Where have all the Chinese gone? Thai media say TAT in denial about tourism numbers in Pattaya

[whitemouse]

7 hours ago, Briggsy said:

Why is everyone in Thailand so intently focused on the cost of the visa as the deciding factor for tourists whether they come or not? It is so odd. It is so wide of the mark. Like a mantra repeated without thought.

 

Because for a Thai 40€ may seem considerable amount, they dropped visa fee in 2016 or 2017 in hopes to increase arrival numbers. They are  simply unable to comprehend that for Westerner this amount makes exactly zero difference. In same period, when visa fee was waved I was simply refused a TR in Kuala Lumpur Embassy, it would have second consecutive visa, and my very first from KL. They simply don't know what they are doing. I'm convinced that people on high level, people who make these rules are clueless.

 

What they need badly is outside consultants, but would mean admission of their own incompetency and therefore will never happen.

 

Since they can't imagine 6 months long holiday, away from desk job, or not even working a desk job, ever, they can not understand that there are plenty of people in the West who can. 

 

Waving visa fee seems a radical response to immigration crisis, while it actually makes no difference. All they have to do is 90 days visa waiver, like Malaysia, and Suwarnabhuni couldn't handle the arrivals. It's incompetency and lack of real world education. 

[whitemouse]

3 hours ago, simoh1490 said:

The issue is more the weakness of the Chinese Yaun than it is the strength of THB.

 

And overall shape of Chinese economy, trade war with USA doesn't help, which may be just  beginning, no one knows what the orange buffoon will come up next, at 5am. 

[whitemouse]

5 hours ago, Kim J said:

Patttaya does have:

 

5 hours ago, Kim J said:

Endless prostitution.

Filthy sea and beaches.

Litter strewn streets.

Constant harassment.

Permanent traffic jams.

Having to walk on roads due to lack of pavements or pavements blocked with vehicles, retailers etc etc.

Nowhere to safely cross busy roads.

It is rife with crime.

It is rife with antisocial behaviour.

It is rife with corruption and dishonesty.

Constant harassment from police if you drive.

They now want to charge first world prices for third world quality and service.

 

And none of it affects Chinese tours, bus loads of day tourists  in any way. You are projecting your own Pattaya hate. 

[BurgerGung]

Yesterday morning, at the Sadao border with Malaysia. The Chinese counter was not used AFAIK. Plenty of Chinese from Malaysia though... 

 

Cui bono? Lying doesn't work in the internet age. 

[user343434]

The Number of Chinese People reaching the middle class is increasing per year and the number is higher than the entire population of Australia.

Hence there should be a permanent Boom present and not a decreasing number..

I see them everywhere, German Octoberfest was overpopulated by Chinese Tourists (before there were most Japanese) The European Landmarks worth for sightseeing are bursting from Chinese.

Ergo, they have still the money to come but somehow more and more skip Thailand. 

[adammike]

6 hours ago, whitemouse said:

 

 

And none of it affects Chinese tours, bus loads of day tourists  in any way. You are projecting your own Pattaya hate. 

The first ten do affect everybody who comes to pattaya,add on pollution.

[simoh1490]

1 minute ago, adammike said:

The first ten do affect everybody who comes to pattaya,add on pollution.

 The list is nothing more than a juvenile view of all of Pattaya's fault, some real, many imagined and/or not relevant to the average tourist, many not even seen by them.

[jacko45k]

15 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

Drowning them by the boatload could literally affect numbers????

Like 100% down?

[simoh1490]

Anecdotal tourist data fro Chiang Mai:

 

My well known restaurant connection tells me business is down 10% across the board, not just his particular restaurants but all that he's surveyed;

 

My wife works in a tourist related business that is usually Chinese heavy.....she informs that Chinese visitors are substantially down but EUropean visitors are up by a corresponding amount!

 

The BiL's tourist van business is booming, he's just added a second van and driver, demand remains high;

 

Traffic into and out of the Mae Sa Valley is starting to build, it's approaching strawberry picking season and people are visiting already;

 

Lunch at a normally quiet 4 star in the MV two days ago, couldn't get a table for holidaying Bangkokians;

 

Three new sets of Chinese neighbours now renting in our soi, the mix of nationalities across 100 or so properties is easily 50% Chinese now.

[morrobay]

Very well simoh1490, but this is the Pattaya news forum regarding Chinese decreasing visitors in Pattaya and the reasons why this is so. And maybe the Chinese tourists are not oblivious to some of Kim's list. As some have suggested.

[lvr181]

16 hours ago, webfact said:

They were putting a rosy spin on the reality.

No - merely wearing rose tinted spectacles whilst being in denial.

[simoh1490]

36 minutes ago, morrobay said:

Very well simoh1490, but this is the Pattaya news forum regarding Chinese decreasing visitors in Pattaya and the reasons why this is so. And maybe the Chinese tourists are not oblivious to some of Kim's list. As some have suggested.

I thought it useful perhaps to compare and see if it's just Pattaya that the Chinese tourists are avoiding or whether it's something else.

 

Once again, Chinese friends have told us repeatedly that the weakness in the Yuan caused by the trade war is the primary reason why the Chinese are not visiting Thailand in greater numbers, a ten percent drop is significant.

 

As for Kim's list....you should perhaps separate Pattaya bashing posts from constructive argument!

[mike1967]

14 hours ago, Kim J said:

"Where have all the Chinese gone"?

 

Well I would say they have gone just the same way as every group of "quality tourists" that come to Pattaya. Once the reality of the place dawns and word gets around they will simply go anywhere else but here.

