Recent reports of visitors in Penang, Malaysia consuming durian without paying have drawn attention not just to a single incident, but to a broader perception issue in international travel. When individuals behave as though they are exempt from local norms or laws, it can feed a negative stereotype about visitors from that country—even when most travellers behave respectfully.

China today is the largest source market for outbound tourism in the world, with hundreds of millions of citizens travelling abroad each year and contributing significant spending to local economies. For example, the number of Chinese outbound trips is projected to reach over 130 million this year, with continued growth expected in the coming years.

At the same time, tourism authorities and researchers have documented social challenges tied to large volumes of visitors. In surveys and academic studies across Asia, several destinations have reported frequent comments from hosts about behaviours they perceive as disruptive—such as not observing local customs, cutting queues, or speaking loudly in public, though these reports focus on specific behaviours rather than characteristics of all travellers.

The issue is not about nationality itself, but about how individual behaviours reflect on fellow tourists. When some visitors act with a sense of entitlement believing that “money can solve everything”. It can unfairly complicate experiences for other tourists from the same country, and make it harder for local communities to welcome everyone.