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Thai tour guides fret over return of Chinese interlopers, asking: who gains from mass tourism?
- Many Chinese travellers are being directed to Chinese tour agents instead of local ones, a shady business model which diverts cash from Thailand
- There are also Korean, Vietnamese and Russian guides working illegally; ‘if this continues, Thai tourism will fall into foreign hands’
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Despite a lifetime of expertise – and fluency in English and Mandarin – Thai tour guide Saichon Chounchou says he is being pushed down the pecking order as Chinese tourists return to Thailand only to be shepherded around by their own nationals who are prohibited to work in the profession.
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“You can find them at every tourist destination: Phuket, Samui, Chiang Mai, Bangkok. Everywhere the authorities turn a blind eye,” the frustrated 48-year-old told This Week in Asia.
As tourists from China, South Korea, Russia and elsewhere make a return, experts warn increasing numbers of visitors are being directed to tour agents from overseas – with most, according to Saichon, set up to siphon money away from Thailand.
Being a tour guide is a reserved profession for Thai citizens, and foreigners found breaching the regulation face fines or deportation. Yet it goes on in plain sight, says Saichon, explaining rampant corruption has allowed foreign-run tour companies to soak up profits from an industry that accounts for about 12 per cent of the nation’s economy.
“I am at a disadvantage because I play by the rules,” Saichon said.
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China is among Thailand’s top sources of foreign visitors. In 2019, a record 11 million Chinese tourists visited the country, a quarter of all foreign visitors that year.
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