Chinese Tourists Just Can't Get Enough of Thailand

[webfact]

Chinese Tourists Just Can't Get Enough of Thailand

By Supunnabul Suwannakij

 

FILE photo

 

-- February arrivals from China surge past 1 million to record

-- More than 10 million are expected for the whole of 2018

 

Tourism is the gift that keeps on giving in Thailand, thanks especially to China.

 

Visitors from the world’s most-populous nation surged to a record 1.2 million in February, swelled by the Lunar New Year holiday period, Tourism Ministry data released Wednesday in Bangkok showed. The kingdom expects 38 million tourists overall this year, including more than 10 million from China.

 

Thailand’s relationship with Chinese tourists has sometimes been rocky. Visitor numbers collapsed toward the end of 2016, when the Thai administration cracked down on operators bringing in large groups from China on cut-price holidays. Those curbs were eventually eased and numbers have since rocketed.

 

Full story: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-21/chinese-tourists-just-can-t-get-enough-of-thailand

 

-- Bloomberg 2018-03-22

[Get Real]

 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Chinese Tourists Just Can't Get Enough of Thailand

Such unfortunate news! Better catch up on my intake of furtune cookies.

[leeneeds]

Opportunity to give each one a free dog to go home with,

 

[StayinThailand2much]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Thailand’s relationship with Chinese tourists has sometimes been rocky. Visitor numbers collapsed toward the end of 2016, when the Thai administration cracked down on operators bringing in large groups from China on cut-price holidays. Those curbs were eventually eased and numbers have since rocketed.

Glad to hear that large groups from China on cut-price holidays are back! Good for Thailand's China's economy, as the money stays in the country, benefitting economic growth. 

Edited March 22, 2018 by StayinThailand2much

[Darcula]

The flights are full, there are turds floating in the moat, the buffets are sold out. Excellent news overall.

[BigBadGeordie]

1 hour ago, leeneeds said:

Opportunity to give each one a free dog to go home with,

 

Brings a whole new meaning to the term "Chinese Take Away".

 

Or perhaps not.

[seminomadic]

Friend of mine ran these stats by me just yesterday:

 

2015 - China has 16m households earning >$55k/yr 

2030 - China has 142m households earning >$55k/yr

 

2015 - 12% of Chinese have passports

2030 - 40-50% of Chinese have passports

 

+ Bangkok's one of their favorite getaways, as we've become aware.

 

= What we're seeing now is NOTHING compared to what's coming. The invasion hasn't even really begun yet.

 

[zzidenn]

Just so sad that the country is not prepared for the masses, they will rapidly destroy what’s left of the beautiful nature just to accommodate more cheap buildings and hotels, hack away at the last coral reefs and then nobody did it and again blame it on the „horrible“ Chinese.

sad

[action]

44 minutes ago, seminomadic said:

Friend of mine ran these stats by me just yesterday:

 

2015 - China has 16m households earning >$55k/yr 

2030 - China has 142m households earning >$55k/yr

 

2015 - 12% of Chinese have passports

2030 - 40-50% of Chinese have passports

 

With all due respect.  It's not really a statistic if it's 12 years in the future...  That's called a prediction or what I call an opinion.  In this ever changing world we live in, I really don't think we can accurately say these things.

 

 

[Tidybeard]

I still don't get these declared numbers of tourists. I reckon on maybe 4 major International airports in Thailand where the Chinese can arrive. Let's say each airport has 6 planes arriving each day from China. Each plane has an average of 250 passenger ( some 120 some 400 ) There are 28 days in Feb, so roughly...  4 x 6 x 250 x 28 = 168,000.

 

Even if there are 10 planes a day .... 1.2m ???? 

[Lupatria]

Time to finally strike through the sentence in Thai history books saying the country has never been colonized. The chinesification is a slow but ongoing process, and it will increase with the construction of a railway to provide the 'motherland' with access to the Indian Ocean. 

[Sealbash]

I still don't get these declared numbers of tourists. I reckon on maybe 4 major International airports in Thailand where the Chinese can arrive. Let's say each airport has 6 planes arriving each day from China. Each plane has an average of 250 passenger ( some 120 some 400 ) There are 28 days in Feb, so roughly...  4 x 6 x 250 x 28 = 168,000.
 
Even if there are 10 planes a day .... 1.2m ???? 

Why do the Chinese tourists need to arrive directly from China?


Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[sandmonster]

20 minutes ago, Tidybeard said:

I still don't get these declared numbers of tourists. I reckon on maybe 4 major International airports in Thailand where the Chinese can arrive. Let's say each airport has 6 planes arriving each day from China. Each plane has an average of 250 passenger ( some 120 some 400 ) There are 28 days in Feb, so roughly...  4 x 6 x 250 x 28 = 168,000.

 

Even if there are 10 planes a day .... 1.2m ???? 

 

10 ? I think you are just a tad out with your estimates. Just checking tiny Chiangmai Airpot today, there are 19 flights arriving from China ( including HK where most will be flying indirect from China ).

 

You may count the others at your leisure :)

 

[Peterw42]

24 minutes ago, Tidybeard said:

I still don't get these declared numbers of tourists. I reckon on maybe 4 major International airports in Thailand where the Chinese can arrive. Let's say each airport has 6 planes arriving each day from China. Each plane has an average of 250 passenger ( some 120 some 400 ) There are 28 days in Feb, so roughly...  4 x 6 x 250 x 28 = 168,000.

 

Even if there are 10 planes a day .... 1.2m ???? 

Air Asia alone has something like 20 flights a day, 150 flights a week from 10 chinese cities.

[eddie61]

1 hour ago, seminomadic said:

Friend of mine ran these stats by me just yesterday:

 

2015 - China has 16m households earning >$55k/yr 

2030 - China has 142m households earning >$55k/yr

 

2015 - 12% of Chinese have passports

2030 - 40-50% of Chinese have passports

 

+ Bangkok's one of their favorite getaways, as we've become aware.

