Around 200 to 300 Phuket residents gathered at Loma Park on Patong Beach on Friday, 28 August, calling on the government to restrict Israeli tourists to a maximum stay of 15 days.

The demand was made at a forum titled "Save Phuket, Save Patong, Respect Thai Law", where attendees raised concerns about the conduct of some foreign visitors and alleged illegal business activity. The event was closely monitored by uniformed and plainclothes police.

Tourism operators, hotel owners, tuk-tuk drivers, tour guides and local residents attended the meeting, organised by the Phuket Land Protection Group.

Calls for tighter screening

Participants said Phuket should more carefully screen arriving visitors and focus on what they described as high-quality tourist groups. They proposed stricter visa rules, including a 15-day limit for Israeli tourists, to ensure visitors are coming for holidays rather than to operate illegal businesses or take jobs from Thai people.

One tourism operator told the forum that three flights a week bring Israeli visitors to Phuket, each carrying 200 to 300 passengers. According to the speaker, at least 1,000 Israelis arrive each week, with many staying for at least 15 days or more per trip.

The operator acknowledged that Israelis are high-spending tourists, but said residents wanted visitors who holiday in Phuket and then leave rather than remaining for what they considered excessively long periods and competing for local work.

Attendees also complained about what they termed low-quality tourism, saying some visitors use cheap accommodation, buy food from convenience stores and behave arrogantly or disregard the law.

They further argued that a large Israeli presence could discourage European tourists from travelling to Phuket.

Petition handed to Phuket MP

Chalermpong Saendee, the People's Party MP for Phuket Constituency 2, received a petition from the Phuket Land Protection Group after listening to the views raised at the forum.

He said Phuket was a world-class destination drawing visitors from around the globe each year, and that tourism creates income and economic opportunities for the island province.

However, Chalermpong said problems needed to be addressed where people entered Thailand without respecting Thai law. He also referred to investment groups that had entered the market by taking advantage of local businesses, leaving Phuket SMEs and small entrepreneurs facing unfair competition.

Picture courtesy of TNR

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30 August 2026

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I don't know if it will work a max of 15 days.. I believe that a tourist visa should not be able to be extended and after you left the country there should be a non entry of 90 days or so.. Of course for the 1 year long term visa there is the re-entry, but not for tourist visas with a max stay of 60 days. That should be single entry...

There will be problems I believe if only Israelis are allowed to stay 15 days..They will play the discrimination card

Edited Saturday at 03:32 PM5 days by ikke1959

The people of Phuket and other places that are faced with an influx of Israelis shouldn't bite the hand that feeds them by drastically restricting tourism.

Instead, approach the problem from another angle.

Several countries and respected international organizations have charged Israel with genocide in the Middle East.

Therefore, former and serving members of the IDF are liable to prosecution.

Ban them from entering Thailand.

Problem solved.

May as well have a total ban which I realize many of you would love.

Israelis would just go elsewhere.

An own goal for Thailand.

20 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

May as well have a total ban which I realize many of you would love.

Israelis would just go elsewhere.

An own goal for Thailand.

No, not at all.

Courteous, well-behaved people are always welcome.

What governments should do, in the interest of their own citizens, is keep out massive influxes of people from failed states who have no interest whatsoever in assimilating and want to plant their flags on other folks' land.

It is clear the mass-influx of Israelis is causing huge problems in Thailand, from Phuket, to Pai, to Ko Samui, to Ko Phangan.

Putting a 15 limit on visits from Israelis and preventing them from settling here long term would be a good idea most people could get behind.

However, there has to be a blanket ban on Chabad houses, that are clearly political entities set up in Thailand, that even have the nerve to exclude Thai police. Chabad houses should be banned outright.

4 minutes ago, DeaconJohn said:

l

4 minutes ago, DeaconJohn said:

No, not at all.

Courteous, well-behaved people are always welcome.

What governments should do, in the interest of their own citizens, is keep out massive influxes of people from failed states who have no interest whatsoever in assimilating and want to plant their flags on other folks' land.

Israel is not a failed state.

The actions of some small number of any nationality should not fairly be used to paint all people from any country.

Treat people as people.

As they used to say here Bad Guys Out.

So what do they plan on doing about the Russians? Give them about 15 hours?

2 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

It is clear the mass-influx of Israelis is causing huge problems in Thailand, from Phuket, to Pai, to Ko Samui, to Ko Phangan.

Putting a 15 limit on visits from Israelis and preventing them from settling here long term would be a good idea most people could get behind.

However, there has to be a blanket ban on Chabad houses, that are clearly political entities set up in Thailand, that even have the nerve to exclude Thai police. Chabad houses should be banned outright.

It;s fun to have a Jew boogeyman, huh?
Makes you feel bigger?

11 minutes ago, John Drake said:

So what do they plan on doing about the Russians? Give them about 15 hours?

