Chiang Mai Tourism Business Association Holds Meeting to Discuss "Problem of Chinese Tourists"

[mesquite]

http://www.chiangmaicitynews.com/news.php?id=4863

CityNews - The Chiang Mai Tourism Business Association held a meeting on Tuesday with an urgent agenda to find solutions for the “problem of Chinese tourists,” which has now gained international attention.

The meeting was held at Royal Peninsula Hotel Chiang Mai.

The meeting follows the well-publicised incident in which a tourist, claimed to be Chinese, kicked one of the holy bells in Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. The incident was videoed by a witness, after which the video clip went viral on social media.

However, according to Pornchai Jitnavasathien, president of the Chiang Mai Tourism Business Association, authorities could not yet tell whether the tourist kicking the holy bell was Chinese, even though public sentiment has skewed strongly toward that possibility.

As for short-term solutions, the Chiang Mai Tourism Business Association has decided to create printed media with suggestions written in foreign languages, especially Chinese and English, to help guide foreign tourists while travelling in Chiang Mai and the upper north. The guidelines will be distributed to foreign tourists at immigration checkpoints in the north.

Signage indicating proper practice for foreign tourists will also be set up at tourist attractions, the association decided. Staff might be set up to give suggestions and warnings to tourists who show improper behaviour as well.

According to Wisut Buachum, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand Chiang Mai Office, TAT’s Chiang Mai Office has already made handbooks for tourist attractions with useful tips for tourists to travel in Chiang Mai, which are written in three languages.

However, he says they are now improving and expanding the contents of the handbooks to be more concise, now with only two languages (Chinese and English), with pictures. 20 additional tips have been added as well. The tips also appear in brochures.

He believes the manuals will help tourists understand more about local culture of Chiang Mai.

Edited February 26, 2015 by mesquite

[onthedarkside]

Moved to CM News Section

[MESmith]

Thais are so easily offended by foreigners, yet they are complete nitwits themselves when it comes to care for the environment, driving, having no care for annoying neighbours with loud noise etc etc etc.

[Thailand]

They want to be careful they don't create a problem that results in the Chinese not coming!

[NaiGreg]

Thais are so easily offended by foreigners, yet they are complete nitwits themselves when it comes to care for the environment, driving, having no care for annoying neighbours with loud noise etc etc etc.

So this type of reaction to foreigner behavior happens all the time?

-NG

Edited February 26, 2015 by NaiGreg

[Sparkles]

The recent influx of 1,000's of Chinese tourists will.I believe, rebound in the number of Europeans and other western nationalities coming here in the future and those numbers will decline.On balance the influx of Chinese will be far greater that Europeans etc who might decide to go somewhere else

.Just a personal observation which I can't back up with numbers but CM is rapidly becoming a typically ugly Asian city and the culturally interesting aspect long gone.

The information handbook has now be reduced to 2 languages, English and Chinese, and describes the local culture in Chiang Mai.....please enlighten us to what that is

[koo wallety tourist]

revoke the newspapers licence.

[harada]

The recent influx of 1,000's of Chinese tourists will.I believe, rebound in the number of Europeans and other western nationalities coming here in the future and those numbers will decline.On balance the influx of Chinese will be far greater that Europeans etc who might decide to go somewhere else

.Just a personal observation which I can't back up with numbers but CM is rapidly becoming a typically ugly Asian city and the culturally interesting aspect long gone.

The information handbook has now be reduced to 2 languages, English and Chinese, and describes the local culture in Chiang Mai.....please enlighten us to what that is

As with a lot of countries, including my own, the Thai's are only interested in making a quick buck without thinking about what the future consequences might be .

[kalbo123]

Why do they see the Chinese visitors as problems?

Unbelievable and stupid, they are the new source of income for a lot of people, let's blame it on Thainess, something we don't understand.

[chingmai331]

Refer those interested to read recent news in NYT as reported in TV General Comments.

[Lobo4819]

Oh no, not the relatives!!

[Daniel Ingalls]

Why do they see the Chinese visitors as problems?

Unbelievable and stupid, they are the new source of income for a lot of people, let's blame it on Thainess, something we don't understand.

NO! NO! don't blame it on the Chinese, Indirectly its the USA's fault. If we didn't have these Wal*mart stores scattered all over the US and Europe, selling 99.9% Chinese goods, we wouldn't be seeing the workers of these products coming here! That is from, behind sight.