 

= What we're seeing now is NOTHING compared to what's coming. The invasion hasn't even really begun yet.

 

They won't need passports by 2030....

[newnative]

3 hours ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Glad to hear that large groups from China on cut-price holidays are back! Good for Thailand's China's economy, as the money stays in the country, benefitting economic growth. 

    Totally and ridiculously untrue.  Unless you are saying that all of Thailand's airport workers, bus drivers, restaurant workers, hotel workers, farmers, boat drivers of all kinds, cooks, retail workers of all kind, etc., etc. are all Chinese.   Let's not forget how the local THAI workers bitterly complained about their loss of business during that crack down on 'cut-price holidays'.  

[JOC]

Ni hoa....

Welcome, hope you enjoy your holiday....

They are just like us, when we started to venture to Spain in the sixties and seventies...

Live and let live...

[CantSpell]

2 hours ago, seminomadic said:

2015 - 12% of Chinese have passports

2030 - 40-50% of Chinese have passports

 

+ Bangkok's one of their favorite getaways, as we've become aware.

 

= What we're seeing now is NOTHING compared to what's coming. The invasion hasn't even really begun yet.

 

Actually right now, ONLY 5 % of Chinese have passport...

 

Funny fact as well, total arrivals from China in Thailand are superior to the number of Chinese passports issued: many are repeaters within the same year..

[Tony125]

2 hours ago, seminomadic said:

Friend of mine ran these stats by me just yesterday:

 

2015 - China has 16m households earning >$55k/yr 

2030 - China has 142m households earning >$55k/yr

 

2015 - 12% of Chinese have passports

2030 - 40-50% of Chinese have passports

 

+ Bangkok's one of their favorite getaways, as we've become aware.

 

= What we're seeing now is NOTHING compared to what's coming. The invasion hasn't even really begun yet.

 

Was in Jomtien with my Thai wife last week as she was buying a condo to rent out. Saw a number of Chinese couples looking at brochures as I was walking around.  They had been brought in by a Thai person (real estate girl)--- later I overheard a Brit who worked for the Complex asking a Thai (owner ?) about his commission. Said  " man the Chinese are coming in and buying everything"

[NoshowJones]

Chinese Tourists Just Can't Get Enough of Thailand

What is meant is Chinese just can't get enough of Thailands "all you can eat" buffets

 

[Somtamnication]

Why not? Similar culture: corruption is rampant, face saving is important, lying and spitting is normal. 

[sawadee1947]

I still hope to read in very next future:

Chinese Tourists Just Got Enough of Thailand

 

[StayinThailand2much]

2 hours ago, newnative said:

    Totally and ridiculously untrue.  Unless you are saying that all of Thailand's airport workers, bus drivers, restaurant workers, hotel workers, farmers, boat drivers of all kinds, cooks, retail workers of all kind, etc., etc. are all Chinese.   Let's not forget how the local THAI workers bitterly complained about their loss of business during that crack down on 'cut-price holidays'.  

I guess, there's a reason why it's called 'cut-price holidays'. Not everyone can be happy when prices are cut, as someone, obviously, doesn't make a lot of money out of it.

[StayinThailand2much]

1 hour ago, Somtamnication said:

Why not? Similar culture: corruption is rampant, face saving is important, lying and spitting is normal. 

Add theft to that list!

[StayinThailand2much]

33 minutes ago, sawadee1947 said:

I still hope to read in very next future:

Chinese Tourists Just Got Enough of Thailand

 

With more than 1.3 billion Chinese, this may very well take 130 years. By then, of course, there won't be any untarnished coral reefs, islands, or sights left in Thailand, and the hordes will have moved on to Indonesia and the Philippines...

[sawadee1947]

4 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

With more than 1.3 billion Chinese, this may very well take 130 years. By then, of course, there won't be any untarnished coral reefs, islands, or sights left in Thailand, and the hordes will have moved on to Indonesia and the Philippines...

Oh that's ok with me....then I will come back.........

[maxcorrigan]

8 hours ago, leeneeds said:

Opportunity to give each one a free dog to go home with,

 

Yep good idea, can have on the hoof, or a cooked takeaway!

[newnative]

7 hours ago, CantSpell said:

Actually right now, ONLY 5 % of Chinese have passport...

 

Funny fact as well, total arrivals from China in Thailand are superior to the number of Chinese passports issued: many are repeaters within the same year..

I saw a figure somewhere that it was around 9% with passports.  But, 5, 9 or 12%, they are all low and the tourist numbers are bound to grow as more and more Chinese can afford to travel.

[holy cow cm]

Thailand is gonna get what it deserves. Compliments of the buffoons running the country

[newnative]

6 hours ago, StayinThailand2much said:

I guess, there's a reason why it's called 'cut-price holidays'. Not everyone can be happy when prices are cut, as someone, obviously, doesn't make a lot of money out of it.

       You're missing the point.  Some, as you say, may not make a lot of money on budget tourists.  But, and here's the important thing, a lot of people make some money from budget tourists.  Which is exactly why so many regular, non-rich Thais complained when the crackdown was done, the number of budget tourists declined, and they suffered.  Obviously, budget tourists filling a budget hotel keep the hotel open and people like maids, laundry workers, gardeners, pool cleaners, security workers, delivery workers, front desk staff, etc., employed.  And, it ripples out from there with everything touched by tourists.

      Fun fact.  There are more billionaires in China than the US.  In my opinion it's not a good idea for any country to offend any tourists who have made the choice to come visit their country rather than all the other countries available.  A tourist on a budget who is welcomed may choose to return again down the road when he possibly might be richer.