PHUKET: First the Good News: BBC television in a report from Phuket says that Thailand is fast becoming a hot destination for tourists from China, providing a boost for the country's economy.

Now the Bad News: In a report for a Malaysian outlet, a regular traveller to Phuket says that the Phuket people are no longer as friendly as they once were and can be downright greedy, even rude and racist.

Who to believe? Well, perhaps both.

The BBC's Jonah Fisher found people in Phuket's tourism industry who acknowledge the obvious - that waves of ''noisy, messy and untidy'' Chinese are rapidly seeing off Phuket's traditional European visitors.

Well, not all the stereotypes are true. Fisher says that the 24 charter flights a week from China to Phuket are boosting Phuket business because, contrary to conventional thinking, ''Chinese tourists spend more per day than their British counterparts.''

The report does not delve into the environmental issues of sustaining Phuket's beaches and reefs in a mass tourism invasion, simply noting: ''The Chinese tourism boom has well and truly landed on the beaches of Thailand.''

More to the point is a report in malaysia-chronicle.com that advises readers to go elsewhere for the hospitality they once found on Phuket because Phuket people are no longer welcoming and obliging.

''On my first trip there, I could see why Malaysian hoteliers want to train their staff to be as friendly and hospitable as the Thais,'' the author writes.

''Since then, I have visited Phuket eight more times.

''Unfortunately, what has become very noticeable over the years is the downslide in service standards in this part of Thailand, The Land of Smiles.

''Friends who recently visited the island also commented on being treated differently - and with indifference.

''After a trip to Phuket last week, I have no doubt that service standards have definitely dipped.''

After relating incidents that show signs of discrimination by Phuket vendors, the author returns for a parting salvo:

''It's a norm to bargain at bazaars but one shop attendant said: 'Why you want cheaper cheaper? You are Malaysian, not Indian!'

''Is such disdain reserved only for certain nationalities or is there an overall ebb in service in Phuket?

''Is it because those manning the stores are predominantly non-Thai nationals? Are we hearing less sawadeekap because there are fewer Thais in the service industry?

''Whatever the reason, it will be a very long time before I make another trip to the resort island.''

From the sound of it, the Chinese might soon be replacing the Malaysians as well.