Fewer tourists are going to Thailand because of its expensive currency

[marcusarelus]

31 minutes ago, NoBrainer said:

Fewer Tourists are coming to Thailand because it is full of Indians, Chinese & Arabs, not to mention a pretty big African brigade.

If Western Tourists wanted to mingle with those people, then they would visit their respective countries (which they do not, in any significant numbers).

 

It should be real easy for Thailand to fix this.

 

Make a list of the top 100 countries, and rate them on a scale of how rich or poor they are. Thailand will be somewhere in the middle.

 

Any country deemed Richer than Thailand, should have it's tourists welcomed with open arms, and have easy visas and free movement. Those are the tourists Thailand should be attracting.

 

Any countries deemed poorer than Thailand should have very stringent Visa Requirements, as most of the people coming from poorer countries are not tourists, they are coming here for economic gain, to work illegally or engage in other scams & crime.

 

They are not real tourists.

 

You see, it is actually simple math, it would take a year or two to implement and but the results would be nothing short of revolutionary, and take Thailand's tourist industry to the next level.

 

But as I often see here, the simple solutions are overlooked as common sense is not in abundance.

20 million Chinese came last year to work in Thailand?  Who would have thought it.

[marcusarelus]

2 minutes ago, Eligius said:

Where do TAT get their data from? It's obvious to any us who have lived here for more than a decade that they simply conjure them out of thin air. In other words: they make them up as they go along (just as all Thai officials make up any statements of 'fact' as they go along).

Thailand: Land of Make-Believe.

They do a survey of the target market giving results of plus or minus a percent or two accuracy.

[Youlike]

1 hour ago, lazygourmet said:

Meanwhile Thai tourists are flocking to Europe. On my last Songkran trip to Brussels the Thai Airways flight was full of upper middle class Thai families.

Loads of Asians are in Europe now, not only Thai.

[Isaanbiker]

1 hour ago, nev said:

No just the high Baht, Making it hard to stay here with Draconian visa rules are driving many away.

Fingerprint- and facescanners, a very bad exchange rate, all goods way more expensive, plus the Immigration rules and laws make it to hardcore country. 

[totally thaied up]

50 minutes ago, GeorgeCross said:

the baht is only half the (financial) problem - domestic inflation has been on a tear these last 5 years regardless of what official inflation numbers suggest. 

 

even earning in baht things are getting damn expensive and the locals are suffering much more than us expats

 

 

This is very correct. Things have got expensive here and add a poor exchange rate to it all, it is a perfect storm. My wife tells me prices have gone up everywhere and the locals are hurting. Even I can see a lack of tourists here this year compared to other years. The old long time stayers I use to see yearly are not coming (or died off) and they are not being replaced as others are now going to the competitors (other countries) as you are chasing value for money unless you are truly minted. Nearly all my relatives this year went to America, Mexico or the Caribbean for holidays. They told me to forget going to Thailand as it was not value or the big things was SERVICE for the money you pay. MY relatives are minted and when they go for a holiday, they want service more then anything else and are prepared to pay for it.  

 

No something has changed and I think a lot has to do with how old and soggy Thailand is now being portrayed in the media and of course the exchange rate. The shine has worn off and you only have the Thais for lack of service/scams and the Government to blame. Lower the rate across the board and you will see the numbers rise.

[Is this real]

Again, ignoring the obvious.

Tourists want to go where there are things to see and do and where they are welcomed.

Thailand decided they weren't going to offer attractions and not welcome them, in 2014.

So simple to correct if Thailand actually wanted to.

[spidermike007]

The high baht is a popular excuse, on the part of authorities who will not, can not, and do not take responsibility for anything that is wrong with the nation. That is part of the problem with the army.

 

The neighbors are making a real effort, improving, progressing, and creating a better environment for tourism. While here in Thailand, the environment is one of stagnation, regression, a total lack of vision, xenophobia, fear of foreigners, confused and muddled visa policy, and a baht that is far stronger than it needs to be, should be, or deserves to be. 

