91.4m in the air. Luckily, he was not hurt.
A park employee saw him walk off the designated path and called a Yellowstone law enforcement officer.
Mr Eric Heimann, acting US attorney in the District of Wyoming, said that trespassing in the closed thermal areas of Yellowstone harms the land.
“In cases like this one where we have strong evidence showing a person has wilfully disregarded signs and entered a closed, thermal area, federal prosecutors will seek significant penalties, including jail time,” he added.
