The tuk-tuk (a kind of vehicle used for transporting people and tourists in Ayutthaya) and tuk-tuk
drivers are very important for the Ayutthaya tourism industry. They play a large part in
welcoming foreign tourists. However, they experience problems because of their lack of fluency
in English caused by extreme poverty that denied them access to formal education. As a
consequence, they speak English well below the vocational proficiency level. Sometimes cultural
misunderstandings occur due to the tuk-tuk drivers’ inability to explain the issues in hand to the
foreigners. Some tuk-tuk drivers believe that with improved English competency, they would live
their lives and earn a living, more comfortably.