Popular Post snoop1130 Posted April 19, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted April 19, 2023 PHOTO: Chinese zero-dollar tours return to Thailand Thailand’s tourism industry has long relied on Chinese visitors, and Thailand could welcome at least 25 million foreign tourists in 2023, with a solid 5 million from China alone. However, this promising recovery has triggered concerns over the return of so-called “zero-dollar tours”, which are known for their unusually low prices, pre-paid budget accommodation and tours, and little money going to Thai tourism businesses. While these tours have been around for years, they have become particularly problematic over the last decade, causing many issues for the Thailand’s tourism industry and its reputation. These tours are named as such because their package prices start at below cost. Some local tour operators offer these tours to Chinese tourists, seeking to earn a profit by sending groups to local Thai agencies without paying any tour fees. The tourists are then forced to visit places and spend their money on goods and services at a higher price than the market rate, often Chinese owned. Full Story: https://phuket-go.com/phuket-news/phuket-travel/zero-dollar-tourism-looms-again-as-chinese-return-to-thailand/ -- © Copyright Phuket GO 2023-04-19 - Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here. The most versatile and flexible rental investment and holiday home solution in Thailand - click for more information. 2 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dinsdale Posted April 19, 2023 Share Posted April 19, 2023 Yey. Let's welcome back the Chinese. Wonder how TAT factors this in to their always over inflated predictions. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ukrules Posted April 19, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted April 19, 2023 Are there really enough flight seats to 'welcome' 25 million visitors? I have to wonder about that, because it definitely doesn't add up which means there's a bit of a lie hidden in there somewhere, I'm just not entirely sure where it is - and I don't care that much to dig it up - but rest assured - it's there. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post chalawaan Posted April 19, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted April 19, 2023 China is not ever coming back in the numbers previously seen. Flights to anyplace are down 80% there After Covid, they now have bird flu just jumped to humans. Even if it's worse than Covid, another attempt at lockdown will.lead to a full blown revolt, and bury the economy irretrievably, especially if they start shooting people on the street for causing disorder, absolutely a possibility There's too much serious financial turmoil at home, and geopolitical unrest, which will further undo the dream. Western companies are leaving as fast as they possibly can. 3 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VBF Posted April 19, 2023 Share Posted April 19, 2023 26 minutes ago, chalawaan said: <snip> Western companies are leaving as fast as they possibly can. Just did a Google search for " western companies leaving china " and most of the results date from 2021-22 when the Covid stupidity was in full force. I wonder if that's still the case Covid: China economy rebounds after pandemic measures lifted 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post brucegoniners Posted April 19, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted April 19, 2023 I've never understood why Thailand gets so hot and bothered about the mainland Chinese. The country makes no money on them and they're a PITA. 4 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post RandiRona Posted April 19, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted April 19, 2023 1 hour ago, ukrules said: Are there really enough flight seats to 'welcome' 25 million visitors? I have to wonder about that, because it definitely doesn't add up which means there's a bit of a lie hidden in there somewhere, I'm just not entirely sure where it is - and I don't care that much to dig it up - but rest assured - it's there. I think they count border crossing which means all those Thais/Malays/Laos/Cambodians crossing every day for business back and forth are counted as arrivals. I won’t believe a single statistics coming out of Thailand. 1 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post chalawaan Posted April 19, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted April 19, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, VBF said: Just did a Google search for " western companies leaving china " and most of the results date from 2021-22 when the Covid stupidity was in full force. I wonder if that's still the case Covid: China economy rebounds after pandemic measures lifted Your link didn't work. Here's one of mine. https://youtu.be/leyoYtunqPQ A thought provoking analysis of just how buggered China is; all based on data, all based on intelligence gathering, all based on geopolitical reality. Update: The link came through, yes, so these rebound metrics are based on last years figures, which your report states, was the worst year in 50 years; so since they came out of Mao's clownshow. Nothing to write home about. The airline data is disingenuous too. They're counting all seats, including domestic. In reality their international loads to everywhere are still 80% less than pre Covid. I note a gloomy ongoing prognosis by a Chinese observer buried in the latter half of the report as well. Anyway, China watchers (and bashers) will get a lot out of the informative link I have shared. Edited April 19, 2023 by chalawaan 2 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post garyk Posted April 19, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted April 19, 2023 23 minutes ago, chalawaan said: Your link didn't work. Here's one of mine. https://youtu.be/leyoYtunqPQ A thought provoking analysis of just how buggered China is; all based on data, all based on intelligence gathering, all based on geopolitical reality. It doesn't matter. Thailand elite will set the course for Thailand and they are Chinese supporters 100%. Personally I will not give Thailand another dollar of my money. The writing has been on the wall for a few years now. 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post chalawaan Posted April 19, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted April 19, 2023 (edited) Here's a different blogger with a Q1 report. The video hit the tubes barely an hour ago. They are beyond recovery IMO. Collapse is unlikely, but the days of wine and roses are never returning while the CCP circus is in town. So for our lifetimes. Edited April 19, 2023 by chalawaan 2 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chalawaan Posted April 19, 2023 Share Posted April 19, 2023 3 minutes ago, garyk said: It doesn't matter. Thailand elite will set the course for Thailand and they are Chinese supporters 100%. Personally I will not give Thailand another dollar of my money. The writing has been on the wall for a few years now. The elites do have significant blood connections to China, but the British Royals are half-german and that didn't stop two world wars! In the end Thailand will side with the winners, they deftly shafted Japan when the tide turned in WW2. In Korat, US Jets and Chinooks were up and about every other day last month, during Cobra Gold. Thailand isn't going anywhere. China has nothing but suffering and pain ahead of it. 