The difference between local thai people and those that work with tourists.

[Cornish Pasty]

In general, I have noticed a stark difference between real local thai people, who perhaps have never even spoken to a foreigner before, and those that work with them daily to feed their families.

 

The latter tends to be more aggressive, aloof, rude and scammy, whilst the former tends to be more welcoming and has a genuine interest in foreigners and where they come from etc..

 

Now what I can’t get my head around is the fact that the latter, at some stage, chose to work with foreigners as a career. So if the job makes them so visibly unhappy, why do they continue? I have just had a tyre changed by a local thai man, cost me next to nothing, and he was one of the friendliest guys I have ever met. Yet last week I paid 500 baht for a 10 minute taxi ride elsewhere and he was as miserable as sin..

 

I just don’t get why they do it.

 

Mark.

[Magictoad]

Do you mean " local Thais" who live in the NE and work in the rice fields? Are you sure you know what a local Thai is?

Of the population of Thailand there are 25 Million who don't bother to speak Thai; least of all English! They live in Issan, the North East of Thailand and speak their own language which is Laos.

[Cornish Pasty]

2 minutes ago, Magictoad said:

Do you mean " local Thais" who live in the NE and work in the rice fields? Are you sure you know what a local Thai is?

Of the population of Thailand there are 25 Million who don't bother to speak Thai; least of all English! They live in Issan, the North East of Thailand and speak their own language which is Laos.

isn’t ‘Lao’ the language of Laos, first and foremost?

 

Mark.

[Harrisfan]

23 minutes ago, Magictoad said:

Do you mean " local Thais" who live in the NE and work in the rice fields? Are you sure you know what a local Thai is?

Of the population of Thailand there are 25 Million who don't bother to speak Thai; least of all English! They live in Issan, the North East of Thailand and speak their own language which is Laos.

Lao is different to Lao Isaan plus they speak Thai too

[Cornish Pasty]

6 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

Lao is different to Lao Isaan plus they speak Thai too

Magictoad clearly hasn’t got a clue.

 

Mark.

[hotsun]

Money corrupts all

[falangUK]

2 hours ago, Cornish Pasty said:

In general, I have noticed a stark difference between real local thai people, who perhaps have never even spoken to a foreigner before, and those that work with them daily to feed their families.

 

The latter tends to be more aggressive, aloof, rude and scammy, whilst the former tends to be more welcoming and has a genuine interest in foreigners and where they come from etc..

 

Now what I can’t get my head around is the fact that the latter, at some stage, chose to work with foreigners as a career. So if the job makes them so visibly unhappy, why do they continue? I have just had a tyre changed by a local thai man, cost me next to nothing, and he was one of the friendliest guys I have ever met. Yet last week I paid 500 baht for a 10 minute taxi ride elsewhere and he was as miserable as sin..

 

I just don’t get why they do it.

 

Mark.

Spot on. Just yesterday I got talking to a chap in a coffee shop   not the type I usually engage with, but he had a dog and looked presentable, so I gave it a go. He started the conversation, actually. Turns out he used to be in the tourism game, arranging tours or something like that, but it didn’t work out and he shut shop. Now he’s sniffing around for “investment opportunities” 🙄

 

Anyway, he went off on a rant about how foreigners are a huge problem in Thailand, especially the ones without much money. Said the free visa policy is the biggest issue the country faces. The irony? He’s never even left Thailand himself, despite being in the tourism industry. Made for one of the most depressing, brain cell killing conversations I’ve had in a while.

 

He insisted Thailand should only accept ultra rich foreigners. I nearly asked him if his past clients were ultra rich or just your average mid range holidaymakers, but I bit my tongue. Pretty sure he made his living off the very same type he now slags off.

There’s definitely some simmering resentment, mostly fuelled by ignorance in my opinion.

 

But the locals not tangled up in the tourist economy   just regular folks   tend to be absolutely lovely. Same pattern I’ve seen in other places, like rural Indonesia. Shame I haven’t had the chance to explore rural Thailand properly, even after nearly 15 years here.

 

But yes, your observation is bang on.

[Keeps]

1 hour ago, falangUK said:

Anyway, he went off on a rant about how foreigners are a huge problem in Thailand, especially the ones without much money. Said the free visa policy is the biggest issue the country faces. The irony? He’s never even left Thailand himself, despite being in the tourism industry. Made for one of the most depressing, brain cell killing conversations I’ve had in a while.

 

He insisted Thailand should only accept ultra rich foreigners.

Why on earth would an ultra rich foreigner want to spend any significant time in Thailand other than passing through on a yacht?

 

You should have stabbed him in the eye with a blunt pencil.

 

 

[Ralf001]

3 hours ago, Cornish Pasty said:

.

 

The latter tends to be more aggressive, aloof, rude and scammy, whilst the former tends to be more welcoming and has a genuine interest in foreigners and where they come from etc..

 

 

 

Not something that I have noticed.... maybe they can smell an A-Hole troll a mile off and treat as such.

[Cornish Pasty]

22 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

 

Not something that I have noticed.... maybe they can smell an A-Hole troll a mile off and treat as such.

Putin is the biggest troll of them all!

 

Mark.

[SAFETY FIRST]

4 hours ago, Cornish Pasty said:

I have noticed a stark difference between real local thai people, who perhaps have never even spoken to a foreigner before, and those that work with them daily

Great observation and so true. 

I've noticed this over the last few years. 

 

Thai's are fed up with many nasty, disrespectful foreigners that are coming to Thailand. 

 

 

20 years ago we were treated like KINGS, no longer. 

 

 

 

[Cornish Pasty]

Just now, SAFETY FIRST said:

Great observation and so true. 

I've noticed this over the last few years. 

 

Thai's are fed up with many nasty, disrespectful foreigners that are coming to Thailand. 