A lot of "Israelis" are really Russian.

12 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

It;s fun to have a Jew boogeyman, huh?
Makes you feel bigger?

Not fun at all, I would much prefer to go to Pai and enjoy it in peace, without having to worry about IDF psychos roaming the landscape.

Just now, Cameroni said:

Not fun at all, I would much prefer to go to Pai and enjoy it in peace, without having to worry about IDF psychos roaming the landscape.

Is going to Pai and not seeing too many Jews for your delicate tastes that imporant to you?

Thailand is a good sized country and the areas that indeed do have a high concentration of Israelis are few and far between.

This "Israeli problem" is clearly WAY OVERBLOWN.

4 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

A lot of "Israelis" are really Russian.

Some are both, sure.

About 15 percent of Israelis are Russian speakers.

Edited Saturday at 10:36 PM4 days by Jingthing

7 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Is going to Pai and not seeing too many Jews for your delicate tastes that imporant to you?

Thailand is a good sized country and the areas that indeed do have a high concentration of Israelis are few and far between.

This "Israeli problem" is clearly WAY OVERBLOWN.

That's what I thought, initially. I thought it was just Pai. Then we got the case in Ko Samui. Now we have Thais in Phuket saying it's a problem. We have police in Ko Phangan saying it's a problem.

We've had the former Thai Prime Minister dispatch a minister to investigate the situation in Pai.

The presence of Israelis is also growing at a tremendous rate, there are huge growth figures for Israeli tourists. Unless something is done, this will only get worse.

23 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

It;s fun to have a Jew boogeyman, huh?
Makes you feel bigger?

I agree the problem is overblown. But you're not posting honestly here, by making it about jews. It's about Israeli, so you're welcome.

Just now, Cameroni said:

That's what I thought, initially. I thought it was just Pai. Then we got the case in Ko Samui. Now we have Thais in Phuket saying it's a problem. We have police in Ko Phangan saying it's a problem.

We've had the former Thai Prime Minister dispatch a minister to investigate the situation in Pai.

The presence of Israelis is also growing at a tremendous rate, there are huge growth figures for Israeli tourists. Unless something is done, this will only get worse.

Is there a Jew under your bed?
Dude -- you sound insanely Jew obsessed.

Again, we're only talking about a very small number of locations and a very minor in numbers tourist demographic relative to the famous major ones.

2 minutes ago, stevenl said:

I agree the problem is overblown. But you're not posting honestly here, by making it about jews. It's about Israeli, so you're welcome.

You're not being honest if you actually don't recognize that a lot of the hostility towards Israelis overlaps with racist Jew hatred.

Edited Saturday at 10:48 PM4 days by Jingthing

2 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

You're not being honest if you actually don't recognize that a lot of the hostility towards Israelis overlaps with racist Jew hatred.

You're the one making it about semitism, when it isn't.

28 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Israel is not a failed state.

The actions of some small number of any nationality should not fairly be used to paint all people from any country.

Treat people as people.

As they used to say here Bad Guys Out.

True enough. We regularly get reports of bad behavior from most places. These are always exceptions though. If they want the money without the time, maybe work out out joint trips with neighboring countries?

Just now, stevenl said:

You're the one making it about semitism, when it isn't.

Semitism? You're tripping.

I'm not saying Israel demonization is 100 percent related to racist Jew hatred.

I'm saying SOME.
Youi're saying NONE.

That is both wrong and stupid.

3 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Again, we're only talking about a very small number of location

There are six main Chabad House locations operating across Thailand.

Chabad House Bangkok בית חב״ד בנגקוק4.8(1.7K)Non-profit organizationOpen18 Phra Athit RdLocated at 18 Phra Athit Road, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok. It features a large multi-story center with kosher dining, a synagogue, and traveler lounges.

Chabad of Chiang Mai4.7(588)Non-profit organizationOpen189 15 Changklan RdLocated at 189/15 Changklan Road, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai. It serves as a major hub for Jewish travelers in northern Thailand.

Chabad House PhuketLocated at 9/6 Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road, Patong, Kathu District, Phuket. It offers kosher restaurants, a synagogue, and a local Israeli store.

Chabad of Koh Samui4.4(36)Non-profit organizationChaweng Beach Moo 3 39\8 TLocated near Chaweng Beach, Bo Put, Koh Samui, Surat Thani. It provides community meals, a synagogue, and kosher dining options.

Ko Pha Ngan4.6(2.2K) IslandKo Pha-ngan District, Surat Thani 84280An active community presence and center serving travelers on the island.

Chabad House Pai בית חב"ד פאי4.5(244)Community centerOpenปาย, 71 4 A regional center located in the northern mountain town of Pai.

As for what's coming : Specific destinations like Phuket saw major year-on-year increases, such as a 52.43% spike in July compared to the prior year.

