Survey: Is There a Clash between Thais and Tourists?

[Scott]

There have been a number of high profile instances of conflict in which tourists behave in a manner that is seen as inappropriate by Thais. In your opinion is Thailand becoming more conservative and reactive toward tourists or are tourists behaving worse than they did in the past?

Links that might be of interest:

Where to draw the line for foreign visitors:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/801348-thai-editorial-where-to-draw-the-line-for-foreign-visitors/

Manual to be given to Chinese tourists:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/801335-government-gives-etiquette-manuals-to-chinese-tourists/

Please feel free to post a comment on this issue.

[webfact]

Please vote

[casualbiker]

I think that online media and the higher use of camera phones is just fueling the 'debate '

Thais have always had a tendency to blame non Thais for things and to state that this is culturally not acceptable, take the touching the head bit. We get told NO but you actually see it all the time in school etc

Edited February 23, 2015 by casualbiker

[Lupatria]

In general I think Thais hate all foreigners. However, they love their expertise and money. They wish you would drop your wallet at the airport and get the hell out of here...

[AJBangkok]

Not all areas of Thailand are the same but In Phuket and some of the islands attitude of the local people toward tourists and the tourism dollar has become a serious problem. Frankly over the past few years it seems that tourists have become the enemy on phuket. Tourists are exploited for every last penny that can be extracted from them legally and then subjected to all manners of illegal scams and overcharging monopolies which the locals defend with impolite dismissive verbiage, intimidation or in some situations violence.

[yellowboat]

Did not take the poll as the reasons did not make sense. There has always a clash, as there has been a feeling of open season tourists in the kingdom.

[SoiBiker]

Nobody likes tourists. I don't think this has changed much in recent years.

[sdanielmcev]

Definitely agree social media has a big impact on how Thais in non-tourist areas view how foreigners view them.

[alant]

Can't answer this, far too much generalisation for me.

[thejcb]

In general I think Thais hate all foreigners. However, they love their expertise and money. They wish you would drop your wallet at the airport and get the hell out of here...

Lovely if we could do that in London, I would be so happy ! Maybe I'll petition my MP

[wabothai]

East meets west. Lots of noise with the underclasses moving upward.

Violence and unwanted behavior is on the rise. Hooligans' behavior is a good example (lately the Rotterdam's team ugly behavior in Rome).

[IMA_FARANG]

Please vote

---------------------------

Not worth voting.

The poll is far to simplistic and not really relevant to the causes of the problem between 'tourists' and the average Thai.

The situation is complex, but some points to consider are:

• Many tourists spend more money in one day than an average Thai earns in a month. This income disparity makes many Thais feel inferior to the tourists, and the Thais, quite frankly, resent that. This feeling of inferiority is often inflamed when Tourists , often unconciously, flaunt their relative wealth. Many Thai vendors, working long hours for a small salary compared to the tourist, see the tourist parading their "wealth" about in tourist areas.
• Many tourists so not attempt to consider the Thai cultural point of view ...... to many Thais that shows them to be stupid, arrogant, and pompous.
• And also, many "tourists" that Thais meet in "Tourist venues" are drunks, loud mouthed and uncouth, and hardly good ambassadors for thier fellow country men and women. Unfortunately that is what many Thais regard as the "average" farang. One 'bad apple" spils the whole bushel ..... and that 'bad apple" is what many Thais see as their first example of the normal Farang.

i could go on, but enough said.

Edited February 23, 2015 by IMA_FARANG

[northernphil]

Not sure if this is applcable right here. BUT if my village on the outskirts of Plymouth UK was every night invaded by foreign chaps all holding the folding stuff and my local pub had no room to drink and the local ladies prefered the ones with the money ,I too would not get on with them . D'yer get my drift ?

[Thian]

The fact that the government ordered all Thai national parks to charge foreigners 10! times the entrance-fee says it all to me.

They only need our money. And if you buy something there isn't even a bin to help you get rid of it.

Same with smokers, throw a cigarette on the street and you pay 2000 but don't think they will offer you an ashtray and good place to smoke (like on Changi airport for example).

Or look at the BBC-movie about Suvarnabhumi, it's totally fake! Never ever have i seen an immigration officer smile to me or saying "welcome to Thailand".

Chinese tourists might annoy the Thai because they are very rude and selfish, even more then Thai themselves.

[casualbiker]

Please vote

---------------------------

Not worth voting.

The poll is far to simplistic and not really relevant to the causes of the problem between 'tourists' and the average Thai.

