The majority of popular holiday destinations around the globe have tourist traps, and Thailand is not an exception. However, these tourist traps are easy to identify and avoid. You just need to understand what they are, why there are so many of them in Thailand, and how to prevent yourself from being a victim.
There are so many tourist traps in Thailand because lots of tourists visit the country. As a result of this, the economy of the country and the livelihood of many individuals depend on tourism. As said earlier, any place with numerous tourists usually has lots of tourist traps. So, it should not come as a surprise to you that there are several tourist traps in the Land of Smile.
Because of these tourist traps, many tourists are defrauded of their hard-earned money. Some of them would even have a bitter experience of the country. So, if you don’t want to be a victim, you need to be vigilant.
What is a tourist trap?
A tourist trap refers to a place or thing that is attractive to many tourists but is often used to exploit them. It is noteworthy that tourist traps come in different ways and options. You just need to be cautious when you are in Thailand or another well-known tourist destination.
Why does Thailand have many tourist traps?
As noted by Ramblingj.com, tourism is one of the biggest ways through which the economy of Thailand grows. As a consequence of this, numerous first-time travelers usually visit Thailand every single day. Most first-time travelers don’t understand the terrain of Thailand; thereby, they are usually easy to prey on.
Given this, some dishonest locals will take advantage of the naivety of first-timers in Thailand to make some easy bucks. Hence, they will approach tourists with their schemes and take away their hard-earned money.
What are the popular tourist traps in Thailand?
If you can take the time to check out Trip Canvas, you will notice that there are so many tourist traps that you can fall into in Thailand. Below, we will highlight some of the common tourist traps you should be aware of:
- Jet ski trap
When visiting Pattaya, Phuket, and other resort destinations in the country, you should be cautious of the Jet Ski trap. After returning a Jet Ski that you borrowed, the rental operator will tell you that you have damaged it. Of course, you are expected to haggle about the cost of repairs. Also, some uniformed men would coincidentally come to join in persuading you to pay for the repairs.
- “this tourist center is close today” trap
If you want to visit the Grand Palace or another popular tourist center, the cab or tuk-tuk driver will try to convince you that the place is closed. Of course, they will cite different reasons why you cannot access the place that day. Instead of visiting the place, the driver will try to convince you to go to another fraudulent tourist center or a gem store where you can buy gems. Notably, many drivers usually collaborate with these fraudulent tourist centers or gem store owners.
- Gem scam
For this scam, someone will approach and offer you a unique gem that is worth lots of money in your home country. So, you will be persuaded to buy it so that you can make a large profit on it. Notably, the gem seller often has accomplices that will try to convince you to spend money on purchasing the fake gem.
Sometimes, taxi or tuk-tuk drivers may be the ones to introduce the gem store owners to you. It should be noted that gem scam is also common in India, Sri Lanka, and other nations.
- The massage shop trap
Thailand is famous for awesome massage therapies, but you must be careful when trying to get a massage. When you are in a touristy center, a so-called massage shop manager may approach and tell you to have a massage at his shop. He may tell you about how he has not gotten a customer recently and even offer you a ridiculously cheap rate. This is just to persuade you to use his service.
Once you have agreed, the “manager” will take you to the entrance of the shop and ask you to pay for the service. Some will even give you a receipt for the payment. After paying, he will direct you to a massage shop and pretend to be going back to look for more customers. However, he is not a massage shop manager, and you will have to pay again to get a massage.
- Hotel scams
Many low-end hotels in the country try to get customers through fraudulent means. Generally, they will operate under the name of a reputable hotel and collaborate with drivers. So, once you tell a driver that you are going to a particular top-notch hotel, the fraudulent driver will take you to the copycat low-budget hotel.
If you are not careful, you would have paid for the accommodation before realizing that you are at the wrong place. Of course, these low-quality hotels will never refund you because they are determined to scam people of their money.
- Restaurant trap
The restaurant scam is another popular tourist trap in Thailand. For this scam to work, low-quality eateries usually work with taxi or tuk-tuk drivers. If you tell a driver that you want to eat in a nice restaurant, he will take you to a low-budget eatery. Such an eatery will sell you food at highly inflated costs. This scam is quite popular in Bangkok.
How to avoid these tourist traps
If you are in Thailand, you need to be vigilant. Although many locals are friendly and honest, you will still come across numerous scammers who are looking for people to swindle. Be careful before parting ways with your hard-earned money. Learn more about how to avoid these traps on Asia Highlights.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, Thailand has so many tourist traps because it is a popular holiday destination with millions of visitors every year. However, you need to be cautious to avoid any of these scams.
