Why you shouldn’t visit Pai, Thailand.

To most of the world, hearing about the location Pai would elicit a shrug, but mentioning it to a backpacker would ignite excitement, nostalgia, and perhaps even future plans. Pai is renowned as a hippie backpacker paradise, embodying the relaxation and slow-paced lifestyle that backpackers yearn for—particularly the desire to discover a place in the world through its culture and nature. However, due to the influx of backpackers, Pai has lost the beauty it once possessed in its community and natural surroundings. In this blog, rather than sharing the best activities or experiences, my aim is to persuade you to approach Pai with caution or even to avoid it altogether.

My visit to Pai:

When I first learned that I would be traveling to Pai, I had no idea what to expect. In fact, my initial reaction was, “Why should I even go there?” I had extensively researched the charms of Chiang Mai, with its bustling city surrounded by nature and spirituality, and Pai, as my next destination, didn’t seem as glamorous. However, I was fine with that; I thought it would be interesting to experience an authentic village in a remote location in Thailand. Looking back, that assumption was naive. Can it truly be considered remote if it’s only a few hours from one of Thailand’s largest cities?

Upon arriving, I was filled with excitement. There were numerous activities to explore, from the canyon and hot springs to caves—all of which were absolutely stunning! However, as you may already know, my favorite aspect of traveling abroad is experiencing the local culture. As the sun set and I strolled down the Pai walking street, it felt more like walking through London with a Thai aesthetic. There was a variety of food from all over the world, and bars selling burgers. This wasn’t the village life I had anticipated.

Why I felt unsettled in Pai:

Firstly, the westernisation of it all. I would attend Pai’s famous bar crawls to be sat in bars of backpackers dancing as if it was there home that they knew for years. And if you didn’t reflect the same vibe well, you’d be out of the clique.

And the music scene that Pai is infamous for, well yes you guessed it! White DJ’s pushing out western tunes? Like really? You couldn’t even venture into Thai beats?

On one memorable night, fueled by a few drinks, I struck up a conversation with some locals. I had to ask the burning question – do you guys even like the tourists? Despite the language barrier, the locals made it clear with a resounding no! The next day, during a tour of one of Pai’s sites, as we passed a house, a small Thai boy expressed his discontent with a raised middle finger. It became evident quickly that perhaps, I should not be here.

An academic discourse on why you shouldn’t visit Pai:

In his research on Tourism recreation Erik Cohen provided some insight on the recent over tourism in Pai.

1. Firstly its impact on local community who have set roots in Pai land, “Only a few native Thai Yai farmers possess the economic and cultural capital to start their own business…The backpacker boom indirectly affected them by leading to the selling or renting of land to developers and speculators.” This impact threatens Pai’s community by raising land prices and alienating land from locals.

2. It’s taken away local control. Local civic groups have reportedly approached the National Human Rights Commission and asked it ‘‘to support their efforts to protect their own communities’’ from the consequences of ‘‘new social, cultural and environmental problems, most of which are related to tourism.’’ The more tourism follows, the more tourism decides. (Janchitfah 2004:P1)

3.Cultural impact, it would have been lovely in my travels to see the care taken by families to preserve the delicate nature of Pai. But instead as a spiritual leader of the muslim community in Pai complained: ‘‘Land changes hands rapidly as villagers sell their land once owned by their ancestors to greedy entrepreneurs, only to end up being employees,’’ and warned that, ‘‘Pai will suffer as its natural beauty and its customs have been exploited.” (Khuenkaew 2007)

All points gathered from: Cohen, Erik. (2015). Pai—A Backpacker Enclave in Transition. Tourism Recreation Research

As Cohen concluded, it would seem unlikely that the boom of Pai will diminish any time soon, and in that time luxury tourism may eventually move in and isolate both the broke backpacker and the locals.

If you do end up visiting Pai, please enjoy yourself, be scared of the canyon. Awe at any sunrises and relax your muscles in a hot spring or two. But please, speak to locals ask them what they want. Buy from Thai food stalls and for the love of god, start mixing Thai beats at least!