Italian tourist sparks outrage after comparing taxi driver in Thailand to dog for eating from plastic bag

Tourist in Thailand insults taxi driver eating out of plastic bag by comparing him to dog

An Italian tourist has sparked a storm of online backlash after posting a series of videos insulting Thailand and its people, including comparing a taxi driver eating from a plastic bag to a dog.

Tourist mocks taxi driver over meal choice

The controversy erupted on 11 Jan when the tourist, who was visiting the country during the New Year break, shared a video on Facebook, now deleted, showing a taxi driver parked at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok.

In the footage, the driver can be seen sitting on the rear bumper of his car, eating food straight from a plastic bag with a plastic spoon.

Speaking in Italian, the man then said that eating food out of a plastic bag is something a dog would do.

“I love dogs, but this kind of people is disgusting,” he continued.

He even went on to ask his own dog, which he had brought along for the trip, if it agreed with him.

According to Thaiger, the clip quickly went viral and drew outrage from both Thais and Italians.

When confronted with criticism, the man posted his hotel location online and challenged people to confront him directly.

Posted similar videos

Though the video of the taxi driver has since been deleted, several other clips, in which the tourist continues to mock Thailand, remain available.

In one clip, he can be seen walking along a street in Thailand and stopping at a food cart.

In the caption, he called the digital marketing around Thailand a lie and pointed to the food cart as an example of how “disgusting” the country is.

On 13 Jan, he shared another video from a plane, seemingly leaving Thailand, with his dog sitting beside him.

In the caption, he wrote, “Bye bye disgusting Thailand,” further angering viewers.

The comments section of his videos has been flooded with criticism from both Thai and Italian social media users.

Some Thai commenters even resorted to writing in Italian to express their displeasure.

It remains unclear whether the tourist has left Thailand, as his most recent video showed him in another Thai restaurant.

Also read: Tourists in Thailand smear unknown substances & vandalise hotel room, arrested for damaging property