Back to Zero Baht tourism coupled to a resurgence in Chinese underworld crime. 
The place is on the up and up. 

The VOA article headline might also read:

 

Return of Chinese tourists to Bangkok, ChiangMai, Pattaya, Samui, and Phuket, etc., has pros and cons.

 

Thailand is a big country. Easy to go/live where they ain't.

Edited May 25, 20233 yr by jerrymahoney

45 minutes ago, Zack61 said:

Back to Zero Baht tourism coupled to a resurgence in Chinese underworld crime. 
The place is on the up and up. 

Down my end of Sukhumvit, there's a lot of independent Chinese travellers around at the moment. Youngish people and families. But so far the tour buses haven't returned.   

11 hours ago, marin said:

You obviously have an agenda. A very pro Chinese agenda. So much so you dont see humor. The comment you again are upset about was a joke.  

 

Secondly you have not read the attached article have you? Exchange views, dont espouse them.

There are many like that on this site. Rather than waste energy and brain cells continually trying to set them right, find it is best to save one’s sanity and put them on ignore. Works very well.  
People that don’t see the cons of the re-influx of hordes of Chinese likely do have an agenda or are benefitting in some way. 

15 hours ago, malibukid said:

the locust are back.  whats scary is that in 50 years they will own the world.

I think it will be a lot sooner.......

18 hours ago, newnative said:

   Correct--if 500 billion baht is considered 'very little cash'.  That's what Chinese visitors dropped in Thailand in 2019.  One site, Statista, pegged it at 543 billion baht.

As others remarked, the cash may go to related Chinese businesses, not to Thai people. Maybe some money could be skimmed off as a roundabout way of getting funds out of China. Many possibilities.

1 hour ago, placnx said:

As others remarked, the cash may go to related Chinese businesses, not to Thai people. Maybe some money could be skimmed off as a roundabout way of getting funds out of China. Many possibilities.

     'may go to', 'maybe', 'could be', 'many'.  All very vague.  The 500 billion baht figure I posted is money spent in Thailand by Chinese visitors in 2019.   Thai tourism businesses and other related businesses employing Thais, whether owned by Thais, Chinese, or green men from outer space, benefitted by that 500 billion baht.  When covid hit and Chinese visitor numbers were next to nothing for several years, there was stark evidence on display in tourist areas of just how much that 500 billion baht meant to Thailand's tourism.    That's not to say that tourists from other countries are not important--of course they are, as well.  

Well at least they will keep the inside of the bus windows clean. , 

16 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

There is nothing wrong with Chinese tourists. But, as so often, Thailand for several reasons attracts the bottom of the barrel and the Chinese tourists it attracts are no exception. I've several times observed Chinese tourists in more up-market destinations such as Dubai and Singapore, and they do not swamp the buffet table but act as you and I would. Thailand gets what it deserves. It has always been a low-cost (read cheap) destination, and will continue to be - despite what the TAT keeps spouting.

Dubai or Singapore I bet the dirty b#st#rds still spit and gob everywhere. Get your wellies out.

22 minutes ago, Toby1947 said:

Dubai or Singapore I bet the dirty b#st#rds still spit and gob everywhere. Get your wellies out.

Yes they do have a propensity for doing that, but they do much worse, as a while back before Covid, I was sitting in Starbucks and a Chinese guy took off his shoes, put his feet on the table and started to clip his toenails, with the discarded bits flying everywhere. 

 

So I alerted the manager who was absolutely mortified, and both he and I berated this pig, however putting feet on the table is quite commonplace for these mongrels, and several times I've told them to take them off the table.

 

Add to that the woman who decided that her child needed a dump there and then, and let him do it just outside of the café, on the footpath and in full view of the patrons, when there was a toilet facility just metres away.

 

I have no time for them whatsoever.

I don't want to sound to pessimist but...

China is bracing for a massive new wave of COVID cases. What this means for the rest of the world

https://fortune.com/well/2023/05/24/china-is-bracing-for-a-massive-new-wave-of-covid-cases-what-it-means-for-the-rest-of-the-world/

China faces a new Covid wave that could peak at 65 million cases a week

The country once had some of the harshest Covid restrictions on the planet, but the response from the government and the public is relatively muted this time.