 

No effort is being made to address tourist safety, or public safety in general. No effort is being made to address traffic safety and the horrendous amount of bus, mini-van, car, truck, and motorbike accidents on the road. No effort is being made to improve the highway patrol, or even get those incompetent clowns to patrol the highways, and pull people over for reckless driving. No effort is being made to address the understaffed immigration counters at DM, or Swampy. No effort is being made to tackle corruption on the part of the RTP franchisees. Quite the opposite. They are being deliberately protected. No effort is being made to address the myriad of environmental issues Thailand faces, whether it be the water quality, the air quality, the burning by farmers, the plastic epidemic, the extreme lack of trash cans throughout the nation, and a vast host of other issues. And finally, no effort is being made to reform the tourism ministry, separate it from the sports ministry (hair brained to the extreme), or improve the TAT. Nothing. 

 

The army is doing nothing, to benefit the people, or tourists. Absolutely nothing. Perhaps even less than zero. And on top of that, they are liars, so anything in the way of stats, or information coming from this administration is probably false. Perhaps the name should be changed from the Thai Army to the Nothing men. Of course tourism is dropping. Why would it not be dropping? 

[Mavideol]

1 hour ago, madmitch said:

One moment arrivals are up, the next they're dropping!

Will we ever get any consistency from the TAT and the Tourism Ministry?

we sure do get some consistency, lying from them it's consistent

[DrTuner]

29 minutes ago, bowerboy said:

I know that many people say sex tourists only make up a small percentage of tourists but I am not so sure that it is as small as people think.

I think the mongers changed destination almost a decade ago, when facebook destroyed the beer bar culture. Miniscule portion these days. 

[bangrak]

14 minutes ago, smedly said:

because there are uneducated baffoons running the country and they have absolutely no clue what they are doing, you only have to look at safety and the road accident rate - how many years have they had to improve it - 40 years of tourist billions and they have done nothing - they just can't see the big picture and prefer to stuff money into their greedy pockets than re-invest in things that are important

 

Now they are stiffing expats with stupid rules and even worse reasons for implementing them - yes we changed the rules to wipe out agents and expats paying bribes to overlook the financial requirements - that really worked didn't it - we now have an increase in agent use - go figure

 

There was nothing wrong with the rules as they existed - maybe the retention of 400k baht was not unreasonable but keeping 900k tied up in a bank account for 5 months …………. why ?

Are you sure about the amounts in your last paragraph, 'smedly'? There seem to be quite some 'differences in interpretation' of the new rules between local Immigration Police offices, but as far as I am aware of (on Friday, July 19th, 2019), here in Koh Samui, it are 800,000 on a saving account at least 3 months before asking(!) for yearly renewal, this 800,000 to be kept on that account for at least the 3 following months, and, at least 400,000 of it to be kept on that account for the 6 months left in the year. With one, next, new requisite: at every 90 days 'check', from now on a fresh(!) bank statement has to be presented to show the right balance on the saving account (how the IP controls 'the finances' of the ones with 'multiple re-entry' who spend less than 90 days per stay inside Thailand, and are then only 'checked' at the border they leave at and come back through, this last stamp giving them an automatic new 90 days legit presence...!) 

[sammieuk1]

There must be only super rich wineo's left here by now???? 

[DrTuner]

9 minutes ago, totally thaied up said:

They told me to forget going to Thailand as it was not value or the big things was SERVICE for the money you pay. MY relatives are minted and when they go for a holiday, they want service more then anything else and are prepared to pay for it.  

Indeed. Even if you got cash flowing out of your ears and don't care at all about the prices, you'll still care about the level of service. It's plummeting fast and has been since the Russians invaded. Partly reciprocal I think, the earlier settlers, i.e. Yanks, Skandinavians and Germans & co were friendly to the locals and liked to mingle with them. Not so with the arrivals from commielands, they are downright rude. Thais adjusted.

