Chinese tourism to Thailand lags despite lifted travel restrictions

[Chongalulu]

Small mercies...

[FritsSikkink]

5 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

this in turn turns off well spending foreign visitors from other countries. 

Chinese spend more per day than other countries:

 

Why the Chinese are more important than Western tourists to Thailand | Thaiger (thethaiger.com)

[John Drake]

2 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

Chinese spend more per day than other countries:

 

Why the Chinese are more important than Western tourists to Thailand | Thaiger (thethaiger.com)

Article is over four years old.

[FritsSikkink]

1 minute ago, John Drake said:

Article is over four years old.

We had Covid with hardly any visitors for quite a while.

People are still referring to 0 thb tourists while that is a decade ago.

[bkk6060]

The tour groups I have seen are mostly older couples.  Chinese man looks unhealthy and has a masculine looking women with then who have short Beatle type haircuts bossing the man around.  

The younger attractive mostly females are using places like The Base in Pattaya for their short holiday stays.

But overall,  their presence is way down bad China economy especially housing which is basically depressed.

 

[Mavideol]

I guess they bet on the wrong horse and their hopes/wishes just went up in smoke 555

 

below is the headlines 2-3  days ago

 

Thai Authorities Prepare for Influx of Chinese Tourists

[ChipButty]

1 hour ago, Pinot said:

 if we could just ship all the Ruskies home...

The Russians ok good tenants 

[Selatan]

2 hours ago, Gold Star said:

The problem is likely not Thailand, but in China, and not likely to change.

Unfortunately, Thailand has put all their eggs in the Chinese basket.

Here's a good take on what is going on over there by Peter Zeihan:  

 

The news is full of headlines about ‘China’s economic collapse’ — ignore them

Quote

Apparently, according to Bloomberg’s analysis, China’s annual average of 4.5 per cent a year growth in the last four years is an economy in severe crisis, whereas the US’s 1.8 per cent is allegedly strong growth — not to speak of Britain’s 0.1 per cent. Similar rhetoric, out of all contact with factual reality, pervades the Financial Times, The Economist, or the Wall Street Journal.

 

The left is well used to such US political lying — the completely fake claim that North Vietnamese ships attacked US naval vessels on August 4 1964 in the Gulf of Tonkin, used to launch the Vietnam war, or the equally untrue claim that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction to justify the US invasion, were classic examples.

 

Today, the US systematically lies about the state of China and its own economy because it is crucial for US capitalism to prevent its own citizens, and close allies, from understanding the real economic trends.

 

[Selatan]

Haven for scams: Hit movies further sour Chinese view of South-east Asia

 

Quote

BEIJING – In this summer’s blockbuster hit No More Bets, the lead character, played by one of China’s top celebrities Lay Zhang, ends up being forced to work for a crime syndicate in a fictitious South-east Asian country after accepting a fake job offer in Singapore.  

 

In suspense-thriller Lost In The Stars, a woman who travels with her husband to (again) an imagined country in South-east Asia ends up – spoiler alert – getting killed. 

 

Netizens and moviegoers in China say the two movies have hardened their impression of South-east Asia as a region of rampant scams and other crimes, after months of reports of Chinese visitors getting killed or going missing, adding that they would avoid travelling there.

 

[node]

Thailand living in a dream world. The Chinese's prop up this economy before, and without them Thailand now have to go after the wealthy and charge them taxes. They need to recover, but the world over is going down, people just do not have the money anymore. 

People are moving back in with their parents.

The cost of an airline ticket to come to Thailand has tripled. 

But I reckon the Thai Politicians heads are still buried.

[ChipButty]

6 minutes ago, node said:

The cost of an airline ticket to come to Thailand has tripled. 

But I reckon the Thai Politicians heads are still buried.

even Thai people never see it that way, it cost my daughter a fortune to come this year from England 

Edited September 20, 2023 by ChipButty

[daveAustin]

Not all bad news today then.

[newnative]

2 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Thailand has had the best years out of China, they came, they saw, they went home... no need to return.

Only the scammers operating outside of China see Thailand as a soft target.

