Blockbuster film scares Chinese vacationers away from Thailand

By AFP

BANGKOK: For tens of millions of Chinese vacationers, Thailand was a cheerful land of water fights, lantern festivals and scrumptious meals.

But due to social media rumours and a blockbuster film, the dominion’s picture amongst many Chinese folks is now one in all harmful illegality and seedy rip-off border compounds — leaving customer numbers plummeting.

Thailand is massively reliant on tourism, notably from China. The nation welcomed greater than 10 million Chinese guests every year earlier than the Covid-19 pandemic — numbers Bangkok is determined to see return.

But its struggling vacation trade has been hit by viral social media rumours claiming that vacationers is likely to be kidnapped and despatched throughout the border to work in brutal scamming compounds in Myanmar or Cambodia.

Chinese vacationer Jia Xueqiong spent per week in Thailand along with her husband and daughter, regardless of her mother and father’ disapproval.

“They felt it was not safe here, and tried to persuade us not to come,” the 44-year-old nurse advised AFP exterior Bangkok’s unusually quiet Grand Palace.

“All my friends said ‘You go first to explore, if it’s ok we will follow’,” she stated.

Her household and mates’ considerations had been stoked by “No More Bets”, a high-octane thriller claiming to be primarily based on “real events”, about a pc programmer who results in a violent scamming compound in Southeast Asia after being trafficked by way of an unnamed nation remarkably much like Thailand.

The film has some foundation in actuality.

Extensive reporting by AFP and different media has documented 1000’s of Chinese folks lured to centres in Southeast Asia, primarily in Myanmar and Cambodia, to function on-line scams fleecing victims for big sums.

But most of these concerned are tricked into it with pretend presents of profitable work — not dragged off the streets whereas on vacation — and thus far, no such rip-off compounds have been present in Thailand.

ALSO READ | Can China’s push to switch greenback with yuan as world’s reserve forex succeed?

Despite solely being launched in August, “No More Bets” has grow to be the third-most-popular movie in China this yr, raking in 3.8 billion yuan ($521 million) and super-charging on-line dialogue concerning the risks of visiting Thailand.

Beijing pupil Leanna Qian, 22, advised AFP that whereas she knew a number of the tales had been “exaggerated”, she was nonetheless involved about travelling to the dominion.

“I’m worried that we’ll be taken to other places, such as Cambodia or Myanmar,” she stated.

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Thailand welcomed a record-breaking 11 million Chinese vacationers in 2019 — 1 / 4 of all guests that yr, in line with official information.

But for the reason that begin of 2023, solely 2.3 million Chinese vacationers have come, and final week the Thai authorities introduced short-term visa-free journey for Chinese travellers in a bid to restart the circulate.

Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn, president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, advised AFP that unfavorable on-line chatter had performed a job within the drop.

“Things don’t happen in Thailand but Thailand is targeted,” he stated.

Rumours started in March on-line and unfold quickly, with posts shared and seen tens of millions of instances. Topics about whether or not journey in Southeast Asia was secure trended on Weibo.

The rumours grew so persistent that earlier this yr, the Thai embassy in Beijing launched an announcement reassuring guests that officers would “take measures to secure tourists’ safety”.

And throughout the border, the president of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents, Chhay Sivlin, advised AFP that the scenario was worse.

Chhay Sivlin stated her firm has acquired no Chinese tour teams thus far this yr, and suggestions highlighted many vacationers’ worries about security.

“If the Chinese government helps, we will receive tourists soon because Chinese people listen to their government,” she stated.

‘Never return’

Back in China, journey brokers are switching their focus from international journeys — which accounted for greater than 40 % of their tourism income pre-pandemic — to pushing home excursions.

Business can also be struggling the after-effects of Beijing’s draconian Covid management measures, which noticed round 1.2 billion folks unable to go away China after its borders had been shut in 2020.

Gary Bowerman, director of journey and tourism consulting agency Check-in Asia, stated it took time for folks to get used to travelling overseas once more.

“Going out of the country again, you start hearing about these scams… It does have an impact on people’s psychological willingness to travel,” he advised AFP.

Meanwhile, home journey is booming — particularly for youthful folks, who view it as an on-trend different to flying overseas, Bowerman defined.

In the workplace of a Beijing-based journey company, which declined to be recognized, workers had been busy pushing home vacation promotions.

The company previously employed greater than 200 folks however downscaled to just a few dozen because of the worsening world economic system, visa difficulties, and a gradual aviation trade restoration.

“There’s not much willingness to go abroad,” worker Guo, who requested to be referred to by just one identify, advised AFP.

And, she added, for Southeast Asia “there’s also the fear that they could go but never return.”

Outside Bangkok’s Grand Palace along with her household, vacationer Jia dismissed the fears of many inside China.

“It isn’t like what’s said on the internet, being scammed or other things,” she stated.

“There is nothing like that at all.”

