Tourism, Digital Social Communication and Development Discourse: A Case Study on Chinese Tourists in Thailand

Resident perceptions of Chinese tourists in Thailand

“…It is not only conducive to gain a better understanding of the impact of Chinese tourism growth on Thailand's tourism (Gong et al, 2019) but also helpful for a more comprehensive analysis of the national image represented by the micro picture of Chinese outbound tourists (Wu and Zhou, 2016). While some studies have evaluated the image of Chinese tourists (Feng et al, 2017;Huang, 2017;Malikhao, 2017), these studies have only explored the image of Chinese tourists from representations presented in Thailand's newspapers and media. For example, Feng et al (2017) from a study of 146 news reports in the Thai Daily (the largest circulation newspaper in Thailand) classified Thai society's cognitive image of Chinese tourists into following three aspects:…”

“…Such growth of Chinese outbound tourists to Thailand has had a profound impact on Thailand's society, thereby attracting the attention of academic researchers. Prior research in this context has mainly dealt with the impacts of Chinese tourism on Thailand (Wannapan and Chaiboonsri, 2017), the motivations of Chinese tourists to Thailand (Amonhaemanon and Amornhaymanon, 2015), Chinese tourists' satisfaction toward Thai tourism (Choibamroong, 2017), the perception of Thailand's destination image among Chinese tourists (Hou et al, 2013) and uncivil behaviours of Chinese tourists in Thailand (Malikhao, 2017;Zhu et al, 2018). However, research on resident perceptions of Chinese tourists in Thailand is minimal (Gong et al, 2019).…”

Responsible tourism in Bangkok, Thailand: Resident perceptions of Chinese tourist behaviour

“…On a smaller scale, studies suggest that cultural misunderstandings between Chinese tourists and residents in destinations like Bangkok have increased host–visitor tensions (Malikhao, ). In fact, certain disrespectful, unpleasant behaviours of Chinese tourists in general have led China's government in Beijing to create a blacklist affecting the credit ratings and travel freedoms of “uncivilized [Chinese] tourists” (Khun, ).…”

“…In fact, certain disrespectful, unpleasant behaviours of Chinese tourists in general have led China's government in Beijing to create a blacklist affecting the credit ratings and travel freedoms of “uncivilized [Chinese] tourists” (Khun, ). Thai authorities now address these concerns by sometimes issuing etiquette manuals to increase Chinese tourist sensitivity to local socio‐cultural and environmental issues (Fernquest, ; Malikhao, ).…”

“…In recent years, the country of Thailand has made tourism a “priority” policy and come to represent a microcosm of not only national but also global efforts to optimize the sustainability outcomes of a burgeoning international tourism industry (Kovačević, Kovačević, Stankov, Dragićević, & Miletić, ; Malikhao, ; Xiao, ). Only 10 years since political upheaval generated a tourism crisis in Bangkok in 2008 (Cohen & Neal, ), the nation's capital has gained international attention as the world's most popular tourism destination.…”