Thailand’s tourism – stormy weather ahead

[Bundooman]

3 hours ago, madmen said:

Tourists stay for a few days up to 2 weeks on visa exempt and then leave and have nothing to do with immigration ..Who cares about desperado ex pats that can't meet the bare minimums? Nobody wants them ! sorry but that's life

There's always one selfish, pissing important little git who likes to knock the old expat who becomes a victim of exchange rates, isn't there?

[Guderian]

I blame the fingerprint scanners at Immigration in the airports. Who wants to be treated like a common criminal, after all?

Then plainclothes police or customs people with no clear ID harassing people AFTER they've gone through the customs formalities.

Welcome to Thailand, now give us your money and go home. It's been the mantra here for a decade and tourists are beginning to realise it at last.

[Bundooman]

2 hours ago, marcusarelus said:

Average with a degree is 84,000  https://www.averagesalarysurvey.com/thailand

Utter tripe!

[marcusarelus]

Chart of dead tourism below.  You guys are funny.  GF college grads broke and all the hi so shopping in Bangkok are closing and the clerks out on the street begging.  Ha ha ha.  Pardon me if i don't panic.  

[murraynz]

12 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

I would say the pussy bars are finished certainly around here, I know from a friend one bar owner sat there all night his first punter was at 11pm one beer and left

some of the bars are sacking girls now...but at least the attitude towards farlangs in pattaya bars, is not as bad as nana plaza. pattaya drinks cheaper,also..

ive tried to explain to several mammassan that i know well--treat your customers with more respect..

many of the bars rip their girls off--deductions from salary .

[marcusarelus]

2 minutes ago, Bundooman said:

Utter tripe!

If https://www.averagesalarysurvey.com/thailand is utter tripe why not present an alternative source of information.  Cause from what I see I'm the only one who works with facts and you all are just carping about nothing.  

[Baerboxer]

3 hours ago, madmen said:

Tourists stay for a few days up to 2 weeks on visa exempt and then leave and have nothing to do with immigration ..Who cares about desperado ex pats that can't meet the bare minimums? Nobody wants them ! sorry but that's life

 

Did you miss the bit where all incoming foreigners go through immigration, have their passports and possibly visas, visa on arrival or visa exempt status checked?

 

The first experience of a visitor, tourist or otherwise, is often the immigration officers, the immigration process, service and queue.

[wobalt]

As Thailand gets more and more developed, its loses more and more its Charme


Gesendet von iPad mit Thaivisa Connect

[TKDfella]

2 hours ago, ChipButty said:

You already know thats not going to happen, just blame the farang

Yep, Mai pen rai syndrome, head in the sand and blame everything/everyone else. TAT will out in force tomorrow claiming all is well with another sudden 10% increase.

[sweatalot]

som nam na - self inflicted, karma

 

they might have a chance if they fall really deep, having to fight hard  for their lifelihood

[Snowyrivers]

Apart from all the nay sayers, Thailand is a great place but not in the rainy season! How stupid do you think the modern educated traveller is? They know half the restaurants are closed, Ko Samui is like its shut shop, the girls in Pattaya and Patong have taken holidays back home in Isan.

They will be back in the high season maybe a little wiser and maybe a fewer number but TAT needs to clean up its act now. Customs clearance times, rip offs with Taxis etc etc.

 

The food, the culture, the magnificent natural attractions and the lifestyle are what tourists want not the bars and girls as much as they were in the past!

 

Time for Thailand to be active in the tourism race or loose the race to Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar or the pacific Islands!

[newnative]

  Just talk, talk, talk as usual and no concrete plans put forward. Maybe we should do this, maybe we should do that blah blah blah and what actually gets done is nothing.  Those poor hands from all the wringing.

[300sd]

Being a tourist in my home country is looking better all the time.

 

Imagine where Thailand would be without it's better half!

 

 

[ChipButty]

I think we can all agree Thailand tourism is in a downward trend

[e2x10]

Nice going Boys.. another well thought out consequence

[NCC1701A]

3 hours ago, nickstav said:

as I have far more than that in retirement income and live well here (even with a Baht-sucking girlfriend).

deleted

[Thaifriends]

53 minutes ago, Dr Rodrigues Pereira said:

First, the THB is unconceavable up. There is no economic reason that it's gotten so artificially up, regardin the Euro or the USD. 

Then, year after year, the rubbiish keeps pilling up in the islands, even next door to 5 star hotels.

Pattaya, for once, is a place that no one with his mind in function, would visit a second time. Lomg ago were those days...

And then there is this multitude or ridiculous behaviours by the police. I recently was fined (tried to) 2.000 THB to through the rest of my cigar in the sewage gridle. After a 5 m inute negotiation, the fine came down to 1000 THB. Of course, no receipt. For heavens sake, where are the ashtrays for us, smokers, to get rid of our cigarettes ? Like in Singapore, for example ... 

