Chinese Gone?

[digbeth]

After some high profile crackdown on the '0-dollar' Chinese tour operators by Bangkok government a couple of weeks ago, do any of you notice a drop in the number of Chinese hoards tour busses? 

 

Seems like the white brand new Chinese built bus that were being run , some with the red 'temporary' numberplates on has all but disappeared, now replaced with older Thai built busses of various colours now.

 

Anecdotally I heard that some of the 'white' busses were actually owned by the Chinese souvenir shops/tourist traps and they were lending them away for free to the tour operators(their mates) providing that they heard their flocks to these souvenir place a couple of times during their trips, prices in these tourist traps is 2-3 times what's normally charged in the regular markets

 

Seems like the Thai government cracked down on the fact that most of these companies are being owned and operated by Chinese nationals and funneling all the profits home, with token Thai owner as a nominee and such, a lot of the white bus were impounded in the process, leading to incoming tours now resorting to hiring the regular Thai tourbus for now

 

Chatter among hotels staffs is that a lot of bookings from China is being cancelled now, though the impression is that these '0-dollar' tourist rarely ventured outside their itinerary and spend /tip at least they are filling the empty rooms in hotels (maybe at a heavily discounted rate) the staff might not get the tips/service charge like when the Europeans/Americans/Russians were here in droves, at least the Chinese cheap charlies were keeping the hotels afloat and keeping the staff employed

 

My impression going down beach road is that there seems to indeed be less tour bus picking up/dropping off Chinese onto the speedboats than usual

 

[Asiantravel]

yes and it's not only in Pattaya either

 

" the drop in numbers is due to Chinese tourists "boycotting Thailand," a recent restriction on Chinese vehicles is more likely to blame."
 

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/997958.shtml

Edited September 20, 2016 by Asiantravel

[Guderian]

Oh, please, please...

[digbeth]

It's all one big organization apparently

[LennyW]

Hundreds of them swamped the motorway services this morning when we were on the way to the airport, no big buses white or any other colour.....just about a hundred mini vans!!! 

It was like somebody had stood on an ants nest and the inhabitants just spewed out i all directions...as usual, no regard for any traffic or anybody else.

[digbeth]

I'd take 4-5 minivans over one big bus going down central rd, if this is the way things are developing, for Pattaya, I'd hope the traffic situation alone would improve immensely 

[NanLaew]

This is a massive disruption of a colossal food chain. The Chinese-built buses were imported with some high-level of government 'approval' and the road tax people who happily ordered up and doled out the red plates for said buses must have also been paid to turn a blind eye. Just more proof if it were needed that Chinese influence and control remains undiminished at the top levels of Thai society and commerce regardless of who's sitting in Government House or the other big house.

[KittenKong]

Thailand ran out of prawns so they've all gone to Cambodia:

 

 

[guzzi850m2]

I read somewhere that TAT expect much more tourist arrivals mainly due to more Chinese coming?

 

We had dinner at a side soi to Naklua road last night and we moved into the rear of the restaurant as big buses filled with Chinese was passing out on the street in large no's. 

 

In the German restaurant we ate at there was a few Russian customers, one of them a very beautiful, tall slim young lady so there was a good view after all, ha-ha.  

 

I also certainly hopes that they ban big buses downtown, but it's unlikely to happen.

 

 

[joepattaya1961]

Truly amazing again.......the Chinese business people are far more clever than their Thai counter parts. 

The latter are probably sitting down waiting for the loads of Chinese attending their venues while the Chinese are far more creative and created a self-sustaining circle of tourist money. 

 

If the Thai were just a little bit more creative they would be better of, but no......the only thing they can do is demonstrating and complaining. 

[thaibeachlovers]

I hope so, even though Chinese totty is very easy on the eye.

Lots of empty hotels might finally filter through to more reasonably priced accomodation elsewhere in Pattaya.

During the boom of recent years, even inferior accomodation was being priced at ridiculous levels, like the Brit owned place on a certain square off Buakhao that was charging 600 for a dump that wasn't worth half that.

[digbeth]

Went past 'Rubber Land' ,one of the more prominent Chinese tourist trap on Northbound Suk between south and central this morning, from the usual rows of bus that extends out and occupy a whole lane of traffic, there were only a couple parked inside.

 

Enjoy the lack of bus while you can,

 

This is probably only temporary, once an 'understanding' has been reached with the government, I'm sure they'll be back to the old arrangements pretty soon

[chiang mai]

I wonder if anyone can make the connection between a recent downturn in Chinese tourists and the school holidays in China which end 1 September!

 

https://www.angloinfo.com/beijing/how-to/page/beijing-family-schooling-education-school-holidays

 

Duh!!!!!!

[NanLaew]

13 minutes ago, chiang mai said:

I wonder if anyone can make the connection between a recent downturn in Chinese tourists and the school holidays in China which end 1 September!

 

https://www.angloinfo.com/beijing/how-to/page/beijing-family-schooling-education-school-holidays

 

Duh!!!!!!

