1 Million China Tourists Expected To Visit Thailand This Year Regardless Of Their Wealth

[Jai Dee]

1 million China tourists expected to visit Thailand this year regardless of their wealth

Thailand is expected to welcome about one million tourists from China this year, and the figure is anticipated to reach three million over the next few years.

Meanwhile, the Tourism and Sports Minister, Mr. Suwit Yodmani, has just returned from a three-day visit to China, and said the tourism industry needs to promote well-off and quality tourists, not zero-dollar tours. In zero-dollar tours, package tours are priced below the actual costs for airfares and hotels. As a consequence, some zero-dollar tourists have arguments with travel agents in Thailand, since they may not bring enough cast to pay for other extra services.

The governments of Thailand and China signed an agreement last year to suppress zero-dollar tours. However, the problem has yet to be resolved successfully.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 18 November 2006

[naka]

There goes the neighbourhood

Naka.

[h90]

1 million China tourists expected to visit Thailand this year regardless of their wealth

Thailand is expected to welcome about one million tourists from China this year, and the figure is anticipated to reach three million over the next few years.

Meanwhile, the Tourism and Sports Minister, Mr. Suwit Yodmani, has just returned from a three-day visit to China, and said the tourism industry needs to promote well-off and quality tourists, not zero-dollar tours. In zero-dollar tours, package tours are priced below the actual costs for airfares and hotels. As a consequence, some zero-dollar tourists have arguments with travel agents in Thailand, since they may not bring enough cast to pay for other extra services.

The governments of Thailand and China signed an agreement last year to suppress zero-dollar tours. However, the problem has yet to be resolved successfully.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 18 November 2006

only rich people who can be ripped off are welcome, how ugly.....

[Indifferent]

1 million China tourists expected to visit Thailand this year regardless of their wealth

Thailand is expected to welcome about one million tourists from China this year, and the figure is anticipated to reach three million over the next few years.

Meanwhile, the Tourism and Sports Minister, Mr. Suwit Yodmani, has just returned from a three-day visit to China, and said the tourism industry needs to promote well-off and quality tourists, not zero-dollar tours. In zero-dollar tours, package tours are priced below the actual costs for airfares and hotels. As a consequence, some zero-dollar tourists have arguments with travel agents in Thailand, since they may not bring enough cast to pay for other extra services.

The governments of Thailand and China signed an agreement last year to suppress zero-dollar tours. However, the problem has yet to be resolved successfully.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 18 November 2006

Zero dollar tours? what the hel_l is that? Thailand isn't exactly the place for a "working holiday" (come here with 0 dollars and work yer way around).

the whole point of package tours is that it's all in and payed in advance so that you don't get the headaches of the "extra costs". Thai travel agents need to be transparent about their prices then there wouldn't be any arguements. My parents are coming out next week on a package tour (they certainly have more than 0 dollars) and as far as I can see they won't be going anywhere near a Thailand travel agent as everything is already done and dusted. Don't really understand what he's getting at.

And what exactly are these extra's? If I pay for a flight to and from my country, along with the hotels, transfers etc...what exactly am I not paying for that isn't included?

[lannarebirth]

1 million China tourists expected to visit Thailand this year regardless of their wealth

Thailand is expected to welcome about one million tourists from China this year, and the figure is anticipated to reach three million over the next few years.

Meanwhile, the Tourism and Sports Minister, Mr. Suwit Yodmani, has just returned from a three-day visit to China, and said the tourism industry needs to promote well-off and quality tourists, not zero-dollar tours. In zero-dollar tours, package tours are priced below the actual costs for airfares and hotels. As a consequence, some zero-dollar tourists have arguments with travel agents in Thailand, since they may not bring enough cast to pay for other extra services.

The governments of Thailand and China signed an agreement last year to suppress zero-dollar tours. However, the problem has yet to be resolved successfully.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 18 November 2006

Zero dollar tours? what the hel_l is that?

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/GG14Ae01.html

[The Dan Sai Kid]

1 million China tourists expected to visit Thailand this year regardless of their wealth

Thailand is expected to welcome about one million tourists from China this year, and the figure is anticipated to reach three million over the next few years.

Meanwhile, the Tourism and Sports Minister, Mr. Suwit Yodmani, has just returned from a three-day visit to China, and said the tourism industry needs to promote well-off and quality tourists, not zero-dollar tours. In zero-dollar tours, package tours are priced below the actual costs for airfares and hotels. As a consequence, some zero-dollar tourists have arguments with travel agents in Thailand, since they may not bring enough cast to pay for other extra services.

