Around the turn of the century a tourist was murdered in Laos. This was huge news, Laos back then having a well deserved reputation for its gentle culture, unmatched by virtually any other nation to my knowledge.
The American government promptly issued a danger warning to any American tourists who back then bothered visiting. Such was the international scorn they copped, they rightly withdrew it after 2 days.
Laos is still a uniquely quiet and peaceful land albeit with mass global travel now the norm, tourism has become an important foreign exchange earner. But no more murders or attacks on visitors, let alone locals.
Tourism is also now an important foreign exchange earner for New Zealand. Sooner or later a foreign journalist will expose its very real dangers to tourists of being assaulted or murdered in Coneland. Lately it seems these are almost weekly events.
It’s not remarked on by our own journalists and commentators for one reason, namely Kiwis abiding fear of telling the truth on this subject, specifically being branded racists given the offenders are nearly always maoris. But like it or not, that is the common denominator.