An Austrian man has been arrested for allegedly working as a tour guide on Koh Phangan.

Tourist police said they arrested the man, identified only as Guenter, at a restaurant on the island on Wednesday. He was accompanied by two foreign tourists and was driving a Toyota pickup truck.

During questioning, Guenter admitted to running an illegal tour guide service, charging each client 2,000 baht. He had been providing the service for two years.

The two tourists said they were referred to the Austrian by a German friend through a chat application. Guenter had picked them up from their hotel earlier that day and taken them to several attractions. 

The Austrian faces charges of working without a permit and illegally operating as a tour guide.

In Thailand, a number of jobs, including tour guides, are restricted to Thais only.