CityNews – The Social Research Institute, Chiang Mai University, has published research into the effects of Chinese tourists to the local people in Chiang Mai, according to Korawan Sangkakorn, Researcher at the Social Research Institute.
Questionnaires were distributed to locals, mainly through social media.
The research found that on the whole, Chinese tourists were seen as a good thing economically, but most locals didn’t like the increase of Chinese tourists and cultural issues that come with them, despite trying to be open minded.
The research began in 2014, just before the boom of Chinese tourism which has in the last year seen many negative comments across social media.
In 2014, before the Chinese tourist boom, 70% of locals didn’t like dealing with Chinese tourists due to language barriers.
By 2015, opinions moved towards the poor behaviour of tourists, who had begun to arrive in much larger numbers than ever before.
However, the research found that in 2016, the attitude towards Chinese tourists has moved away from behavioural/cultural issues, and more towards traffic problems as many tourists are now bringing their cars into Chiang Mai.
Eight million Chinese tourists have visited Thailand in the last year, and at least one million have visited Chiang Mai.
Over the next four years, the research predicts around 300 million more Chinese tourists will visit over the next four to five years.