Someone on AN said it's due to them having 40% unemployment.
I am sure someone on here can verify or otherwise that figure.

Articles this week in the Post are saying that possibly Thailand isn't looking quite as bad as we thought it was last week.
China on the other hand....

I'm OK with Chinese tourists in general but I'm definitely not fond of the mass market tour groups of rural Chinese, led around by flag waving tour leaders, for many that will be their first time out of China. I lived and worked in China for two years in 95 & 96. Tiananmen Square in Beijing is one place all rural Chinese seem aspire to visit, it's almost a pilgrimage of sorts. I would walk through the square on a Sunday and first timers would see me and stand and stare because none had ever seen a white westerner in the flesh before, small children actually became scared and would cry (I have that effect on people some times). When those same people come to Thailand for holidays, it's the same way for many and they behave in the same novelty fashion. Where I live in Chiang Mai I'm surrounded by middle class Thai's, most of whom send their kids to the very pricey Prem private school. They are very different, we've socialised several times and have one couple we regard as friends, they're normal people, just like you and me, er, well perhaps you, I'm not that normal. My wife has a very close Chinese girlfriend who just finished her Masters at Chula and she's great value to talk to and listen to, it's great insight into Chinese family life.

I think I saw you in Tiananmen, did you have longish hair and a moustache, wearing flares and a brown jacket? As I recall you were carving your name on the side of Mao's Mausoleum, "Oldie waz 'ere"? Bloody vandal.

So much angst over the highly manufactured and false economic claim of goddamn tourism.

I've thought about this. The major economic benefit to Thailand of international tourism is that it helps support consumer spending and the income of average Thai's, hotels, shops, restaurants, bars, transport, tours etc. Government benefits because of increased VAT income (the major indirect tax) and avoidance of the support it would have to pay to poorer Thais at the local level. BOT benefits because it gets a small amount  of foreign currency to stash in the Foreign currency reserves but not that much I suspect. I imagine most travellers from overseas will pay for their air fares in their home country and some will even pay for packaged tour costs there. All in all, international tourism is an easy win for a country's economy, they don't have to do much or spend much but they get a good return, mostly, it keeps people on the bottom end happy because they have employment and income.