Chinese entrepreneurs invade tourism businesses in Phuket: report

[Thaivisa News]

Phuket: Chinese businessmen have been using Thais as fronts to open tourism businesses in Phuket to cater increasing number of Chinese tourists, Post Today reported.

The Chinese firms have collaborated with tourism companies from their country to provide Chinese customers to their shops, and preventing Thai firms from receiving benefits from the huge number of Chinese tourists, Post Today quoted a former Thai entrepreneur as saying.

Ekkachai Chamnarnkhao, who used to own a souvenir shop in Phuket, alleged that Chinese entrepreneurs had used their influence to force some 20 to 30 souvenir shops on Kata and Karon beaches near certain hotels to close their shops.

Ekkachai alleged that the Chinese tourism business groups forced certain hotels to cooperate with certain local government agencies to force Thai shops to close or else the groups would not feed Chinese tourists to the hotels.

Chinese firms then opened their own shops to cater tourists from China. Apart from souvenir shops, Chinese entrepreneurs also opened restaurants, jewelry shops and entertainment places to cater the Chinese tourists, Ekkachai told Post Today.

He alleged that Chinese businessmen also ran land and marine transport services to serve the Chinese tourists, and thus they monopolized services of tourists from China.

“They have bought some 50 to 100 speedboats. Thais almost got nothing from Chinese tourists,” Ekkachai alleged.

Post Today also quoted Khachorn Weerajai, deputy permanent secretary for Tourism and Sports Ministry, as saying that the ministry had learned that many Chinese firms had used Thai nominees to open businesses in Phuket and other provinces which are popular destinations of Chinese tourists.

[Metapod]

Thais marketed to the Chinese, they got the Chinese.

[clockman]

Bangkok has a population of 4 million chinese! Another colony.

[rheinwiese]

the spirits that I've cited my commands ignore

[phuket43]

The Russian language companies have been doing this for years. So no wonder the Chinese are following the pattern. Probably, TAT should spend some time and their enormous coffin of promotional funds to arrange for Thais to get some proper language training and sustaining the Thai business with these groups of tourist. It's the same story over and over again. Masters of complaining, amateurs for handling.

[Pete Beale]

No doubt the souvenirs they buy are made in china too. Next thing they'll be bringing in working girls from china to go after the chinese single male tourist market, or are they already doing that ?

[Bellacissa]

Is anyone shocked? Blindsided by this news maybe? No? Carry on...

[watso63]

Yes, the Chinese can out do Thainess quite easily.

[JOC]

On the bright side:

Mr P has promised to solve the problem, before he celebrates his 10th anniversary as the PM of Thailand.........

That is, if they have managed to solve another problem of utmost importance to national security before then:

The lottery ticket pricing .

Don't worry guys, we are in good hands...................

[robertthebruce]

It was just a matter of time......

[FireMedic]

Another amazing Thailand complaint. No cares about "using influence" until it's the Chinese using it. It's all fun and games until someone else's brown envelops are fatter than yours. You wanted Chinese, you got Chinese. Welcome to Chineseness 101.

[amykat]

Maybe "they" should set it up so that only Thai nominees are allowed to vacation in Thailand, on behalf of these tourists ....or something like that!!

[thequietman]

Laziness is why they are in this situation.

Poor customer care is why they are in this situation.

The mai pen rai approach to everything is why they are in this situation.

Treating tourists with contempt and disdain is why they are in this situation.

It never occurs to them that if they provide a good service then business will prosper. However continue to do what you have always done (see above) and watch the competition grow. The fact that the Chinese are using nominees is illegal but I fear it was inevitable as the Chinese have decided if they want good service then they need to do it themselves.

Wait now for the Thai's to say 'but we are not ready for competition yet.' Get used to it Thailand, Asean is just around the corner and that's when the real fun starts.

[amykat]

Laziness is why they are in this situation.

Poor customer care is why they are in this situation.

The mai pen rai approach to everything is why they are in this situation.

Treating tourists with contempt and disdain is why they are in this situation.

It never occurs to them that if they provide a good service then business will prosper. However continue to do what you have always done (see above) and watch the competition grow. The fact that the Chinese are using nominees is illegal but I fear it was inevitable as the Chinese have decided if they want good service then they need to do it themselves.

