Thailand Tackles ‘Cheap Travel’ Issues

[reader]

From Khaosod English

BANGKOK — The free visa policy for 53 countries/territories has led to a continuous increase in the number of tourists entering Thailand, with Chinese tourists ranking first. However, there are growing concerns that money is not flowing into Thailand as it should because Chinese zero-dollar tours have returned.

According to Tourism and Sports Economic Division, from January 1 to  August 18, 2024, Thailand received a total of 22,474,172 foreign tourists who generated revenue of 1.05 trillion baht through their spending. The five countries with the highest number of tourists are China (4,555,262), Malaysia (3,104,092), India (1,294,076), South Korea (1,193,255) and Russia (1,053,724).

Although Chinese tourists top the list, Thailand faces challenges related to market-disrupting tours [The practice of foreign tour companies using Thai nominees to bring foreign tour groups to Thailand involves offering the lowest possible prices — “underbidding with a willingness to take a loss” — to put Thai tour companies out of business and drive them out of the market).

 

[Keithambrose]

11 hours ago, reader said:

From Khaosod English

BANGKOK — The free visa policy for 53 countries/territories has led to a continuous increase in the number of tourists entering Thailand, with Chinese tourists ranking first. However, there are growing concerns that money is not flowing into Thailand as it should because Chinese zero-dollar tours have returned.

According to Tourism and Sports Economic Division, from January 1 to  August 18, 2024, Thailand received a total of 22,474,172 foreign tourists who generated revenue of 1.05 trillion baht through their spending. The five countries with the highest number of tourists are China (4,555,262), Malaysia (3,104,092), India (1,294,076), South Korea (1,193,255) and Russia (1,053,724).

Although Chinese tourists top the list, Thailand faces challenges related to market-disrupting tours [The practice of foreign tour companies using Thai nominees to bring foreign tour groups to Thailand involves offering the lowest possible prices — “underbidding with a willingness to take a loss” — to put Thai tour companies out of business and drive them out of the market).

 

Good points again. In Cambodia, my guide told me that the local economy  gains nothing from all the Chinese tourists,  who fly on Chinese Airlines,  travel on Chinese buses, and stay and eat in Chinese hotels. See discussion in other thread. 

[vinapu]

9 hours ago, Keithambrose said:

Good points again. In Cambodia, my guide told me that the local economy  gains nothing from all the Chinese tourists,  who fly on Chinese Airlines,  travel on Chinese buses, and stay and eat in Chinese hotels. See discussion in other thread. 

Which is best visible in new Siem Reap airport where inside I couldn't find even ONE  sign in Khmer, Chinese and English only

[Keithambrose]

3 hours ago, vinapu said:

Which is best visible in new Siem Reap airport where inside I couldn't find even ONE  sign in Khmer, Chinese and English only

Indeed, Chinese flags everywhere in the airport,  and the new town at the airport has a Chinese name!

[Moses]

6 hours ago, Keithambrose said:

Indeed, Chinese flags everywhere in the airport,  and the new town at the airport has a Chinese name!

What did you expect when new airport, funded by China as a part of its Belt and Road Initiative? who pays the piper calls the tune.

18 hours ago, Keithambrose said:

gains nothing from all the Chinese tourists,  who fly on Chinese Airlines,  travel on Chinese buses, and stay and eat in Chinese hotels

this is just jealousy guide who isn't hired as guide by Chinese company... Khmers are drivers in these buses, Khmers are workers in these hotels, Khmers are guides for these groups, Khmers are waiters in restaurants where Chinese are eating and Khmers sell to Chinese tourists all these souvenirs which they order ... from China  oh, and Khmers are workers in massage parlors, bars and saunas ...

[10tazione]

8 minutes ago, Moses said:

What did you expect when new airport, funded by China as a part of its Belt and Road Initiative? who pays the piper calls the tune.

I would expect there is a law that signs have to be written at least in the local  official language. But apparently there is now such law.

[Moses]

4 hours ago, 10tazione said:

I would expect there is a law that signs have to be written at least in the local  official language. But apparently there is now such law.

 

 

[unicorn]

16 hours ago, vinapu said:

Which is best visible in new Siem Reap airport where inside I couldn't find even ONE  sign in Khmer, Chinese and English only

It looks as though you didn't look very carefully at all. I have to support @Moses on this one. I went through that airport just last year.

 

Even a nod to the French colonials... 😉

[vinapu]

9 hours ago, Moses said:

What did you expect when new airport, funded by China as a part of its Belt and Road Initiative? who pays the piper calls the tune.

There's thing called keeping up appearances. In almost every country there are foreign investments and yet signages are in local language, not investor's one. 

[vinapu]

9 hours ago, Moses said:

 Khmers are drivers in these buses, Khmers are workers in these hotels, Khmers are guides for these groups, Khmers are waiters in restaurants where Chinese are eating and Khmers sell to Chinese tourists all these souvenirs which they order ... from China  oh, and Khmers are workers in massage parlors, bars and saunas ...

That's very nasty piece of argument straight from colonist handbook. 

Replace "Khmer " with any name of country ever colonized and occupied throughout history and is could be said the same,  including parts of you own country occupied by Germans 1941-43. 

[unicorn]

3 hours ago, vinapu said:

That's very nasty piece of argument straight from colonist handbook. 

Replace "Khmer " with any name of country ever colonized and occupied throughout history and is could be said the same,  including parts of you own country occupied by Germans 1941-43. 

Lord, we need to have a rolling eyes emoji which can be left as a reaction to postings.

The Chinese are hardly colonizing Cambodia. However, the Ukrainians may now be colonizing Russia! 😄

A screenshot from a video purportedly showing Ukrainian soldiers tearing down a Russian flag in Sverdlikovo, Kursk. Footage widely circulating online on Sunday appear to show at least two different groups of fighters ripping down Russian flags attached to buildings in Kursk.

