by Paul Rujopakarn

BANGKOK (NNT) - Hitting the white sand beaches and eating mango sticky rice and seafood, Chinese tourists are returning to Thailand for their first trips abroad since China ended its strict pandemic curbs and reopened its borders.

 

With China celebrating the Lunar New Year, Asia’s tourist hotspots have been bracing for the return of Chinese tourists, who spent US$255 billion a year globally before the pandemic. Countries from Thailand to Japan had depended on China as their largest source of foreign visitors.

 

Beijing in December abruptly dropped its stringent pandemic restrictions, which had battered the world’s second-biggest economy.

 

32-year-old business owner Yoyo Chen from Yiwu in central China said returning to Thailand felt like coming home.

 

The Chinese return was welcomed by businesses, despite some wariness about a huge spike in COVID infections in China after Beijing ended its zero-COVID policy.

 

China’s reopening raises hopes for the return of Chinese visitors, who accounted for nearly a third of Thailand’s 40 million foreign tourist arrivals in pre-pandemic 2019.

 

The Thai government is expecting at least five million Chinese tourist arrivals this year, with some 300,000 coming in the first quarter.

 

Full story: https://thainews.prd.go.th/en/news/detail/TCATG230123114843618

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2023-01-23

 

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This articles says they expect 5 million, another says 10 million, television today said there would be more arriving in the 3rd quarter to include more arrivals than all Chinese travelers in 2019 especially in monetary means since the Tours have Bern now approved to restart on February 8th. Tell me which is correct and then again tell me thst Thailands tourism only accounts for a fraction of the GDP.

 

Latest story I heard from a TAT person was they expect over 26 million tourist arrivals this year and in 2024 over 40 million of which over 1/3rd will be from China....

 

Looks like back to normal....but without enough laborers in the tourist areas.  I did notice when booking a hotel fir an upcoming trip to Phuket the prices are 3x's higher than when we stayed there the same time last year.

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Chinese tourists are returning to Thailand

The future soon????? Chinese tourists on a Thai beach.

 

 

https://www.traveller.com.au/top-countries-for-chinese-tourists-the-impact-of-chinas-tourism-on-the-globe-h0zuga

We didn't see many in Siem Reap or around suk. Last 6 days. 

I'm seeing one trend I am thinking is worse that the Chinese groups.   Couples with crying babies.   I mean it wrecks the mood on Soi Cowboy or any nearby soi bar patio.   I do give this one dad credit, he had a stroller and chest pack baby.  He  looked in distress with crying baby.  He was smart and ordered a cold one and used the patio table as a baby table sans nappy change. 

Edited January 23, 20233 yr by Elkski

Wonderful.

How I missed that: early morning, coach stopping on beach rd. Chinese in bath suites/speedos, flip flops and towel crossing the road (full stop, closed group not care for traffic coming), having a dip and then back to bus for next attraction.

???????????? & ???????? go straight back to CCP???????? Criminal Organisation all on group tours paid in full in China ????????,  few spare bahts to locals nothing like those chinese eat at Chinese owned venues & lndian big time spenders 1 Singa 3 straws please ???? popping out at bar girls drolling ???? 3 of us 1k baht ???? oh its ladyboy my gold gone ????????

Edited January 23, 20233 yr by Mad mick

They will be hitting the buffets too ,hope Thailand has enough shrimp for them.....

 regards Worgeordie

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Hitting the white sand beaches and eating mango sticky rice and seafood, Chinese tourists are returning to Thailand for their first trips abroad since China ended its strict pandemic curbs and reopened its borders.

It's the mass of umbrellas, sticky rice, grilled chicken and BBQ smoke that puts me off most Thai beaches.

 

36 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

They will be hitting the buffets too ,hope Thailand has enough shrimp for them.....

 regards Worgeordie

I'm sure the CP ponds are brimming with shrimp.

Waiting for them to hit the Buffets Sadly 

3 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

Wonderful.

How I missed that: early morning, coach stopping on beach rd. Chinese in bath suites/speedos, flip flops and towel crossing the road (full stop, closed group not care for traffic coming), having a dip and then back to bus for next attraction.

And never once look for cars or motorcycles, one came from behind a tree and walked right in front of me barely misses her 

2 hours ago, Mad mick said:

???????????? & ???????? go straight back to CCP???????? Criminal Organisation all on group tours paid in full in China ????????,  few spare bahts to locals nothing like those chinese eat at Chinese owned venues & lndian big time spenders 1 Singa 3 straws please ???? popping out at bar girls drolling ???? 3 of us 1k baht ???? oh its ladyboy my gold gone ????????

