Rich Indians to the Rescue as Chinese Tourists Shun Thailand

[marcusarelus]

5 minutes ago, wisperone said:

If tourism gets so bad, Thais will bite their tongue and welcome the Indians, money is money. Lets not kid ourselves, they did the same thing for the farangs.

Like the French and Portuguese in 1700.   

[DaRoadrunner]

They had the westerners, then the Russian invasion of Pattaya, (until the Ruble went tits up). Recently it was the Chinese, (who judging from their open mouthed gawping expression, did not know quite what to make of it). And now they say the Indians are coming.

 

The way they are going on, how long will it be before the Thais run out of nationalities that want to visit?

[manta]

Indians on thai road..????

[DaRoadrunner]

Perhaps we don't spend as much as tourists on short holidays here? Yet I wonder how long it will take the Thais to realise that we so called Non Residents, stay here and spend money all year round and are therefore of greater value to Thailand's economy.

 

Perhaps when the light dawns, they will re-consider and not insult us with 90 day reports and TM30's to our Parole Officers?

[Thaifriends]

6 hours ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

Nearly all the bars in Soi Cowboy and Nana used to have "No Indians, No Arabs" signs on the entrance.

 

It certainly was a business decision back in the day, as none of the staff or customers wanted them in there.

Those were colonial times attitude. Now the spending power is with Chinese, Arabs and Indians. So Thai have learnt from their previous mistakes.

[petemoss]

2 hours ago, Kim J said:

I can also see all of those tarts that of course would never dream of going anywhere near an Indian guy.

All? I see very few compared to clubs like Insomnia. Apparently, the guys in the Indian clubs outnumber the girls 10/1.

[EricTh]

Thailand is no longer cheap for the Chinese tourists.

 

The baht is too strong and prices of goods are increasing.

 

Many are going to Malaysia where the ringgit is weak and goods cheaper.

[HereIAm]

It's been interesting reading through these discussions. Amazed though that most of the opinions expressed here by expats and others on Indian tourists seem to spring from a tunnel vision based on what they espied at bars or beaches in Pattaya. I wager that every single page of these discussions has several references to "1 coke 4 straws," which I confess amused me for the innovative metaphor. Wake up, guys, just what are you trying to say ? That you haven't had a life outside of the bars and beaches ?

 

I agree that the class of Indian tourists you see in these two venues is a class you wouldn't like to see again. I don't, certainly. In fact I believe they are the reason why the entire nationality is tarred. As one who loves the eventful bar scenes, I am at the receiving end of endless racist insults, the most common being the doorman jutting out his arm to bar my entry with a mumbled "Members Only." This even at many of my favorite joints where I was welcomed in the past. I have had rollicking times in SC in the past but on my last visit I was insulted. Maybe new management. I stopped going to SC. At Sugar discotheque I was stopped by a Thai girl after the expat guy at the entrance welcomed me. Just the previous week I had spent over 1200 baht on drinks there with my GF. Yet now, new faces, new rules.

 

The wearer of the shoe knows how bad it pinches. I don't much blame the bars, rather I admit it's karma for being Indian. My countrymen don't cover themselves with glory at bars and beaches. I've had several friendly girls at MPs and bars tell me they dislike Indians. Many have told me lurid tales of what can be called gang rape, four-for-the-price-of-one tricks, with the girls realising the trickery only on entering the room. I consider it my great fortune that, all this bad karma notwithstanding, I've had super duper times at the MPs, Bars and ‘Takeaways.’ Can't keep a good man down for long, can ya ?

 

But, please do realize that there are scores of different types within the Indian milieu. Indians are not a homogenous people. Nearly 30 states make up this country which is a sub-continent by itself. Different languages, cultures, religions, skin colour (not that it matters, just saying), beliefs, traditions, therefore different behaviours, outlook, practices. Some posters have used geographical identifiers, which reveal good perception on their part, but I am not going to repeat those. Making matters worse is the fact that Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, SriLankans, all look alike and get classified as Indians.

 

The point is, not all Indians behave the same. It’s a fact though, that most of the Indian guys you see in Pattaya and gogo bars, in groups, blocking your way, ill treating the girls, nursing one drink for 3 hours, etc are not  all there is to Indian tourists. Rest assured there is a far bigger,  better and burgeoning profile of Indian tourists who are good spenders, and live life well when they visit overseas. You will see them as travel groups who stay in upward of 3-star hotels, shop in malls as much as on streets, dine in fine restaurants (even if Indian food, the money goes to Thailand) and rarely carry back home any Baht. These Indians are not noticed by the posters here who judge an entire people by the actions of a few in seedy places.