Wait now for the Thai's to say 'but we are not ready for competition yet.' Get used to it Thailand, Asean is just around the corner and that's when the real fun starts.

I under lined above, one of my favorite aspects of Thailand ...it is really like a cancer, for us, and for them.

[coulson]

Wasn't this discussed when they were elevated to 'quality' tourist status? All the talk about them spending 6000+ baht per day, just turns its going back into their own pockets?

Khun Korbkarn, are you taking notes?

Bangkok:- Chinese tourists have elevated their status to quality tourists with the highest average daily spending in Thailand in the first quarter of this year, Tourism Minister Korbkarn Wattanavrangkul said.

Korbkarn said each Chinese tourist averagely spent Bt6,346 per day during the stay in Thailand. The minister said the median of average daily spending of tourists from countries in the first quarter was Bt4,950.

Edited June 14, 2015 by coulson

[h90]

Thais marketed to the Chinese, they got the Chinese.

Thais who are actually Chinese descent market to Chinese from China and got Chinese competition

[h90]

The Russian language companies have been doing this for years. So no wonder the Chinese are following the pattern. Probably, TAT should spend some time and their enormous coffin of promotional funds to arrange for Thais to get some proper language training and sustaining the Thai business with these groups of tourist. It's the same story over and over again. Masters of complaining, amateurs for handling.

Look at all the Scuba Dive Master and Instructors....99% are European or American, 1 % are Thais. I guess most are from UK

A big share work without Work Permit....not different than the Chinese or Russians.

[NickJ]

Same Story.... just a diffrent page..... Now the Chinese get to figure out how to play and who to pay.

[stevenl]

The Russian language companies have been doing this for years. So no wonder the Chinese are following the pattern. Probably, TAT should spend some time and their enormous coffin of promotional funds to arrange for Thais to get some proper language training and sustaining the Thai business with these groups of tourist. It's the same story over and over again. Masters of complaining, amateurs for handling.

Look at all the Scuba Dive Master and Instructors....99% are European or American, 1 % are Thais. I guess most are from UK

A big share work without Work Permit....not different than the Chinese or Russians.

Uhm, no. Many Chinese and Japanese instructors working. And most of the Caucasiand with work permit, Japanese as well, nearly no Chinese with workpermit.

[Zenobiz]

The Russian language companies have been doing this for years. So no wonder the Chinese are following the pattern. Probably, TAT should spend some time and their enormous coffin of promotional funds to arrange for Thais to get some proper language training and sustaining the Thai business with these groups of tourist. It's the same story over and over again. Masters of complaining, amateurs for handling.

Look at all the Scuba Dive Master and Instructors....99% are European or American, 1 % are Thais. I guess most are from UK

A big share work without Work Permit....not different than the Chinese or Russians.

And look at h90 - 100% ignorant. Most are not from UK and there is much more than 1% Thais working in the dive industry as DM and instructors. Most foreigners working in Phuket actually has a WP. I have been working in the industry in Phuket for more than 10 years and know great many of them. Your comments shows that you don't know what you are talking about.

[Rumpole]

Welcome to the Greater Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere Mark II.

[daveAustin]

Tough titties. You reap what you sew!

[selftaopath]

Hilarious. TIT boys and girls........

[assayer]

Bu-BU-BU-But, these are the quality tourists the government wanted for Thailand, right???

[rijit]

Just the beginning

rijit

[rijit]

And lets face it bottom line all the gov care about is that the.monies coming in not the whys and to whom its going

rijit

[Briggsy]

Of course, the key point hidden in the story is the "co-operation with local agencies". That is the payoffs to local politicians and local officials.

The story of corruption in developing nations is contained within that sentence. The connected few get wealthy whilst the general population and the economy of the society as a whole suffer.

[technologybytes]

The Chinese are behind every successful company in Thailand. How is this news.

[chainarong]

Welcome to the real world, Thailand is perceived as easy pickings, the Chinese will make the most of anything, just wait till they use their own suppliers on the High speed ghost train projects.

[chainarong]

The Chinese are behind every successful company in Thailand. How is this news.

Name 5