TAT are oblivious to the plight of many in China, due to recession, out of work, up to their necks in debt or floods or many other reasons.

The boom years are over.

 

     Nonsense.  China has 1,4 billion people.  Billion with a 'B'.  In 2019, 11 million of them visited Thailand.  11 million out of 1.4 billion.  China tourism to Thailand is just in its infancy.  The 'boom years' are yet to come.

[morrobay]

25 minutes ago, newnative said:

     Nonsense.  China has 1,4 billion people.  Billion with a 'B'.  In 2019, 11 million of them visited Thailand.  11 million out of 1.4 billion.  China tourism to Thailand is just in its infancy.  The 'boom years' are yet to come.

I don't know about that and nobody else either. Check out this china tourism  fantasy on reddit 

 

Edited September 20, 2023 by morrobay

[DonniePeverley]

24 minutes ago, newnative said:

     Nonsense.  China has 1,4 billion people.  Billion with a 'B'.  In 2019, 11 million of them visited Thailand.  11 million out of 1.4 billion.  China tourism to Thailand is just in its infancy.  The 'boom years' are yet to come.

 

Pretty much this.

 

Not only 1.4 billion Chinese, but also 1 billion Indians pretty close too. 

 

Thailand is in a perfect location. However, the country itself is not what the citizens in those countries aspire to travel too.

 

Both Indians and Chinese want to go to Europe or America. So you end up with the crap leftovers, or dodgy money guys. 

 

You then calculate is it worth so many millions coming to your own country, at the expense of living conditions for your own population to accomodate them. 

 

Singapore and Malaysia both take a more conservative approach. They don't want to be swamped with them. 

[thesetat2013]

9 hours ago, Callmeishmael said:

I think the problem is at the China end.  No matter how easy and attractive a trip to Thailand is, if the Chinese government puts up barriers to international travel because they want to keep the tourist money in their own country, the numbers will not go up.

 

I agree. My Chinese friend is a teacher there and he said the government confiscated all travel from workers in education industry as well as others to prevent their leaving and a COVID breakout occuring again.. 

Besides,. If you can afford a plane ticket to fly to another country . Then Thailand's futile effort removing entrance fees for tourists will have no affect on actual tourism. A few extra bucks saved is not an enticement to go somewhere. As for their other news saying only 20 minute waiting in immigration lines.. I find it difficult to believe. They could not do it before so what makes them think they can do it now. I recall news showing 4 hour waiting cue to immigration previously 

[crazykopite]

It’s okay to offer incentives but the Chinese economy is suffering ,people no longer have the funds and the cost of flights worldwide are no longer affordable 

[newnative]

19 minutes ago, DonniePeverley said:

 

Pretty much this.

 

Not only 1.4 billion Chinese, but also 1 billion Indians pretty close too. 

 

Thailand is in a perfect location. However, the country itself is not what the citizens in those countries aspire to travel too.

 

Both Indians and Chinese want to go to Europe or America. So you end up with the crap leftovers, or dodgy money guys. 

 

You then calculate is it worth so many millions coming to your own country, at the expense of living conditions for your own population to accomodate them. 

 

Singapore and Malaysia both take a more conservative approach. They don't want to be swamped with them. 

     Actually, 1.4 billion Indians.  So, large numbers of potential visitors, from two countries with budding international travelers, a not-too-long plane ride away--the point of my post.  Infancy for both.

    France is about 7% larger than Thailand, so not too much difference in size.  In 2019, France had 90 million foreigners visit.  Thailand had a little less than 40 million that year.  Comparing the two, it seems like Thailand has some room to grow regarding accommodating foreign visitors without it impacting the 'living conditions' of its own population.  

    If you've done any travelling around Thailand, you'll know that the country has a huge number of tourist-related businesses.   These businesses depend on a steady stream of large numbers of international tourists in order to survive.  That was starkly, shockingly, on display for me when my partner and I took a number of trips around Thailand--including visits to Koh Chang, Phuket, and Koh Samui--during covid when we were prevented from traveling internationally.  Of course, it was on daily display in Pattaya, too.  Talk about impacting 'living conditions'.