BANGKOK: For tens of millions of Chinese vacationers, Thailand was a cheerful land of water fights, lantern festivals and scrumptious meals.

But due to social media rumours and a blockbuster film, the dominion’s picture amongst many Chinese folks is now one in all harmful illegality and seedy rip-off border compounds — leaving customer numbers plummeting.

Thailand is massively reliant on tourism, notably from China. The nation welcomed greater than 10 million Chinese guests every year earlier than the Covid-19 pandemic — numbers Bangkok is determined to see return.googletag.cmd.push(perform() googletag.show(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2′); );

But its struggling vacation trade has been hit by viral social media rumours claiming that vacationers is likely to be kidnapped and despatched throughout the border to work in brutal scamming compounds in Myanmar or Cambodia.

Chinese vacationer Jia Xueqiong spent per week in Thailand along with her husband and daughter, regardless of her mother and father’ disapproval.

“They felt it was not safe here, and tried to persuade us not to come,” the 44-year-old nurse advised AFP exterior Bangkok’s unusually quiet Grand Palace.

“All my friends said ‘You go first to explore, if it’s ok we will follow’,” she stated.

Her household and mates’ considerations had been stoked by “No More Bets”, a high-octane thriller claiming to be primarily based on “real events”, about a pc programmer who results in a violent scamming compound in Southeast Asia after being trafficked by way of an unnamed nation remarkably much like Thailand.

The film has some foundation in actuality.

Extensive reporting by AFP and different media has documented 1000’s of Chinese folks lured to centres in Southeast Asia, primarily in Myanmar and Cambodia, to function on-line scams fleecing victims for big sums.

But most of these concerned are tricked into it with pretend presents of profitable work — not dragged off the streets whereas on vacation — and thus far, no such rip-off compounds have been present in Thailand.

ALSO READ | Can China’s push to switch greenback with yuan as world’s reserve forex succeed?

Despite solely being launched in August, “No More Bets” has grow to be the third-most-popular movie in China this yr, raking in 3.8 billion yuan ($521 million) and super-charging on-line dialogue concerning the risks of visiting Thailand.

Beijing pupil Leanna Qian, 22, advised AFP that whereas she knew a number of the tales had been “exaggerated”, she was nonetheless involved about travelling to the dominion.

“I’m worried that we’ll be taken to other places, such as Cambodia or Myanmar,” she stated.

Action name

Thailand welcomed a record-breaking 11 million Chinese vacationers in 2019 — 1 / 4 of all guests that yr, in line with official information.

But for the reason that begin of 2023, solely 2.3 million Chinese vacationers have come, and final week the Thai authorities introduced short-term visa-free journey for Chinese travellers in a bid to restart the circulate.

Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn, president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, advised AFP that unfavorable on-line chatter had performed a job within the drop.

“Things don’t happen in Thailand but Thailand is targeted,” he stated.

Rumours started in March on-line and unfold quickly, with posts shared and seen tens of millions of instances. Topics about whether or not journey in Southeast Asia was secure trended on Weibo.

The rumours grew so persistent that earlier this yr, the Thai embassy in Beijing launched an announcement reassuring guests that officers would “take measures to secure tourists’ safety”.

And throughout the border, the president of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents, Chhay Sivlin, advised AFP that the scenario was worse.

Chhay Sivlin stated her firm has acquired no Chinese tour teams thus far this yr, and suggestions highlighted many vacationers’ worries about security.

“If the Chinese government helps, we will receive tourists soon because Chinese people listen to their government,” she stated.

‘Never return’

Back in China, journey brokers are switching their focus from international journeys — which accounted for greater than 40 % of their tourism income pre-pandemic — to pushing home excursions.

Business can also be struggling the after-effects of Beijing’s draconian Covid management measures, which noticed round 1.2 billion folks unable to go away China after its borders had been shut in 2020.

Gary Bowerman, director of journey and tourism consulting agency Check-in Asia, stated it took time for folks to get used to travelling overseas once more.

“Going out of the country again, you start hearing about these scams… It does have an impact on people’s psychological willingness to travel,” he advised AFP.

Meanwhile, home journey is booming — particularly for youthful folks, who view it as an on-trend different to flying overseas, Bowerman defined.

In the workplace of a Beijing-based journey company, which declined to be recognized, workers had been busy pushing home vacation promotions.

The company previously employed greater than 200 folks however downscaled to just a few dozen because of the worsening world economic system, visa difficulties, and a gradual aviation trade restoration.

“There’s not much willingness to go abroad,” worker Guo, who requested to be referred to by just one identify, advised AFP.

And, she added, for Southeast Asia “there’s also the fear that they could go but never return.”

Outside Bangkok’s Grand Palace along with her household, vacationer Jia dismissed the fears of many inside China.

“It isn’t like what’s said on the internet, being scammed or other things,” she stated.

“There is nothing like that at all.”