Thailand's Tourism Faces 'Zero-Dollar' Tour Crisis

[Jonathan Swift]

6 hours ago, brianthainess said:

They are taken to Legally run Chinese businesses. So what about Thais taking foreigners to their 'Family' businesses' that's all OK then.

Oh so unfair to you and your bigoted white friends, wahhhhhh.

[Celsius]

All they do is whine and blame it on someone else.

 

I think Thailand is going to experience economic shock of epic proportions. Thank god useless LGBTQIA+ minus law was passed to keep the masses distracted.

[ThailandRyan]

Add in Zero dollar free visas as well....Som Na Na

[Danderman123]

6 hours ago, Cabradelmar said:

When you target certain markets you get certain (not unexpected) results. Nothing really new here. What's more surprising is Thailand authorities (claim) to be continually surprised by things that the casual observer sees so very clearly. If Thailand it not careful they are going to eventually kill the goose that laid the golden egg (tourism) by making this the preferred destination for refugees, and the shiftless. It's already happening (or should I say accelerating).

I have taken a Chinese zero dollar tour in Bangkok and Pattaya. I had no complaints.

 

We stayed in what was probably a Chinese owned hotel in north Pattaya.

 

And, yes, I followed the flag.

[CallumWK]

8 minutes ago, Danderman123 said:

I have taken a Chinese zero dollar tour in Bangkok and Pattaya. I had no complaints.

 

We stayed in what was probably a Chinese owned hotel in north Pattaya.

 

And, yes, I followed the flag.

 

So how did you book such a tour as a non-Chinese citizen, and why you would actually want to book it as someone who lives in Thailand?

 

[Danderman123]

5 minutes ago, CallumWK said:

 

So how did you book such a tour as a non-Chinese citizen, and why you would actually want to book it as someone who lives in Thailand?

 

I booked it with a Chinese travel agent in the USA, before I moved to Thailand. The tour also went to Vietnam and Cambodia. It cost on the order of $150, not counting airline tickets.

[Gknrd]

So the dictator run countries are not forking over their money to the poor Thai's. 

And basically the dictator run Thailand is catering to the dictator run countries.

So why the whining ?

 

All those brown envelopes from the Chinese, Russia tours agencies drying up?

I feel so sorry for the poor Thai tourist industry. Is there a go fund me account set up?  

[Chris Daley]

And on your left, a dirty street food shop that smells of urine.

[Lorry]

4 hours ago, Nabby said:

The only thing Chinese want to do at a national park is eat the wildlife. 

Reminds me of a Chinese commercial for the Maldives: selling point was the sea food.

[geisha]

3 hours ago, bob smith said:

...all that for Zero Dollars?

 

bob.

Yes Bob, you book it from wherever you live, ( club med is very popular in France / Switzerland etc. It’s an all inclusive holiday, flight and the club. You get everything on site. There’s even a sort of exchange buro, instead of Baht they give you pearls, each pearl has a value. For example a Club Med T shirt would cost you 4 pearls ( plastic pearls of course), they’re on a bracelet which you wear so you need no cash at all. Crazy but true. What money goes to locals , practically zero. I knew the butcher there very well, he was a friend , and French. All legal of course. It’s a huge company. They have clubs all over the world. I’d say a bit like a luxury Butlins. I lived across the rd, Kata Beach. 

[Autonuaq]

It is truly remarkable how cleverly they flood the tourist capacity with zero-dollar tours and manage to occupy the free airplane slots with fully booked seats. Once these tours are banned, their income will only increase as people will be enticed to visit, especially when they are granted 30 or 60 days, or even a 90-day visa upon entry.

 

Despite all these years, I still find it difficult to comprehend this way of thinking.

[sambum]

3 hours ago, loong said:

That's not nice, calling someone a pig!

 

I meant they were a farmer(s) not a seamstress! 🙂 

[Wongkitlo]

8 hours ago, candide said:

Nonsense! The principle of zero dollar tours is that the original fee doesn't cover the cost, and that the money is actually earned by commissions on what tourist spend in the country of destination. That's why It's called zero dollar tours. A large share of expenses occurs in Thailand.

 

On top of it, one of the key concerns for Chinese businessmen is to put as much money as possible out of reach of the CPC. The money stays in Thailand and is used to buy businesses and condos.

How do you think Chinese people can buy expensive condos in Thailand, while they are not allowed to take more then $50,000 per year out of Thailand?

I don't think it is commissions. The tour company owns the bus from the airport, the hotel they stay in, the restaurant they eat at, the massage shop they have massages at, the souvenir shop for purchases. The customers do not have a choice of where to go. I heard in the past some were kicked off the tour for wanting to be independent.  Sure they employ some  locals but there is no benefit for local businesses. Is pretty easy to leave the country with money or get somebody to send it for you. 