[vinapu]

29 minutes ago, unicorn said:

 

The Chinese are hardly colonizing Cambodia. 

Mission almost accomplished, this is what I hear from Cambodians

[Moses]

43 minutes ago, unicorn said:

However, the Ukrainians may now be colonizing Russia! 

Oh, yeah... you should be teacher of subject "How to derail threads".

By the way: Russia took 1 Ukrainian republic - Crimea - and uses it 10 years already, took 4 Ukrainian regions and uses them almost 3 years. In total 125,000 sq.km. 

Ukraine controls 3 small districts along the border for 3 weeks, on second day after invasion they took 72 villages. Now they control just 28. It is PR company for the West, because sponsors are angry with no results since spring 2023. They expected Russia will move army from Donbas to Kursk. But Russia didn't.

And that is Ukrainian fail - over 5000 Ukrainian soldiers already died in Kursk region, and Ukraine just 3 days ago declared total evacuation of 2 cities in Donbas - Pokrovsk and Krasnoarmeisk and 14 villages.   https://www.economist.com/europe/2024/08/22/the-kremlin-is-close-to-crushing-pokrovsk-a-vital-ukrainian-town

Pokrovsk is strategical logistic hub for Ukrainian army in supplying whole eastern region of Ukraine. Fail of Pokrovsk is unavoidable because Ukraine took half of Western tanks and elite battalions to Kursk region. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c785z8917leo

So now Ukraine has +100 additional km of the front line, +5000 bodies to burn, and still will lose Pokrovsk. The only plus - short PR-campaign for 3 weeks. Ukraine exchanged 5000+  own soldiers to 3-5 "victory" reports and bunch of photos with Russian flags (see above)...

[vinapu]

16 minutes ago, Moses said:

Oh, yeah... you should be teacher of subject "How to derail threads".

By the way: Russia took 1 Ukrainian republic - Crimea - and uses it 10 years already, took 4 Ukrainian regions and uses them almost 3 years. In total 125,000 sq.km. 

Ukraine controls 3 small districts along the border for 3 weeks, on second day after invasion they took 72 villages. Now they control just 28. It is PR company for the West, because sponsors are angry with no results since spring 2023. They expected Russia will move army from Donbas to Kursk. But Russia didn't.

And that is Ukrainian fail - over 5000 Ukrainian soldiers already died in Kursk region, and Ukraine just 3 days ago declared total evacuation of 2 cities in Donbas - Pokrovsk and Krasnoarmeisk and 14 villages.   https://www.economist.com/europe/2024/08/22/the-kremlin-is-close-to-crushing-pokrovsk-a-vital-ukrainian-town

Pokrovsk is strategical logistic hub for Ukrainian army in supplying whole eastern region of Ukraine. Fail of Pokrovsk is unavoidable because Ukraine took half of Western tanks and elite battalions to Kursk region. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c785z8917leo

So now Ukraine has +100 additional km of the front line, +5000 bodies to burn, and still will lose Pokrovsk. The only plus - short PR-campaign for 3 weeks. Ukraine exchanged 5000+  own soldiers to 3-5 "victory" reports and bunch of photos with Russian flags (see above)...

Reads as copy of German reports from Eastern front from fall of 1941

[Moses]

30 minutes ago, vinapu said:

Reads as copy of German reports from Eastern front from fall of 1941

You can read the same "report"  here https://www.businessinsider.com/how-ukraine-audacious-military-offensive-kursk-russia-could-backfire-experts-2024-8

Western military experts say the same. "We don't know why they did that".

Let me show you the scale of the Ukrainian "victory" that Western propaganda is trumpeting

It is map of European part of Russia

It is map of Kursk region, Ukrainian soldiers are running in 3 districts of 28. They already lost over half of technic and about half of soldiers.

[unicorn]

[unicorn]

 

[unicorn]

12 hours ago, Moses said:

Oh, yeah... you should be teacher of subject "How to derail threads"....

I was just expanding on the prior comment "...including parts of your own country occupied by Germans 1941-43...", to point out that 1943 was not the last time foreign troops have occupied parts of Russian soil. 😉 Well, your country certainly has an ample supply of corpses to keep that war going as long as it wants. Whether it can replace the military hardware and supply of trained fighter pilots is more questionable. 

 

[Moses]

dreams... dreams... but they give hopes to desperate Ukrainians... country without economic and almost without males...

[vinapu]

3 hours ago, Moses said:

 but they give hopes to desperate Ukrainians... country without economic and almost without males...

Still holding up nicely.

And Russia, like every thug , attacked them for that reason, hoping for easy walk.

[unicorn]

7 hours ago, Moses said:

dreams... dreams... but they give hopes to desperate Ukrainians... country without economic and almost without males...

You're right. When it comes to body counts, Russia can win almost any war with almost any single country, since life is cheap in Russia. I don't see you volunteering for the fight against the hapless Ukraine, though. 

[Moses]

https://www.globalfirepower.com/country-military-strength-detail.php?country_id=russia last research, Jan 2024...

[Moses]

5 hours ago, vinapu said:

Still holding up nicely.

They not "holding". Zelensky's regime is grinding its residents into fertilizer under pressure from the West...

And the most shameful thing is that the West is collaborating with the Nazi regime.

[unicorn]

20 minutes ago, Moses said:

https://www.globalfirepower.com/country-military-strength-detail.php?country_id=russia last research, Jan 2024...

NATO would crush the Russian Federation. We have both better quantity and quality.

 

Narva's only 150 km from Petrograd...

[Moses]

2 hours ago, unicorn said:

NATO would crush the Russian Federation.

NATO will never participate in this conflict - nobody wants WW III