The TukTuk Culture

By Dr. Saleh Al-Makhdoom, President of the Arab Club for Tourism Media

In Thailand, a tourist may step out of a luxury hotel

walk past a modern, air conditioned car, and choose a tuk-tuk ride instead. They pay for a short journey, put up with the heat and street noise, then raise their phone to capture the experience with a smile. Here, a simple means of transport has become part of the pleasure of travel a memory visitors want to take home.

This scene captures an important idea in tourism: the value of an experience does not always lie in its luxury, but in a destination’s ability to give it meaning. With its colours, distinctive sound, and presence in streets and photographs, the tuk-tuk has become a symbol of Thailand for many visitors, offering a closer connection to the rhythm of local life.

Meanwhile, countries such as India and Egypt have similar forms of transport and rich street cultures capable of creating appealing experiences. Yet this potential is not always fully realised. In some places, persistent approaches to passengers, exhausting bargaining, and unclear fares overshadow the experience, turning a tourist’s curiosity into a desire to walk away.

The problem lies neither in the vehicle nor in its simplicity, but in how the service is delivered. There is a difference between making visitors feel invited to enjoy a local experience and making them feel cornered by an offer they do not wish to accept. A single argument over the fare can overshadow an otherwise enjoyable ride.

This does not mean that tuk-tuk rides in Thailand are free from inflated prices or irritating practices; these exist there too. However, the vehicle’s place in the country’s tourism image shows how an ordinary part of daily life can become an experience visitors actively seek, while elsewhere it remains an opportunity that deserves better organisation and promotion.

Marketing, in this case, begins before advertising: with a driver who respects a refusal, a clearly stated fare, a clean and safe vehicle, and a route that gives passengers something worth seeing. Photographing and sharing the ride then becomes a natural expression of satisfaction, turning tourists’ phones into a window that promotes the destination.

What some destinations need is not to invent a new experience, but to reconsider what they already have. A tuk-tuk can provide a dignified livelihood, create a treasured travel memory, and serve as a small ambassador for the city if we manage the experience well before asking people to admire it.