Some of the people protesting against Israelis

I hear TelAviv is lovely this time of year.

Maybe the Thais could pass out brochures for the Israeli tourists.

They seem unaware of such beautiful natural wonders and amazingly enough all the people there speak Hebrew and follow Jewish tradition cultural customs.

What an undiscovered paradise! 🌴

The Best Beaches in Israel https://share.google/7xII97OHy1O2t0AWB

3 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

There are six main Chabad House locations operating across Thailand.

Chabad House Bangkok בית חב״ד בנגקוק4.8(1.7K)Non-profit organizationOpen18 Phra Athit RdLocated at 18 Phra Athit Road, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok. It features a large multi-story center with kosher dining, a synagogue, and traveler lounges.

Chabad of Chiang Mai4.7(588)Non-profit organizationOpen189 15 Changklan RdLocated at 189/15 Changklan Road, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai. It serves as a major hub for Jewish travelers in northern Thailand.

Chabad House PhuketLocated at 9/6 Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road, Patong, Kathu District, Phuket. It offers kosher restaurants, a synagogue, and a local Israeli store.

Chabad of Koh Samui4.4(36)Non-profit organizationChaweng Beach Moo 3 39\8 TLocated near Chaweng Beach, Bo Put, Koh Samui, Surat Thani. It provides community meals, a synagogue, and kosher dining options.

Ko Pha Ngan4.6(2.2K) IslandKo Pha-ngan District, Surat Thani 84280An active community presence and center serving travelers on the island.

Chabad House Pai בית חב"ד פאי4.5(244)Community centerOpenปาย, 71 4 A regional center located in the northern mountain town of Pai.

As for what's coming : Specific destinations like Phuket saw major year-on-year increases, such as a 52.43% spike in July compared to the prior year.

You're being stupid.

Chabad is in Bangkok sure but Israelis don't in any way dominate the tourist and expat scene in Bangkok.

Chabad (not a fan myself though) offers religious services to traveling Jews internationaly.

Being against Chabad is being against freedom of religion

The Thai authorities aren't extreme as you are.

They want to make sure Chabad complies with Thai law.

They don't want to shut down their Jewish religious services!

Israelis don't in any way dominate the tourist and expat scene in Bangkok.

There was a 51% spike in tourists from Israel in Phuket in July, compared to last year. They will dominate tourism in Phuket, as they do in Pai now.

Just a question of time, unless something is done.

9 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

The operator acknowledged that Israelis are high-spending tourists, but said residents wanted visitors who holiday in Phuket and then leave

Confirming what most already know, "they want our money here, they don't want us here."

If the Thai's want one, they have to accept the other.

2 hours ago, Jingthing said:

You're being stupid.

Chabad is in Bangkok sure but Israelis don't in any way dominate the tourist and expat scene in Bangkok.

Chabad (not a fan myself though) offers religious services to traveling Jews internationaly.

Being against Chabad is being against freedom of religion

The Thai authorities aren't extreme as you are.

They want to make sure Chabad complies with Thai law.

They don't want to shut down their Jewish religious services!

Did you really miss the posts about the behaviour of the Chabads?

2 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Semitism? You're tripping.

I'm not saying Israel demonization is 100 percent related to racist Jew hatred.

I'm saying SOME.
Youi're saying NONE.

That is both wrong and stupid.

Unfortunately on this subject your bias is preventing you from reading.

Thailand is going all very China style in so many ways.

As for this one, then no point singling out one nationality as many are causing lots of places problems, most of all the Chinese really, but the Thais don't want to highlight it because they fear Beijing big time... just that Jews are an easy target but indeed there is a provblem section with them like with all others too.

Maybe these Israeli haters just just put up signs saying "Actung Juden!", as seems like we are heading in that direction.... again depite the Muslims they support being equally intolerant and dangerous. I guess history does indeed repeat itself.

How about the Russians and Indians that are infecting everything, you see them everywhere now, and they are are out of control too? It's funny now that the least of their worries here are now Europeans and Yanks... haha.

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10 minutes ago, Sir Dude said:

Thailand is going all very China style in so many ways.

As for this one, then no point singling out one nationality as many are causing lots of places problems, most of all the Chinese really, but the Thais don't want to highlight it because they fear Beijing big time... just that Jews are an easy target but indeed there is a provblem section with them like with all others too.

Maybe these Israeli haters just just put up signs saying "Actung Juden!", as seems like we are heading in that direction.... again depite the Muslims they support being equally intolerant and dangerous. I guess history does indeed repeat itself.

How about the Russians and Indians that are infecting everything, you see them everywhere now, and they are are out of control too? It's funny now that the least of their worries here are now Europeans and Yanks... haha.

There seems to be a small vociferous group of Phuket Muslims that oppose Jews in Thailand , rather than Thailand opposing Israelis