Thailand expects nearly 1 million Chinese tourists in October

[webfact]

Nearly 1 Million Chinese Tourists Expected in October

By Khaosod English


Visitors from China tour Chiang Mai's old town in July 2013, when a blockbuster Chinese comedy set there prompted a spike in Chinese arrivals.

BANGKOK — Thailand is expected to welcome almost one million Chinese travelers during the first week of October alone.

A weaker baht and Chinese holidays will contribute – officials hope – to boosting arrivals to an unprecedented level by the end of the year, recovering from losses suffered in 2014 and exceeding 2013’s peak of nearly 27 million.

“Throughout the period of 1 to 7 October, which is a long holiday marking China National Day, we expect that tourists coming to Thailand will double,” government spokesman Maj. Gen. Sansern Kaewkamnerd said yesterday, “from 500,000 - 600,000 people per month to 800,000 - 900,000 people.”

The timing of those holidays coincides with a weaker currency, which might be attractive for Chinese bargain-hunters looking for more bang for their yuan, although the yuan itself has been weakening.

“It’s a positive factor that will stimulate tourists into coming to Thailand,” the major general said.

The dollar was trading today at just over 35 baht from a multiyear low of 28.61 in April 2013.

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1439458943


-- Khaosod English 2015-08-13

[djjamie]

That will help get the numbers up to the predicted 28.8 million tourists although going by tourist arrival trends I feel 28.8 million might be a bit under stated.

If one cannot deny the facts showing record number of tourist arrivals the next logical step is to denounce the quality of tourists.

I for one hope this offers a strong boost to Thailand so the tourist sector can continue to prosper as it has done since rebounding in May last year.

[BSJ]

i AM SURE THE locals up there are eager to meet and greet the influx of Chine tourists.....or maybe not!

[thesetat2013]

That will help get the numbers up to the predicted 28.8 million tourists although going by tourist arrival trends I feel 28.8 million might be a bit under stated.

If one cannot deny the facts showing record number of tourist arrivals the next logical step is to denounce the quality of tourists.

I for one hope this offers a strong boost to Thailand so the tourist sector can continue to prosper as it has done since rebounding in May last year.

And you probably think more Chinese will travel when their money is getting devalued also? Heheee

[chainarong]

Another mind boggling gut wrenching month of October coming up , the only winners in this influx will be the airlines, the average spending power for the average Chinese wouldn't be quite 1 Thousand USD a week yet would It, speaks for itself.

[Spleen]

Not quite so drastic as Russia but Chinas currency in in free fall its even down against the baht

[NCC1701A]

Maj. Gen. Sansern Kaewkamnerd have you looked at a THB vs. CNY chart today?

[Pattaya28]

1 million with the devaluation of Chinese currency ? Really !!

[impulse]

So many suckers. So little time...

[Prbkk]

That will help get the numbers up to the predicted 28.8 million tourists although going by tourist arrival trends I feel 28.8 million might be a bit under stated.

If one cannot deny the facts showing record number of tourist arrivals the next logical step is to denounce the quality of tourists.

I for one hope this offers a strong boost to Thailand so the tourist sector can continue to prosper as it has done since rebounding in May last year.

High volume, wafer-thin margin= no growth in real terms.. talk with people in the industry and they will tell you they are only just hanging on by the skin of their teeth.

[lostinisaan]

After looking at the photograph, especially considering what's written on the right girl's T-shirt, I'll never ever write a Chinese bashing post again.

She doesn't look like she'd spit in my pool.....

" I want more." Oh, yes.

Does anybody know her facebook username? I think I fell in love with China.

Edited August 13, 2015 by lostinisaan

[anon467848]

By all accounts most of the Chinese that come to Thailand are on package deals, so the only people benefiting will be the airlines and the hotels. With the stock market in turmoil and the currency in freefall I would imagine that some the wealthy Chinese will be cutting back on their spending.

[impulse]

By all accounts most of the Chinese that come to Thailand are on package deals, so the only people benefiting will be the airlines and the hotels.

