Thailand has had enough of foreign tourists behaving badly

At a zoo a short drive south of Bangkok, Charoon Youngprapakorn has spent a lifetime taking the pulse of Thailand’s tourism industry from an unlikely vantage point: the open jaws of crocodiles.

Handlers at his Samut Prakan Crocodile Farm & Zoo have long thrilled onlookers by coaxing tips from the audience and carefully placing the money into the mouths of animals capable of taking off an entire hand.

The crocodiles at this open-air, fan-cooled throwback to 1980s showmanship still take their tips at the end of every show. But these days, the notes are almost all Thai baht, handed over by Thai visitors. The busloads of overseas tour groups have largely disappeared.

Tourism accounts for roughly one-fifth of the Thai economy, from the five-star resorts of Phuket and Koh Samui to the jet-ski operators and massage parlours of Pattaya.