When you arrive at Swampy, even travelling First with Emirates, which I do, connecting from Europe,, it takes a hell of a time to get my passport stamped, either because there is no one there, or the officers are playing with their smartphones ...

Then I always rent a car (yes, you van cal me crazy, but I don't want to depend on the honnest taxi or tuk-tuk drivers. It´s probably the only country in the world where companies like Hertz or Avis try to cheat you, either by giving you a car with 3/4 of gas or reclaiming scratches at the end , that where already there, when you rented it ( I always take nice photos, with the dayly edition of the Bangkok Post, so tehre are no doubts... 

Going south, with some very few exceptions in Samui, Phuket and Koh Lanta, you are treated like a camel in the desert !

I don't need this anymore. Vietnam , Laos, Malaysia (even Cammbodia (Sihanoukville with the Chinese) are much nicer and better value ... 

I really do not know what the Government needs more in order to access and fix all these problems ...

 

 

For your standards, Monaco is a decent place to live with less to travel. Its third world here except Singapore, S Korea and Malaysia. So maybe any of these three will do good.

[ChipButty]

Im just glad I dont have any money and my wife buys me everything no need to worry about exchange rates 

[vincent13]

3 hours ago, marcusarelus said:

Average with a degree is 84,000  https://www.averagesalarysurvey.com/thailand

Trolling away as usual. Never have a useful contribution to make.

[bert bloggs]

3 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

Im just glad I dont have any money and my wife buys me everything no need to worry about exchange rates 

Oh thats nice ,what bar does she work in ,i may visit ,

 

 

Sorry couldnt resist .????????

[maddox41]

 Tourists are waking up  over priced accommodation lazy half arsed service,  taxi mafia, welcome to the  land of misery . Thais have to except the goverment may be building like crazy for the chinese to come for their 0 dollar holiday and loot 7/11  but the farang tourist is becoming a rarity...  but like most things  here denie all till its to late then blame the tourist for all the issues. 

Rule 101 save face at all costs.

 

[Magenta408]

At the end of the day, there are probably many other good tourist spots to chose from avoiding those countries which have become indifferent to providing services and hospitality. If you want tourists and are unwiling to bend to their needs, you are not going to have a tourism industry. There are a lot of hard-headed placement cases sitting in positions they have no business being in. 

[Stargeezr]

I am just glad to be a tourist and not an expat. I have a friend who owns a place in Hua Hin.

He would sell and never return to Thailand if his wife leaves him or dies. I have family in BKK

and so I can leave my stuff there until I no longer go back. I do feel very lucky.

Geezer

[spidermike007]

But a perfect storm has now beset Thai tourism – emerging nearby tourist markets, a high baht, the US-China trade wars and ongoing fallout from the Phuket Boat Tragedy.

 

I think some of these factors have to be taken into account. But, it is a simplistic explanation, and one that has not been formulated with much in the way of introspection, reflection, and contemplation. Nor are the authorities taking much responsibilities for the extreme sabotage to the industry that they have committed. 

 

At a minimum:

 

the unwillingness to tackle the scams, and corruption in general.

the traffic and public safety issues.

the lack of a competent and effective police force, that foreigners can count on, when they need them.

the environmental issues, and so many other causes, are all having an impact on tourism.

the inept military government, who nobody likes, and most people despise.

haphazard and xenophobic immigration policy, meant to deter tourism, and ex-pats, rather than encourage them. 

racist ranting from the government, often directed at tourists and ex-pats and a nonsensical nationalistic agenda, that is pure politics.

 

The decision to turn away from Western tourism, and focus almost exclusively on Chinese and Indian tourism was a mistake of historically monumental proportions. The TAT is barely making any effort to lure Westerners. And in my opinion they are the big spenders. I read surveys about the average Chinese tourists, being at the top of the list of big spenders. But, this is average. And the big spending Chinese do not come to Thailand for a dozen different reasons. The wife wants to buy a luxury handbag. The same Gucci bag that she likes is $3,500 in Singapore, London, New York, Paris, Hong Kong, or Dubai. In Bangkok that bag sells for $9,000.

 

At a five star hotel, this same wealthy Chinese couple want a great bottle of wine. They see a good vintage of Domaine Coche-Dury Monthelie, which would sell for about $500 retail, at a five star in any of the above cities for $1,000 on the list. The same bottle, if it was available (highly unlikely) in Bangkok, would be 100,000 baht, or more. And if it was available would the hotel have a sommelier who was qualified and fluent enough, to explain the wine, and the various vintages available? I have not found that in the past here. I have been to high end restaurants where they knew nothing about the expensive wines on the list! Nothing! The lack of expertise here is a big factor in discouraging wealthy tourists who come here, from returning ever again.

