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

[Darkside Gray]

3 hours ago, drbeach said:

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.

Why do the western expats call themselves "Farang" this is a derogatory word used by the Thai's.

[spidermike007]

3 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

What a load of nonsense:

Since when are backpackers or people who come here to visit the prostitutes the highest quality tourists?

There are high quality tourists from all nations.

Chinese spend more per day than any other nationality.

Absolute nonsense. Sometimes people read charts, without the ability to interpret them. It is true that the Chinese spend more per capita, than any other nation, worldwide. However, Thailand does not attract anything even resembling the rich Chinese that visit most other countries. Same with the Indians. The rich ones have a dozen valid reasons why they do not visit Thailand. Do I need to recite them again? Do you really think a smart, wealthy Chinese couple walk into a store in Siam Paragon, and buy a Prada handbag for $15,000, that they can get in Hong Kong, or Singapore for $5,000? I know a number of wealthy people. None of them are dumb. 

 

So, the charts are meaningless. It is mid range, and low end tourists from China and India that visit Thailand. That is an undisputed fact. The backpackers you mention fall somewhere in line with the average Chinese tourists, who come on a group tour, in terms of spending. They are the low lying fruit. I used to know Westerners who would visit from New York or London, and they spent $1,000 a day, some far more. I had one friend who dropped $75,000 on a ten day trip to Samui, with his wife, and two kids. He did trips like that twice a year. A lawyer from London, who made $12 million a year. He spent $150,000 a year on two vacations. I asked him why he was staying in a place that cost $1,200 a night. He said he only took two trips a year, time was of the essence for him, and he needed each trip to be perfect, with no nonsense or surprises. He said the expense was irrelevant. In his mind he had already spend the $75,000, so when the 23,000 baht check came for dinner, at the five star hotel, it meant nothing to him. He just signed for it. When the wife went to the spa, and spend 22,000 baht, again it meant nothing. The Amex bill came at the end of the month, he wrote a check for $100,000, or whatever his bill was, and that was it. No big deal. 

 

Those kinds of tourists just do not come here anymore. He never returned, and that was 10 years ago. They do not have the time, interest, energy, patience or desire to put up with the nonsense here, the lack of expertise, the mistakes, the fools, the policies, or the mediocrity. 

 

 

Edited August 6, 2019 by spidermike007

[CeeGee]

The Thais are destroying what makes Thailand Thailand.

Recently,I suggested to my partner that I would like to go back to Chinatown in Bangkok,as it was a long time since I had been and that this time we would book a hotel in the area so we could have the full night market/food stalls experience.After speaking to her nephew who lives in Bangkok,she said that he say not to bother as now it is only worth a very short visit as the place has no "atmosphere" any longer.

Chinatown gone,KSR going,soon apart from the Palaces and a few temples,there will be no "must see" places in Bangkok

[Cadbury]

3 hours ago, Mavideol said:

yeah.... TAT bad bet as the Remnibi/Yuan is down to 1 Rmb = 4.36 Baht, before was almost 5 bath, Chinese not be able to afford, TAT lose again

Interesting you mention the dropping yuan. News just in is the US have now put China in the currency manipulator category, something they haven't done for a long time. Maybe it has further to fall.

[chilli42]

Well they are going where the numbers and money are.  Can’t blame them for that.  I was in Paris a few months ago.  Every store had one or two Mandarin speakers.  I was the only Westerner in the store.  The formerly “rich” foreigners are now the budget tourists.

[SunsetT]

Blatant racial discrimination!

[Shaunduhpostman]

I doubt anything will happen beyond the 1 day langauge courses. Even if so, training a few vendors to speak Mandarin hardly means the place becomes Chinatown starting this September or whatever they have in mind  until its forgotten next week. What are they going to do next, tell businesses to do business with Chinese only, stop speaking English, serve only Chinese food? Come on, kind of a click bait headline.

[hotchilli]

No long term plan just jump on the latest trend & flog it to death !

[observer90210]

Wait till the Chinese start to poo all over the walking street....

[sambum]

5 hours ago, mercman24 said:

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

A few years ago a Chinese  went into the Labour Exchange to sign on the dole (claim unemployment benefit for the uninitiated)  a few years ago in Birmingham UK only to be confronted by a guy behind a desk wearing a turban who said to him "You should not be being at my desk - can you not read the sign?" - pointing to the sign overhead. The Chinese looked at the sign and asked "What does OHMS (On Her Majesty's Service) stand for?" To which the guy in the turban said "Only Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs!" ????

[Neeranam]

4 hours ago, jonclark said:

10 baht was quite a lot back in 1992 ???? 

Especially as in October that year the GBP was 37 baht. Much the same as now.

[Neeranam]

2 hours ago, car720 said:

Ma bi!!

How do you say, "me love you long time $2" in Chinese?

KSR is not in Pattaya.

[maddox41]

Funny that I was just thinking of going to Vietnam for a holiday. Its the new hot-spot. 

Just don't know where to visit!!! 

Hanoi or Saigon or I can't remember the name of the place that's like there Riveria South of Saigon?? Any ideas people... 

But yep Koh San is the new jin place to be pissing in the street the 500 b a night hotel and the free plane ticket. 

Thais never learn this place is going to hell in a handbag  day by day. 

 

[Too young to be old]

4 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

"this country tourism was built on backpackers"

Any proof for that?  

I think it was American servicemen from the airforce bases and those on R & R, re. the Vietnam War, before them, them were no bars.

[BritManToo]

13 minutes ago, maddox41 said:

Hanoi or Saigon or I can't remember the name of the place that's like there Riveria South of Saigon?? Any ideas people... 

Depends what you want from the trip.

