Thailand’s Neighbors Take Off with Chinese Tourists After Crackdown on ‘Forced Shopping’ Tours

[geovalin]

With Thailand’s recent crackdown on so-called zero-dollar tours—tour packages priced below cost that often target Chinese travelers and recoup losses from forced shopping and dining—it appears as if neighboring Southeast Asian countries are taking off in its place. Thailand, previously the number one destination for zero-dollar tours outside China, seems to have succeeded in limiting the notorious tours domestically, but Chinese travelers’ high demand for cheap tours has simply shifted supply elsewhere.

 

Despite a turbulent year with its recent tourism crackdown and the general unease among tour operators surrounding the Thai king’s passing, Thailand and Japan topped China’s leading online travel marketplace Ctrip’s list of top destinations for the Chinese New Year Golden Week early next year. If Ctrip’s predictions hold true remains to be seen, but it’s safe to say that reduced visa fees for Chinese tourists—an initiative which started this month—is boosting the attractiveness of tourism in Thailand among Chinese holidaymakers.

 

For Thailand’s neighbors, the vacuum left by the zero-dollar crackdown provided plenty of opportunities to tap the suddenly untapped demand for cheap overseas travel. As a result, demand for trips to surrounding countries with less regulated tourism industries has picked up, with multiple new air connections between China and Thailand’s neighbors introduced in the last few months.

 

read more https://jingdaily.com/thailands-neighbors-take-off-chinese-tourists-crackdown-forced-shopping-tours/

[alant]

Would you believe it, those dashed Chinese, no loyalty...

[yellowboat]

Thai government has just learned a valuable business lesson; customers are hard to keep and easy to lose.   Most of Thailand's neighbors are more deserving of the business anyway and they have direct flights to China. 

[atyclb]

2 hours ago, yellowboat said:

Thai government has just learned a valuable business lesson; customers are hard to keep and easy to lose.   Most of Thailand's neighbors are more deserving of the business anyway and they have direct flights to China. 

 

 

learned ???? you really think learning took place??

[louse1953]

57 minutes ago, yellowboat said:

Thai government has just learned a valuable business lesson; customers are hard to keep and easy to lose.   Most of Thailand's neighbors are more deserving of the business anyway and they have direct flights to China. 

Really!The neighbors will wake up when they count the coast of hordes of Chinese coming,then count the pitiful money they earnt out of them.Do they have prawn buffets in Laos and Cambo?I don't rekon the Vietnamese will stand for it.Nepalese friends who own guest houses in Nepal already say full house when the Chinese come a knocken.

[yellowboat]

2 hours ago, louse1953 said:

Really!The neighbors will wake up when they count the coast of hordes of Chinese coming,then count the pitiful money they earnt out of them.Do they have prawn buffets in Laos and Cambo?I don't rekon the Vietnamese will stand for it.Nepalese friends who own guest houses in Nepal already say full house when the Chinese come a knocken.

Really !   Some Chinese are wonderful.  Some of the Chinese that you are referring to are not even welcomed travelers in their own country.  It is a case of having to put up with the bad to enjoy the good.  

[hawker9000]

11 hours ago, yellowboat said:

Thai government has just learned a valuable business lesson; customers are hard to keep and easy to lose.   Most of Thailand's neighbors are more deserving of the business anyway and they have direct flights to China. 

 

I used to subscribe to that belief, but am now convinced they'll never learn their lesson.   "Learning lessons" translates to "We were wrong", and that just isn't in the DNA.   The neighbors in the region, never having experienced the relative affluence that Thailand has, still have the kinder, gentler mindset that first brought tourists to Thailand decades ago.  Someday that'll probably change, too, but for now, it's the thing a thriving tourist trade is built on.   Thailand is on its way to becoming a Chinese vassal province:  up to them.

 

 

[heybuz]

five new chinese airlines have just received approval to fly into Australia, more expensive for the chinese tourist but different for them than another asian experience and good for aussies flying to china 

[hawker9000]

On ‎12‎/‎23‎/‎2016 at 0:18 PM, heybuz said:

five new chinese airlines have just received approval to fly into Australia, more expensive for the chinese tourist but different for them than another asian experience and good for aussies flying to china 

'Will be interesting to see how many Chinese tourists start flooding into Australia (and how well Aussies tolerate their antics)...

 

 

[heybuz]

51 minutes ago, hawker9000 said:

'Will be interesting to see how many Chinese tourists start flooding into Australia (and how well Aussies tolerate their antics)...

 

 

i think they come to buy property which they can own outright, the chinese population in australia is becoming quite large, downside is house prices are becoming un affordable for the average

[hawker9000]

3 hours ago, heybuz said:

i think they come to buy property which they can own outright, the chinese population in australia is becoming quite large, downside is house prices are becoming un affordable for the average

I certainly didn't know that.  I wouldn't have thought that so many Chinese would have so much discretionary income to be able to buy property there.  Some number, sure.  China's a huge country and there are probably plenty of the socialist elite numerically, from the perspective of most not nearly so populous countries.    But I just didn't realize that many.  How hard is it for them to actually immigrate and naturalize?