Film Sparks Chinese Tourist Boom In Chiang Mai

[webfact]

Film sparks Chinese tourist boom in Chiang Mai

Janjira Jarusupawat

The Nation

CHIANG MAI: -- The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)'s Chiang Mai office expects the number of tourists from China to increase by at least 20 per cent this year from 2012, driven by the huge success of the Chinese film "Lost in Thailand". More than 80 per cent of the film was shot in the northern province.

However, the local service sector, including tour agencies, needs to improve its capabilities, especially in the area of Chinese-speaking personnel, if it is to cash in on the growth of Chinese visitors, tourism officials said.

Visoot Buachum, director of the TAT's Chiang Mai office, said the number of Chinese tourists visiting Thailand grew 50 per cent year on year in 2012 to between 2.5 million and 2.6 million. The number of Chinese tourists visiting Chiang Mai rose from 70,000 in 2011 to about 80,000 last year.

Sorapop Chuaedamrong, vice president of the Chiang Mai Chamber of Commerce, said "'Lost in Thailand' fever" had encouraged Chinese tourists to visit Chiang Mai, where most of the film was shot. The film hit screens in China in December and is credited with trebling the number of Chinese visitors to Chiang Mai at the end of last year.

"I believe in the capability of Chiang Mai province in terms of accommodation, hospitality, tourist attractions and restaurants. What concerns us is the language issue. Most Chinese tourists cannot communicate in English - only Chinese. Meanwhile, many local employees in our service sector rely on English to communicate with inbound tourists and they may face problems in speaking with Chinese people. Business operators should solve this problem in the short term by recruiting staff or recent graduates who are able to speak Chinese," he said.

"Chiang Mai itself has a good tourism foundation, such as government-funded attractions like the Chiang Mai Night Safari and the Royal Park Ratchaphruek. Aside from leisure activities, many visitors from China are also looking for business opportunities. Chiang Mai province itself should capitalise on this point by establishing a centre to provide trade and business information to Chinese visitors," he said.

Songwit Itthipattanakul, managing director of Standard Tour, a leading tour agency in Chiang Mai, said the number of individual tourists from China visiting Chiang Mai had increased dramatically since the end of last year. Chinese tourists visiting the northern city at the end of 2011 accounted for at least 7-8 per cent of the total number of Chinese tourists in Thailand in the period, up from only 5 per cent on average in previous years.

"We expect to receive growing numbers of Chinese tourists throughout this year, especially during the Chinese New Year festival to be held in February. Many Chinese tourists are now backpacking, as opposed to taking group tours. Encouraging factors are the direct flights connecting Chiang Mai with Chinese destinations such as Macao and Kunming. The situation will improve if airlines add more direct flights between Chiang Mai and other cities in China such as Guangzhou and Shanghai," Songwit said.

-- The Nation 2013-01-12

[Thailand]

The Chinese name of the movie is 人再囧途之泰囧 and I checked on Baidu Index to see just how many searches were being made per day and it is over 300,000 with a peak of 500,000 per day over the New Year.

So yes,there is huge interest which I am sure will translate in to visitors.

[KhunHehe]

yet another reason to avoid chiang mai.

[Thailand]

yet another reason to avoid chiang mai.

Please do.

[blazes]

Let's just hope the Chinese do not act like imperialists, throwing their weight and new money around (though they are most unlikely to do the latter).

In the days of the Cold War, it was the Americans who were always "loud" abroad (see Graham Greene's The Quiet American). Russians abroad in the Cold War had to be, mainly, party apparatchiks, and boy were they ever "American" (met a few personally). Arrogant sods who made all other countries on earth seem oases of calm civilization.

Oops, sorry for this racist rant.....

[davejones]

yet another reason to avoid chiang mai.

What have you got against Chinese?

[gark]

yet another reason to avoid chiang mai.

I'm there right now and can't wait to get the hell out and go back to samui. Pollution, traffic jams, rat race...

[KuhnPaen]

More Chinese tourists= More bargirls who will not shave their bush. Chinese guys like em hairy. Just sayin...

[KuhnPaen]

Let's just hope the Chinese do not act like imperialists, throwing their weight and new money around (though they are most unlikely to do the latter).

In the days of the Cold War, it was the Americans who were always "loud" abroad (see Graham Greene's The Quiet American). Russians abroad in the Cold War had to be, mainly, party apparatchiks, and boy were they ever "American" (met a few personally). Arrogant sods who made all other countries on earth seem oases of calm civilization.

Oops, sorry for this racist rant.....

Yeah, god knows English guys are as quiet as church mice....especially when a soccer game is on (sorry, football).

Also, yeah, English guys never colonized anywhere, nor treated their subjects badly. India was a land of unicorns and rainbows.

I always enjoy seeing French people visiting Siem Reap...going to see their former colonial rot. Sad when your empire falls.

[NancyL]

I'd love to see this movie. Anyone have an internet link? It would be even better if one of the local cinemas showed it.

The past couple days I've been the various sois around Moon Muang and one of the guest house owners pointed to some Asian backpacker-type tourists walking on the street and said they were Chinese. He said they're swarming the area. I had always thought of Chinese tourists as traveling in herds, on tour buses or staying at high-end hotels if traveling without a tour group. I was surprised to see young Chinese acting just like young Koreans on an adventure vacation.

