Thailand launches new initiatives to ensure quality travel experiences for Chinese tourists

[webfact]

Thailand launches new initiatives to ensure quality travel experiences for Chinese tourists

Theodore Koumelis

 

The new initiatives are aimed at regulating the minimum price for group tours marketed to Chinese nationals and will include set prices per person for the cost of tours with gold, silver and platinum tour packages for Chinese tourists to choose

 

BANGKOK – Thailand is introducing a raft of initiatives to ensure a quality travel experience for Chinese tourists visiting the kingdom. These measures came after a meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister General Tanasak Patimapragorn on 5 October, 2016 at the Tourism Authority of Thailand(TAT)’s Head Office in Bangkok.

 

The meeting was attended by heads of public and private tourism bodies including the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the Tourist Police, the Tourism Council of Thailand, the Association of Thai Travel Agents, the Thai Hotels Association, the Professional Tourist Guides Association of Thailand, and the Chinese-speaking Tour Guides Club of Thailand.

 

Deputy Prime Minister General Tanasak Patimapragorn said, “This is the comprehensive cooperation of the related public and private organisations which will make Thailand become the preferred destination for Chinese tourists and will help Thai tourism to grow sustainably.”

 

Full story: http://www.traveldailynews.asia/news/article/62971/thailand-launches-new-initiatives-to?

 

-- Travel Daily News 2016-10-10

[Dexlowe]

This has the potential to have the opposite effect and strangle Chinese tourism. It will stifle flexibility in tour scheduling, which tour operators need to compete with others, and encourage even more "instant" tourism attractions set up purely for Chinese tourists and which are a sham (there are a growing number around Pattaya these days). It would be far better to expend time and energy in law enforcement and weed out the shysters, and let market forces decide what is best.

[harada]

[waldroj]

So, why did they bother to do an exit survey about the tourist experience for the Chinese? (http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/945852-chinese-tourist-survey-thailand-is-number-one-for-us-but-3-say they-are-never-coming-back/) 

 

If that survey is to be believed, the Chinese are already satisfied with their visit. Still, the

 

Thais know better about what foreign tourists want. 

[jaltsc]

“Thailand is introducing a raft of initiatives to ensure a quality travel experience for Chinese tourists visiting the kingdom.”

And....What about the quality of the experiences of rest of the tourists?

[jonclark]

Having read the article - bland is how I can best describe the measures...."a standardized level of quality for attractions..'

 

And what exactly is the standard - excellent, good, average,  -  is the standard related to the package - i.e.  platinum package = excellent standards , silver = average standards. 

 

[Saraphee]

Heaven help those going for the bronze!

[trainman34014]

''Quality travel experiences''    Does this mean if they pay more they will squeeze three or four bodies less into a Minibus, or give them an extra spoon of rice at lunchtime ?

[yellowboat]

They are on the verge of killing a good thing. 

[elgordo38]

Take them on a eco tour showing the mountains of garbage and broken down incinerators. Throw in broken sewage pipes for good measure. Then tell them that you need them to keep coming to fix things. 

[SOTIRIOS]

......100 years later....as for the rest of us........same !@#$%^&* ....???

[Bob12345]

6 hours ago, jonclark said:

Having read the article - bland is how I can best describe the measures...."a standardized level of quality for attractions..'

 

And what exactly is the standard - excellent, good, average,  -  is the standard related to the package - i.e.  platinum package = excellent standards , silver = average standards. 

 

To me it reads as follows:

 

Thailand will make a list of tourist attractions that they deem appropriate for the Chinese to visit. 

These attractions have a standardized level of quality (which can mean anything, details are lacking) and set prices.

 

Chinese tour operators can now offer their Chinese customers 3 types of packages:

1 - silver: the cheapest option probably with a big bus and 3-star hotels

2 - gold: medium priced option with a smaller group (or more guides) and better hotels

3 - platinum: more individual care, better guides, nicer transport, more freedom, better hotels (5-star)

 

The price of the tour will be a combination of the type of package plus the attractions they want to visit.

 

Each type of package has a minimum spending amount per day locally that the tour operator should reach otherwise they will be penalized by the government.

So if you enter the country the customs guy will see you joined a certain tour and might demand you show proof the tour company has paid a certain minimum amount for hotels bookings and entrances fees upfront to Thai registered business.

 

 

All together not a bad plan although it makes everything a "mass" event without leaving many options open for the Chinese companies to differentiate themselves from others and you can bet the only way a Thai business passes the standardized level of quality if they pay enough under the table.

 

 

Btw, I am just making assumptions based on the little I read in the article and how I might approach something like this myself. Of course it should have been the journalist who asked questions and made a full report explaining the details of the plan. Next the journalist could check with local business owners and tour companies what they think of the plan but off course this is Thailand where you only have reporters (people who write down what people tell them to write down) and no real journalists and newspapers.

Edited October 10, 2016 by Bob12345

[nong38]

The quality of the flags they follows so they dont lose anyone really does need looking at some of them are very shabby.

