AirAsia sorry for ‘Get off in Thailand’ ad

Budget airline AirAsia has been forced to pull an advertising campaign which critics accused of promoting sex tourism.

The advertisement which ran with the slogan "Get off in Thailand" was posted prominently on buses around the Australian city of Brisbane to promote the airline's direct route to Bangkok from there.

This provoked an immediate response from the grassroots campaign group, Collective Shout, according to a BBC report.

A spokesperson for AirAsia told the BBC: "AirAsia takes community feedback extremely seriously and the airline sincerely apologises for any inconvenience caused from recent concerns raised.

"AirAsia can confirm the advertising campaign has ended and we instructed our media partners to have the advertisement removed as soon as possible today from all locations."

Melinda Liszewski, a campaigner at Collective Shout, posted the image to social media and accused the airline of "promoting sex tourism."

Brisbane City councillor Kara Cook went on to call the campaign an "absolute disgrace," saying it should never have appeared on Brisbane’s streets.

She said the council should be responsible and accountable for the ads on their buses.

Prostitution is illegal in Thailand and prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has called for the country to shed its image as a sex tourism destination.

Thailand's tourism industry recorded revenue of US$53.76 billion in 2017.