The elites get paid by  the backhanders 

Like China is run by CCP , Thailand is run by Junta and normal Thai has little say in it. As long as Junta filling its coffers from the illegal bribe and kickbacks coming from mass tourism, they would hardly care about excessive damage to the Thai tourism and expats has little say in it. So get ready for new ‘normal’ as they say.

Hide the Shrimp…

TAT next month: Chinese tourist numbers will be more than the number of Chinese people.

Excellent, I missed watching the wading Dunkirk style Chinese trips to the Islands from KFC in Pattya

18 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

This articles says they expect 5 million, another says 10 million, television today said there would be more arriving in the 3rd quarter to include more arrivals than all Chinese travelers in 2019 especially in monetary means since the Tours have Bern now approved to restart on February 8th. Tell me which is correct and then again tell me thst Thailands tourism only accounts for a fraction of the GDP.

 

Latest story I heard from a TAT person was they expect over 26 million tourist arrivals this year and in 2024 over 40 million of which over 1/3rd will be from China....

 

Looks like back to normal....but without enough laborers in the tourist areas.  I did notice when booking a hotel fir an upcoming trip to Phuket the prices are 3x's higher than when we stayed there the same time last year.

I could be wrong and I stand to be corrected but I think where your confusion occurs is that you are giving credence to TAT figures.

14 hours ago, hotchilli said:

It's the mass of umbrellas, sticky rice, grilled chicken and BBQ smoke that puts me off most Thai beaches.

 

It's the spit they leave that turns me off!

8 minutes ago, wombat said:

I could be wrong and I stand to be corrected but I think where your confusion occurs is that you are giving credence to TAT figures.

Say what? You mean they are not relevant, but, but, but....so sure they meant something, oh yes they do....they mean absolutely nothing.....

The government sure loves the chinese tourists.  Do the thai?  It doesn't matter.

Write it enough times and it will be so.

19 hours ago, webfact said:

32-year-old business owner Yoyo Chen from Yiwu in central China said returning to Thailand felt like coming home

Doesn't say a lot for living in China, but I suppose many of us expats feel the same about our own countries. Including me.

14 minutes ago, phetphet said:

Doesn't say a lot for living in China, but I suppose many of us expats feel the same about our own countries. Including me.

 

indeed. says a lot for the countries of many expats living here...

 

 

1 hour ago, Blumpie said:

The government sure loves the chinese tourists.  Do the thai?  It doesn't matter.

Write it enough times and it will be so.

Let's not get carried away, they will take money from ANYONE!

20 hours ago, webfact said:

BANGKOK (NNT) - Hitting the white sand beaches and eating mango sticky rice and seafood,

Fine with me if they can all enjoy the white sand beaches of Bangkok!  5555  LOL

I dont know why people get so uptight about the Chinese visitors--

 

The hotel money goes back to China ?

The most profitable Hotel group in Thailand  is The Marriot- The biggest hotel group is now the Aspira  group--50 properties putting  Centara Hotels into 2nd place. (own by an Englishman)

Its a bit like saying Don't buy a Toyota etc, the money is going back to Japan--of course it is- but like the hotel industry, going back after providing 1,000s of jobs for Thai's who's money stays in Thailand.

 

If the Chinese built hotels with the aim of providing them to China tourist--OK they can not take them away again after.

 

They might be taken to different shops-- but I have always seen them as pretty shrewd travelers, they will go out & wander around after. In some ways it better then having tourist that throw the money around and hike the prices because of it-- & bottom line , they wont outbid you for some little brown skin girl from Soi 6.

54 minutes ago, oxo1947 said:

In some ways it better then having tourist that throw the money around and hike the prices because of it-- & bottom line , they wont outbid you for some little brown skin girl from Soi 6.

Chinese men do hit the upscale go-gos and help drive up prices, however. It's merely part of the obsessive bigoted narrative that they don't. They stay in the better hotels and spend a lot in the malls, too. T21 has a special bus offloading area that brings in Chinese tourists all day.

 

I'm seeing a few Chinese honeys at the beach recently, adding to the Russian population. Bring 'em on.

 

hmmmm ..... the good run couldnt last for ever i suppose

These Chinese will be shocked in Pattaya when they see the majority walking around without masks