Survey reveals Chinese tourists’ spending habits in Thailand

[snoop1130]

 

The majority of Chinese tourists visiting Thailand in the second quarter of this year were lured by the country’s delectable cuisine and exotic fruits, according to the Tourism Council of Thailand.

 

The Council’s report, published last Thursday, July 4, surveyed 205 Chinese nationals. The participants included 44% from Mainland China, 24% from Hong Kong, 18% from Taiwan, and 14% from Singapore. It unveiled intriguing insights into their spending habits and preferences.

 

Surprisingly, Singaporean tourists topped the spending chart with an average of 54,456 baht per trip, followed by those from Mainland China (46,153 baht), Taiwan (37,295 baht), and Hong Kong (36,144 baht). Mainland Chinese tourists were also the most frequent visitors, averaging 2.83 trips per person, compared to 2.58 for Singaporeans, 2.49 for Hong Kong residents, and 2.32 for Taiwanese travellers.

 

The survey also highlighted a significant shift towards independent travel, with 88% of Chinese nationals preferring to explore Thailand on their own, while only 12% opted for organised tours.

 

However, 45% of respondents noted an increase in travel costs compared to pre-Covid times. In contrast, 44% reported no change, and 11% observed a decrease in their travel expenditure. To save costs, 38% of tourists planned to cut back on shopping and souvenirs, 33% on travel expenses, 31% on accommodation, 26% on entertainment, and 12% on food.

 

 

Delicious food was the top reason for visiting Thailand, followed by safety (55%), reasonable travel expenses (48%), high-quality services (45%), diverse destinations (32%), and convenient shopping centres (20%).

 

Top activities for Chinese tourists included savouring Thai food and fruits (84%), indulging in spa and massage treatments (73%), shopping (55%), experiencing nightlife (55%), beach activities (30%), river cruises (21%), floating markets (16%), zoos and amusement parks (16%), and eco-tourism like bathing with elephants (13%).

 

Bangkok emerged as the most popular destination (100%), followed by Chiang Mai (20%), Phuket (18%), Pattaya (16%), and other locations. Most tourists preferred hotels priced between 2,001 and 3,000 baht per night and prioritised accommodations with breakfast service (65%) and proximity to tourist attractions (51%).

 

The report also shed light on various complaints, with tourists expressing uncertainty about unfair taxi services, safety concerns, pollution, and cleanliness. Despite these issues, Thailand remains a favoured destination for its culinary delights and diverse experiences, reported The Nation.

 

By Puntid Tantivangphaisal

Photo courtesy of The Nation

 

Source: The Thaiger 2024-07-09

 

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[ikke1959]

I think if you travel 2,83 times to Thailand for delicious food you can eat delicious too in China for that amount of money

[gargamon]

They look lost. There's no one in the picture with a flag for them to follow.

[Pouatchee]

3 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Bangkok emerged as the most popular destination (100%), followed by Chiang Mai (20%), Phuket (18%), Pattaya (16%), and other locations. Most tourists preferred hotels priced between 2,001 and 3,000 baht per night and prioritised accommodations with breakfast service (65%) and proximity to tourist attractions (51%).

 

how the hell do they get these stats. bkk 100%? how does that leave room for any other destination?

[NoDisplayName]

36 minutes ago, Pouatchee said:

 

how the hell do they get these stats. bkk 100%? how does that leave room for any other destination?

 

Question 4:

List your three favorite destination cities in Thailand.

[Celsius]

4 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Surprisingly, Singaporean tourists topped the spending chart with an average of 54,456 baht per trip

 

I spent more than that on my first Thailand trip when I was backpacking and unemployed and I am not even joking.

[Pouatchee]

13 minutes ago, NoDisplayName said:

51 minutes ago, Pouatchee said:

 

how the hell do they get these stats. bkk 100%? how does that leave room for any other destination?

 

Question 4:

List your three favorite destination cities in Thailand.

 

sorry, i dont get your point. they named 4 cities, used percentages that dont add up...

 

if you are mocking the survey then i get it...

[Pouatchee]

5 minutes ago, Celsius said:

 

I spent more than that on my first Thailand trip when I was backpacking and unemployed and I am not even joking.

 

what year and how long did you stay? a lot of things have changed since then.  gas was 17bht a litre when i got here, beer 25 bht... my buck went a lot further and this was in 2003

[Celsius]

4 minutes ago, Pouatchee said:

 

what year and how long did you stay? a lot of things have changed since then.  gas was 17bht a litre when i got here, beer 25 bht... my buck went a lot further and this was in 2003

 

2003 stayed 2 months with gf so this was only half the budget as she spent almost the same

[Pouatchee]

2 minutes ago, Celsius said:

 

2003 stayed 2 months with gf so this was only half the budget as she spent almost the same

 

must have had a whale of a time.

[NoDisplayName]

36 minutes ago, Pouatchee said:

 

sorry, i dont get your point. they named 4 cities, used percentages that dont add up...

