Out with the backpackers in with the Chinese - Khao San Road makeover continues

[webfact]

Out with the backpackers in with the Chinese - Khao San Road makeover continues

 

FILE photo

 

The days of Khao San road being a haven for Western backpackers seem to be well and truly over. 

 

Gone are the days of banana pancakes and fake student cards - here are the days of vendors greeting tourists with a hearty "Ni Hao Ma".

 

The Chinese are there in droves and the government has started to teach traders to speak Chinese instead of concentrating on English. 

 

The Thais are doing all they can to promote the area as a "must do" for every Chinese visitor. 

 

Deputy at the Department of Business Development Lalida Jiwananthaprawat went to the area to survey the needs of small traders.

 

She determined that Chinese language lessons were a priority to boost their income. 

 

A trial course has already started and will be a two day affair completed by August 19th for 50 of the 234 vendors on the street. 

 

They will be taught basic conversation and particularly how to explain about their products and services to the Chinese. 

 

Following the course the department will be back for another survey to gauge results and examine the way forward. 

 

The Chinese language classes are a joint collaboration with her department and the Phra Nakorn municipal district. 

 

Source: Manager Online

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2019-08-06

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[VocalNeal]

What about the Chinese backpackers?

[BestB]

 Very wise decision , instead of pushing for multicultural street they now pushing it for declining number of Chinese and then maybe change to Indians ?

[simon43]

If ever there was a clear sign that Thailand is licking up to it's boss (China), then this is it.

[RotBenz8888]

Chinese version of "the beach" coming? A beautiful beach hidden in a pile of garbage?

[ezzra]

Way to go Thailand, this country tourism was built on backpackers, you owe your reputation to those carefree guys and girls over that the years have spread the good words about visiting Thailand and now being shunt and discarded lie a used tissue in favor of the chinese... 

[JimmyTheMook]

4 minutes ago, ezzra said:

Way to go Thailand, this country tourism was built on backpackers, you owe your reputation to those carefree guys and girls over that the years have spread the good words about visiting Thailand and now being shunt and discarded lie a used tissue in favor of the chinese... 

 

Vietnan, Laos and few other places are the new wanderlust destinations - TH is just so old hat.

[nikmar]

7 minutes ago, RotBenz8888 said:

Chinese version of "the beach" coming? A beautiful beach hidden in a pile of garbage?

A beautiful beach that's used as a toilet.

[RichardColeman]

4 minutes ago, nikmar said:

A beautiful beach that's used as a toilet.

With lots of Chinese , the street will be used as a toilet soon

[mercman24]

learn some Hindu while your at  it, for when the *quality* Indians arrive????

[wendyfromoz]

So the Chinese are in droves, thank god tourism is saved.

[MartinKal]

Some analysis would be useful. Context (tourist numbers and trends), explanations, conclusions.

[RotBenz8888]

18 minutes ago, nikmar said:

A beautiful beach that's used as a toilet.

Guide to the Chinese:  "this is the place where white people used to come to get brown skin" 

Chinaman: " white people, so dirty"

Edited August 6, 2019 by RotBenz8888

[Rhys]

From the plane seat to the tacky accommodation, which gives rise to hostility and that wonderful attitude to I want every thing free and now... Chop Chop...Somchai.. just waiting for a taxi driver assert his sawasdee ness ..... drop them by the river..

[Vacuum]

52 minutes ago, webfact said:

Gone are the days of banana pancakes and fake student cards - here are the days of vendors greeting tourists with a hearty "Ni Hao Ma".

I wonder if this was their plan from the beginning?

[Dcheech]

24 minutes ago, BestB said:

 Very wise decision , instead of pushing for multicultural street they now pushing it for declining number of Chinese and then maybe change to Indians ?

Might look to the north where the “Gold Rush” has been on for four years now. They came running to cash in on the Chinese bonanza. As of six months ago over fifty hotels were for sale in Chiang Mai.  

 

Turn Khao San to the Chinese, but will any come?  Better zone it for a Casino.

[Chang_paarp]

This has the potential to be a "Careful What You Wish for it Might Come True" situation.

[spidermike007]

The continuation of the decline of Western tourism. Thailand made a decision long ago, to avoid pursuing the highest quality of tourist around. They are now courting low baht, low quality, for the sake of the annual total numbers of arrivals. Really, really dumb policy. Brain dead planning, by total incompetents. Nearly everyone I speak with, anywhere in the country, who is in the tourism industry says the same thing. They are suffering, this new group of tourists just does not spend much (unless you are 7/11, a fruit vendor, or sell baseball caps), and contribute very little to the local economy.

 

This lack of Western tourists, is a major disaster for the nation, and only a matter of time before this manifests itself on alot of levels. In addition, with so many ex-pets leaving, who contribute enormously to the local economy, one can only hope (with such mindless policy), that the baht eventually drops significantly. One would presume that will eventually happen. 

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

Yesterday's news that China is devaluing its yuan ought to set TAT on edge. Some predictions are that the US-China trade war is going to be a long one, with China likely to keep its currency low. Think there will be some interesting (i.e., laughable) diddling with the TAT tourist arrival numbers in the near future. Shoot the other foot, Thailand. 