 

Then there is the even richer class of Film, TV and Advertising personalities and their shooting units that frequently travel to Thailand for locales, shooting, studio settings, and so on. Some of these are cheaper doing in Thailand than in India. Remember this Indian industry is arguably the largest in the world. High-end malls are where you will see them. And luxury hotels and resorts. It won’t be far-fetched to say that there is always an Indian film or TV unit in Thailand at any point of time.

 

TAT has a fair idea of what it is saying when it speaks of attracting Indian tourists to fill the void left by the vanishing Chinese. It has a long term vision of 2028. I do not think Indians will fully make up for the Chinese loss but TAT is on to a good thing nevertheless. It appears much research has gone into this plan. You can eat your hearts out.

 

Will the rising Baht make a dent ? Yes. Visitors are unlikely  to repeat a trip to Thailand unless they see other value to counter the higher costs. Film units, for example, come to Thailand for the locales, but also for the skill and discipline of Thai workers on sets. Connoisseurs of Spa holidays and massage therapy will tolerate the currency hikes. But Thailand willy nilly has to work on its currency rate if it wishes to bring back the tourists from all over the world.

[mal2018]

As far as Westerners are concerned, I have found that only some of the tourists actually spend money. The "ex-pats" among them do not. Most try to get everything as cheap as they can and if they do stay anywhere, they shop locally only because prices are less than the place they stay and hardly ever spend money in the resort.

[PingRoundTheWorld]

Awesome, more Indians to push the westerners away, as if the Chinese weren't doing a good enough job already, lol. Hilarious that anyone would think they are big spenders. Just like with the Chinese they will come in great numbers but spend very little in local businesses (shopping in malls doesn't help local businesses), then eventually they'll stop coming just like the Chinese. They should put more effort into attracting western tourists as they stay longer, spend more, and are usually repeat visitors. Of course devaluing the baht AT LEAST 20-30% is a requirement. The current exchange rate is beyond ridiculous and it's no wonder it's hurting tourism.

[Soikhaonoiken]

18 hours ago, ChipButty said:

Just recently Ive seen groups of Indians around Rawai I can tell they are not rich Indians cheap charlie tour groups 1 coke and 4 straws 

Rich Indians Hahaha,, I was in a bar on 2nd Road Pattaya when a group of Indians about 5 of them came in, ordered 1 beer to share, and only thing they did was hassle the girls to go with them all, when she refused and walked off they had to have a whip round to pay the 90b for the beer before the left, Thailand doesn't need these kind of Tourist and the girls don't need the hassle of them ????

[Pattayabeerbacon]

18 hours ago, yellowboat said:

Under the junta, the country has just gotten dull. 

 

they will watch it burn before they lose face and lower prices.

[Pattayabeerbacon]

1 hour ago, Soikhaonoiken said:

Rich Indians Hahaha,, I was in a bar on 2nd Road Pattaya when a group of Indians about 5 of them came in, ordered 1 beer to share, and only thing they did was hassle the girls to go with them all, when she refused and walked off they had to have a whip round to pay the 90b for the beer before the left, Thailand doesn't need these kind of Tourist and the girls don't need the hassle of them ????

indians only look out for them selfs and there own best interest, the indian hotel/business owners are also awfully paranoid and stingy.

[Chazar]

22 hours ago, alfalfa19 said:

I have seen extraordinary racism in thailand towards Indians.  I don't know if it's justified or not, I have little experience with Indians in Thailand.  The ones I meet here in the US seem alright. 

i  wouldnt  rent  a  room  to any of  them

[john ianson]

22 hours ago, WinnieTheKhwai said:

Good.  However TAT needs to promote specific regions, it's not good enough if Indians only ever visit Pattaya and Phuket.  

I might be stupid but somehow I think rich Indians would find destinations a bit more up market than Thailand . The Indians coming now like to share bar ladies eg 1 lady to serve 5 to 8 customers ! They are cheap charlies ! Are these the rich ones ? TAT up to their old tricks !

[john ianson]

11 hours ago, JonBreadMan said:

 

 

Yes can see so many drinks in the first photo......NOT.

 

3 tables to right have no drinks on at all, and no one holding drinks in hands apart from a few girls.

