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Tourism in northern Thailand decimated: Worst in ten years say hoteliers


webfact

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Well if the place is covered in dangerous smoke 4-5 months per year, then no wonder people do not come here or never return.

 

We had to leave our home this year due to it and I doubt any tourists during the smoke season will ever return. Who wants to spend their holiday in the worlds worst air pollution.

 

 

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7 hours ago, ThreeEyedRaven said:

I have friends who normally come to Thailand once or twice a year, quite a few of whom are not coming this year. The strength of the baht is the number one reason, while comments about the Chinese in their hotels, and especially about the way they behave where there is a buffet breakfast also ranks up there. Thailand put its eggs in the Chinese basket, despite as was proved in Sihanoukville, that when the Chinese arrive in numbers, everyone else leaves and don't come back. There is no easy solution to getting tourists back, and I suspect things are going to get a whole lot worse, before they (if ever), start to improve.

Those who rely on the tourism market for their livelihoods, must also take a big chunk of the blame, for very poor behaviour across the board.

Shouldn't it shold be a big chink 

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6 hours ago, Cadbury said:

Just a few family places

Check google for these attractions

Danang

Sun Group Danang City fun world park, very cheap and good reports, 

Hoi An Ancient Town/Marble mountain - Very popular and 20 minutes from Airport.

Bana Hills, Golden Bridge and French village park

 

Halong Bay

Halong Bay cruise (https://www.halongbaytours.com/cruise/oasis-bay-cruise.html)

Halong City Sun Group Park development and artificial beach.

 

And my favourite place, no not telling...….be back out there soon.

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7 hours ago, jvs said:

The hotel i used to stay in in chiang mai a few years ago had a lot of chinese staying there.

Doors were being slammed al night long and loud talking all hours of the day.

Last time i was there i asked if they had any chinese guests,they said yes and i walked out.

Different culture is fine but why do they not adapt a little to thai culture?

Looks like i am not alone in this.

Well Americans are loud speaking as well. You can hear in a restaurent what they are talking even a a couple of meters away. Sorry no personal offense but its true.

 

In a bus to Pattaya, we had a US couple sitting infront row. They were talking loudly and all discussion was just bitching on others back home. Finally the driver asked the lady conductor to tell them to stop talking as he wasnt able to drive.

 

In return the guy aggresively went to the lady conductor and pulled her hair from behind asking " what did you say, what did you say"

 

So Chinese tourist are a nuisance but there are other example also. Thiis happened infront of me as I was jn 2nd row. Shameful behaviour.

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8 hours ago, webfact said:

But the Tourism Authority of Thailand persist in putting a brave face on the gloom - they have come up with a "Green Card" that gives discounts and they predict a 10% RISE in Thai tourism. 

1. The only way a discount system would work was if if if gave 30% discount to make up for  30% increase in the baht ! 

2. Who loses money ? Does the vendor of goods and services get it back from the TAT ? 

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7 hours ago, jvs said:

The hotel i used to stay in in chiang mai a few years ago had a lot of chinese staying there.

Doors were being slammed al night long and loud talking all hours of the day.

Last time i was there i asked if they had any chinese guests,they said yes and i walked out.

Different culture is fine but why do they not adapt a little to thai culture?

Looks like i am not alone in this.

Years ago for me it was the Russians and as for the Chinese, yeh, stayed at Novotel Vintage Park Phuket once only because they had an early bird rate discount of 45% off of their normal rate which was on par to the 3 star I used to stay at.

 

Nice hotel, but the buffet breakfast with the Chinese was atrocious, they are rude, push in, are loud, some even dressed for the occasion, i.e. still in their PJ's. Then there was a time at the Best Western in Phuket, full of Indians or Pakistanis, can't tell the difference solly, but just as bad as the Chinese.

 

I found a spot now whenever I am down there, slightly out of town which keeps the masses away, just the way I like it, have car will travel. 

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Years and years of fleecing tourists, treating them as cash-cows.

Good times are over & guess what, Thailand put all it's eggs in one basket & have nothing else to offer.

Just waiting for the GDP drop from lack of tourism to hit home then see what happens !

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I have to say this, NOW is the time for hotels to seriously look at becoming "family friendly" and stop thinking in the dark ages, e.g. you usually book a room for two adults, and if you have kids, they say they can stay for free if sharing the same bed, what the fark is that, throw in a double bunk you cheap Charlie's and or make your rooms bigger to accommodation for us who have more than 2 kids, I mean I don't mind booking for two rooms, but 3, let's get serious, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to work it out.

 

More beds per room, means more customer friendly, sure put your rates up slightly, those of us with kids won't mind for more beds, but 800 baht for a fold up piece of crap won't get my business EVER, when we stay at iBis they have a family room, queen and double bunks, about 800 baht more expensive than a standard and they are always full, someone thought outside the square obviously.

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Spain/Canary Islands had the same problem years ago after the Brit invasion making it like little England, tourists from other countries deserted it, it was nothing to do with the decline in the Euro.

It has taken years for them to clean their act up and unfortunately a few terrorist attacks in Turkey, Greece, Tunisia and Egypt to turn things round.

Here, the Thai hierarchy can’t get their head round it’s the strong Baht which is the major problem. I can’t also imagine a Chinese tourist wanting to return here after one visit, they will realise there is nought here for them too see.

Once all the export contracts for Thai produce expire and have to be renegotiated at the current rate of the Baht the hierarchy will realise there is a problem.

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6 hours ago, lust said:

Good. I hope that tourism dies all over the country. Perhaps then, the Thai people will tell immigration to F off. 

