Building a Fairer Way to
Travel Thailand
We connect conscious travelers directly with vetted local operators, ensuring more of your travel spend stays in the communities that make the Kingdom magical.
Jai Thai Travel is a network of the best independent tour and transfer operators in Thailand — people who live and work in the places they take you. Instead of competing against each other on a faceless marketplace, they work together: vouching for each other across the country, and holding each other to a standard. You get the best operator in every destination, and you book them direct.
Our Philosophy
What We Believe
A few convictions shaped how Jai Thai is built.
The Best Operator in Every Destination
We'd rather list one excellent operator than ten average ones. Every operator is here because they're among the best in their part of Thailand — vetted in person, not signed up through a form. The network is built around quality, not volume.
Operators Are Stronger Together Than Apart
Working together rather than competing, operators offer better pricing and better trips than any could alone. They refer guests to each other, share what they know, and back each other up. We're here to connect good operators, not pit them against each other.
Local Knowledge Is the Product
Every operator has spent years in their destination — the reefs before a storm, the markets before the crowds, the routes on no map. That knowledge is what makes a trip worth taking, and it comes from people, not platforms.
Direct Relationships Make Better Travel
Book through Jai Thai and you get a direct WhatsApp line to your operator before you travel — ask what to bring, whether a trip suits your fitness, what they'd recommend. That's impossible on platforms where contact is mediated and slowed by ticket queues.
A Fair Deal for Operators Is a Better Deal for You
Operators keep 85% of every booking, not the 70–75% an OTA leaves them. That difference doesn't sit in a platform's margin — it goes into guides, equipment, smaller groups, and your actual experience. The fairer model isn't charity; it's why the trips are better.
Our Story
Jai Thai Story
Jai Thai started the way most real things do: not with a business plan, but with a problem worth solving.
Lars Hoorweg first came to Thailand five years ago and never quite left. A visit became a life in Chiang Mai — speaking Thai, part of a local family who ran a small tour agency. When they asked for help with their marketing, he got pulled into Thai tourism from the inside.
What he found was an industry working against the people who create its best experiences. Operators spent years building real expertise, only to hand 25–30% of every booking to a platform for visibility — and to compete against each other for it. Those with the deepest local knowledge had the least power.
The answer came from an unlikely place. Best Western didn't begin as a chain — it started in 1946 as a referral network of independent hotels, each vouching for the next so a traveller could cross the country in trusted hands. Independent businesses, stronger together, none losing their independence. That was the idea worth borrowing: not a chain, not a marketplace, but a network of the best independents who choose to cooperate. Jai Thai applies it to Thailand's operators.
Today the network includes 15 verified operators across Thailand, each personally vetted by Lars through site visits, conversations in Thai, and first-hand experience of their tours. Every operator keeps 85%. Every booking goes direct.
Where We Work
Covering Thailand
From North to South
From the mountains of Chiang Mai to the islands of the Andaman Sea, Jai Thai works with verified local operators across Thailand's most loved destinations.
The North
Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son
The Heart
Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Kanchanaburi
The South
Phuket, Krabi, Koh Samui, Khao Sok
Where We Work
The Operators We List
A network is only as good as its standard for getting in. Ours, simply put: we only list operators we'd send our own friends and family to.
Every operator is personally vetted before listing — Lars visits them, experiences their tours, and checks they're who they say they are. The network grows by referral and direct outreach, never open sign-ups, and currently spans 15 verified operators across 8 destinations. Who you see is decided by destination and experience type — never by who paid most.
The full verification process — licences, insurance, site visits, and ongoing reviews — is explained on our How It Works page.
See How It Works in Detail
30+
Destinations
15+
Operators
200+
Routes
10k+
Served
Our Mission
Better for Everyone
There's a bigger reason the model matters. Studies by the UN World Tourism Organization estimate that around 70% of what travellers spend in Thailand leaves the country through platform fees, international chains, and imported goods. Jai Thai is built to change where that money lands — so a single booking works in four directions at once.
For Travelers
The best operator in every destination, booked direct with rewards across the whole network..
For Operators
Fairer commissions and the tools to manage their digital presence without losing their local essence.
For Communities
Ensuring tourism supports local infrastructure and cultural preservation rather than eroding it.
For Thailand
A sustainable model that preserves the natural and social beauty of the Kingdom for generations.
"Authenticity is found in the gaps between the guidebooks."
Our Mission
Meet Lars
“I came to Thailand on a three-month trip. I'm still here five years later — speaking Thai, working alongside local operators, and trying to build something that pays back the people who make Thailand worth visiting.”
Lars is the founder of Jai Thai Travel. Based in Chiang Mai, he speaks Thai and has spent five years working directly with local operators across the country, personally vetting every one through site visits and first-hand experience of their tours.
Travel Tips and Answers
Any Questions? We'd Love to Help.
Whether you're looking for a bespoke itinerary or have questions about our verification process, our team in Chiang Mai is here to assist.
Editorial Standards
How Our Content Is Researched
First-Hand Experience
We never write about places we haven't slept, ate, or explored ourselves. Our guides are built on boots-on-the-ground reality.
Destination Research
Beyond personal visits, we consult historical archives and local experts to ensure cultural accuracy and respect.
Operator Interviews
We give the operators a voice, sharing their unique stories and the heritage behind their businesses.
Real Thailand Experiences
Tours in Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai Street Food Night Tour
From
฿2,400/person
Traditional Lanna Kitchen Experience
From
฿2,100/person
Farm-to-Table Thai Cooking Workshop
From
฿2,400/person