The White Lotus effect: Thai tourism surges, scrutiny doesn't

Jeffrey Wasserstrom is Chancellor's Professor of History at UC Irvine and the author of "The Milk Tea Alliance: Inside Asia's Struggle Against Autocracy and Beijing."

Thailand's tourist industry was on a roll earlier this year. One reason was how appealing a widely viewed work of popular entertainment made the country seem. Heading to Thailand to sample its fabled cuisine and sights, first-time visitors were excited by the chance to see how the real kingdom compared to its portrayal on screen. They didn't have much else to go on. Thailand rarely gets sustained international press coverage.