Chinese spenders offer Phuket hope amid the wreckage of Thailand’s tourism industry

[webfact]

Chinese spenders offer Phuket hope amid the wreckage of Thailand’s tourism industry

Vijitra Duangdee

 

>> It’s the middle of peak season, but the beaches are empty, businesses are boarded up and go-go girls in Patong bars dance in return for virtual drinks

>> But Phuket’s tourism industry sees a glimmer of hope in middle class Chinese who are getting over the shock of Covid-19 and looking to invest overseas

 

Bangla Walking Street – once the home of Phuket’s party crowd is now deserted without tourists. Photo: Vijitra Duangdee

 

Gasping for tourists in the middle of a peak season devoured by the coronavirus pandemic, the bar, hotel and tour operators scraping by in Phuket, Thailand , are praying vaccines will open global borders before they are forced to close their businesses.

 

But amid the wreckage of stricken souvenir shops, ‘For Sale’ signs on half-complete beachside properties and abandoned clifftop guest houses, there are flickers of hope – as some island businesses take the cue offered by the virus to look to a future beyond mass tourism

 

For that, all roads lead to China.

 

Over recent years money has washed onto an island with a strong Chinese flex; most of the local population are descendants of Hokkien Chinese traders whose shophouses and shrines decorate Phuket Town.

 

Full story: https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3114075/chinese-spenders-offer-phuket-hope-amid-wreckage-thailands

 

 

-- © Copyright South China Morning Post 2020-12-17

 

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[Thaiwrath]

4 minutes ago, webfact said:

middle class Chinese who are getting over the shock of Covid-19 and looking to invest overseas

All going to plan for the dinosaurs, sadly.

Sell out to the Chinese, 

[ourmanflint]

Give it a few years and the Chinese will be all over this New Hong Kong once called Phuket

[Dagfinnur Traustason]

Soon looking like Sihanoukville.

[sammieuk1]

For that all roads lead to China 1 million+ dead and global economic collapse ????

[ezzra]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Chinese spenders offer Phuket hope

The minute you walked in the joint
I could see you were a man of distinction
A real big spender
Good lookin' so refined
Say, wouldn't you like to know what's goin' on in my mind?
So let me get right to the point
I don't pop my cork for every man I see
Hey big spender,
Spend a little time with me...

[baansgr]

It's not only Thailand that is courting the Chinese, UK investment companies with property portfolios have been doing it for years. Makes perfect sense, a near neighbour with 1.5 billion population, why not...days of GI Joe on R&R are long gone...it's called progress.

[jaiyen]

That is a very sad looking photo of Bangla Rd. If you showed it to any tourist they would definitely not want to go there. Old buildings, wires hanging down etc. It looks a mess !  Will never ever go there again.  It should be bulldozed.

[mr mr]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

For that, all roads lead to China.

 

of course they do.

[phetphet]

Didn't see that coming. Won't only be Phuket.

[thailand49]

Still HOPING!   The Chinese bubble thing again!????

[CharlieH]

Reported post removed.

[Ricky HKT]

1 hour ago, jaiyen said:

That is a very sad looking photo of Bangla Rd. If you showed it to any tourist they would definitely not want to go there. Old buildings, wires hanging down etc. It looks a mess !  Will never ever go there again.  It should be bulldozed.

At least the put up a colorful sign with frolicking Dolphins! Well done!

 

[Dialemco]

Good luck now is the time to sell out to Chinese at knock down prices at your peril just like to Chinese who recently entered Thailand on the so call STV were they really tourists?

[ironbark]

!!!WARNING!!!
Chinese money is not a lifeline but a crutch. Easily withdrawn if China gets displeased. Just ask Australia. 

[Guderian]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

go-go girls in Patong bars dance in return for virtual drinks

 

Since none of these potential Chinese investors is actually in Thailand, there's a striking similarity in what the gogo dancers are doing and what the Thai authorities are doing, performing for some virtual reward!

[BestB]

That’s weird, considering businesses and houses can not be foreign owned but majority Thai owned.

 

Surely it does not mean government officials overlooking nominees issue.

 

unless of course, they will first sell as much as possible and then start hunting for “illegally” operated companies 

[Nanaplaza666]

I like that they are talking about the middle class that are going to safe a part of the businesses and not the high class big spenders that they are always hoping to catch . It will be the middle class that will generate the most money when everything starts to get going again and not that hand full of big spenders they are hoping for . Same as they always been talking about the tourisme business being a small part of the countries income , i geuss they got hit in the face by actually how many people and families are being fed by the tourisme business . 

[banagan]

The vultures are circling.

[bristolgeoff]

Look at cambodia down south,it was lovely until the government sold out to the chinese.now high rise casino and only chinese.Before 8 public beaches lovely place to stay.all the farangs moved out  to other places .I think even the khmer people  unless they work there are losing out too

[banagan]

11 hours ago, bristolgeoff said:

Look at cambodia down south,it was lovely until the government sold out to the chinese.now high rise casino and only chinese.Before 8 public beaches lovely place to stay.all the farangs moved out  to other places .I think even the khmer people  unless they work there are losing out too

 

They're very loosing out. Good doc on YouTube about it, easy to find.

 

Glad I god to see the place before it was eaten up by the Chinese.

 

If tourist parts of Chiang Mai are anything to go by, Phucket is ******

[johnarth]

yes Australia has the answer to what China is like but no one likes the truth so forget it, it is as plain as a big blackhead on a woman's nose but the media are not looking

[ChakaKhan]

30 minutes ago, banagan said:

The vultures are circling.

reminds me of getting a laos visa on arrival at nong khai border and trying to get to the local bus as the taxi guys stand between me and that bus!...aka the gauntlet! ???? make no eye contact and be quick on your feet boys!

[shackleton]

This will not please the Bar owners who are probably more dependant on the Farang

Tourists single wise than the Chinese  

Who are if anything to go by prefer the arranged tours buffets ect 

But while the Quarantine measures are still in place its a pipe dream

[Rimmer]

Off topic troll post removed

[Jimbo2014]

They are probably the only ones that can tolerate the pollution and being called a fish!

[Peterphuket]

6 hours ago, ourmanflint said:

Give it a few years and the Chinese will be all over this New Hong Kong once called Phuket

And one decade later.....it belongs to China?

[rupert the bear]

be careful what u wish for .chinese money most realise the mistake they made too late,i can see many countries turning their backs on china,its disgusting behaviour to just about everyone inside its borders and outside then theres covid.this is a predatory culture with an ammoral mindset ,its a fascist dictatorship with no qualms about genocide .its outlook is one of greed racism nd total domination.hirohito  and hitler ,those 2 fascist powers were dangerous this has one thing they didnt.money.so beware.easy to stop them ,dont buy their products but can the eu and merkel do this,dont look like it,USA turning its back and others whove seen chinese fascism in the flesh,tibet india xin jiang taiwan hk viet oz uk usa canada and and and

[Truth Will Set You Free]

Thailand needs a change. Bring in the Chinese. I wanna see some real live Kong-<deleted> in the streets. I wants some real Chinese food.! Oh wait they eat everything and the dogs of Thailand just might end up in the dish. ????????????

What can go wrong or get worst in this country. 

[Isaan sailor]

Did anyone else notice the Chinese Yuan way up today while the USD way down?  And the Thai banks predicted this for 2021.  It just came early—very suspicious.