Because they don't eat, they never go outside their rooms, they don't buy gifts to take home and they never visit any paid attractions, right?

[Fat Haggis]

I rarely see Chinese in departures with bags of duty free, whatever gifts they buy must be in their check in luggage.

I rarely see them eating or spending in departures either, and I and fly in and out every 8 weeks.

Last time I flew into swampy immigration was empty at 0930 no queues and not choka with Chinese either.

I will be flying back in on Sunday, same timings and if so can will take pictures. Maybe DM is seeing a bigger Chinese contingent?

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter if you have a billion visitors, unless they're spending is in proportion to their numbers, it means nothing.

It's like having a garage and have lots of interest but no sales.

[phoenixdoglover]

I'm thinking the only reason we get so many of these tourism reports is because the uptick in volume of tourists is one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dim economy.

A few other indicators:

- commodities future prices for rough rice are up over 10% since late June. This is a partial recovery from a big fall in prices in early 2014.

- rubber prices are still down and not rebounding from the high experience in 2011 (but the price is in line with very long term averages)

- for GDP, it really looks like the growth years are over and 2015 is a stinker. From CNBC, July 2015 " Credit Suisse is now expecting 2015 economic growth at 2.5 percent on year, down from 3.1 percent previously, while JP Morgan is pricing in a 2.6 percent rise, down from a June estimate of 3.5 percent."

- depending on how you view it, a devalued Thai baht is good news or bad news. Among its biggest trading partners, the change relative to the US Dollar is most dramatic.

Getting back to the tourism PR game:

- what about revenue?

- what about hotel occupancy rates?

- what about Thai airline passenger numbers?

I'm guessing these are left out of the announcements for a reason.

[carstenp]

Chinese tourists who have become a common sight in the world's major cities said they feared their wings would be clipped if the devaluation developed into a deeper dent in their spending power.

More than 100 million Chinese travel abroad every year, buying more luxury goods than any other nation.

"I'd planned to go to Seoul this month with my friends and then Thailand alone in October. But I'm afraid the yuan will devalue more," Xuechang Huang, a 48-year-old housewife from Guangzhou, told Reuters.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/china-c-bank-devalues-yuan-023141992.html

I think TAT has problem to sleep if this is going on the next months

[Jimlove]

The timing of those holidays coincides with a weaker currency, which might be attractive for Chinese bargain-hunters looking for more bang for their yuan, although the yuan itself has been weakening.

They mean boom boom or what is it ...

I doubt this horde of chinese is gonna come (national sport here to lie about arrival numbers for some reason) but for all safety, I will book a trip to Vietnam, stay away from Thailand in oct. and get some real "asian culture" instead of this Chinese Province that in a few years will be renamed to "Thaijing" ...

Edited August 13, 2015 by Jimlove

[puukao]

1 million because they are RICH!!! They have spent billions on Real Estate in America, and fly the world to see how the expats live.

People are so jealous they can fly to Thailand, and then LEAVE......while most expats here spend 49 baht on soup noodle and wait for change from their 50 baht bill...

yes, this means you!!!!

i'm off to china to study the pandas......

[impulse]

I rarely see Chinese in departures with bags of duty free, whatever gifts they buy must be in their check in luggage.

I rarely see them eating or spending in departures either, and I and fly in and out every 8 weeks.

That’s because they figured out very quickly that Duty Free is a rip-off.

Their checked luggage is packed with gifts for the folk back home. If only to demonstrate their ability to trot the globe. Every time the GF goes back home, I end up with a bunch of gifts that would have put her luggage over the limit, or too heavy for her to mess with.

They also figured out that a meal in the departure area costs 3x as much as a meal on the other side of security. Crafty bastards, those Chinese…

Edited August 14, 2015 by impulse

[Seastallion]

Maj. Gen. Sansern Kaewkamnerd have you looked at a THB vs. CNY chart today?

No. He looked at THB vs US$ and drew his conclusion.

[Seastallion]

1 million because they are RICH!!! They have spent billions on Real Estate in America, and fly the world to see how the expats live.