 

if you are mocking the survey then i get it...

 

Ask a random group of tourists to name their 3 or 4 favorite destinations in Thailand.  All of them list Bangkok, a fifth of them pick Chiang Mai, and they also choose 1 or 2 other cities.

 

Bangkok appears on all the lists, so 100% for Bangkok.   20% for Chiang Mai, smaller percentages for others.

 

This isn't difficult.  Hard part will be explaining how the wily Chinese manage to make 2.83 trips to Thailand!

[Yagoda]

55% of them are in Nana and Thermae.

[Sigmund]

A pro-Chinese survey, handled by pro chinese lobbys ? 🤔

[jcmj]

They should have surveyed the Chinese getting off the tour bus to get a better idea on how much they spend here. 

[hotchilli]

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The majority of Chinese tourists visiting Thailand in the second quarter of this year were lured by the country’s delectable cuisine and exotic fruits, according to the Tourism Council of Thailand.

Pure fantasy

[futsukayoi]

9 hours ago, Celsius said:

 

2003 stayed 2 months with gf so this was only half the budget as she spent almost the same

My wife is from Hong Kong and I lived there for a few years so we have quite a few friends and family there.  A lot of those like to visit Thailand but usu8ally for a short trip of about 2-5 days so not surprising they spend less than you did in 2 months.

[Srikcir]

10 hours ago, Pouatchee said:

bkk 100%?

Survey done by NIDA?

Anything is possible.

[koolkarl]

They are mostly interested in buy 1, get 1 free and all you can eat buffets.  Aren't desirable tourists.

[Keeps]

13 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

I think if you travel 2,83 times to Thailand for delicious food you can eat delicious too in China for that amount of money

Yes, but that is called sustenance, not a holiday.

[RichardColeman]

Don't get it, unless this report states how long they are here it is a bit pointless. Cost of living in my UK would be well over £1,000  a month - if not 2 weeks - so tourists appear to me to be using 'potentially' just their normal home expenditure if they stay a long time ! I import far more than these people in Baht each month - but tourists seem far better treated than me

[DrPhibes]

I think I found exotic cuisine and exceptional fruit! Sorry, it was low hanging...

[khunjeff]

19 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The participants included 44% from Mainland China, 24% from Hong Kong, 18% from Taiwan, and 14% from Singapore.

 

They are using a rather broad definition of "Chinese"...

[zakalwe]

4 minutes ago, khunjeff said:

 

They are using a rather broad definition of "Chinese"...

Well, Han Chinese is a ethnicity. Different from nationality but I think culturally they all same same.

 

Here are the percentages of Han Chinese in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore:

1. China: Approximately 92% of the population is Han Chinese.
2. Hong Kong: About 92% of the population is Han Chinese.
3. Taiwan: Around 95-98% of the population is Han Chinese.
4. Singapore: About 74% of the population is Han Chinese.

[NoshowJones]

17 hours ago, gargamon said:

They look lost. There's no one in the picture with a flag for them to follow.

They sure are not going to find any "all you can eat" buffets there, no wonder they look lost.

[khunjeff]

1 minute ago, zakalwe said:

Well, Han Chinese is a ethnicity. Different from nationality but I think culturally they all same same.

 

Here are the percentages of Han Chinese in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore:

1. China: Approximately 92% of the population is Han Chinese.
2. Hong Kong: About 92% of the population is Han Chinese.
3. Taiwan: Around 95-98% of the population is Han Chinese.
4. Singapore: About 74% of the population is Han Chinese.

 

I don't think anyone would assume that ethnic Chinese from the Mainland would have the same spending habits as those from Singapore or Taiwan, which is why this is a peculiar survey. 

 

The article also states the following, though of course it could just be poor reporting: 

 

19 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The Council’s report, published last Thursday, July 4, surveyed 205 Chinese nationals.

 

Not even the PRC government pretends that Singaporeans are "Chinese nationals"!

[bob smith]

'it's all about the money, money, money...'

 

bob.

[BigStar]

18 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

I think if you travel 2,83 times to Thailand for delicious food you can eat delicious too in China for that amount of money

 

Thai food? Perhaps Thai food isn't the ONLY reason?

[BigStar]

14 hours ago, Celsius said:

 

2003 stayed 2 months with gf so this was only half the budget as she spent almost the same

 

So many Brit landed gentry here. Have you participated in one of our ANF Poster "Who's the wealthiest of them all?" contests yet?

[BigStar]

WOT??? And 88% independents? This is SO upsetting to TAT: ANF. We ALL know Chinese all come in on zero-baht tours, spend nothing, and spend the nothing in Chinese businesses only, so that Thais get nothing. That's been a KNOWN TRUTH since forever. TAT tells porkies!!!

[FritsSikkink]

15 hours ago, Celsius said:

 

I spent more than that on my first Thailand trip when I was backpacking and unemployed and I am not even joking.

They spend it in a couple of days, how long did you stay to spend that amount?