Bad Food, Poor Guides Hurt Thai Image: Chinese Tourists

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, August 29, 2002

Bad Food, Poor Guides Hurt Thai Image: Chinese Tourists

Low-quality food and tour guides are seen as main setbacks for the country's tourism industry in the eyes of Chinese travelers.

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Low-quality food and tour guides are seen as main setbacks for the country's tourism industry in the eyes of Chinese travelers.

A latest survey result released Thursday in Bangkok by the Thai Chamber of Commerce University (TCCU) based on random surveys among tourists from China, found that respondents picked food as one of their "worst experiences" during their stay in the kingdom, followed by low-quality guides, traffic jams and unwanted sex shows.

Chanin Yoopetch, an organizer of the survey said the two issues of bad food and guides are closely linked because most Chinese tourists come to Thailand on low-budget tours which always offer low-qualified guides and take them to places where food is below standard.

As a result, most of the respondents said they will choose to visit on their own if they revisit the kingdom in the future.

Meanwhile, tourism officials admitted that professional misconduct by tour guides and cheap tours are among problems tarnishing the country's image.

China has been increasingly important for Thailand's tourism sector, which accounts 6-7 percent of its economy.

Only 1,000 Chinese travelers visited the kingdom in 1991 but the number soared to 695,000 last year.

In 2001, Chinese tourists altogether spent 414 million US dollars in the country, making them the third-largest group among foreign tourists in term of revenue generation.

Thailand is embarking on a campaign to push Chinese tourist arrivals to one million next year and is also trying to lure more newly-rich Chinese by changing the image of the country seen as a low-budget destination.

However, researchers of the survey warned that negative impressions of Thailand could be a setback for the promotion efforts, and that Chinese tourists might shift to other destinations like Malaysia and Singapore.

They also urged authorities to monitor more closely the standards of tour agencies and tour guides before the Chinese guests abandon the kingdom for other destinations.

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