Koh Phangan features in British TV Show
The white shores of Thailand’s full moon party island, Koh Phangan is among the highlighted settings for newest reality show to hit British television, Big Trouble in Tourist Thailand.
The series chronicles the dangers and drama that tourists face as they seek to have the perfect holiday in the Land of Smiles. Koh Phangan remains as one of Thailand’s favorite tourist destinations mainly because of the world-renowned Full Moon Party, which turns the island paradise into one big party rife with drugs and mayhem. Big Trouble in Tourist Thailand reveals more about the trouble that lurks beneath the full moon in Episode Two of the series.
A drunken spree spells hell for Jamie, a young British tourist, as he becomes the victim of assault and robbery. He struggles to explain to the local police what has happened as he nurses a serious head injury, but the cops just don’t seem to understand—nor care. This is attributed mainly due to the language barrier, as most of the local Thais speak little to no English.
Meanwhile, what started out as a lovers’ dream holiday turns into a real-life nightmare as Micha Dixon gets detained for possession of marijuana and gets into a tiff with the Thai authorities. With family and friends collecting money for bail and Micha’s boyfriend Martin pleading her case with the help of a British lawyer, Micha eventually gets to leave the island, but not without suffering from the torture of potentially facing time in Thai jail.
Big Trouble in Tourist Thailand also features scenes shot in Phuket and Pattaya, known as Thailand’s major tourist hubs. Produced by Bravo Entertainment, the show is currently on a rough cut of its third episode, but has received a warning from the Thailand Film Office to put a halt to its airing, as authorities believe that the reality series is a threat to the image of Thai tourism. The show’s executives otherwise argue that the show is mainly created for the British audience and does not intend anyway to deface Thailand’s image as a vacation destination.
With the Full Moon parties long associated with debauchery, Koh Phangan authorities are currently undertaking strategies to execute a crackdown against violence and drugs on the island. The Office of Narcotics is carrying out a joint operation with local residents and tour operators to eliminate drug use in the midst of these wild events. With its humble beginnings from a farewell party for tourists held along the shores of Koh Phangan some two decades ago, the Full Moon Party draws a huge majority of revelers from all over the world.