[Retiredandhappyhere]

Why do they not just try to improve some of the so-called 'Tourist attractions", as advertised in brochures and on road signs.   Some I have visited have been a real disappointment, like one in Mae Wong consisting of a river running over large boulders (very attractive) but the facilities consisted of rather shabby unhygienic food kiosks and a cafe with quite disgusting toilets.  There were waste bins next to the river, but they were overflowing and smelt revolting. Previous visitors had left broken bottles and junk squashed into the cracks in the boulders on which chlidren were playing.  I spent half an hour going round collecting as much rubbish I could but particularly all the glass, much to the amusement of the Thai visitors and vendors, who probably mused about the crazy farangs.

 

Much needs to be done to attract more tourists, some of which are, admittedly, quite costly, but many just require a small amount of cash and a little bit of education and enforcement.

[williamgeorgeallen]

33 minutes ago, Bob12345 said:

To me it reads as follows:

 

Thailand will make a list of tourist attractions that they deem appropriate for the Chinese to visit. 

These attractions have a standardized level of quality (which can mean anything, details are lacking) and set prices.

 

Chinese tour operators can now offer their Chinese customers 3 types of packages:

1 - silver: the cheapest option probably with a big bus and 3-star hotels

2 - gold: medium priced option with a smaller group (or more guides) and better hotels

3 - platinum: more individual care, better guides, nicer transport, more freedom, better hotels (5-star)

 

The price of the tour will be a combination of the type of package plus the attractions they want to visit.

 

Each type of package has a minimum spending amount per day locally that the tour operator should reach otherwise they will be penalized by the government.

So if you enter the country the customs guy will see you joined a certain tour and might demand you show proof the tour company has paid a certain minimum amount for hotels bookings and entrances fees upfront to Thai registered business.

 

 

All together not a bad plan although it makes everything a "mass" event without leaving many options open for the Chinese companies to differentiate themselves from others and you can bet the only way a Thai business passes the standardized level of quality if they pay enough under the table.

 

 

Btw, I am just making assumptions based on the little I read in the article and how I might approach something like this myself. Of course it should have been the journalist who asked questions and made a full report explaining the details of the plan. Next the journalist could check with local business owners and tour companies what they think of the plan but off course this is Thailand where you only have reporters (people who write down what people tell them to write down) and no real journalists and newspapers.

but 99% of chinese want the bronze package. does not leave many arrivals for the other options. 

[taff33]

Yes please.

[eastendanto]

7 hours ago, jaltsc said:

“Thailand is introducing a raft of initiatives to ensure a quality travel experience for Chinese tourists visiting the kingdom.”

 

And....What about the quality of the experiences of rest of the tourists?

Well if they're using Platinum, Gold and Silver as the benchmark for packages I would say that Farangs get the Tin Foil package....and knowing the thrift of many of the Chinese I'm sure they'd opt for the Tin Foil package all day long 

[tbthailand]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand launches new initiatives to ensure quality travel experiences for Chinese tourists

 

and here I thought it might include practical items like "teaching them to swim before they jump in the ocean", ... 

[chainarong]

7 hours ago, jaltsc said:

“Thailand is introducing a raft of initiatives to ensure a quality travel experience for Chinese tourists visiting the kingdom.”

 

And....What about the quality of the experiences of rest of the tourists?

They'll still get searched and urine tested

[anon4637435435]

What a load of rubbish. Seems to me the best way to get more quality tourists regardless of race is to stop trying to interefere.

Its sounds so pathetic. The TAT have absolutely no idea by the sounds of it.

They should be investigating how we can get a better quality TAT first.

And then go clean the place up and teach people that a genuine smile is far more rewarding. LOGS.... Hmmm. I would go there.

[fruitman]

14 hours ago, Retiredandhappyhere said:

Why do they not just try to improve some of the so-called 'Tourist attractions", as advertised in brochures and on road signs.   Some I have visited have been a real disappointment, like one in Mae Wong consisting of a river running over large boulders (very attractive) but the facilities consisted of rather shabby unhygienic food kiosks and a cafe with quite disgusting toilets.  There were waste bins next to the river, but they were overflowing and smelt revolting. Previous visitors had left broken bottles and junk squashed into the cracks in the boulders on which chlidren were playing.  I spent half an hour going round collecting as much rubbish I could but particularly all the glass, much to the amusement of the Thai visitors and vendors, who probably mused about the crazy farangs.

 

Much needs to be done to attract more tourists, some of which are, admittedly, quite costly, but many just require a small amount of cash and a little bit of education and enforcement.

 

Once i took a tourist trip to a natural reserve (island next to koh Samui) to find out the beaches were full of broken glass bottles.I even had to pay 200 baht to enter that island.

 

For sure i won't go picking up dirt since i'm a paying tourist. I just avoid all Thai tourist attractions since they are dangerous and i refuse to pay a higher price than my Thai wife/family has to pay. 

[freebyrd]

I wonder if they will include peeing into cups in the street. Probably not as the Chinese are already well versed in that sort of bad behaviour.

[DrTuner]

Hey that's nice, now the Chinese get to choose if they'll get ripped off normally, massively or insanely before even setting a foot on Thai soil. Very convenient.