DonniePeverley

They're back.

Why do we have a day by day account on Chinese tourists ? They're back (unfortunately). Those who said they wouldn't return were talking nonsense. It's just been a bit slower than other countries. There is over a billion Chinese people. The well of Chinese head to Europe and Americas. The bottom of the barrel head to Thailand. It's mass tourism that will ruin cities like Bangkok and some great beach resorts. But well this current lot want that. We don't need a day by day coverage on chinese tourists.

It's a shame then the local authorities of Bangkok have removed all street food. This is why people travel to Bangkok - to see the hussle bussle. Not malls or empty pavements. People want street food, street markets, etc

Visitors from Europe, America, Australia has flatlined or fallen. Why would you go to a resort like Phuket when you can get luxury vacations elsewhere in peace. Basically Thailand wants mass tourism, to hell with locals and to hell with the experience.

My partner has an O visa with our child in education. However, with Thai logic the other parent (usually father) isn't allowed an O visa to stay. Regardless, i have working commitments in London and travel back and forth regularly. However, i becoming increasingly concerned by the volume of times i arriving on visa exemption. I never exceed staying here 30 days. Infact i am sometimes only here for a few weeks, before heading back to London for 3 weeks. My question is - is there a limit to the volume of times you can enter on visa exemption ? We have a family wedding coming up in Singapore, and will be returning within a few days, thus am becoming concerned i will get another visa exemption stamp on my passport - and they are really topping up !

Unless everyone is paying digitally, there is no way they can be anywhere near certain that income from tourim is that much. No where near, and not in Thailand. Chinese, Indian tourism is really scraping the barrel in terms of looking for quality high spending tourism. But they seemed determined to just get as many people in as possible regardless of the long term impact it will have in turning away quality high spending tourists.

So it's 2024 and we've got no clarification. Welcome to Thailand.

What the hell are you talking about? Virtually every major economy does this.

I think some of us are in major denial here. From my experience in India, they will hit you at the source of the banks.

They will go further and incorporate everyone soon enough. Furthermore who the hell would want to retire in Malaysia. It's dull.

It will only be time before Phillipines and Malaysia go down this route too. India did this a few years ago.

Why do we get a day by day account on Chinese tourism? This is insane. Chinese tourism will return slowly. Most countries are seeing less Chinese tourists. But why are Thailand specifically almost in a begging state for Chinese tourists? A tourist is a tourist ... what's the difference between 5 million Chinese tourists and 5 million European tourists? Yet they don't really have a begging bowl approach to other countries.

Why do we have to get a day by day account on how desperate Thailand is for Chinese tourism ? What is this nonsense? Tourism from any county is just the same, but why specific begging Chinese tourism? What am i missing?

Nonsense of the highest order. If you look at what Bangkok was like simply 8 years ago (in the central zones), compared to now it's worlds apart. All of south east asia goes through gentrification - China, Japan, etc basically eradicated their great neighbourhoods in favour of gentrification. There's a reason why people love Thailand - and it's not nicely neat and orderly pavements. People want the hussle bussle.

Alot of great soi's have unfortunately gone to makeway for soulless condos - who then order the street life to go. Gentrification sucks, and no one does anything to stop it.

Passed through Dubai airport yesterday. No need to take laptop out. No need to take shoes off. Passports were automated machines. Got through in a few minutes. Still don't understand the liquid issue.

No but you never here them say 'why are European tourists numbers down, we must do something'. Whenever you pick up a newspaper it's a simply a daily soap opera on when they can get the Chinese visitors back. A tourist is a tourist regardless of nationality ?

A zero dollar tour works like this. The chinese tourist will pay the company in China. The chinese company will then take care of everything, including accomodation, tour, transport, and food. The only problem for Thailand is that Thailand was seeing very little of this money, because they were bypassing local Thai for their own businesses. In a sense those on zero dollar tours were actually a drain on Thailand.

I dont understand the reason they are so obssesed with Chinese tourists. They are looking solely at visitor numbers rather than quality spending tourists. The problem with higher numbers is it will turn away higher spending tourists. Instead of focussing in on rip off practises, making the experience more pleasurable, gentrifying the main cities and making them less appealling was wrong - all we seem to get is an obsession with Chinese numbers. The last thing you need is ZERO DOLLAR TOURISTS BACK. QUALITY not QUANTITY.

I dont understand the reason they are so obssesed with Chinese tourists. They are looking solely at visitor numbers rather than quality spending tourists. The problem with higher numbers is it will turn away higher spending tourists. Instead of focussing in on rip off practises, making the experience more pleasurable, gentrifying the main cities and making them less appealling was wrong - all we seem to get is an obsession with Chinese numbers. The last thing you need is ZERO DOLLAR TOURISTS BACK. QUALITY not QUANTITY.

Pollution. Spf.

I'll bring this post up when we get the next update from TAT. It's not simply looking locally ... the sheer volume of numbers is hard to miss.

Once the month is out - you'll see reports of record high number of Chinese tourists for this December. Those on the ground here in central tourist areas are saying the same things - the numbers of chinese tourists around are extremly high. I personally never seen numbers this high before. Couldn't cross the road to my condo today, as the lane was blocked with Chinese tour busses. Out came the flag leader leading them to a hotel. At the mall today, i saw 4-5 flag wavers leading huge groups around the mall (mind they weren't buying anything). On the streets too, very high numbers. We had a great few years, but they're back.

I am on the ground now in Bangkok, and have never seen so many Chinese tourists, even before the pandemic. The numbers are just of the charts. No one is going to tell me the numbers are down anymore. Some areas of Sukhumvit are now unsustainable to be in. Over the weekend i just had to leave.

These are the foot massages / head massages - Not happy ending variety.