Can't say I observed huge numbers of Chinese families WITH KIDS here in Pattaya. Looked like whole villages of their grown up great unwashed out for week by the seaside.

 

But your experience may vary.

[onemorechang]

4 hours ago, KittenKong said:

Thailand ran out of prawns so they've all gone to Cambodia:

 

 

 

Reminds me of breakfast,   at a hotel on second road pattaya 18 years ago.

truly a most disgusting experience.

[DD13]

 

Oat Transport had 2135 buses impounded by the Government because of the zero dollar fiasco

 

another report said this has caused a drop of 60% in Chinese tourists

 

Oat Transprt (blue buses) were the main offenders for driving with their hazard warning lights constantly flashing......twits

 

So "Happy Safer Days" as far as I am concerned

 

 

Edited September 21, 2016 by Rimmer
Forbidden source removed

[cheapskatesam]

I actually befriended my local Asian Food Shop owner.. i helped her out by installing a new CCTV HD cameras shop ceiling. i often used to joke with her saying "what laws are you breaking" "are you paying tax".. we would have a laugh and eventually i came to believe i was wrong and prejudiced to assume she was breaking our laws because she's a Chinese. 

 

Fast forward a year or so and i came to find out she was paying the old pensioner that came in and did some shifts £20 cash in hand for about 20 hours of work a week!

 

I asked him why he did it and he said he was "bored" 

Edited September 21, 2016 by cheapskatesam

[chiang mai]

3 minutes ago, onemorechang said:

 

 

 

 

 

That's the price you pay sometimes for telling the truth.

many people cant except the truth.

 

 

Rubbish, it's a generic uninformed stereotypical response about a population of 1.4 billion! 

[Rimmer]

A racist troll post and replies have been removed, also an off topic troll post,

[joepattaya1961]

This so called 0-dollar "scheme" seems to be a typical and well organized way to get tourists where-ever you like them to be. 

 

Obviously, the Chinese tour-operators have moved their focus to the USA. 

[oldlakey]

On 9/21/2016 at 1:02 PM, DD13 said:

 

Oat Transport had 2135 buses impounded by the Government because of the zero dollar fiasco

 

another report said this has caused a drop of 60% in Chinese tourists

 

Oat Transprt (blue buses) were the main offenders for driving with their hazard warning lights constantly flashing......twits

 

So "Happy Safer Days" as far as I am concerned

 

 

Maybe they knew something concerning the standard of their driving

[chicowoodduck]

I hope this is true and not someone just jerking my chain????

 

Would mean I could eat my lunch in peace and quiet once again and not have to fight at the buffet line for a small plate of grub....?

[newnative]

There does seem to be fewer Chinese tourists in central Pattaya. There used to be hundreds of the metallic blue OA Transport buses parading down Pattaya Second Road--sometimes it almost looked like a train of them.  They've all disappeared and now there are some new metallic brown "First Transport' buses but not nearly as many.

[Khon Kaen Dave]

Apparently the Hong Kong Chinese refer to the mainland Chinese as 'locusts' the mainland Chinese hate it.

Its right though.

[onemorechang]

1 minute ago, Khon Kaen Dave said:

Apparently the Hong Kong Chinese refer to the mainland Chinese as 'locusts' the mainland Chinese hate it.

Its right though.

 

Be careful cant tell the truth,    members dont like it

but its ok,   i dont do Pc,  its BS.

Edited September 22, 2016 by onemorechang

[alofthailand]

There are less but it's a quiet time. However, the monuments on Pratumnak hill are very popular with coach parties. The Hong Kong and Singapore Chinese tend to be more independent, travel in smaller groups and dress more stylishly than mainland Chinese.

[alofthailand]

15 hours ago, cheapskatesam said:

I actually befriended my local Asian Food Shop owner.. i helped her out by installing a new CCTV HD cameras shop ceiling. i often used to joke with her saying "what laws are you breaking" "are you paying tax".. we would have a laugh and eventually i came to believe i was wrong and prejudiced to assume she was breaking our laws because she's a Chinese. 

 

Fast forward a year or so and i came to find out she was paying the old pensioner that came in and did some shifts £20 cash in hand for about 20 hours of work a week!

 

I asked him why he did it and he said he was "bored" 

What is this comment about? Which country? I do not understand it. What you describe seems unremarkable and not worthy of comment. What am I missing?

[CRUNCHER]

The lack of big buses on the streets of Pattaya has made a big difference to traffic - for the better.

 

If anyone in City Hall had half a brain they would use the hiatus (I guess it is nothing more) to introduce regulations (and enforce them) to keep big buses permanently off Pattaya streets, especially narrow sois.

[landslide]

On 9/20/2016 at 6:04 PM, KittenKong said:

Thailand ran out of prawns so they've all gone to Cambodia:

 

 

Unbelieveable!!!  The Chinese people must be starving at home.

[chiang mai]

1 hour ago, landslide said:

Unbelieveable!!!  The Chinese people must be starving at home.

 

Not really, Chinese love sea food of any kind but fresh seafood doesn't often make it's way into the centre or to the West of the country, China is very large.