Of the 24.7 million foreign tourists that visited Thailand last year, nearly 5 million were Chinese. More are expected to arrive this year, especially during national festivals such as this week's Songkran.
With the arrival of Chinese tourists in the Kingdom has also come news of inappropriate and insensitive behaviour. Some of these incidents have been picked up by mainstream media — washed underwear hung out to dry at an airport lounge; Chinese tourists washing their feet in public restroom facilities; washing in public toilets; in-flight quarrels on airplanes. Each incident has served to embolden a negative image of Mainland Chinese visitors to Thailand.
In addition to Bangkok, Chiang Mai is another popular location for Chinese tourists to visit. The northern city has experienced a surge in the number of Chinese visitors in the past 10 years. In 2013, the city saw a 250% increase in Chinese arrivals from the previous year.
Last month, Thai researchers at Chiang Mai University completed a study, funded by Thailand Research Fund, entitled "Developing of the Chinese Tourism Market for Chiang Mai".
The results of the survey on Chinese tourists, conducted in Chiang Mai between February and March this year, revealed a few patterns. Of the respondents, 59.7% said it was their first trip to Thailand; 84% were first-time visitors to Chiang Mai. The most popular destinations among those surveyed included Chiang Mai University, Doi Suthep and Ta Pae Walking Street.
The survey also asked local Thais about the impact of Chinese tourists in Chiang Mai. While 32% of respondents agreed that Chinese tourists boost the local economy, 71% said that they've lost peace and privacy at tourist attractions, and 81% said Chinese tourists are the main source of nuisances such as loud noises, queue-cutting, smoking and spitting.
Korawan Sangkakorn, a senior researcher at the Social Research Institute of Chiang Mai University, said these types of actions are unacceptable in many cultures, but it is important to understand that the behaviour often stems from a lack of understanding.
"It is not intentional and one has stop pointing fingers," said Korawan. "To keep up with the rapid rise of the middle class and its growing wealth in China, we have to train our own people to understand them better and constructively address the problem. Venting our displeasure on Facebook is not the answer."
Through her research, Paipan Thanalerdsopit, a senior researcher at Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna, Chiang Mai, said she has found that the Chinese understand what it means to follow the law, but there is sometimes a lack of understanding as to manners and customs.
"Thais have to learn to be more empathetic towards them," she said. "We don't have a squeaky clean reputation as tourists ourselves."
Paipan believes it is social media and its tendency for inflating issues that is to blame for much of the resentment toward Chinese tourists.
The incident involving a Chinese tourist washing his feet in a public restroom's sink was another incident that she said showed the importance of not passing judgement until the facts are made clear.
"The truth behind this incident was that there was no place for tourists to wash their feet after getting off the boat, so everyone was washing them in the sink. It was most unfortunate that the person who took this photo chose to pick the Chinese tourist," said Paipan. "I believe that it has become a sport to find fault in Chinese tourists."
The China National Tourism Administration this week announced that it will blacklist badly-behaved Chinese tourists to save national face at home and abroad. Disrupting public transport, damaging private or public property, disrespecting local customs, sabotaging historical exhibits or engaging in gambling or pornographic activities will be considered offences for inclusion on a national database.
The majority of Chinese tourists, however, are aware of the bad publicity generated by some of their compatriots.
"Chinese people have become richer, especially the middle class, but that does not mean their manners will change overnight," said Zeng Hong, 45, a Chinese national from the southern city of Guangzhou.
Zeng, a university professor, was in a tour group with her elderly mother, and visiting Thailand for the first time.
"It will take time to educate people who have never left their province on how to behave when they are outside their country. It is common to hear people say that boorish Chinese tourists bring piles of cash but mountains of problems, which for me is embarrassing."
She believes looking at the problem with a wider perspective could help shed light on the issue.
"Many tourists in my tour group hail from small cities in northern China, which are not as developed as in Beijing or Shanghai. Many Chinese tourists have no international exposure; their life revolves around their work and home. I would also like to add that the younger generation's manners are much better than those of the older generation, because they are more open to change," Zeng said.
After visiting several Thai tourist sites, she said more signs should be put up in Chinese to explain appropriate and inappropriate behaviour. An etiquette manual is always useful as well, she said, but tour companies should enforce rules and regulations more seriously.
Also from Guangzhou was Chen*, 27, who had heard about an altercation between a young female Chinese passenger who threw a hot bowl of noodles on a Thai stewardess after allegedly becoming upset over airplane seating arrangements.
"I was not happy about it. However, I do not believe it is right to generalise or regard all Chinese tourists with the same attitude. This is an isolated case," Chen, 27, said.
"In my opinion, the root cause of such issues is the language barrier. I would also suggest that if you see a Chinese tourist misbehave, go right up to them and tell them to stop. One has to realise that back home they display the same manners that are deemed offensive in Thailand. I believe education and conversation is the answer."
Zhang*, another Chinese tourist, believes social media serves to exacerbate the problem.
"I do not condone what some Chinese tourists have done in Thailand, but social media makes it seem worse than it actually is. If I was to pick on the behaviour of Thai tourists [abroad], I think I would be able to unearth negative behaviour as well," he said.
"Due to China's large population, I do not believe there is a quick fix to the problem. We require time, patience, understanding and also consideration from both parties to work towards a solution," Zhang added.
*Full names withheld