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinyara Posted April 19, 2023 Share Posted April 19, 2023 1 hour ago, RandiRona said: I think they count border crossing which means all those Thais/Malays/Laos/Cambodians crossing every day for business back and forth are counted as arrivals. I won’t believe a single statistics coming out of Thailand. The average length of stay figures for tourists from those countries doesn't support the theory of daily border hoppers. e.g 2019 figures Malaysia - 4.81 days Laos - 5.68 days Cambodia - 7.39 days 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bignok Posted April 19, 2023 Share Posted April 19, 2023 1 hour ago, garyk said: It doesn't matter. Thailand elite will set the course for Thailand and they are Chinese supporters 100%. Personally I will not give Thailand another dollar of my money. The writing has been on the wall for a few years now. This is a Thai forum. 1 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardColeman Posted April 19, 2023 Share Posted April 19, 2023 3 hours ago, chalawaan said: China is not ever coming back in the numbers previously seen. Considering the amount of Chinese that have brought unbuilt properties they will never get, they probably have no money 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new2here Posted April 19, 2023 Share Posted April 19, 2023 To me, there IS a way to effectively root out this issue — but it’s unpalatable— do it like Bhutan. Require all citizens of X country (in THIS example only it would be Chinese) to effectively “buy” $X of non-convertible, registered (ie with a stated name on them) coupons directly from the Thai government (ie the TAT or similar entity) … at this point the government has a guaranteed income of $X per day, per person in their coffers. Once in country, the coupons would then be exchanged for their hotel or similar purchases… The hotel would then turn around and redeem these coupons from the TAT.. and this is when the government would have the chance to verify that the redeeming entity is a legitimate entity or a shell company or whatever… .. and since they’d be non-convertible and registered, the government would have a near guarantee “income” per head, per day without the risk of someone trying to sell them to someone else … or try to exchange them back into RMB/THB etc 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyf Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 10 hours ago, kinyara said: The average length of stay figures for tourists from those countries doesn't support the theory of daily border hoppers. e.g 2019 figures Malaysia - 4.81 days Laos - 5.68 days Cambodia - 7.39 days Of course they don't, the usual TVF rhetoric. The immigration arrival documents have been posted on here a few times over the years and they showed quite clearly how everyone that enters Thailand is categorised. As for the stats, when Pattaya beach road is blocked by tour buses everyone will be whinging how the governement never anticipated the consequences of tourists that had come out of so called hot air. 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigelforbes Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 So much disinformation in this thread, that and wild guesses and racist rhetoric. Take your pick from any of the stats below, anything and everything you want to know about tourism in Thailand. Educate yourself. http://statbbi.nso.go.th/staticreport/page/sector/en/17.aspx 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyf Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 11 hours ago, chalawaan said: The elites do have significant blood connections to China, As do a significant proportion of the population. Only a couple of weeks ago the Chinese graveyards came to life during Qing Ming. Thai Chinese are the largest minority group in the country and the largest overseas Chinese community in the world with a population of approximately 7-10 million people, accounting for 11–14% of the total population of the country as of 2012. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_Chinese Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owl sees all Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 A couple of years ago (pre C-19) there were regular coach trips to the mystical Kham Cha Nod. The coaches - all full of Chinese ladies - would stop at this particular 'petrol' station, just outside Ban Dung. This particular day, I was there, feeding the koi carp outside the coffee house. A Chinese lady came over to watch me. She was about 40 and had a lovely smile. Not fat and with well-formed calves. To my surprise she spoke decent English. She asked me where I was from and asked if she could do a pic with me. Later I thought that maybe it was my full ginger beard that attracted her to me. She told me her name; Dex Bong Shu. Or was it Shu Dex Bong! Can't be sure. Was she just after a pic, or did she want an athletic mate? Often think of her. Will I ever see her again? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deli Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 14 hours ago, brucegoniners said: I've never understood why Thailand gets so hot and bothered about the mainland Chinese. The country makes no money on them and they're a PITA. Be assured, some people high up the ladder get their cut. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotchilli Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 20 hours ago, snoop1130 said: Thailand’s tourism industry has long relied on Chinese visitors, and Thailand could welcome at least 25 million foreign tourists in 2023, with a solid 5 million from China alone. However, this promising recovery has triggered concerns over the return of so-called “zero-dollar tours”, which are known for their unusually low prices, pre-paid budget accommodation and tours, and little money going to Thai tourism businesses. Reap what you sow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newnative Posted April 21, 2023 Share Posted April 21, 2023 On 4/19/2023 at 7:47 PM, brucegoniners said: I've never understood why Thailand gets so hot and bothered about the mainland Chinese. The country makes no money on them and they're a PITA. In 2019, Chinese visitors spent over 500 billion baht in Thailand. Not exactly 'no money' and likely why Thailand gets 'hot and bothered'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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