“Drama ‘Israel’ overflows the city of Pai, Mae Hong Son. Hotel bookings for next month have dropped by more than half, revealing that foreigners are competing for jobs, holding work permits, behind Thai nominees. The problem is not addressed to the root cause.
It has become a global social media trend when it was reported that Israelis or Jews have come to occupy the area and compete for jobs in Pai District, Mae Hong Son, causing distress to the local people. Some service establishments have put up signs refusing Jewish tourists. There have also been discussions with local residents by government agencies to address 11 issues within 30 days.
Due to the negative image circulated through social media, the number of Israeli tourists, which had increased since 2024, has started to decline in hotel bookings. A business operator who has been running a car rental and accommodation business in Pai, Mae Hong Son for over 30 years, informed that the number of Israeli tourists has increased by 90% after the war in their country, while the number of Chinese tourists has been continuously decreasing.
However, the current problem is that the local people are starting to feel bad about Israeli tourists, affecting almost every aspect, resulting in negative trends on the online world. The impact is that the number of tourists booking accommodation for March has dropped by more than 50% because foreigners have been telling their foreign friends, causing a decrease, along with a decrease in backpacker tourists due to problems with tourists using drugs, making them feel unsafe to visit.”
“As for the presence of Israeli churches, it is something they can do, just like other religions have their places of worship in the area. The plainclothes police who go to facilitate are performing duties outside of work hours, as requested by foreigners due to concerns about safety, and it is something that can be done.”
The group of Israeli tourists who are problematic, such as some young people who come in groups and display aggressive and rowdy behavior, need to be understood that it is part of their cultural context. But if you talk to them and make them understand, their behavior can be reduced. Personally, I run a tourism company in Pai and have a large number of Israeli customers. I can tell them to reduce inappropriate behavior. But sometimes Thai people, when they encounter negative behavior, tend to complain loudly, leading to an aversion to this group of tourists in every aspect.
“The issue of Israelis coming to compete for jobs under the wings of Thai nominees.
The business operator confirms that the real root cause is the corruption of government officials, who open up opportunities for Thais to be nominees, when the actual owners are foreigners. In the past, when there were problems of job competition in the area, the blame was usually directed at foreigners, without addressing the systemic issues in the government bureaucracy that enable this.
The businesses that Israelis have opened, such as hostels or cafes in Pai, often have Thais as nominees. Interestingly, these foreign groups have work permits, even though the regulations state that for every 1 foreigner, there must be 4 Thais working. But in these cases, there are hardly any Thais working, yet they have the proper business licenses. It raises the question of whether government agencies are aware of this and are possibly taking under-the-table payments.”
“I once asked my Israeli friend why they come to Pai in large numbers. He said that families can come, and with the war situation in Israel, even regular citizens can come travel. What they like is the low cost of living and the good weather, which helps stimulate the local economy. But the tourists who display bad behavior should be dealt with.
Due to the large influx of Israeli tourists, in the past, almost every hotel was fully booked, and most of the stays were for not less than 1 month. The chaos in managing Israeli tourists in Pai is now very chaotic, and each government agency in Pai is trying to solve the problem in their own way, without a unified approach. For example, the tubing activities in the river have turned into parties with drug use, and there have been past incidents of fatalities.
The large number of Israeli tourists coming in has caused a lot of disturbance, and the authorities need to find a systematic way to address the issues, rather than each agency handling it separately. The inappropriate behaviors of some tourists should be managed, while also recognizing the economic benefits that the influx of tourists can bring to the local area.”
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