NOTE -- First time I've seen tourism representing as much as 20% of the Thai economy. 

 

From Bloomberg News

 

 

• -- February arrivals from China surge past 1 million to record
•  
• -- More than 10 million are expected for the whole of 2018

Tourism is the gift that keeps on giving in Thailand, thanks especially to China.

 

Visitors from the world’s most-populous nation surged to a record 1.2 million in February, swelled by the Lunar New Year holiday period, Tourism Ministry data released Wednesday in Bangkok showed. The kingdom expects 38 million tourists overall this year, including more than 10 million from China.

Thailand’s relationship with Chinese tourists has sometimes been rocky. Visitor numbers collapsed toward the end of 2016, when the Thai administration cracked down on operators bringing in large groups from China on cut-price holidays. Those curbs were eventually eased and numbers have since rocketed.

 

Tourism is worth about a fifth of the Thai economy and has been an important growth driver for the military government that took power almost four years ago. But the boom is clogging infrastructure and threatens to take a bigger environmental cost on the beaches attracting so many visitors.

 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-21/chinese-tourists-just-can-t-get-enough-of-thailand

Interesting statistics...I suspect anyone sitting at Maxi's around 9:30pm and witnessing the stream of Chinese tourists (with guide) going to Dreamboys will not be surprised.

 

Wondering if this influx is equivalent to when the Americans (I'm one) hit Europe in the the 50s and 60s and earned the name "ugly Americans"...

 

Personally, I think its good for China to allow its citizens to travel...not only to help other economies but to visit places without the heavy thumb of censorship on the news and internet.