Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE MOVIE THAT LAUNCHED MILLIONS OF SUITCASES
The low-budget Chinese comedy, Lost in Thailand (2011), is a feel-good story about two mismatched travelling
companions who learn, through a series of misadventures set in Chiang Mai and northern Thailand, that human
relationships are more important than money. It became the highest-grossing domestic film in China, giving com-
petition to massively popular Hollywood hits such as Titanic and Avatar . But its influence has extended beyond
the silver screen, inspiring middle-class Chinese tourists to travel to Thailand in search of the temples and forests
depicted in the movie.
More than two million Chinese tourists visited Thailand each year in 2012 and 2013, and TAT estimates nearly
five million visitors per year in the coming years. Not only have the numbers increased but the demographics
have changed. A larger number are independent travellers, both young couples and families who come for week-
end breaks, thanks to direct flights linking Chiang Mai to China's major cities, or for weeklong holidays. Chiang
Mai's tourism industry is struggling to meet demand; it is estimated that the area's 40,000 hotel rooms have an
80% to 90% occupancy rate, according to the Chiang Mai Tourism & Business Association.
In these early days, the Chinese tourists fit into the existing tourism model designed for Westerners. But busi-
nesses are re-calibrating to suit Chinese tastes: fruit-shake stands have proliferated, signs and menus are now
written in Chinese, and Thai drivers repress their anger as Chinese tourists stop in the middle of the street to con-
sult a map. These new arrivals take some of the pressure off clueless fa·ràng and are a reminder that we are all
strangers in a strange land.
NIGHTCLUB
Monkey Club
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(7 Soi 9, Th Nimmanhaemin; 5pm-2am) This all-purpose club does dinner, drinks and dancing
for a tribe of affluent Thai students and expats who might migrate from the garden seats to
the glassed-in, all-white bar and club. It's a very happening place for the younger set.
Warm-Up
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( 0 5340 0676; 40 Th Nimmanhaemin; 9pm-2am) Still going strong, this hi-so dance club at-
tracts the young and the beautiful. Hip hop is spun in the main room, electronic house re-
verberates in the lounge, and rock/indie bands jam in the garden.
NIGHTCLUB
Entertainment
Sudsanan
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(Th Huay Kaew; 5pm-2am) Down a dark driveway near Kad Suan Kaew, this old wooden
house is filled with characters and songs. Mainly acoustic bands jog from samba to pleng
LIVE MUSIC
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