The situation is complex, but some points to consider are:

• Many tourists spend more money in one day than an average Thai earns in a month. This income disparity makes many Thais feel inferior to the tourists, and the Thais, quite frankly, resent that. This feeling of inferiority is often inflamed when Tourists , often unconciously, flaunt their relative wealth. Many Thai vendors, working long hours for a small salary compared to the tourist, see the tourist parading their "wealth" about in tourist areas.
• Many tourists so not attempt to consider the Thai cultural point of view ...... to many Thais that shows them to be stupid, arrogant, and pompous.
• And also, many "tourists" that Thais meet in "Tourist venues" are drunks, loud mouthed and uncouth, and hardly good ambassadors for thier fellow country men and women. Unfortunately that is what many Thais regard as the "average" farang. One 'bad apple" spils the whole bushel ..... and that 'bad apple" is what many Thais see as their first example of the normal Farang.

i could go on, but enough said.

And they make no attempt to understand.. The Thais I mean.. I have lost count of adult students who just have no idea about anywhere. East or West. Telling them about the cost of living in the UK and I get disbelief when I show them data from websites etc they start to realise that we are not 'really' rich like they imagined. I get them to start working out percentages and even with higher salaries in UK the higher cost of living just eats it .

[willyumiii]

Going to Tourist- Thailand and complaining that people want your money..

Makes as much sense as a mouse complaining that someone put cheese in a trap.

People in the tourist trade take money from tourist.

Naturally, they try to take as much as they can get away with.

It is kind of like their job man!

[willyumiii]

The fact that the government ordered all Thai national parks to charge foreigners 10! times the entrance-fee says it all to me.

They only need our money. And if you buy something there isn't even a bin to help you get rid of it.

Same with smokers, throw a cigarette on the street and you pay 2000 but don't think they will offer you an ashtray and good place to smoke (like on Changi airport for example).

Or look at the BBC-movie about Suvarnabhumi, it's totally fake! Never ever have i seen an immigration officer smile to me or saying "welcome to Thailand".

Chinese tourists might annoy the Thai because they are very rude and selfish, even more then Thai themselves.

I agree.

Thais are very competitive.

But I disagree about the immigration officers.

They have always greeted me with a smile and welcomed me.

Some have even engaged me in interesting conversations.

Maybe it is just you and your attitude that is not welcome?

[krisb]

If I was a Thai, working in tourist areas, getting paid a pittance for putting up with drunk obnoxious tourists, it would only be a matter of time before I'd had enough.

Up in the country it's totally different. Even in KK It's really good.

[Tatsujin]

I didn't vote, the questions are too black & white.

The attitudes you'll see from "some" Thai's in the "foreigner" dominated areas like Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket, Samui etc are VERY different (in general) from those that you'll see from areas where foreigners are not so prevalent. Take a trip out of these "foreigner" areas and you'll still see what I call the real Thailand and real Thai's.

I do blame a lot of the "incidents" however on the "foreigners" themselves, who often are drunk, abusive, racist etc and look down on anyone and everyone around them. There's two sides to every story as always, and then there's the truth.

Thai's need to learn a few things about how to deal with foreigners, but the same needs to occur the other way around. You get what you give in most cases.

[smedly]

There is no simple answer to this as it is a complex subject

Education - lack of understanding by the masses of just how important tourism and tourists are - understanding how going it alone would be a massive fail for Thailand - jealousy - stupidity - inferiority complex - unable to grasp how insignificant they are on the world stage - we tolerate you but really don't want you hear unless you are paying more than us for everything - don't understand the word "equality" - no you cannot own anything hear otherwise we become less (inferiority)

It simply means that due to lack of education - a failure of social advancement - greed - corruption - inequality - they simply tolerate us as long as they have control and are being handsomely rewarded - probably quite childish - retarded and have failed to advance over the last 30 years

A motorbike taxi driver friend of mine got talking one day and I asked him how he would do if have no falang in Pattaya, his answer was that most of his customers were Thai so it wouldn't really matter - total failure to understand why he had so many Thai lady customers - so he did not regard falang customers as important

[carter1882]

If kids in my school in year seven had come up with the questions in this survey they would have had a lecture on objectivity and told to try again. For adults to do this is simply absurd and just feeds the baying hounds of TVF who want to have a go at everything Thai. The site and its moderators once again look only interested in ads with no attempt to enhance quality.

[ourmanflint]

If you go to Burma now you will feel how tourists to Thailand felt 20 years ago. Everybody seemed so friendly and everyone smiled and wanted to help. It was nice to be in such a place, tourists were amazed by what they saw and the locals seemed genuinely happy that tourists were interested in their country.