My other half was asking me similar questions a few years ago when the Russian families all but disappeared for a time. I simply put one question to her and she has never asked again, that question being: Would you like it and what would we do if we were on holiday here in the middle of Pattaya with our daughter?

Ultimately there is little here to interest or accommodate normal families, take away the bars etc, and what would there be to interest anyone? Here is a brief list of what Pattaya does have.

Endless prostitution.

Filthy sea and beaches.

Litter strewn streets.

Constant harassment.

Permanent traffic jams.

Having to walk on roads due to lack of pavements or pavements blocked with vehicles, retailers etc etc.

Nowhere to safely cross busy roads.

It is rife with crime.

It is rife with antisocial behaviour.

It is rife with corruption and dishonesty.

Constant harassment from police if you drive.

They now want to charge first world prices for third world quality and service.

All very true!!!

[terminatorchiangmai]

All tourism is down , not only the chinese

[morrobay]

Outside of endless prostitution, which is a blessing for Pattaya. Maybe you simoh1490 should visit Pattaya and see what constructive criticism is regarding the rest of the Kim's list. At any rate it would be constructive for the rest of this topic to be based on real first hand numbers and real first hand examples of the reasons for this decline. And by the way simoh1490 you will not be forgotten as the defender of the overvalued baht and overvalued Thai people/country.

Edited November 17, 2018 by morrobay
add

[simoh1490]

Just now, terminatorchiangmai said:

All tourism is down , not only the chinese

Exactly! But in the minds of some Pattayaites this is as a result of "endless prostitution", "dirty beaches", etc etc.

[Destiny1990]

Ohh now we know why visa runs are back on the table..

Finally the need us again ????

[simoh1490]

2 minutes ago, morrobay said:

Outside of endless prostitution, which is a blessing for Pattaya. Maybe you should visit Pattaya and see what constructive criticism is regarding the rest of the list. At any rate it would be constructive for the rest of this topic to be based on real first hand numbers and real first hand examples of the reasons for this decline. And by the way simoh1490 you will not be forgotten as the defender of the overvalued baht and overvalued Thai people/country.

Once again, this is not about creating a defence it's about providing balance to the argument and adding a dose of reality.

 

As for the Baht comment.....the value of THB speaks for itself...but hey, this is the Pattaya Forum and the topic is the lack of Chinese tourists in Pattaya! 

[kannot]

17 hours ago, Briggsy said:

Why is everyone in Thailand so intently focused on the cost of the visa as the deciding factor for tourists whether they come or not? It is so odd. It is so wide of the mark. Like a mantra repeated without thought.

Same mentality as speed  cameras  will stop all road problems

[Chassa]

1 hour ago, morrobay said:

Very well simoh1490, but this is the Pattaya news forum

Not! It's in the general news, i never do Pattaya forum.

[Chassa]

1 hour ago, morrobay said:

Very well simoh1490, but this is the Pattaya news forum

Not! It's in the general news, i never do Pattaya forum.

[helloagain]

Thailand you keep killing them that is where they have gone

[Peterw42]

5 minutes ago, Chassa said:

Not! It's in the general news, i never do Pattaya forum.

 

 

Edited November 17, 2018 by Peterw42

[sabian]

If you look at how much Chinese money has been pumped into Cambodian infrastructure including roads, resorts and holiday locations, it’s pretty obvious where they’re intending to go. Plus the fact it’s much cheaper for the average family with better customer service.

[miamiman123]

Who said Thailand is manipulating the Thai baht?

 

[simoh1490]

3 minutes ago, sabian said:

If you look at how much Chinese money has been pumped into Cambodian infrastructure including roads, resorts and holiday locations, it’s pretty obvious where they’re intending to go. Plus the fact it’s much cheaper for the average family with better customer service.

I doubt that Cambodia will be a prime destination, Japan seems to be the prime beneficiary:

 

"Tourist visas for Chinese visitors accounted for nearly 60 per cent of all the visas issued in 2017, according to the foreign ministry". https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2168495/chinese-tourists-will-be-first-line-japans-electronic-visas

[Vacuum]

17 hours ago, seahorse said:

Projection. They are so obsessed with money that they think everyone else is too. 

...and I think they're right.

[hansnl]

17 hours ago, seahorse said:

Projection. They are so obsessed with money that they think everyone else is too. 

Like the Chinese?

They are very fond of money.

[ross163103]

Sometimes we shouldn't question these blessings.

[cmsally]

2 hours ago, simoh1490 said:

Anecdotal tourist data fro Chiang Mai:

 

My well known restaurant connection tells me business is down 10% across the board, not just his particular restaurants but all that he's surveyed;

 

My wife works in a tourist related business that is usually Chinese heavy.....she informs that Chinese visitors are substantially down but EUropean visitors are up by a corresponding amount!

 

The BiL's tourist van business is booming, he's just added a second van and driver, demand remains high;

 

Traffic into and out of the Mae Sa Valley is starting to build, it's approaching strawberry picking season and people are visiting already;

 

Lunch at a normally quiet 4 star in the MV two days ago, couldn't get a table for holidaying Bangkokians;

 

Three new sets of Chinese neighbours now renting in our soi, the mix of nationalities across 100 or so properties is easily 50% Chinese now.

Agreed, but to a certain extent it shows more Chinese are moving here, so not really tourists. Even the long unoccupied resort behind us near Hang Dong seems to have been bought up by the Chinese. I did stumble across it for sale once online  @ 80m Bt. God knows if they paid full price.

In town the number of Chinese look way down, still a lot around but nowhere near a couple of years back.

Last week a lot of Thais due to a graduation ceremony. Not sure which uni though.