    Some Chinese, as you say, want to travel to Europe and the US.  Me, too--but I also visit other places.  There's no denying, however, that nearly 11 million chose Thailand in 2019.  I think it's a bit simplistic, not to mention untrue, to say that Thailand ends up with the 'crap leftovers' when it comes to Chinese or Indian travelers.  Certainly, there are budget travelers from both countries--and, thank goodness, since there are a lot of budget hotels that depend on budget travelers, from wherever in the World.  True for France, too--not all of the 90 million visitors were high rollers.

     Fun fact that I was unaware of:  In 2019, over 60% of the Chinese visitors to Thailand were traveling independently, and not in tour groups, budget or otherwise.  So, around 6 million independent Chinese travelers, going wherever they wanted, seeing whatever they wanted to see, staying in whatever accommodations they chose.  In comparison, all of Europe was 6.7 million visitors that year.  So, just the independent Chinese travelers that year approached the European numbers.  Were all these 6 million visitors 'crap leftovers'?  I don't think so.  Ditto for the Europeans, come to think of it.

    

[Toby1947]

Give Europeans, Yanks and Aussies and folk from developed countries sensible visa options and they will visit. Until then forget previous tourist numbers 

[newnative]

2 hours ago, morrobay said:

I don't know about that and nobody else either. Check out this china tourism  fantasy on reddit 

 

    Not much to 'check out'--just a rehash of the current situation and the current efforts to attract visitors from China and India--two of the countries with the biggest increases in tourists to Thailand in 2019, .not to mention the two largest populations in the world.   Has nothing to do with my post, which disputed the claim that the 'boom years' for China tourism are over.

[Srikcir]

The only immediate thing I think might help with more Chinese tourism is to allow the "zero-dollar tour groups."

No to unlicensed guides however.

Yes, spent tourist dollars eventually goes back to Chinese operators (hence zero net)* and may not contribute much to local economies, but in terms of a national economy it should.

Better to have the Chinese visitors in Thailand than in China for the good of Thailand.

* today's dollar in hand is worth more than tomorrow's dollar, especially if you maintain a surge in receipts.

[Phil1964]

Good points made here by a few posters but in essence China's leadership is controlling it's masses to retain the tourism and leisure spend in their domestic economy as much as possible.

Their economy is for China underperforming, (there's been interesting articles online at the level of collapse in exports to USA and Europe), property crisis well documented and if you're one of the rich Chinese I doubt Thailand, (it's virtually China's 'Benidorm'), features high on their must see bucket list??

 

[hotchilli]

12 hours ago, newnative said:

   Nonsense.  China has 1,4 billion people.

Most of them poor rural folk.

And now the city folk are catching them up quickly.

[IAMHERE]

China has economic problems, those masses of Chinese tourist will not return for many more years. Many of the tourists were prize winners in their factories for the trip; those days are gone. Sure, still many rich Chinese but they've got choices of countries.

[newnative]

2 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Most of them poor rural folk.

And now the city folk are catching them up quickly.

      921 million Chinese live in urban areas.  Only 491 million are your 'rural folk', so your first statement is incorrect.   In any case, you're fixated on the present, rather than the future.  Regardless of the current Chinese economic climate or current travel policies, when you have 1.4 billion people living a not-too-long plane ride away and only a tiny fraction have visited Thailand so far, to say the 'boom years' are in the past for Chinese tourism in Thailand is also incorrect..

[hotchilli]

32 minutes ago, newnative said:

      921 million Chinese live in urban areas.  Only 491 million are your 'rural folk', so your first statement is incorrect.   In any case, you're fixated on the present, rather than the future.  Regardless of the current Chinese economic climate or current travel policies, when you have 1.4 billion people living a not-too-long plane ride away and only a tiny fraction have visited Thailand so far, to say the 'boom years' are in the past for Chinese tourism in Thailand is also incorrect..

So why aren't they coming in their millions?

[newnative]

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

So why aren't they coming in their millions?

 Answered in the fourth sentence of my last post.

[condo62]

Maybe time to reload the 45 day free visa.....????