[zakalwe]

13 hours ago, NorthernRyland said:

This is just a Chinese problem wherever they go. Chinese have been in America for over a hundred years yet they still only marry other Chinese, do business with other Chinese, rent to other Chinese and have "China town" in every city so they don't have to integrate and interact with the locals. Obviously this is how they're going to be as tourists too.

Wrong. The Chinese didn't do this when they immigrated to Thailand. Now Thai-Chinese dominate the Thai economy/government. 

[Luuk Chaai]

seems to be the S.O.P. procedure for the  peeps in charge

stir up a pot of ****   create a whirl wind to make it look like your doing something .   but in reality just shuffling dirt

[AreYouGerman]

Muahahhahahahahahaha.

 

Thailand!

 

 

[Andycoops]

Another failure of the visa free entry scheme...

[gargamon]

The problem here is that the tourists are being fleeced by foreigners, not Thais.

[edwinchester]

19 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

But, didn´t they make zero-dollar tours illegal many years ago. Tell the police to do their work!

They're all busy on their market stalls.

[Expat Tom]

Exactly what do you expect when you build your tourism industry on three of the most corrupt countries on the planet. Russia, China and India.  It is just this simple, "when you sleep with dogs you will get fleas". Why would you openly court visitors from lawless countries. OBVIOULY troublemakers and bad actors come from all countries....even European and North American. I'm talking about countries known to be rife with criminality and corruption. 

World Corruption Index of 180 countries( transparency.org):

China #89

India #93

Russia 141

Surely the "Bangkok Brain Trust" has computers connected to the internet. One would think that someone would do some due diligence before setting policies.  

Thailand, like many other countries, suffers from bad leadership.

By the way, where does Thailand rank on the World Corruption Index? Would you believe 108th!!!!!! 

 

[Expat Tom]

9 minutes ago, gargamon said:

The problem here is that the tourists are being fleeced by foreigners, not Thais.

Are you serious???? Tourists are fleeced by other farang and the Thai's as well. Don't be naive. 

[wavodavo]

Does anyone think that a Thai owned tour company  would be alowed to operate in china and bring foreign tourists to a Thai family owned restuarant ???

[Ben Zioner]

Would be easy to fix via the visa process: you get a visa only if you buy a tour from an accredited agency. Easy it could fix most of Thailand's "cheap tourists" issues. Could be a temporary measure while the industry moves into the upmarket sector.

[gargamon]

1 minute ago, Expat Tom said:

Are you serious???? Tourists are fleeced by other farang and the Thai's as well. Don't be naive. 

This article is about the special tourists that only get to see Thailand from a tour bus. They have no freedom to go where they want, and are forced on tours where they are forced to buy overpriced junk. They never interface with normal Thais or falang.

[wavodavo]

1 minute ago, gargamon said:

This article is about the special tourists that only get to see Thailand from a tour bus. They have no freedom to go where they want, and are forced on tours where they are forced to buy overpriced junk. They never interface with normal Thais or falang.

 

1 minute ago, gargamon said:

This article is about the special tourists that only get to see Thailand from a tour bus. They have no freedom to go where they want, and are forced on tours where they are forced to buy overpriced junk. They never interface with normal Thais or falang.

This is not a new idea,About 30 years ago when thousands of Japanese Tourists flooded Cairns,they were all on organised tours and were taken around on buses to tourist attractions,restuarants,souveneir shops,etc.and stayed at hotels that were all owned by Japanese companies and could not deviate.

[thaibeachlovers]

Surprise, surprise, surprise, NOT.

[thaibeachlovers]

19 minutes ago, Ben Zioner said:

Would be easy to fix via the visa process: you get a visa only if you buy a tour from an accredited agency. Easy it could fix most of Thailand's "cheap tourists" issues. Could be a temporary measure while the industry moves into the upmarket sector.

How would that work on visa exempt visits?

[Ben Zioner]

Just now, thaibeachlovers said:

How would that work on visa exempt visits?

It would not, no visa exempt, E-visa for everyone, very achievable. Accredited agency provides a tour reference, and you get your visa issued for the duration plus 48 hours for contingency.

[grain]

I saw the same thing in Perth when I was there recently. They stay in Chinese owned hotels, eat in Chinese restaurants, shop in Chinese owned tourist shops that sell Aussie souvenirs that were made in China, and they ride around the city on the free CAT buses. 

[brianthainess]

23 hours ago, webfact said:

Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn, President of the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA), voiced grave concerns, stating these tours not only offer substandard services but also exploit unsuspecting tourists.

They should be forcibly dragged of the bus and frog marched to Thai Hotels, restaurants, and 'Gift' shops, forced to only have a Thai Bus and Tyres, and only drink Thai beer, would that make ATTA happier ? or just refuse them entry if booked by a Chinese tour company.