Tourist arrivals has nothing to do with immigration. Poor infrastructure, scowling and cheating Thais in the 'Land of Smiles' and the ridiculously strong Baht are to blame. Investing properly in providing 1st class facilities if you are going to charge 1st class prices, enforcing existing laws (re the smoke, metered taxis that don't use the meter etc) and being friendly towards the people that help pay your wages might help to turn things around.

 

But the locals are too lazy to change to suit foreigners who their entire life they've been brainwashed into thinking are inferior to Thai people means it isn't going to happen. And they are too blinkered into believing their own 'greatness' and Thailand is so good that no-one could possibly want to go anywhere else has taken its toll, as they haven't yet understood that bad news flashes around the world in seconds. Spoil someone's vacation, something they have saved all year for (something else the Thais don't understand), and they are going to make sure via the internet that no-one else suffers the same fate.
 

And you can't train Thais to be friendly and welcoming just like that. It's a cultural thing to distrust foreigners (NOW the immigration comes into the picture, but mostly for long-term residents). To a Thai you are rich and fat and not Thai, so you are treated with indifference at best, or contempt and as a fool (double-pricing in Thai numerals). Add that Thais do not like to service so-called inferior beings in what is a centuries out-of-date feudal society, and it's a tough problem to solve.

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7 hours ago, ThreeEyedRaven said:

I have friends who normally come to Thailand once or twice a year, quite a few of whom are not coming this year. The strength of the baht is the number one reason, while comments about the Chinese in their hotels, and especially about the way they behave where there is a buffet breakfast also ranks up there. Thailand put its eggs in the Chinese basket, despite as was proved in Sihanoukville, that when the Chinese arrive in numbers, everyone else leaves and don't come back. There is no easy solution to getting tourists back, and I suspect things are going to get a whole lot worse, before they (if ever), start to improve.

Those who rely on the tourism market for their livelihoods, must also take a big chunk of the blame, for very poor behaviour across the board.

I agree with those 2 reasons.

One night in Bangkok, soooooo much noise in hallway, there was 25 Chinese in hallway talking so loudly, yelling from one end to the other, many smoking.........after I barked at them, they scatter like roaches when the light comes on.

Absolute pigs at the buffet, coughing n sneezing on food, touching everything with their hands then putting it back..........we left and went down the street to eat.

Pigs at the trough.

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8 hours ago, webfact said:

Marketing manager at the Chiang Mai Orchid Hotel Watcharaporn Jongphaophan confirmed the bad news saying that bookings were 30% down and that rooms previously priced at 1,400 baht were now offered for 900 baht. 

 

There is also a group tour package for 9 rooms for 8,888 baht, she said. 

And there's the issue right there!

 

This manager thinks that the group package is great value, when it's cheaper to just rent 9 rooms at 900 each = 8100 baht. ????

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3 hours ago, kingstonkid said:

or proof of what I am saying Americans can look no further than Vegas.  Sin City has gone through a major change in order to bring in the families with their money.  

 

I hear Penn and Teller will be headlining at  Happy a GO Go on walking street next month

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The problem is that investment is just not feasible unless someone has a huge heap of cash they need to tie up for some reason. Hotels are still being built and minimum cost of a piece of land in the city would be around 25 million baht. Then your building costs would be at least that again . So at least 50 million and probably more. Might be ok if you are always full and can charge a lot but that just isn't happening. The whole equation of return on investment and costs just isn't adding up. If the whole thing is just an investment without much care to the returns produced when operating, then no one really cares about the issue of tourism.

any discussion of tourism really needs to address the issue of consortiums that come in and drop,the next 100 million for the next development . Tourism infrastructure in the last few years is more about inflow of cash in big amounts.

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8 hours ago, Just1Voice said:

I live in Chiang Mai. You uses to see caravans of tour busses on the streets daily. Now you rarely see 3 - 4 in a month. 

Yes indeed. I frequently visit Chiang Mai and on my most recent visit I drove up to the Doi Suthep Temple complex. On arrival, I was amazed to see only red Song Taews, mini-vans and motorcycles parked alongside the main entrances - not one tour bus! However, on my descent back to the city I did see two tour buses (displaying Chinese writing) heading upwards. The tour buses used to line up outside the temple commandeering most of the parking spaces. 

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8 hours ago, jvs said:

The hotel i used to stay in in chiang mai a few years ago had a lot of chinese staying there.

Doors were being slammed al night long and loud talking all hours of the day.

Last time i was there i asked if they had any chinese guests,they said yes and i walked out.

Different culture is fine but why do they not adapt a little to thai culture?

Looks like i am not alone in this.

Chinese people are some of the rudest I know of. They aren’t considerate to anyone but themselves.

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Thailand wanted quantity and went for the Chinese and Indian market. Now Thailand has neither quantity or quality. One American / European will out spend the Chinese 3 to 1 and the Indians 10 to 1. I am a long time resident and am leaving for Vietnam in December. I might come back to Thailand but there will have to be lots of changes first...starting with the military (still!) government!!! 

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The Chinese have figured out how to travel here in small groups. Jomtein is full of Chinese. They are now using the booking websites to find deals.

  1800 to 2800 a night, 5 buildings , 3 pools , 2 restaurants,  sauna and steam room. Ocean view from most rooms .Yes all are illegal hotel rooms but nobody cares. A steady stream of Chinese have been coming all year. 10,000 a night in Chiang mai , please who would actually pay that much. Low season now and best time to travel. Most hotels have low season rates.

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