Explained: Why Tourists From China Are Being Drawn To Thailand's LGBTQ+ Community

Thailand has established itself as a welcoming refuge for the LGBTQ+ community. Thailand is well-known for its beautiful beaches, extensive cultural heritage, and exciting nightlife.

In recent years, an increasing number of LGBTQ+ tourists from China have started travelling to Thailand to celebrate and embrace who they truly are in a welcoming environment. Here we examine the causes of this trend and its effects on the LGBTQ+ population in Thailand and China.

How Thailand Has Become A Refuge For China's LGBTQ+ Community

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Xinyu Wen visited Thailand in June and organised her two-week trip around the Pride celebration in Bangkok. Instead, the 28-year-old stayed for a month and a half because her participation in the march sparked conversations and new understandings in the booming LBGTQ+ community in the Thai capital.

Many LGBTQ+ people from China who are routinely mocked and excluded at home are attracted to Thailand by the freedom to be who they are.

Wen remarked, "I felt like I was in a giant party or a huge amusement park while I was walking along the procession on the streets of Bangkok."

"We could forget about anything disturbing and have fun."

Thailand's tourism authorities regularly advertise Bangkok's reputation as one of the most welcoming cities in the region for LGBTQ+ persons. Bangkok is only a five-hour flight from Beijing.

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When a friend emailed Wen a picture of rainbow-coloured, Pride-themed ice cream being sold on the streets, Wen became intrigued by Thailand. Wen identifies as queer, which, in her words, implies that both she and her partners can be of any gender.

At home, Wen claimed that she frequently encounters judgmental looks from bystanders because she wears her hair short like a man's and that once, her barber inquired, "What happened to your life?"

Wen, however, observed that at the June Bangkok Pride march, people were free to dress however they pleased. She was thrilled to be able to let her guard down and express herself in public finally.

She went on to say that she was particularly moved by the protest component of the event when participants carried placards with traditional Chinese writing that read, "China has no LGBTQ" and "Freedom is what we deserve."

She researched the situation in Thailand before her trip and discovered stories indicating that prejudice is still pervasive, particularly in the workplace. Thailand does not recognise same-sex relationships or marriages, which prevents them from adopting children and using other legal procedures available to straight couples.

Wen came to the procession with some scepticism. But ultimately, it empowered her.

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The Record Of Chinese Visitors To Thailand Is 2.2 Million

According to Apichai Chatchalermkit, a representative of the Thailand Tourism Authority, LGBTQ+ visitors are "high-potential" since they frequently travel and spend more money than other tourists.

"Using a photo of LGBTQ+ individuals in tourism advertisements is considered as offering a warm welcome without discrimination," he stated.

Thailand doesn't track statistics on LGBTQ+ visitors. However, out of 16 million visitors, it has only recorded 2.2 million Chinese visitors as of mid-August.

Many of his Chinese clients, according to gay real estate agent Owen Zhu in Bangkok, are also staying in the homes they purchase. Most of his LGBTQ+ clientele, according to his estimate of 2/3 of them, purchase flats to live in on a part- or full-time basis.

He noted that there are numerous chat groups where homosexual guys from China arrange travel to Thailand and share information about parties and tickets to events. "Among Chinese gay people, Thailand is known as gay's heaven," he stated.

China Is Not So Open About LGBTQ+ Community

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China does not have strong prohibitions against homosexuality, but other Asian nations do. For example, Malaysia declared in August that anyone possessing an LGBTQ+-themed watch might face a three-year sentence. However, there are additional social pressures on Chinese LGBTQ+ persons to fit in that can make expressing their identities freely challenging.

Jade Yang, a lesbian in her traditiocannal province in central China, was persuaded to wed a gay guy by her parents so that they could both maintain their fa?ades.

When the 28-year-old, who works in the entertainment industry, visited Thailand for the first time four years ago, she recalled being astonished to overhear individuals discussing their same-sex lovers in casual conversation. Yang moved to Thailand in February, claiming she wanted to leave her hometown because she despised lying to her family and friends about the marriage.

Now that she doesn't have to worry about behaving as a straight woman, she claimed, she can date the ladies she loves and concentrate on her academics and job.

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