Many of the patrons in the photos are not Indian

[alfalfa19]

15 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

Who was attacked in public and almost killed ? Am I missing something ?

you may have missed the story about a prominent activist being severely beaten by 4 goons of mysterious origin,  and now he's being told that if he wants police "protection"  , he must cease his activist activities. many people imply this to mean that if he does not stop,  the next beating will be fatal. 

[JamJar]

38 minutes ago, Chazar said:

i  wouldnt  rent  a  room  to any of  them

 

Perhaps your rooms are somewhat at the low end of the market.

 

Indians are listed as the 2nd and 5th richest people in Britain.

If it wasn't for Jim Ratcliffe's Ineos, the Hindujas would be number one, again.

 

Sanjay Hinduja was said to have spent £15,000,000 on his wedding.

 

Have you seen Mukesh Ambani's home in Mumbai? https://www.architecturaldigest.in/content/mukesh-ambani-antilia-home-mumbai/#s-cust0

 

Said to be the second most expensive property in the world. Second only to Buckingham Palace.

 

He is said to have spent US$15,000,000 on his daughter's wedding.

 

 

As you can imagine, you aren't going to get a rush of high end tourists to the kind of resort that you frequent.  Just as they have low end western tourists in Thailand too. Who actually think they are so handsome, that they don't need to pay the girls at all(tongue in cheek alert).

 

 

 

[JAG]

4 hours ago, PingRoundTheWorld said:

Awesome, more Indians to push the westerners away, as if the Chinese weren't doing a good enough job already, lol.

I really don't think that it is a question of Indians, or Chinese, pushing the westerners away. Both these nationalities have their own interests and venues they favour for shopping, staying and entertainments. With the exception of those who visit the go go bars and other such places, I suspect few of them really brush shoulders with Western tourists.

 

The decline in Western tourists (and indeed expats, if there really is one) is much more a result of the strong Baht, a perception that Thailand has lost it's sparkle, and a reflection of poorer economic circumstances in many western countries.

 

Perceptions matter in the tourist business, Thailand is perceived differently in different peoples eyes. Western perceptions are now starting to focus on pollution, ramshackle infrastructure, scams, and the omnipresent people in uniforms examining, checking and governing. That is what I mean by "losing it's sparkle". Other countries in this part of the world don't seem to project that image - however they are actually governed. TAT focuses on it's (often essentially unverifiable) statistics and the (optimistic, illusionary, perhaps even delusional) forecasts which they generate. They seem to ignore, or not understand the matter of perceptions. Chinese and Indians may well see things differently at present, however if Thailand takes the same approach to these "new tourist markets", India and China, then they will start to lose them as well. 

[JAG]

42 minutes ago, JamJar said:

Have you seen Mukesh Ambani's home in Mumbai? https://www.architecturaldigest.in/content/mukesh-ambani-antilia-home-mumbai/#s-cust0

Yes, but as anyone who has ever looked out of the window of an air-plane landing at Mumbai will know, this is how a very very large number, perhaps a majority of people in India live.

Returning to the discussion: the Indian tourists who will, it is hoped, "rescue" the Thai tourist industry will be neither from the billionaires palaces, nor these slums, but from the urban middle classes. They will not have the sort of money to spend that TAT are rubbing their hands gleefully in expectation of, but they will be expecting value for that money, and as I said in my previous post, if their perceptions are not met, they will, like the western tourists, look elsewhere.

[ChipButty]

It used to be in Goa most Indians preferred all inclusive package tours I dont know if they are getting that kind of deal here in Phuket

[superal]

I arrived at the Bangkok hotel check in for my booked room . There were a dozen or more Indians checking in plus others lounging around . Once in my room I found a paid receipt , in the wardrobe for the  previous occupants named Patel . Total bill was 1200 baht for 3 nights and I was paying that for 1 night . There were many Indians in the hotel and massive discounts were the reason . 

On my departure I spoke to the manager and asked him  why his hotel was so popular with Indians and he said they like it here because it is quieter . When I suggested that they had huge discounts he denied it but when I told him I had the evidence he wanted to see it but I refused and said I will send a copy by email which I did but no response . I also complained that the Indians were swimming in their underwear every day despite a notice saying a 500 baht fine for doing so .  The pool attendant would not intervene even after several complaints from other guests . Their behavior in the hotels buffet  restaurant was poor with picking up food and bread by hand and then changing their minds and replacing it . Moving  tables and chairs to make one large table to the discomfort of other guests . Remaining there for all the breakfast time and as soon as new food was brought out they were straight up and taking it . 