[RtotheC]

It's not just that the baht is strong, the prices of items in THB have risen. Try getting a drink on Sukumvit for less than 150THB. They've closed most of the small crappy (but really fun) dive bars with the cheap drinks and the bars are closing earlier than countries in the west. There's a lack of nightlife in general (let's face it, it's not what it used to be).

And what's with the random drug testing on the side of the road or mass testing during club raids?

And let's not forget police pulling over your taxi and searching all through your wallet and personal belongings. 

Then there's the lack of street food and sidewalk market stalls (you may hate them, but tourists love them because they make the place more vibrant)

 

Considering you can drink 30thb beers all night in Vietnam or Cambodia without fear of your club getting raided or being randomly drug tested on the side of the road it's no wonder tourism is slowly declining in Thailand. 

 

 

 

[Cake Monster]

Its not just the expensive Baht.

The buying power of the Baht in Thailand has also eroded measurably, which means the Tourists are hammered two ways

Thailand has to face up to the fact at it is no longer a desirable destination for many people, due to the pressure on their spending budgets for Holidays.

The more astute are now heading to places like Cambodia, Vietnam or Europe for their Vacations,where they can get more bang for the Buck.

  

 

[DLock]

3 minutes ago, RtotheC said:

It's not just that the baht is strong, the prices of items in THB have risen. Try getting a drink on Sukumvit for less than 150THB. They've closed most of the small crappy (but really fun) dive bars with the cheap drinks and the bars are closing earlier than countries in the west. There's a lack of nightlife in general (let's face it, it's not what it used to be).

And what's with the random drug testing on the side of the road or mass testing during club raids?

And let's not forget police pulling over your taxi and searching all through your wallet and personal belongings. 

Then there's the lack of street food and sidewalk market stalls (you may hate them, but tourists love them because they make the place more vibrant)

 

Considering you can drink 30thb beers all night in Vietnam or Cambodia without fear of your club getting raided or being randomly drug tested on the side of the road it's no wonder tourism is slowly declining in Thailand. 

 

 

 

 

Do you really think that you represent what the average tourist is looking for?

[Odin Norway]

1 hour ago, Snuller21 said:

I am just guessing, but I think that everybody who lives here will agree about that. And then again, yesterday, it came up that there only were o.1% more tourists in June compared by last year. But would like very much to know where they tourists are hiding. Not in the Tourist destinations for sure, so it have to be out in the Gulf of Thailand in Underwater Worlds. Just ask Hoteliers about it. They have so many empty rooms that it is hard for them to survive, and the number are still rising. Who give the numbers? Who control them?

Exactly that. Got a 85 square meter corner apartment/sveet room in Pattaya soi 9 last week for 2000 baht. Never seen that before.But then again.2k today is the same as 3k was 5 years ago.

[RtotheC]

5 minutes ago, DLock said:

 

Do you really think that you represent what the average tourist is looking for?

yes, I do. I travel a lot and I talk to people. I'm not the only one that thinks like this. What a stupid question. 

[buanmeerugsaa]

2 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

 

Not too sure the tourists are too bothered about visa rules, they normally come here for a break, and return home. But the high baht does make it expensive compared to previous years.

My friends are troubled by the inconvenience they cause me due to the reporting of their stay at my house, and when I travel with them to visit places around the country. 

 

[Odin Norway]

4 minutes ago, buanmeerugsaa said:

My friends are troubled by the inconvenience they cause me due to the reporting of their stay at my house, and when I travel with them to visit places around the country. 

 

When you travel it is not your problem.If you actually own a house you are one of very few foreigners that do.

[smedly]

37 minutes ago, bangrak said:

Are you sure about the amounts in your last paragraph, 'smedly'? There seem to be quite some 'differences in interpretation' of the new rules between local Immigration Police offices, but as far as I am aware of (on Friday, July 19th, 2019), here in Koh Samui, it are 800,000 on a saving account at least 3 months before asking(!) for yearly renewal, this 800,000 to be kept on that account for at least the 3 following months, and, at least 400,000 of it to be kept on that account for the 6 months left in the year. With one, next, new requisite: at every 90 days 'check', from now on a fresh(!) bank statement has to be presented to show the right balance on the saving account (how the IP controls 'the finances' of the ones with 'multiple re-entry' who spend less than 90 days per stay inside Thailand, and are then only 'checked' at the border they leave at and come back through, this last stamp giving them an automatic new 90 days legit presence...!) 

