Suggestions as to best talk forum to reach traveling Chinese

[John Mitchell]

As this is my first post , I need some help .  I wish to reach traveling  Chinese folks in their home location, who may be considering a  holiday in Thailand.   My city in Thailand is being visited by thousands of vacationing  Chinese.  I have a little guest house and would like the opportunity of reaching them to see if I can be of service, either as a accommodation provider, or just to answer any questions they may wish to ask.

 

My question then becomes, is there a better forum or location to reach out to English speaking Chinese who may be considering going on holiday to Thailand?   Would appreciate some local wisdom on this question.  Thank you for your time.

[abcdefg]

Yes, there are a couple of good Chinese-Language websites that I sometimes consult before my inside-China trips, but they do cover other countries as well. Not sure you really want those, however. They are not bilingual.

 

As to English-language websites that might be appropriate, Tripadvisor is one. (Their Chinese-language affiliate is Daodao.) Lots of tourists from other parts of Asia seem to use Tripadvisor. I try to answer Yunnan questions there and see lots of posts by people from Singapore and Malaysia in particular.

 

www.daodao.com

www.tripadvisor.com

[John Mitchell]

If you have the time and interest , I would like to share something with you

About 20 years ago, I decided to retire for the third time, previously having tried to retire twice. I knew that doing nothing productive, constructive , just didn't do it for me.  I finished up a project in Indonesia, and during the years there travelled to Thailand quite a bit deciding that Thailand was the place to retire. So I proceeded to move to Thailand, minding all of the legalities.  Trying to find accommodations that were suitable to myself, I discovered that the locals really needed to have a lot of education and training in the real estate field.  To occupy my mind and soul, I decided to set up a real estate company.  Going through the legal , licensing , work permits etc., I set up this company.  Upon becoming legal , I stopped by a friends guesthouse , as I knew he was desirous to sell.   Cutting it short, I didn;t  list the guesthouse, I bought it ! !   Never did another bit of real estate work in the next almost 20 years not.  Operated the little guesthouse/bar/restaurant ever since.  Never looked back, never regretted it for a day.

 

Unfortunately, father time takes his due and passing the 70 year mark now.... it is time to really retire.

 

Why am I writing this in a Chinese Forum???  I am in Chiang Mai Thailand, and like many other places in Thailand, Chiang Mai is being inundated with Chinese holidaymakers.  This may in part be due to the hit movie of last year.  There is no guesthouse in Chiang Mai catering to the Chinese.  So I am looking for someone, possibly Chinese, who may be interested in buying and operating a guest house catering to the Chinese vacationer , of which there seem to be millions. As I said, we are a little guesthouse/bar/restaurant located right on the river and about a 20 minute walk from the east wall of the old city and close to the Chiang Mai Night Market.  I am not looking for a fortune, rather someone of some age who thinks that they may be interested in this type of business.   Again not looking for a fortune, but someone who likes to do things right, correct and legal.  Could this be you ??

 

The quality of life is just great, and the health care virtually free and second to none.  Great place for a couple of small family.  International School within couple hundred metres if you have children.  If anyone has questions or would like further information, please PM me or get back to me in some fashion

 

Thank you so much for your time.

JM

[abcdefg]

I know what you mean, Mr. Mitchell. When I was in Chiang Mai last spring I saw Chinese tourists everywhere and got pressed into service several times as an interpreter. (Chinese back and forth with English; not with Thai.)

 

Seems as though with such a huge Chinese tourist presence there already, it wouldn't require a lot of marketing. Main things would be a bilingual website, a way to drive viewers to it, and some bilingual staff.

 

Hope you find the right person or persons; sounds like it might be a great opportunity.

[John Mitchell]

Hi abcdefg, and hope you had a great time and have good memories of our fair city.  Yes, I thought I would like to give the Chinese go-getter a view or what I have in outline form....  China and its vast market seem to be the flavor of the month now.  I have sold it twice now to two different persons, who {Westerners} bought if verbally with deposit and went back home trying to sell some property back there.  In both cases it was a no go in the end as they couldn't sell their property.  Bad RE market in the west.  But as we know the Chinese market is a lot different at this time. 

If you do plan another trip to CM, please look me up , be good to meet you

JM

[abcdefg]

That's very kind of you, John. I had a great time in Chiang Mai and do look forward to returning. I like Thailand a lot. Currently live in Kunming and it's not all that far. (But I'm not a potential buyer -- just want to let you know.)

 

I stayed at Basic Line Hotel, Loi Kroh. Took a cooking class next door at Thai Kitchen. Had several excellent outdoor massages at nearby Mathawan Temple Thapae.

[John Mitchell]

Question to those more knowledgeable about China and China Forums.  With regard to the original post, would you be able to direct me to other forums, topics,  or internet locations where this request may be more in tune to reach others who may be interested ?  Maybe I posted in the wrong forum location.

 

Thanks

JM

[abcdefg]

To catch the eye of Chinese who are likely to travel to Thailand on holiday, ideally you need to post in Chinese on Chinese-language travel websites. (Or get a native speaker to do it for you.) Even bilingual Chinese are more likely to research and study such things in their mother tongue. An exception might be in Hong Kong where a higher level of English proficiency exists. (I'm not 100% sure about that and could be wrong.)

 

If you want to reach English-speakng expats who might have an interest in buying you out, then posts on English-language websites in first-tier cities might be helpful. Examples would be The Beijinger and Shanghaiexpat.

 

www.thebeijinger.com

www.shanghaiexpat.com

[John Mitchell]

Just got in a late read...... thanks for that abcdefg