Could say much more about their bad manners and behavior however it has taught me one thing and that is I will never book into a budget hotel again . 

[JamJar]

33 minutes ago, JAG said:

Yes, but as anyone who has ever looked out of the window of an air-plane landing at Mumbai will know, this is how a very very large number, perhaps a majority of people in India live.

Returning to the discussion: the Indian tourists who will, it is hoped, "rescue" the Thai tourist industry will be neither from the billionaires palaces, nor these slums, but from the urban middle classes. They will not have the sort of money to spend that TAT are rubbing their hands gleefully in expectation of, but they will be expecting value for that money, and as I said in my previous post, if their perceptions are not met, they will, like the western tourists, look elsewhere.

 

I don't disagree. ????

[phetpeter]

 I hope the gals make sure they get cash up front, 'cause there is nobody worst than trying to get an Indian to pay up, plus they are big on sloppy seconds, 'cause its easier than going it alone. They believe in pay once and own it, bone it and pass it round!

[Olmate]

17 minutes ago, superal said:

I arrived at the Bangkok hotel check in for my booked room . There were a dozen or more Indians checking in plus others lounging around . Once in my room I found a paid receipt , in the wardrobe for the  previous occupants named Patel . Total bill was 1200 baht for 3 nights and I was paying that for 1 night . There were many Indians in the hotel and massive discounts were the reason . 

On my departure I spoke to the manager and asked him  why his hotel was so popular with Indians and he said they like it here because it is quieter . When I suggested that they had huge discounts he denied it but when I told him I had the evidence he wanted to see it but I refused and said I will send a copy by email which I did but no response . I also complained that the Indians were swimming in their underwear every day despite a notice saying a 500 baht fine for doing so .  The pool attendant would not intervene even after several complaints from other guests . Their behavior in the hotels buffet  restaurant was poor with picking up food and bread by hand and then changing their minds and replacing it . Moving  tables and chairs to make one large table to the discomfort of other guests . Remaining there for all the breakfast time and as soon as new food was brought out they were straight up and taking it . 

Could say much more about their bad manners and behavior however it has taught me one thing and that is I will never book into a budget hotel again . 

Same behaviour in expensive hotels, so your stumped either way.We stayed in KL last year and opted for Club Floor after Indians destroyed breakfast included buffets,disgusting!

[DrTuner]

Too many Indians, not enough Cowboys.

[worgeordie]

Rich Indians,but maybe still cheap charlies,checking into

my daughters hotel with pots and pans,and not liking it

when been told no cooking in the rooms.

regards Worgeordie

[Naamblar2014]

3 hours ago, JamJar said:

 

Perhaps your rooms are somewhat at the low end of the market.

 

Indians are listed as the 2nd and 5th richest people in Britain.

If it wasn't for Jim Ratcliffe's Ineos, the Hindujas would be number one, again.

 

Sanjay Hinduja was said to have spent £15,000,000 on his wedding.

 

Have you seen Mukesh Ambani's home in Mumbai? https://www.architecturaldigest.in/content/mukesh-ambani-antilia-home-mumbai/#s-cust0

 

Said to be the second most expensive property in the world. Second only to Buckingham Palace.

 

He is said to have spent US$15,000,000 on his daughter's wedding.

 

 

As you can imagine, you aren't going to get a rush of high end tourists to the kind of resort that you frequent.  Just as they have low end western tourists in Thailand too. Who actually think they are so handsome, that they don't need to pay the girls at all(tongue in cheek alert).

 

 

 

I clicked your link.  Very nice house.  Interesting that a UNICEF link popped up while reading about this lovely house.

[Naamblar2014]

1 hour ago, DrTuner said:

Too many Indians, not enough Cowboys.

TAT spin

 

Too many chiefs, not enough Indians ????

[bert bloggs]

On 7/8/2019 at 7:47 AM, SteveStevens said:

How would you feel if you're a Thai girl making a deal with a group of east Indians who want a 4 for 1 deal?  ????

About 20 years ago in BKK i was staying just up the rd from our office and one evening there was a mad banging on my door ,opened up and a Young girl begged me to let her in ,i was a bit worried as i was going out with my now wife at the time and last thing i wanted was to be coaght with a girl in the room ,anyway let her in ,seems an Indian guy had bar fined her and when sh got back to his room down the corridor two others were waiting to join in ,she ran for it . nothing changes with them .