The Chinese media narrative of Thailand as a tourist destination after the legalization of cannabis (for medical purposes or health concerns)

Abstract

Thailand, a world-renowned tourist destination, officially decriminalized cannabis (for medical purposes or health concerns) in June 2022. This policy has aroused widespread international attention and discussion. This study aims to analyze Chinese media narratives on the legalization of cannabis in Thailand and Chinese netizens' attitudes toward this policy.

The research uses content analysis to analyze posts of 4 Chinese social media accounts related to Thailand (3 Mainland China, and 1 Thai-Taiwan). Posts about Thailand’s legalization of cannabis on Chinese social media Weibo from Jan 2022 - Oct 2022 are collected.

Chinese media mostly adopted a neutral attitude when narrating the legalization of cannabis in Thailand, and did not reduce the number of posts that took Thailand as a travel destination after the legalization of cannabis in Thailand. However, Chinese netizens have always held strong opposition to this policy and expressed their unwillingness to travel to Thailand again. But whether Chinese media narratives on the legalization of cannabis in Thailand can change Chinese people's perception of cannabis and their intention to travel to Thailand still needs to be evaluated.