 

 

Well that certainly isn’t me..

 

I always show respect, until I am disrespected, then that’s another story…

 

Mark.

[SAFETY FIRST]

1 minute ago, Cornish Pasty said:

Well that certainly isn’t me..

 

I always show respect, until I am disrespected, then that’s another story…

 

Mark.

I wasn't referring to you, or any member, so many here that are respectful. 

 

 

[falangUK]

37 minutes ago, Keeps said:

Why on earth would an ultra rich foreigner want to spend any significant time in Thailand other than passing through on a yacht?

 

You should have stabbed him in the eye with a blunt pencil.

 

 

Precisely! But that would have been a disservice to the blunt pencil.

[Middle Aged Grouch]

The thais who deal with foreigners, choose to do so, only to make a faster buck with cheating and overcharging. No rocket science. Such individual dynamics,  obviously makes a person very undesirable (to keep it polite). 

 

On the other hand those happy with what they make, are nicer and obviously don't overcharge foreigners. 

 

Simple...

[falangUK]

Just posted this earlier: 

 

 

Might have to revise my earlier take on Thais outside the tourism industry. Had a really strange late night encounter with what seemed to be a local  definitely not in tourism. Honestly, I’ll take the rude, xenophobic types over that kind of behaviour any day.

[blaze master]

5 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

 

20 years ago we were treated like KINGS, no longer. 

 

Its not them its you. 

[SAFETY FIRST]

5 hours ago, blaze master said:

Its not them its you. 

Crikey, you've been an AN member a little over 6 months and you've already received your warrior keyboard.

 

You must be so proud. 

 

[blaze master]

Just now, SAFETY FIRST said:

Crikey, you've been an AN member a little over 6 months and you've already received your warrior keyboard.

 

You must be so proud. 

 

 

Ok. Go have a beer and relax. 

[save the frogs]

On 6/21/2025 at 3:24 AM, Cornish Pasty said:

I just don’t get why they do it.

 

I don't get why you do what you do, "Mark". 

 

 

[kevozman1]

I have to say when I have stayed in Thai family areas (outside of tourist/expat places) my experiences have been overwhelmingly positive. Everyday Thai people are good and it's comfortable to live around them because they have a good balance between keeping peace and letting people live their life. Just take other societies in Asia, Japan would be hell for me with the highly restrictive way of living, but somewhere like the Philippines is too chaotic. Thailand gets it about right. I probably would have had serious issues if I spent more time in the tourist ghettos. I just don't like a lot of the Thais who work around tourists, their attitude, and Thais are masters at reading body language, eventually the friction would boil over and I am not a cowardly character so it wouldn't end up well (mostly for me I would imagine).

[BangkokReady]

15 hours ago, Keeps said:

Why on earth would an ultra rich foreigner want to spend any significant time in Thailand other than passing through on a yacht?

 

Many Thai people don't seem to understand how tourism works.  They seem to feel a great sense of entitlement when it comes to foreigners, with no thought about what they should offer in return.  They learn "Thai Supremacy" at school, so it's pretty much drummed into them from a young age.

[BangkokReady]

14 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Great observation and so true. 

I've noticed this over the last few years. 

 

Thai's are fed up with many nasty, disrespectful foreigners that are coming to Thailand. 

 

So close to saying something sensible, then you just revert back to, "Other foreigners bad.  Me good."

[BangkokReady]

10 hours ago, falangUK said:

Just posted this earlier: 

 

 

Might have to revise my earlier take on Thais outside the tourism industry. Had a really strange late night encounter with what seemed to be a local  definitely not in tourism. Honestly, I’ll take the rude, xenophobic types over that kind of behaviour any day.

 

The guy gave you a hug.  Isn't that a friendly, nice thing to do?  🤗

[Harrisfan]

4 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

 

The guy gave you a hug.  Isn't that a friendly, nice thing to do?  🤗

He prefers white guys

[Ralf001]

15 hours ago, Cornish Pasty said:

Putin is the biggest troll of them all!

 

Mark.

That may be so but Iam not Putin.

[newbee2022]

19 hours ago, Cornish Pasty said:

In general, I have noticed a stark difference between real local thai people, who perhaps have never even spoken to a foreigner before, and those that work with them daily to feed their families.

 

The latter tends to be more aggressive, aloof, rude and scammy, whilst the former tends to be more welcoming and has a genuine interest in foreigners and where they come from etc..

 

Now what I can’t get my head around is the fact that the latter, at some stage, chose to work with foreigners as a career. So if the job makes them so visibly unhappy, why do they continue? I have just had a tyre changed by a local thai man, cost me next to nothing, and he was one of the friendliest guys I have ever met. Yet last week I paid 500 baht for a 10 minute taxi ride elsewhere and he was as miserable as sin..

 

I just don’t get why they do it.

 

Mark.

Career? Means more money. As everywhere in the world.

 

[madone]

19 hours ago, Cornish Pasty said:

The latter tends to be more aggressive, aloof, rude and scammy

kinda like the cultures they are dealing with

[KhunLA]

Working in customer service, I can relate to a few aspects of dealing with people:

... @ restaurant, customers are OK, except if drunk

... when bartending, male drunks are PIA, females are friendly & horny

... working 3 airlines, counter & gates, mixed, but can be Aholes, as it seems delays due to weather or mechanicals are your fault.  Idiots don't seem to care if it's safe to fly or not ... go figure 

 

I couldn't imagine dealing with some to the Ahole tourist the locals have to deal with, and they do an excellent job ... IMHO

 

Some of the Aholes I've witnessed in tourist areas or even not tourist areas, I would have told to simply F'off, get out of my shop, bar, restaurant.  No wonder a few need to be physically removed or a well deserved beat down.