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/china-covid-second-wave-xbb-variant-omicron-rcna86171

17 hours ago, JimTripper said:

I went to a buffet in China once. They were stacking their plates sky high with everything imaginable, more then they could eat.

 

I think it was a status symbol to have heap high food stacked on the table. It let everyone know they had more sustenance and resources then their neighbor.

I guess you have never been to Sizzler salad bar, with westerners as customers

1 hour ago, newnative said:

 'may go to', 'maybe', 'could be', 'many'.  All very vague.  The 500 billion baht figure I posted is money spent in Thailand by Chinese visitors in 2019. 

No it is not vague. I know a few attractions which the Chinese visit by the bus load, as well as hotels where they stay, and they all owned by Chinese.

 

The Chinese also own loads of condos which they rent out to Chinese for the short term. All paid in China.

 

The 500 billion baht is just another figure the government picked out of thin air. How would they know how much the Chinese, or any other nationality for that matter, spends?

Edited May 26, 20233 yr by BenStark

21 hours ago, malibukid said:

the locust are back.  whats scary is that in 50 years they will own the world.

In 15 years they'll own the world, in 30+ years they'll have the same problems the west has now.

In 50 years they are whining about some other country is copy all their products and produce so cheap...

17 hours ago, JimTripper said:

I went to a buffet in China once. They were stacking their plates sky high with everything imaginable, more then they could eat.

 

I think it was a status symbol to have heap high food stacked on the table. It let everyone know they had more sustenance and resources then their neighbor.

 

They did not seem to eat or consume more, it was about hoarding it (could be why they were skinny and not overweight ????????‍♂️). Most of it got thrown out by buffet staff later on.

 

It seemed like they went for the seafood especially (not sure why ????????‍♂️). The platters were empty almost immediately. People rushed in when the server came with a new platter and let the wild things have at it and not get in the way!

Like 20-30 years ago there bus tours from Austria or Germany to Italy....it is as bad with steeling sausage in the pockets, etc.. It need time...one more generation that is grown up without fear for food.

Bring 'em in - all those millions of zero-dollar-tourists. Congratulations to TAT, well done ???? 

19 hours ago, BuddyPish said:

What's that got to do with Covid surges?
 

Either you are Chinese or have a hard time finding your way home or both.

Pros and Cons   

at a ratio of 1:1000 me thinks

 

 

2 hours ago, BenStark said:

No it is not vague. I know a few attractions which the Chinese visit by the bus load, as well as hotels where they stay, and they all owned by Chinese.

 

The Chinese also own loads of condos which they rent out to Chinese for the short term. All paid in China.

 

The 500 billion baht is just another figure the government picked out of thin air. How would they know how much the Chinese, or any other nationality for that matter, spends?

      You 'know a few attractions' that Chinese visit and  some Chinese are renting condos out to Chinese.  So what?   Meaningless.  You're bogged down in unimportant minutiae, while ignoring the big picture.  And, no, the 500 billion baht is not 'just another figure' and statistical data is not 'picked out of thin air.'   If you're interested, you can go search back through Asean Now and read a good explanation one of our members posted as to how the data is gathered.

22 hours ago, koolkarl said:

Return of the Chinese tourists and the covid cases surge.

Living in fear

On 5/26/2023 at 7:46 AM, AhFarangJa said:

I think it will be a lot sooner.......

and can you imagine being young now.

On 6/2/2023 at 2:03 PM, malibukid said:

and can you imagine being young now.

No, I cannot. I have an 18 year old Son. I really fear what kind of screwed up World he will grow up in...

On 5/25/2023 at 7:05 PM, moogradod said:

There are good and bad behaving people of all nationalities. But to say per average a European visitor is behaving "inferior" to a Chinese is simply outright wrong. I have seen Chinese spitting on the floor just where you wanted to get your breakfast (buffet) at a 4-star hotel. I have never seen that from an European. They rather shout than speak - even at a table of 4. And I doubt they were all deaf. And they do various strange disgusting things of which you might have read in the press. And (some of the) Indians walk around the streets like they were at home in Kolkatta or Mumbai. Dangerous and careless.

