Why is Thailand, which used to be a poor tourist, so expensive now?

Thailand, which used to be a poor tourist, is too expensive to go. Will you go to Thailand again? On March 7th, it was one month since the pilot of outbound group tour resumed, and Thailand became the most popular international tourist destination. Countless China tourists who haven't traveled abroad for three years have chosen Thailand as the cheapest and most convenient first destination. Thailand's tourism industry, which has been stagnant for three years and is being restarted, also urgently needs China tourists to come and have fun.

Thailand, which used to be able to travel in poverty, was too expensive to go

But now, the price increase has become the biggest obstacle between this two-way trip. Due to the influx of tourists, shortage of manpower, inflation and rising prices in Thailand, "Thailand's consumption is almost catching up with Sanya", and the play experience is not as good as before. This makes China tourists who have just come out of the epidemic more hesitant, and casts a shadow over Thailand's recovering tourism industry.

A trip to Thailand with soaring prices

A coconut 15 yuan, a taxi starting price of 4 yuan and a pair of slippers of 45 yuan ... On the first day of arriving in Phuket, Zhang Fenghan gave up bookkeeping in order to keep a good mood in the face of outrageous prices. She muttered to herself, "This consumption is almost catching up with Sanya.".

Before leaving, Zhang Fenghan had a premonition that this trip to Thailand might not be as cheap and affordable as she imagined.

the first signal is the ticket. That was in early February. There was only one direct flight from Beijing to Bangkok every day, and the fare was nearly 4, yuan. She had to choose to transfer to Xiamen, but even so, the round-trip air ticket cost 4,742 yuan.

Open the reservation software, and the hotels that look a little more spacious and tidy are all priced at 4 yuan or 5 yuan. Considering that this is the first time to travel abroad, for the sake of safety and convenience, she gritted her teeth and booked the hotel in Sukunyi, a bustling business district, and spent 1458 yuan in Bangkok for three nights. Hotels in Phuket are more expensive, so she had to change her plan and only stay there for one night. In addition, hotels in Chiang Mai, telephone cards and reserved visa fees for 4 yuan, Zhang Fenghan spent almost 1, yuan before she left.

Thinking of a friend's saying, "I wandered around Chiang Mai for a month in 218 and spent less than 1, yuan", Zhang Fenghan sighed and comforted herself: "This time is different, it has just been liberalized, and the price is inevitably a little more expensive."

On February 6th, the national travel agencies and online travel enterprises were resumed on a pilot basis in China to operate China citizens' outbound group tours and "air tickets+hotels" business in relevant countries, and Thailand was among the first countries. At that time, people were eager to go abroad for three years, and Thailand was one of the easiest countries to go to. Zhang Fenghan can be said to have caught up with the first wave, and the expensive air tickets and hotels were also within her expectation.

but what she didn't expect was a comprehensive price increase.

On February 1th, Zhang Fenghan embarked on a long-awaited trip to Thailand. After arriving in Bangkok, she immediately felt the excitement of the tourist countries. The broadcasts in Thai and English rang alternately, and there were people around her. She dragged her suitcase all the way to the visa office, but she waited in line for more than half an hour before completing the formalities.

after leaving the airport, the first trip was unpleasant. A short trip to the night market, the taxi driver asked her for 8 yuan, and after asking for a watch, the other party gave her a pie pie and drove away with a swish. The next driver even quoted the price of 12 yuan at will, and Zhang Fenghan was a little angry. "Maybe I'm alone and I'm easy to bully.". Finally, she stopped a chug-chug car. According to the strategy, she gestured with 2 yuan firmly. After several haggles, she set off for the night market.

The brightly-lit street scenes along the way are all seen in tourist videos. The stalls in the night market are equipped with QR codes of WeChat and Alipay. The hottest online celebrity is called "Fruit Beauty". The vendors record vibrato videos in unfamiliar Chinese, but they are surrounded by European and American faces and incomprehensible Thai signs, and rarely see China people. She suddenly feels "familiar and unfamiliar".

after the novelty, Zhang Fenghan began to be stung by the price. Multiplying the Thai baht by .2 can convert the RMB price. Every time she spends it, she will have doubts. "How is it a bit expensive? Am I being slaughtered? "

A box of durian 4 yuan broke her fantasy of "durian is full" and a seafood 16 yuan. She looked at the food guide again. "Did you find the wrong place?" The most unacceptable thing for her is that ordinary pedicures in street massage shops should also be in 8 yuan. She took the price list to her friends who had been to Thailand, and her friends told her that it was too expensive to change, but several shops in a row all had the same price.

Every day, Zhang Fenghan is adjusting her spending budget, which makes her feel tired. In the end, she and her friends reached an understanding that "Thailand's tourism has really increased in price", so she can only hold the idea of "it's cheaper than Beijing anyway" and decide to spend it.

Zhang Fenghan's feelings are not unique. The Tourism Bureau of Thailand has published data, which shows that "the current air ticket prices in key cities in Thailand and China are 1.5 times higher than those before the epidemic, and the average expenditure of China tourists per trip has soared from 5, to 54, baht to 6, or even 15, baht", which is about 12, to 3, yuan.

Sun Caimeng, who has been to Thailand many times, feels that the price of traveling in Thailand has just risen to the range of "psychologically unacceptable, but the wallet can still bear it".

In the past few years, the main purpose of Sun Caimeng's visit to Thailand was to "spend the least money and enjoy the best life". During the rainy season in July and August, there were the least tourists in Thailand, so she was able to stay at the Hilton Hotel in 4 yuan. The same room was priced at nearly 2, yuan in Hangzhou. However, when she decided to go to Thailand at the end of January, the Hilton where she lived had risen to 1,4 yuan, and the Amy that she could book in 8 yuan in the past had risen to 3,4 yuan.

"Before the epidemic, I went to Thailand more often than I went back to my hometown in Shandong." When I was a model in an online shop, Sun Caimeng went to Thailand three or four times a year. The island in Thailand was once the favorite clothing shooting place of online celebrity store, with clear sea water and low price. The swimming pool and lush green plants are standard in the hotel. "It's very easy to take photos anywhere, and it costs only one or two thousand yuan to take a team photo."

After switching to the clothing fabric business, Sun Caimeng went to Thailand more frequently. In 217, she flew almost once a month. "It's convenient and affordable. I can come back at any time when I have something in China. I'm too tired to make money. I just want to find a place to enjoy my life."

Although the air tickets and hotel prices are rising this time, she and her boyfriend bought a flight from Hong Kong to Thailand on February 7, but Hilton was reluctant to book it. She found a forest hotel in Chiang Mai, and the price was more than 8 yuan per night. "I admit the price increase, and I really don't want to wait any longer after waiting for three years."