42 times tourists were caught behaving badly

Your guide to tourists caught causing trouble in airports and attractions around the world

Reading Time:15 minutes

Published: 11:45am, 6 Jul 2017Updated: 7:24pm, 6 Jun 2019

The advent of social media has brought with it the ability to whip out a mobile phone anywhere and record people doing anything untoward.

Many of those caught in the act have been tourists behaving badly. Here are 42 stories from recent years starring naughty travellers.

The China Southern Airlines flight 380 from Shanghai Pudong Airport to Guangzhou was delayed after an elderly woman passenger was suspected of throwing coins in the plane’s engine. Photo: Handout

1. Elderly flight passenger throws coins into engine for ‘luck’

A flight from Shanghai to Guangzhou in June 2017 was delayed after an elderly female passenger apparently threw coins into the plane’s engine to ensure “good luck”.

China Southern Airlines Flight 380 was held up at Shanghai Pudong International Airport after the disruption, according to the airline’s official WeChat account.

Passengers boarding the flight saw the woman standing at the middle of the boarding staircase, throwing coins at the engine for “blessings”. They alerted the crew.

Plane mechanics later found nine coins at the site, including one inside the engine. The captain was quoted as saying that the metal, if sucked up by the engine, could have caused serious damage, including engine failure.

This first-time traveller opened the plane’s emergency exit door to get some fresh air. Photo: SCMP Pictures