As many as 400,000 Chinese tourists are coming to Thailand this Songkran

[soalbundy]

What happened to the inflamatory (basically racist) headline in the email?

"400,000 Chinese tourists to invade Thailand this Songkran"

Oh dear, basically racist, makes you a basically well conformed PC knight of the realm

[Commerce]

I smell many unhappy toilets coming

I generally take a good breath in, and hold it for as long as I can, rather than try out the reality.

[Gonsalviz]

Glad they can't find me.

Most Thai don't know where I am. Only the locals.

[harada]

If you have a liking for Mama noodles, stock up before Songkran, the word from my wife is that the Chinese have been buying up on them big time to take home, and no doubt a couple of packets to eat in the hotel room apparently they are a few baht cheaper in Thailand. Quality big spending tourist.

[JAG]

Im sorry "sonny" but I didn't understand most of that!

Would I be right in assuming the gist is that you regard most people of a different race as "cockroaches"? You have a particular dislike of the Chinese?

Edited April 4, 2015 by JAG

[stevo52]

Why don't they try to encourage foreigners from other countries to visit? Only having foreigners from one country [China] is like putting all your eggs in one basket. Not a good policy at all.

If anything, diversity in visitor arrivals should be encouraged. As nice a country as China is, but I don't want to be swamped by people only from one country, I want to see people from various different countries. Why is it that only Chinese are being talked about? India has the same population as China. Why aren't they all coming 400,000 of them at once? Strange...

"India has the same population as China. Why aren't they all coming 400,000 of them at once? Strange..."

Well, surely, that's because the vast bulk of the population of India can't fly to Thailand because of money reasons. And with China, ten or twenty per cent of the 1.3 billion in China can afford to go for a foreign holiday ??

Thailand is pretty close to China, and so, the Chinese who are not so rich turn up in Thailand. The rich ones go to places like London and Paris. And Thailand is also cheaper than South Korea and Japan.

I don't think it's a case of the Thais setting out to attract and pull in the Chinese tourists, and that being the reason why a huge number of Chinese are in Thailand. That would be making TAT look better than what it really is !!

I think it's more to do with lots of Chinese turning up in Thailand (for the reasons given above), and Thailand has responded by trying to gear itself up to cater for the huge numbers.

I think Thailand is still trying to increase tourist numbers from Europe, America, Middle East, etc, but the increase in Chinese tourists will, surely, be greater than those other places ? Only about ten or twenty per cent of the people in China can afford a holiday, the economy is still growing, maybe thirty or forty per cent of the people in China will be able to afford a foreign holiday in ten years time ??

Imagine that, Spain and Greece are already 'flooded' by British and German tourists. In the future, Pattaya and Phuket will be flooded by Chinese tourists. They already are, but the flood or invasion will be greater over the next decade !!!

INDIANS WON'T COME ----------- NO PLACE TO PARK THIER ELEPHANTS !

BE A NIGHTMARE TOOTHY CHOWS ON ONE SIDE OF THE STREET AND THE RAGHEADS ON THE OTHER ! OH GREAT YEAHHH !! THE RAGHEADS, ITS NOT GOOD TO GET DOWN WIND OF THEM !!!

THEY REALLY ON THE NOSE ON A HOT DAY ------ SMELLS LIKE A FISH MARKET LOL ! MACKERAL MAHARAJAH !!!

I thought plenty of Indians now have money too. Sure, much of India looks like a rubbish dump and waste land, but I can assure you, there are plenty of moneyed Indians. Somehow I'd like to see more of them in Thailand, balancing out the Chinese visitor numbers. And I forgot to add, India is just as close to Thailand as China is.

Besides, one hears a lot about India becoming a major economic superpower, at least those are the projections for the not too distant future.

And god I don't want to see Pattaya and Phuket flooded by Chinese tourists. God no!

[tonbridgebrit]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/23/paris-lures-chinese-tourists


Paris is competing with London for the Chinese tourists. Competition is everywhere, maybe Thailand will need to compete with it's neighbours for future growth in tourist numbers !

[tonbridgebrit]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/23/paris-lures-chinese-tourists

Paris

The Observer

Paris is beating London in charm offensive to lure wealthy Chinese shoppers

The French capital has overcome bureaucratic obstacles such as visa requirements to attract big spending tourists

[tonbridgebrit]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22037233

"The Chinese have become the single biggest source of global tourism income after spending $102bn (£67bn; 79bn euros) while travelling abroad in 2012.

The total is 40% higher than the year before, and puts them well above the next two highest-spending countries, Germany and the US.

The figures come from the UN World Tourism Organisation.

It says higher incomes, looser travel restrictions and a strengthening currency are behind the surge."

[fish fingers]

I dont mind chinese tourists but next time a group barges in front of me at a long ticket queue (BTS) shirt collars will felt