Fast forward twenty years and nothing is left in Thailand tourist resorts except cynicism, all tourists are seen as cash cows by everyone from the top government to lowliest rice farmer. Tourists feel they are barely tolerated because they have money, and the locals have hardened beyond belief, gone are the open and friendly smiles, and all that is left is greed, greed , greed and more greed.

That said if you leave all the tourist areas and venture out into the countryside that sense of amazement that could be found everywhere 20 years ago is still there.

[Star Dust]

There are more Thais than Non-Thais in Thailand, right? (I hope).

So? Whose fault is it?

[borisloosebrain]

As already mentioned, this is way too general.

[AZBill]

According to my wife and her family it is getting worse for foreigners in Thailand. She doesn't even want to go back home anymore because she doesn't feel we are safe there. This is a marked change as she has always looked forward to her annual trip home.

[smedly]

honestly and I don't mean this any insulting way - but it is time Thai people realised they are not what they think they are - if they want to play on the big stage then they need to do "big stage things" and I'm not talking about anything political - the first step to improvement is understanding where you are

They talk about hub this and hub that - in reality they are hub nothing - all the lip service means nothing on the big stage

It comes down to education which I posted earlier - in the evolution of society for the last 30 odd years they should have done better, unfortunately they have been raped by corruption and greed and exploitation from the like of Thaksin who is now using his riches that he got from the Thai people to avenge and disrupt

So how is this on topic - well it is, because they look at us from other parts of the world were we have overcome most of the issues that currently exist in Thailand - they see us as superior and a threat and treat us with contempt and yet if they only realised - they could have had it all, the weird thing is that apart from farming they are basically a cheap labour camp making stuff for other countries.......time to get out of the inferior cycle - progress and start doing things for themselves

Get into the world stage Thailand - allow the purchase of land and property - allow foreigners to work here and see how a competitive environment gives people incentive to compete rather than stagnate hiding behind stupid rules and going nowhere for 5 decades

The ripping off and trying to suck dry has run it's course - yes we have grown wise to it and the Indians will too - and the reason I say that is because of the amount of taxis and women that sit around hotels where Indian people stay - they are naïve and green and are the easiest to rip off - how many baht taxis have you seen almost do a handbrake turn to pick up 5x Indians on pattaya 2nd road because they don't realise that it is a 10baht fare each to where they are going - it's like flies round s%%%%......................again on topic because we westerners have sussed it out and generally know the score either through experience or being told from someone with experience - so again there is an incline for Thais to avoid us because we are not easily scammed

anyway rant over - Thais need to move forward and realise that the nice false smiles are not working anymore and the undertone of anger greed and extortion showing through will eventually destroy tourism and they will be left with nothing

Education

Edited February 23, 2015 by smedly

[Braddockrd]

I think one of the differences arising is the kind of tourists coming to Thailand. You have now a large growth in trash coming from China and Russia, which tend to antagonize the locals much more.

[RtotheC]

Yes, there is a clash but not as listed on the poll. There is a clash as scams, double pricing and exploitation of tourists to the point where it's commonplace is apalling. Foreigners can't help but look down on Thais in general when we can't go anywhere without a tuk tuk trying to rip us off or a taxi wanting 300 baht to go anywhere. It's in your farang face on a dail basis, and it leaves a lasting negative impression on Thaland as it makes them look like desperate or shady people, even though some of us that live know there are plenty of really good Thai people. Even my girlfriend and Thai friends admit Thailand has a problem with ripping off tourists and expats, but no one seems to have an answer on how to fix it because the Thai education doesn't promote critical thinking and Thai's don't really want and or know how to challenge the status quo.

[Docno]

Might have been best not have the options either-or. I wanted to check off both of the last two ones: more people coming in from places who are not used to travelling overseas and the effect of social media (which is what I eventually went with by a mental toss of the coin). Can be more than one factor at play here....

[Balance]

East meets west. Lots of noise with the underclasses moving upward.

Violence and unwanted behavior is on the rise. Hooligans' behavior is a good example (lately the Rotterdam's team ugly behavior in Rome).

It is all about the money that tourists have and that Thais do not have. Tourists are low hanging fruit; easier than taking school seriously, or taking job seriously. On the other hand, Thai culture does not include any path for the bottom third of the society to better themselves. One thing is sure; as the economy gets worse and layoffs increase, crime against tourists will go up. Wily Sutton, a famous bank robber in the U.S. many years ago was asked by a reporter why he robbed banks. Sutton did not have to think about the answer and replied, "That's where the money is."