This is the shocking moment a Middle Eastern tourist threatened Thai locals with a stick after allegedly fleeing a massage parlour without paying.

The man had a rubdown in one of the massage shops on crowded holiday island Phuket but reportedly refused to pay for the service.

Furious masseuses chased after him along a road in red-light zone Patong, where he was seen brandishing the wooden weapon to fend off the women on Tuesday.

Footage shows the rampaging tourist swinging the stick at a Thai ladyboy, missing her by mere inches as he swaggered in front of oncoming cars.

Vendors watched as the man walked away, with his motorcycle-riding friends appearing to taunt several sex workers before fleeing the scene.

An onlooker said: 'As far as I know, the Arab man went to the massage shop and left without paying. The ladyboys then chased after him before he picked up a long stick and tried to threaten them back.'

The once-pristine island of Phuket has been marred by over-tourism as the Thai government implements a visa-free scheme to boost revenue following the barren pandemic years.

The island saw 800,000 foreign visitors last year alone.

Combined with the legalisation of cannabis and proliferation of other drugs, it has caused a perfect storm, with visitors often suffering side-effects from the strong substances.

Doctors believe that the effects on tourists of a sudden intake of alcohol or cannabis can be amplified by dehydration from the hot weather, fried food, jet lag, tiredness and feeling of freedom that comes with being in a culture less restrictive than their homeland.