 

Most wealthy people tend to be smart with their money. They simply will not pay stupid money for stuff. The ultra rich are different. But, no ultra rich people would even consider Thailand as a destination, unless they had work here. The luxury taxes have been discouraging high end tourism here for decades. It is policy that is so dumb, so shortsighted, so non-visionary, and it badly hurts the economy. If wine duty was 100%, you would have a thriving wine industry here, five to ten times the size of the current industry. So the state income would be made up on volume, and hundreds of thousands of jobs would be generated. Instead the protection of a few local wineries continues, due to some politicians passing the anti import wine bill years ago, and accepting the payoffs that came with that braindead decision. 

 

Sure, the neighboring countries are benefitting from all of the mistakes Thailand is making. But, they are also trying much harder, and are far smarter with their policies. They deserve the gains. And yes, the TAT is a disaster. They are incompetent beyond the furthest reaches of one's imagination. And being under the umbrella of the sports ministry? Are you kidding me? For an industry that used to generate up to 20% of the nation's GDP? A minster in charge of sports and tourism? Is that a joke? At a minimum, it leads one to believe that tourism is not taken seriously. Then again, this is not a serious administration, on any level. At least not a seriously competent one. 

 

These are simply more examples of brain dead leaders, who have no vision, and are NOT leading the nation forward, are not helping the nation to progress, and are not benefitting the people of Thailand.

 

Major changes need to be made, if Thailand wants to continue to enjoy the cash cow of tourism. Travelers these days simply have too many choices. Creativity is required. Progress needs to be made. Thailand cannot continue to be one of the least progressive nations on earth, and expect foreigners to tolerate that degree of ignorance. These seeds were planted over a decade ago. The hapless army has accelerated the process dramatically. 

[Torrens54]

STINKING POLLUTION, year after year in Chiang Mai, people dying from pollution related diseases, the WORST ROAD TOLL IN THE WORLD, and a ridiculously high Baht....aside from rip-off merchants everywhere.

 

The MESSAGE has got through.... Thailand is NOT what it used to be ! 

[superal]

2 hours ago, ChipButty said:

The major Buddhist holidays Asarnha Bucha Day and Khao Pansa on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, will see a ban on alcohol sales across the country, including Phuket, from midnight tonight through to midnight Wednesday night.

Great if you've just landed for a holiday

100% agree and why do they want their tourists to behave like Thais .  Maybe its " were not allowed to drink so you cant either "  ?   No problem for ex pats living here cos we know what to do or where to go but the tourists who unknowingly get hit with the alcohol ban must be really pissed off . Not only that but bars are closing at midnight along with no music .

                                   Welcome to Thailand ,   enjoy if you can  

[marcusarelus]

33 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

I think we can all agree Thailand tourism is in a downward trend

10 year trend?  Definitely up.   

[shackleton]

this will be made in heaven  for the Thai bashers 

looking at the photos of the huge queues at Thai immigration Suvamabhumi airport and in Vientiane Laos

people the same queuing up for visas for Thailand  no shortage of people wanting to come to Thailand 

not everyone comes to drink in bars in Pattaya or Phuket who are no doubt are the ones  feeling the pinch  

[silver sea]

I live in Hua Hin. Yesterday, when I was having breakfast, I could hear the farang owner of the bar/cafe/restaurant next door saying he is selling up and moving back to North America to live with his Thai gf. His bar has 3 or 4 rooms to rent. He was saying that he can no longer rent them out. His regulars, who stay in the rooms for several weeks and months, are telling him that they are not coming this year because Thailand is too expensive. 

 

As I walk around town, that’s what I can hear farang visitors saying: prices for beer, cigarettes and food have gone up and the baht is too strong when compared with previous visits.

 

Currently, the RTE in London, on its website, is saying that 800,000 is worth £20,000. That’s on the basis of 40 baht to the GBP. At present, when I transfer money I am getting about 37 baht so 800,000 is worth over £21,600. 

 

It may be that other, secondary, factors are causing concern too like greedy taxi drivers, dual pricing, dirty, littered beaches, and alcohol free days on Buddhist holidays, but it seems that the strong baht and higher prices for basic tourist goods are the main reasons for people choosing not to come to Thailand, but to go elsewhere for their cheap holidays. They are willing to put up with a lot to get a cheap holiday, but when it’s no longer cheap then the secondary factors become too much to bear on top.

 

 

[marcusarelus]

9 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

The decision to turn away from Western tourism, and focus almost exclusively on Chinese and Indian tourism was a mistake of historically monumental proportions. 

TAT was never effective doing anything.  Nor has the government done anything.  Tourism just plodded along all by itself and mainly reacting to currency swings.  Chinese money comes in to build hotels but that is a Chinese thing and nothing to do with Thailand.  There is nothing short of putting Brits on Thai welfare that would get them to vacation in Thailand with the current pound to baht price.