OPINION

 

Can young Chinese tourists help save a backpacker-free Bangkok when international travel returns?

• Bangkok has long welcomed budget travellers in search of low-rent hedonism and cheap thrills
• Although easy to dismiss, the youth travel segment has significant spending power

Mercedes Hutton

 

Khao San Road, Bangkok, in pre-pandemic times. Photo: SCMP / May Tse

 

The oldest backpack we know of belonged to Otzi the iceman, whose mummified remains ­– like the remnants of his pack – date to between 3400BC and 3100BC and were found in the Otztal Alps, on the border of modern-day Austria and Italy, in 1991. Otzi was not, however, the first backpacker.

 

Backpacking as we know it became a phenomenon in the 1950s, with the pathfinders of the “hippie trail”, an overland route from Europe to Asia. The trail for most followers passed through Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal and, eventually, Thailand, and was taken by budget travellers in search of authentic experiences and cheap thrills.

 

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the Iranian revolution effectively closed the trail in the 70s, but in the decades since, Asia has remained the holy grail for mostly Western young­sters wide-eyed with wanderlust and as excited by cheap thrills as their beatnik begetters.

 

Full story: https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3117416/can-young-chinese-tourists-help-save-backpacker-free

 

 

-- © Copyright South China Morning Post 2021-01-13

 

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Interesting article. To answer the headline question, I think it would depend on currency strength.  If the current trend continues (Chinese Yuan and Thai Baht skyrocket upwards, while the USD and other western currencies get hammered down) then yes, Chinese backpackers will replace western backpackers in the near future.  Of course, by that time, Thai industry will collapse, and Thailand will become another Chinese conquest/colony.

19 hours ago, webfact said:

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the Iranian revolution effectively closed the trail in the 70s,

More precisely in the end of the 70

soviet invasion of Arghanistan started the 24 december 1979

and the Iranian revolution started in january 1978

I am American , what can not be missing in Pattaya are the beautiful Russian women,are the best attractions

I don't know if you can replace young Westerners with young Chinese. Isn't the gap year, tour Asia, mentality, which created the backpacker industry here and established the infastructure, purely a Western thing, driven by exoticism, relative cheapness, and I suppose, in many cases, parental support. The industry then grew as young'ish Westerners outside of that demographic took advantage of the infrastrucure and "vibe" already created. Another thing I'd like to point out, and one often missed I think, is that the presence of young Westerners was a great attraction for young asians, adding for them a certain "vibe" and exotic touch; for example, the whole Khao San Rd. scene became a focal point not only for young Westerners, but also young Thais. I mean, how attractive is a Khao San devoid of young Westerners gonna be for young Chinese.