Cheap beer everywhere, nice beach at Da Nang, massage in Saigon, hookers at Vung Tau, torrential rain in Hanoi.

 

As for Khao San Road,

was always full of dreadlocked smelly white folk, IMHO crowds of Chinese would be an improvement. 

Edited August 6, 2019 by BritManToo

[FritsSikkink]

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

Absolute nonsense. Sometimes people read charts, without the ability to interpret them. It is true that the Chinese spend more per capita, than any other nation, worldwide. However, Thailand does not attract anything even resembling the rich Chinese that visit most other countries. Same with the Indians. The rich ones have a dozen valid reasons why they do not visit Thailand. Do I need to recite them again? Do you really think a smart, wealthy Chinese couple walk into a store in Siam Paragon, and buy a Prada handbag for $15,000, that they can get in Hong Kong, or Singapore for $5,000? I know a number of wealthy people. None of them are dumb. 

 

So, the charts are meaningless. It is mid range, and low end tourists from China and India that visit Thailand. That is an undisputed fact. The backpackers you mention fall somewhere in line with the average Chinese tourists, who come on a group tour, in terms of spending. They are the low lying fruit. I used to know Westerners who would visit from New York or London, and they spent $1,000 a day, some far more. I had one friend who dropped $75,000 on a ten day trip to Samui, with his wife, and two kids. He did trips like that twice a year. A lawyer from London, who made $12 million a year. He spent $150,000 a year on two vacations. I asked him why he was staying in a place that cost $1,200 a night. He said he only took two trips a year, time was of the essence for him, and he needed each trip to be perfect, with no nonsense or surprises. He said the expense was irrelevant. In his mind he had already spend the $75,000, so when the 23,000 baht check came for dinner, at the five star hotel, it meant nothing to him. He just signed for it. When the wife went to the spa, and spend 22,000 baht, again it meant nothing. The Amex bill came at the end of the month, he wrote a check for $100,000, or whatever his bill was, and that was it. No big deal. 

 

Those kinds of tourists just do not come here anymore. He never returned, and that was 10 years ago. They do not have the time, interest, energy, patience or desire to put up with the nonsense here, the lack of expertise, the mistakes, the fools, the policies, or the mediocrity. 

 

 

They still come here and the TV and sport stars. That backpackers fall in line with the average Chinese tourists is a joke.

[meand]

People act like we are losing some cultural treasure with ksr. 

 

To each their own i suppose but good riddance if you ask me. 

[Jim walker]

Big spending Chinese hit Khao san Road  I used to like going down there for a few beers game of pool and a chat with some of the back packing tourists from the English speaking countries, but seems I will be wasting my time will never get near the tables now will be hogged by the pool playing Chinese tourists and bar maids will be to busy dishing out the beers to them to bother with a falang sitting there.    

[HeyHeyHey]

A young backpacker today = big spending family tourists in 5+ years

 

HiSo dinosaurs from Thailand don't get it though. Because people in the west won't get high paying positions on the base being born from the correct vagina.

 

Even wealthy parents try to teach kids standing on their own, so won't fund their gap year in 5* hotels.

[thesetat2013]

Given the depreciation of the rmb. It is safe to assume that the Chinese cash cow will be set to pasture for some time being in the near future. Currently valued at 4.38 baht per rmb.. When only a couple months ago i was getting 4.98. With this trend.. Chinese can find cheaper and better destinations for their travel. 

[bender92]

Like they have done to Sihanoukville 

[malibukid]

3 hours ago, banagan said:

Bars will be hit hard. McDonalds will do well. It's pretty small, they'll need to expand it.

right like i flew 8000 miles to go to a F******** McDonaleds.

[JemJem]

Correct me if I am wrong; but, I think that in the world overall, the 'backpacker culture' is gradually dying. There are fewer and fewer areas for backpackers in most countries.

 

As for Khao San, I have never been a backpacker, but I sometimes enjoyed mingling with the crowd there; going to various pubs and hanging out till very late at night (mainly in the early and mid 00's). It was mostly fun. It is sad to see it in decline. By the way, this has got nothing to do with its now-popularity with the Chinese, because Khao San actually went into decline (for backpackers) several years before that.

[Mitkof Island]

I guess if your prefer this bunch. Won,t break my heart to see them gone.

[BritManToo]

8 minutes ago, JemJem said:

Correct me if I am wrong; but, I think that in the world overall, the 'backpacker culture' is gradually dying. There are fewer and fewer areas for backpackers in most countries.

Vietnam and Cambodia is full of them.

Hostels everywhere you go.

[SOUTHERNSTAR]

8 hours ago, Vacuum said:

I wonder if this was their plan from the beginning?

I think you over estimate this governments mental abilities.

[leiftheswede]

Maybe Thai authority's should make a visit to Cambodia (Shianok Ville and Ankor Wat) and c for them self what it means to promote Chinese tourism. First came a few  then more and more until u have nothing but Chinese tourist and nobody else will go.

[Redline]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

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. 

Learn conversational Chinese in 2 days?  And what is 22+36 without a calculator?  Yep...

[Traubert]

I think it's fair to say that Thailand is not your choice of destination if your desire is high end shopping and fine wines and that has never been the draw.

 

Maybe one in a million would come for that, but they wouldn't do it twice.

 

The Chinese come for the temples, the food and the markets, little else other than to get out of China for a while.

[Traubert]

3 minutes ago, Redline said:

Learn conversational Chinese in 2 days?  And what is 22+36 without a calculator?  Yep...

It wouldn't be impossible to pick up some tourist basics in two days.

 

There's no gender, no tenses and hardly any grammar in Mandarin. Get a little useful vocabulary and the numbers and you'll do ok.