This is the bizarre moment a tourist urinated in the middle of a busy airport in Thailand.

The Middle Eastern backpacker, who was not identified by local officials, had been offloaded from his flight for alleged drunken behaviour at the Phuket International Airport, on January 30.

Security guards were escorting him back to the passenger terminal when he was said to have walked toward the wall and began unzipping his pants.

Footage shows the backpacker in elephant pants relieving himself in front of other shocked passengers.

He casually released the stream of urine onto a mural as bungling guards watched on helplessly.

Aeknarit Samanrak, director of airport security, said the man was a passenger on an IndiGo flight.

He added: 'After he finished urinating, we locked him up at the security centre. We called the tourist assistance centre and the police. We let him sleep at the airport because he was too drunk.

'When he woke up, we tried to fine him but he had no money. He was given food and drink, then he continued sleeping. We released him when he was finally sober.'

The security official said he was unsure where the tourist had gone after the incident.

The once-pristine island of Phuket has been marred by overtourism as the Thai government implemented a visa-free scheme to boost revenue.

But the policy has infuriated locals claiming it has attracted crowds of 'low-quality' visitors to Thailand.