[tlandtday]

another brilliant chess move by tat lol... the chinese are coming to see a farang landmark so hey let's make it chinese... now with the chinese currency manipulation they will not be coming in droves...

[WinnieTheKhwai]

This is complete ThaiVisa hyperbole.  The linked article makes no mention of 'out with the backpackers'.  It merely reports on the need for Chinese language skills, as more and more independently travelling Chinese tourists visit the area. 

[tlandtday]

11 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

The continuation of the decline of Western tourism. Thailand made a decision long ago, to avoid pursuing the highest quality of tourist around. They are now courting low baht, low quality, for the sake of the annual total numbers of arrivals. Really, really dumb policy. Brain dead planning, by total incompetents. Nearly everyone I speak with, anywhere in the country, who is in the tourism industry says the same thing. They are suffering, this new group of tourists just does not spend much (unless you are 7/11, a fruit vendor, or sell baseball caps), and contribute very little to the local economy.

 

This lack of Western tourists, is a major disaster for the nation, and only a matter of time before this manifests itself on alot of levels. In addition, with so many ex-pets leaving, who contribute enormously to the local economy, one can only hope (with such mindless policy), that the baht eventually drops significantly. One would presume that will eventually happen. 

good points but you can also throw in political posturing at the expense of the bad farang and bowing to their china masters who are furious that Trump and the administration are on to their deceptive trade policies and are taking action... look for a lot of Chinese interference in the next election...

[Moti24]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

She determined that Chinese language lessons were a priority to boost their income. 

 

A trial course has already started and will be a two day affair completed by August 19th for 50 of the 234 vendors on the street. 

 

They will be taught basic conversation and particularly how to explain about their products and services to the Chinese. 

In 2 days!  Yes, right!

 

A lot of school students study English for years, and still have trouble constructing a sentence properly.  The street traders are still a product of the Thai education system, so somebody please explain how they are suddenly going to aquire language learning skills.

[Neeranam]

I spent many happy months staying in KSR in 1992, apart from when I went to Sanam Luang to find it surrounded by tanks.

 

It was very rare to see a Thai person there, that wasn't working. 

 

Sadly the Thais startled moving in, especially at Songkran, getting very aggressive and anti farang. Then the Thai night clubs came. I went back to meet a cousin in 2000 and was shocked at the way the Thai staff in restaurants tales about the guests, using obscenities, calling then dogs etc.

 

Gone are the days when you could sit and watch a movie free, and also watch the Israelis share a 10 baht bottle of water between 5 of them.

 

Sad, as it was the adventurous back packers that found Thailand in the 60s, whereas now it's middle aged men coming to meet their tee rak that they met on thailustline, and retired accountants and Scandanavian seamen.

 

Personally, I find many Chinese rude, and all thanks to western counties not understanding the consequences of globalization.

[SammyT]

Backpackers vs Chinese - It's hard to work out who will spend less money...

[drbeach]

1 hour ago, VocalNeal said:

What about the Chinese backpackers?

They exist. Article is pretty ignorant of this fact, of course.

[NCC1701A]

yeah and the millionaires are in Pattaya. 

[Neeranam]

Just now, NCC1701A said:

yeah and the millionaires are in Pattaya. 

The sex pats need  someone to lol look down on, to justify their sad existence.

 

[drbeach]

15 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

I spent many happy months staying in KSR in 1992, apart from when I went to Sanam Luang to find it surrounded by tanks.

 

It was very rare to see a Thai person there, that wasn't working. 

 

Sadly the Thais startled moving in, especially at Songkran, getting very aggressive and anti farang. Then the Thai night clubs came. I went back to meet a cousin in 2000 and was shocked at the way the Thai staff in restaurants tales about the guests, using obscenities, calling then dogs etc.

 

Gone are the days when you could sit and watch a movie free, and also watch the Israelis share a 10 baht bottle of water between 5 of them.

 

Sad, as it was the adventurous back packers that found Thailand in the 60s, whereas now it's middle aged men coming to meet their tee rak that they met on thailustline, and retired accountants and Scandanavian seamen.

 

Personally, I find many Chinese rude, and all thanks to western counties not understanding the consequences of globalization.

Israelis are still there though - you have the Chabad house and other associated businesses. Don't think they're going anywhere...despite the apparent attitudes of Thais. I attended Songkran at Khao San a few years ago. Didn't feel it had an "anti-farang" vibe at all, must be subjective. Went again to visit a friend who was staying there more recently. He of course is a backpacker and he brought along his backpacker friends. Was a pleasant enough experience but a bit unusual for me as I'm not used to such things anymore. However, if I were a backpacker I'd probably stay elsewhere and only go there during the day or evening for some shopping or dining out.

 

Maybe some of these apparent "anti-farang" attitudes are simply "anti-stingy" remarks. I mean, 5 people sharing a 10 Baht bottle of water? Seriously...if that doesn't get people peed off then I don't know what does.

Edited August 6, 2019 by drbeach

[poskat]

I went to KSR a few months ago to meet some friends who visited BKK and thought KSR was the place to stay...

I was surprised by the lack of backpackers and the high numbers of Chinese, Korean, and Taiwan tourists there..

these were all on their own in small groups, and spoke English pretty well, not the big group flag followers...