The governments of Thailand and China signed an agreement last year to suppress zero-dollar tours. However, the problem has yet to be resolved successfully.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 18 November 2006

Zero dollar tours? what the hel_l is that? Thailand isn't exactly the place for a "working holiday" (come here with 0 dollars and work yer way around).

the whole point of package tours is that it's all in and payed in advance so that you don't get the headaches of the "extra costs". Thai travel agents need to be transparent about their prices then there wouldn't be any arguements. My parents are coming out next week on a package tour (they certainly have more than 0 dollars) and as far as I can see they won't be going anywhere near a Thailand travel agent as everything is already done and dusted. Don't really understand what he's getting at.

And what exactly are these extra's? If I pay for a flight to and from my country, along with the hotels, transfers etc...what exactly am I not paying for that isn't included?

Doesn't everyone have to have 10000 baht when they enter the country?

[Briggsy]

Thais scamming Chinese, now there's a first. Keep going for another 300 years and it'll be about quits, I'd say.

[sriracha john]

As a consequence, some zero-dollar tourists have arguments with travel agents in Thailand, since they may not bring enough cast to pay for other extra services.

A Chinese man who brought enough cast with him to Thailand:

[Cyberstar]

And what exactly are these extra's? If I pay for a flight to and from my country, along with the hotels, transfers etc...what exactly am I not paying for that isn't included?

Sounds like an upcoming market for coin-operated showers, fans, aircons, tvs, refrigirators, bedsheets, etc...

[Farang007]

Personally, I feel that all farang should be required to have atleast 100,000 USD in their bank account to enter Thailand.

Then farang will not have a bad name here. There will be less cheating and more girls to go around to those who are "good farang".

I have many many thai friends who treat me like I am their brother. They always say "khun mark jai dee". Then they say with a sad face "Many farang mi-dee".

I feel embarrased when my very close thai friends speak this way to me. I wish all kee-nok farang leave thailand.

[Jersey_UK]

"Personally, I feel that all farang should be required to have at least 100,000 USD in their bank account to enter Thailand. "

I will tell you a secret. Most Farang do - but most (not all!) are just not dumb enough to bring it into Thailand.

Oh, and BTW, it's not the Temples.................

[cdnvic]

Personally, I feel that all farang should be required to have atleast 100,000 USD in their bank account to enter Thailand.

Then farang will not have a bad name here. There will be less cheating and more girls to go around to those who are "good farang".

I have many many thai friends who treat me like I am their brother. They always say "khun mark jai dee". Then they say with a sad face "Many farang mi-dee".

I feel embarrased when my very close thai friends speak this way to me. I wish all kee-nok farang leave thailand.

Or you could just arrive with $2000 and not act like an <deleted>.

Money doesn't make good people.

[bkkandrew]

Personally, I feel that all farang should be required to have atleast 100,000 USD in their bank account to enter Thailand.

Then farang will not have a bad name here. There will be less cheating and more girls to go around to those who are "good farang".

I have many many thai friends who treat me like I am their brother. They always say "khun mark jai dee". Then they say with a sad face "Many farang mi-dee".

I feel embarrased when my very close thai friends speak this way to me. I wish all kee-nok farang leave thailand.

Whilst not being personally khii nok, I wish that you would leave Thailand and take your condescending attitude with you!

[Indifferent]

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/GG14Ae01.html

ooooh. I was completely ignorant of that (probably cos I'm not Chinese). And I thought double pricing was a rippoff

But that really highlights the problem with thailand and indeed similar countries

If found guilty, tour operator in any one of the four countries would immediately be taken off the list of certified trading partners in the other three countries, Adisai said.

Why not taken to court and prosecuted and thrown in jail????

[Johpa]

Thais scamming Chinese, now there's a first. Keep going for another 300 years and it'll be about quits, I'd say.

Confucious say: "Teo Chiu will eat Cantonese for lunch and Mandarin for breakfast and wipe their arse with the rest of the world.

Edited November 18, 2006 by Johpa

[Maestro]

The governments of Thailand and China signed an agreement last year to suppress zero-dollar tours. However, the problem has yet to be resolved successfully.

A Google search for “zero-dollar tourist” gives one result at the moment, what appears to be a Chinese-language discussion forum. I wonder how long it will take for this expression to make it into the main-stream dictionaries.

And what exactly are these extra's? If I pay for a flight to and from my country, along with the hotels, transfers etc...what exactly am I not paying for that isn't included?

Tuk-tuk fares, for example.

Doesn't everyone have to have 10000 baht when they enter the country?

Yes, 10,000 Baht for tuk-tuk fares

No, there have been no reports so far that a tourist arriving by air was asked to show 10,000 Baht. On rare occasions, pseudo-tourists doing back-to-back visa-exempt border runs were asked for it.

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Maestro