 

But of course there are as well well behaving Chinese, as there are nice Russians (Yes, I know one) and people from India.

Don't forget those Chinese tourists who whiz or take a dump right on the floor in public toilets, in the middle of the street, etc.

When do we get to hear the "pros?"

On 5/25/2023 at 4:07 PM, malibukid said:

the locust are back.  whats scary is that in 50 years they will own the world.

That's not going to happen. In 50 years China will be bankrupt and back to 3rd world status. Their population currently resembles a reverse pyramid, with old people outnumbering young people by a significant degree. The problems have already started, so you won't have to wait 50 years. I don't know why so many people buy into this bs that China will soon be the world's number one economy. Apart from that, they lie about their growth numbers. It's all CCP proganda.

On 5/26/2023 at 5:58 AM, KhaoNiaw said:

Down my end of Sukhumvit, there's a lot of independent Chinese travellers around at the moment. Youngish people and families. But so far the tour buses haven't returned.   

Come to Pattaya. The tourist buses are back with a vengeance. Late one night a tourist bus stopped at my local 7Eleven on Thappraya Road (because it's easy to park there) and a gang of Chinese, looked like mainly middle-aged woman came in shouting at each other. One thing is for sure, they have no respect for anyone else in their vicinity.

 

The most amazing thing happened to me. I was at the check out (no one else in line) having my groceries scanned and packed when this well built Chinese woman physically pushed me aside to talk to the cashier. I'm not small at over 100kg, but she shoved me aside LOL. I pushed her back and said wait your turn. The Thai staff found this most amusing.

Edited June 4, 20233 yr by JensenZ

Looking at the average for the first 4 months of this year the Chinese are the only major tourist market NOT to have returned yet using the 2019 monthly average as the previous best benchmark. Given their massively decreased volume it's probably why people get the impression tourism is quiet despite the fact other markets excluding China have recovered remarkably well given global flight prices and inflation/cost of living increases.

 

Russia - 137%

Germany - 101%

Malaysia - 97%

UK - 92%

Korea - 85%

USA - 82%

Singapore - 78%

India - 69%

China - 23%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They will need to get loo roll around the Chiang Mai moat now...

19 hours ago, JensenZ said:

The most amazing thing happened to me. I was at the check out (no one else in line) having my groceries scanned and packed when this well built Chinese woman physically pushed me aside to talk to the cashier. I'm not small at over 100kg, but she shoved me aside LOL. I pushed her back and said wait your turn. The Thai staff found this most amusing.

I recall I had just arrived at a Jomtien hotel and was at the desk talking to a receptionist and a couple of Chinese coach parties arrived... before I knew it I was 4 persons deep away from the desk. I checked out a few days later... they made staying there a misery. They would stop the lifts going up, when they wanted to go down, and crowd in!

12 hours ago, kinyara said:

Looking at the average for the first 4 months of this year the Chinese are the only major tourist market NOT to have returned yet using the 2019 monthly average as the previous best benchmark. Given their massively decreased volume it's probably why people get the impression tourism is quiet despite the fact other markets excluding China have recovered remarkably well given global flight prices and inflation/cost of living increases.

 

Russia - 137%

Germany - 101%

Malaysia - 97%

UK - 92%

Korea - 85%

USA - 82%

Singapore - 78%

India - 69%

China - 23%

 

Well, the 23% of Chinese certainly make their presence known, so it comes as a surprise they are on the bottom of your list. As loud talkers they win first prize. They literally shout at each other even when they are standing next to each other. 

 

Russians are really loud too. There's a Russian in the adjacent condo building that talks so loud when he's out on his balcony that I need to close my windows/doors. He's so loud it feels like he's talking to me, inside my condo LOL.

Edited June 5, 20233 yr by JensenZ