900 was a typo 

 

and the rules are 2 months before and 3 months after 

 

400k minimum balance for 12 months a year

 

there is no requirement for showing your bank account every 90 days - some IO are requesting people to show 400k balance 90 days after extension approval or when they next visit IO or the 400k balance will be checked upon next extension renewal

[Isaanbiker]

53 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

The high baht is a popular excuse, on the part of authorities who will not, can not, and do not take responsibility for anything that is wrong with the nation. That is part of the problem with the army.

 

The neighbors are making a real effort, improving, progressing, and creating a better environment for tourism. While here in Thailand, the environment is one of stagnation, regression, a total lack of vision, xenophobia, fear of foreigners, confused and muddled visa policy, and a baht that is far stronger than it needs to be, should be, or deserves to be. 

 

No effort is being made to address tourist safety, or public safety in general. No effort is being made to address traffic safety and the horrendous amount of bus, mini-van, car, truck, and motorbike accidents on the road. No effort is being made to improve the highway patrol, or even get those incompetent clowns to patrol the highways, and pull people over for reckless driving. No effort is being made to address the understaffed immigration counters at DM, or Swampy. No effort is being made to tackle corruption on the part of the RTP franchisees. Quite the opposite. They are being deliberately protected. No effort is being made to address the myriad of environmental issues Thailand faces, whether it be the water quality, the air quality, the burning by farmers, the plastic epidemic, the extreme lack of trash cans throughout the nation, and a vast host of other issues. And finally, no effort is being made to reform the tourism ministry, separate it from the sports ministry (hair brained to the extreme), or improve the TAT. Nothing. 

 

The army is doing nothing, to benefit the people, or tourists. Absolutely nothing. Perhaps even less than zero. And on top of that, they are liars, so anything in the way of stats, or information coming from this administration is probably false. Perhaps the name should be changed from the Thai Army to the Nothing men. Of course tourism is dropping. Why would it not be dropping? 

No effort is being made to improve the highway patrol, or even get those incompetent clowns to patrol the highways,

 

Thanks for making me laugh! Doesn't happen too often in The Land of Smiles these days.

 

   I started to call these incompetent cops with cameras on their helmet Teletubbies. They pretty much look and act like them

[Isaanbiker]

32 minutes ago, RtotheC said:

yes, I do. I travel a lot and I talk to people. I'm not the only one that thinks like this. What a stupid question. 

Perhaps a rhetorical question? 

[bangrak]

Let's take for instance tourists from the €uro zone, just let me quote the evolution of the ECB official middle rate, for 1€: today: 34.593 - 1 year ago: 39.167 - 2 years ago: 38.893 - 3 years ago: 38.463 - 4 years ago: 38.238 - 5 years (2014, year of the military coup): 42.867 - 10 years ago: 48.271

Add to these figures the increase of the general cost of living, the hospitality rates have been following, I estimate 20 to 25% in the last five years (except eggs, palm oil, cane sugar and a few others which are 'blocked').

On top of it, the ticket-prices for long haul scheduled flights of most reputed airlines (even leaving at the side the overly expensive Thai Int') have been rising, because of various factors (kerosene, taxes, ...), by I estimate 10 to 15% in the same last five years.

Put these different elements together, and the price to pay for holidays in Thailand has nearly DOUBLED in the last 5 years, not even considering the situation 10 years ago!

The maths are simple and telling: for a 10 days to 2 weeks holiday, the average, rather well-off, two salaries, 2 children, families cannot (even when they would still be interested, what is yet another question...) come to Thailand anymore, as it has become way above their budget!