People are so jealous they can fly to Thailand, and then LEAVE......while most expats here spend 49 baht on soup noodle and wait for change from their 50 baht bill...

yes, this means you!!!!

i'm off to china to study the pandas......

Wrong. The rich Chinese don't deign to visit Thailand. They go to America, Europe, New Zealand.

Thailand is a budget destination for not-so-rich (and usually low class) Chinese.

[CNXTim]

China #1 for tourist quantity, as for quality? Hmmmm....

And #9 for per capita spending in the LoS.

Anyhow, when you next encounter a couple riding their 'rented from Pop' motorcycle on the wrong side of the road (mostly) and weaving their way to the Emergency Ward at the Chang Klan traffic accident hospital, don't forget to call out your greeting - "Guatou"

And no, i was mistaken, it doesn't mean "welcome to Chiang Mai and have a nice day" Sounds simirar,

Edited August 14, 2015 by CNXTim

[CNXTim]

1 million because they are RICH!!! They have spent billions on Real Estate in America, and fly the world to see how the expats live.

People are so jealous they can fly to Thailand, and then LEAVE......while most expats here spend 49 baht on soup noodle and wait for change from their 50 baht bill...

yes, this means you!!!!

i'm off to china to study the pandas......

Wrong. The rich Chinese don't deign to visit Thailand. They go to America, Europe, New Zealand.

Thailand is a budget destination for not-so-rich (and usually low class) Chinese.

Hey, Seasnake, who spends 49 Baht on soup noodle,(did you mean noodle soup?) I get a great beef noodle soup in Chiang Mai for 40 Baht - you show-off chinaphile you..

[X pat]

After looking at the photograph, especially considering what's written on the right girl's T-shirt, I'll never ever write a Chinese bashing post again.

She doesn't look like she'd spit in my pool.....

" I want more." Oh, yes.

Does anybody know her facebook username? I think I fell in love with China.

I will bet you are thinking of cohabiting, you take the one on the left and leave the other one for my boy

[sammygood]

i hope a lot of them with come with them 0 baht tours, where all the money goes back to china

that will teach em

[lostinisaan]

After looking at the photograph, especially considering what's written on the right girl's T-shirt, I'll never ever write a Chinese bashing post again.

She doesn't look like she'd spit in my pool.....

" I want more." Oh, yes.

Does anybody know her facebook username? I think I fell in love with China.

I will bet you are thinking of cohabiting, you take the one on the left and leave the other one for my boy

Okay. It's only a matter of money. How much are you wiling to pay?

[Chicken George]

Full!

[Tidybeard]

I view these numbers with some skepticism... 1000000 Chinese per month. Many arrive on B737 or A320 style planes, so about 170 per plane. Some come on larger panes so lets say 300 per flight. That is 3333 planes per month or 111 planes a day. That's more than 8 per hour, just from China.... If the numbers of djjames graph are correct, the 2500000 per month would be 8333 planes per month or 277 per day. They all have to leave as well so that is 554 flights per day....mmmm

[mancub]

1 million because they are RICH!!! They have spent billions on Real Estate in America, and fly the world to see how the expats live.

People are so jealous they can fly to Thailand, and then LEAVE......while most expats here spend 49 baht on soup noodle and wait for change from their 50 baht bill...

yes, this means you!!!!

i'm off to china to study the pandas......

Don't rush back.

[bheard]

Now it's clear why Thai people are upset with the Chinese tourists.

The fact is that Issan chicks have better legs (to the farang i.e - shapely) than the average 'white' Bangkok chick - these Bangkok chicks are predominately 'straight' legged and 'beautiful' - for the same reason that white skin is 'beautiful'. If you have shapely legs you must be a working girl - that is, from a farming background, and your legs have real muscles (something I personally find very attractive).

Close inspection of Chinese chicks legs reveals both white and shapely. Hence my assertion about clarity. I'm presuming that the average Thai guy has been hoodwinked by the media and secretly likes legs that are shapely. Thai women know this, and so are justifiably upset with the Chinese tourists!