[MILT]

yet another reason to avoid chiang mai.

Everyone avoid Chiangmai at all cost's It is a crappy place to live. Trust me!

[mcgriffith]

I'd love to see this movie. Anyone have an internet link? It would be even better if one of the local cinemas showed it.

The past couple days I've been the various sois around Moon Muang and one of the guest house owners pointed to some Asian backpacker-type tourists walking on the street and said they were Chinese. He said they're swarming the area. I had always thought of Chinese tourists as traveling in herds, on tour buses or staying at high-end hotels if traveling without a tour group. I was surprised to see young Chinese acting just like young Koreans on an adventure vacation.

The film itself got a good review in That Paper We Are Not Allowed To Quote. Slapstick comedy, all filmed in LOS, with a generally good depiction of Thais and Thailand, and an unsparingly sharp view of the Chinese main characters (urban materially obsessed, the country bumpkin who bonds with everyone he meets, etc.). Love to see it as well.

Also I have noticed recently lots of Chinese young tourists in the NH area travelling independently or in small groups.

[saroq]

yet another reason to avoid chiang mai.

What have you got against Chinese?

For me the number one thing is their obsession with phlegm and spitting it everywhere but I could list others.

[SunSeek01]

This thread is like a small history lesson! Very entertaining! Downloading the movie now. Another good movie I think at least is Bittersweet, the America comes to TH to buy coffee movie. Pretty good.

Edited January 12, 2013 by SunSeek01

[SantiSuk]

Let's just hope the Chinese do not act like imperialists, throwing their weight and new money around (though they are most unlikely to do the latter).

In the days of the Cold War, it was the Americans who were always "loud" abroad (see Graham Greene's The Quiet American). Russians abroad in the Cold War had to be, mainly, party apparatchiks, and boy were they ever "American" (met a few personally). Arrogant sods who made all other countries on earth seem oases of calm civilization.

Oops, sorry for this racist rant.....

. {my emphasis}

Here comes the usual Thai Visa 'only us falangs are worthwhile tourists' opinion.

[moe666]

It does seem many here have not a clue about Chinese tourist. They tend to come on a full package, ride there bus to the viewing sight get off look around get back on and return to hotel for dinner. We have a few wondering around the Chiang mai Gate area but they very seldom eat in the local cafes. Talking to Ian at the X-Center yesterday and he said his business actually down this year from last, I ask what about the Chinese he laffs hehehe they just ride by in there buses on a pre paid tour of the elephant camp.

[Thailand]

It does seem many here have not a clue about Chinese tourist. They tend to come on a full package, ride there bus to the viewing sight get off look around get back on and return to hotel for dinner. We have a few wondering around the Chiang mai Gate area but they very seldom eat in the local cafes. Talking to Ian at the X-Center yesterday and he said his business actually down this year from last, I ask what about the Chinese he laffs hehehe they just ride by in there buses on a pre paid tour of the elephant camp.

The younger ones are definitely changing the package tour follow the flag style of tourism. We have many friends and relatives in China who are looking at Chiang Mai as a travel destination and have already been. A group of 5 who left CH on Wed last week made their own itinerary. Last year 4 young Chinese girls we know all early 20's backpacked through here and then in to Laos and Cambodia.There are many more no longer following the flag.

[moe666]

It does seem many here have not a clue about Chinese tourist. They tend to come on a full package, ride there bus to the viewing sight get off look around get back on and return to hotel for dinner. We have a few wondering around the Chiang mai Gate area but they very seldom eat in the local cafes. Talking to Ian at the X-Center yesterday and he said his business actually down this year from last, I ask what about the Chinese he laffs hehehe they just ride by in there buses on a pre paid tour of the elephant camp.

The younger ones are definitely changing the package tour follow the flag style of tourism. We have many friends and relatives in China who are looking at Chiang Mai as a travel destination and have already been. A group of 5 who left CH on Wed last week made their own itinerary. Last year 4 young Chinese girls we know all early 20's backpacked through here and then in to Laos and Cambodia.There are many more no longer following the flag.

Yes we do get a few of these around our part of town but still the majority of chinese tourist are still on the paid all inclusive tour. Three years ago I met a chinese woman at a monastery near mae hong song and she had been traveling around for several months.In the end they will be same as the western backpackers going as cheap as they can

[Hillside4Phil]

I really do not see the point in staying away from Chiang Mai because of the Chinese tourist, then there would be many other places around the world then, yes there are plenty of Chinese visiting and you can already see the numbers but most are not loud, rude and think they own the place like some farang do and are, I noticed a lot of people from India, one couple I met at Night Safari, came to Chiang Mai for a family holiday as he works in Malaysia and was a cheap holiday for him and his family.

[virtualtraveller]

yet another reason to avoid chiang mai.

I'm there right now and can't wait to get the hell out and go back to samui. Pollution, traffic jams, rat race...

And Samui isn't? It's peak period, as of this week the traffic has really calmed down, today was Children's Day, unlike Samui this is a real city full of real people with real day jobs. Samui was full of gansters last I heard, but that would be an unfair assessment of the place.

[BlackArtemis]

yet another reason to avoid chiang mai.

Everyone avoid Chiangmai at all cost's It is a crappy place to live. Trust me!

I agree, utter hell hole. Stay away!