...And countless better, less expensive, ...more friendly destinations, many new-er ones, are on offer today, ...quite some much closer-by.

(There are many other factors playing a role too, but let's keep it 'basic')

Killing the goose with the golden eggs...!

[carabaothai]

October 2009 : 1 euro = 50 THB

July 2019 : 1 euro = 34. 40 THB

 

October 2009

Standard buffet = 89 THB = 1.78 €

July 2019 

Standard buffet = 249 THB = 7.23 €

 

In this simple example : 7.23/1.78 = 4 times more expensive in 10 years.

 

Lot of examples like this I think.

 

Yesterday night, Pattaya, 80 THB mototaxi ! 2€32 for small path!

And drug testing on the side of the road! 

 

 

 

 

 

[MartiniMan]

Honestly thai baht was a great investment I made 200k just leaving money in the bank and buying dollars back 

[MartiniMan]

Just now, carabaothai said:

October 2009 : 1 euro = 50 THB

July 2019 : 1 euro = 34. 40 THB

 

October 2009

Standard buffet = 89 THB = 1.78 €

July 2019 

Standard buffet = 249 THB = 7.23 €

 

In this simple example : 7.23/1.78 = 4 times more expensive in 10 years.

 

Lot of examples like this I think. 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes I was here in 2009 it was <deleted> heaven i did not cook a meal for myself in 2 years i lived like a king

[MartinKal]

3 hours ago, nev said:

No just the high Baht, Making it hard to stay here with Draconian visa rules are driving many away.

Yes, the changes in residency rules for long-term and tourist is concerning. Sometimes I think that this may be part of a nation building attempt by the government.

[DLock]

43 minutes ago, RtotheC said:

yes, I do. I travel a lot and I talk to people. I'm not the only one that thinks like this. What a stupid question. 

Interesting.

 

So the average tourists whole reason for coming to Thailand is the low priced of beer in street bars and "dive bars"? 

 

Why is it a stupid question?

[dcnx]

3 hours ago, Fex Bluse said:

Said another way, 

 

"Arrivals have dropped because of poor value to tourists" 

 

Thailand has been a questionable value for quite a long time, but now it is laughable. 

 

The Thais do not know how to offer good value for anything but the very lowest price. 

Thailand mostly is a country for cheap tourists and expats with low standards. Wealthy tourists and expats are definitely in the minority here. They do exist, but if you truly have money you’re staying in high end hotels and resorts and not dealing with the average Thai on the streets.

[nickstav]

2 hours ago, NoBrainer said:

Fewer Tourists are coming to Thailand because it is full of Indians, Chinese & Arabs, not to mention a pretty big African brigade.

If Western Tourists wanted to mingle with those people, then they would visit their respective countries (which they do not, in any significant numbers).

 

It should be real easy for Thailand to fix this.

 

Make a list of the top 100 countries, and rate them on a scale of how rich or poor they are. Thailand will be somewhere in the middle.

 

Any country deemed Richer than Thailand, should have it's tourists welcomed with open arms, and have easy visas and free movement. Those are the tourists Thailand should be attracting.

 

Any countries deemed poorer than Thailand should have very stringent Visa Requirements, as most of the people coming from poorer countries are not tourists, they are coming here for economic gain, to work illegally or engage in other scams & crime.

 

They are not real tourists.

 

You see, it is actually simple math, it would take a year or two to implement and but the results would be nothing short of revolutionary, and take Thailand's tourist industry to the next level.

 

But as I often see here, the simple solutions are overlooked as common sense is not in abundance.

I see problems with this on several levels, not the least of which is the rating of people. I know you said countries, but it boils down to rating people. How would you rate them, based on average yearly income per person, the country's GDP? Either way you're not going to keep out some of the "undesirables" you mentioned, Chinese, Arabs, as well as some other Southeast Asian countries (Malaysia). What if other countries followed suit? How many Thais go to other countries to work, or study, or just try to experience the outside world?