European tourists decline against strong baht, competition

[webfact]

European tourists decline against strong baht, competition

By The Nation

 

 

The number of European tourist arrivals in Thailand this year is expected to decline by 1.5 per cent year on year to around 6.66 million, according to the Kasikorn Research Centre.

 

Their projected spending in Thailand is Bt468 billion, down 1 per cent year on year, due to the tourists adjusting their holiday budgets in response to the baht strengthening against their home currencies.

 

For the last four months of this year, Centre expects the number of European tourist arrivals to be about the same as the same period in 2018.

 

According to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, some 4.44 million European tourists visited in the first eight months of this year, a 1.9-per-cent drop. The decline was seen mainly in the markets of Russia, Germany, Sweden, and France.

 

This year’s high season was challenging for the sector as the country faced both a stronger baht and tougher competition as other destinations stepped up tourism marketing campaigns.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/business/30377310

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2019-10-11

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[RotBenz8888]

19 minutes ago, webfact said:

expected to decline by 1.5 per cent 

The real decline is probably a bit more than 1,5%....From what I see with my own eyes at the airport and in BKK, I'd say 50% 

 

[mauGR1]

5 minutes ago, RotBenz8888 said:

The real decline is probably a bit more than 1,5%....From what I see with my own eyes at the airport and in BKK, I'd say 50% 

 

Really, you are way too pessimistic, from what i see on the roads i would say 45 % more or less.

[Denim]

The policy of not allowing people to make frequent visits is probably not going to do much for tourist arrivals.

 

The problem seems to be that they don't actually want tourists   only their money.

[Snuller21]

Year on year in Pattaya, it seems more like 50%, will even say up to 65%. But I am NOT TAT, who come with it. I am just living here for 12 years and have seen decline during the last 9 years. Year on year.

[J Town]

7 minutes ago, Denim said:

The policy of not allowing people to make frequent visits is probably not going to do much for tourist arrivals.

 

The problem seems to be that they don't actually want tourists   only their money.

Even if HALF the sad stories we hear about being turned away at the border are true, that kind of bad news travels like wildfire.

 

 

[legend49]

18 minutes ago, RotBenz8888 said:

The real decline is probably a bit more than 1,5%....From what I see with my own eyes at the airport and in BKK, I'd say 50% 

 

Or higher. Downtown CNX you can count those tourists on your hands no need for a calculator. But its all good news I am sure they will find more hospital countries to visit.

[eddie61]

There are things the tourist authorities could do to stimulate the individual tourism sector.

 

Relaxing the laws that prevent local craft brewers from offering their products for sale, as an example.

 

Globally, there is a trend to interesting and varied craft beers being offered in bars. In Thailand they are all highly taxed and expensive imports, due to the laws that effectively create a tasteless duopoly in a key sector of the tourism take.

 

I suspect that if you follow the money, you will figure out why!

[OnTheRun]

11 minutes ago, Snuller21 said:

Year on year in Pattaya, it seems more like 50%, will even say up to 65%. But I am NOT TAT, who come with it. I am just living here for 12 years and have seen decline during the last 9 years. Year on year.

It's the same in Hua Hin, a very marked drop in Scandanvian tourists also.

[Bob12345]

10 minutes ago, eddie61 said:

There are things the tourist authorities could do to stimulate the individual tourism sector.

 

Relaxing the laws that prevent local craft brewers from offering their products for sale, as an example.

 

Globally, there is a trend to interesting and varied craft beers being offered in bars. In Thailand they are all highly taxed and expensive imports, due to the laws that effectively create a tasteless duopoly in a key sector of the tourism take.

 

I suspect that if you follow the money, you will figure out why!

I doubt craft beer will bring in millions of tourists, but if i had to take a wild guess: you are making craft beers (or plan to do in the near future).

[RichardColeman]

I can only judge from what I see myself. I live in Thailand but travel back to the UK every 9 months for a hospital check up and see my rented out  property is ok. When I first did this, the planes were always full to the brim. Now, I regularly sit next to no-one, and recently on a BA flight had an entire row of seats on a 25% full plane only. And as a cheapskate I always pick the cheapest non-stop, I travel on a few carriers, so see it on all airlines. So, going by that I would presume travel to Thailand is down way more that some fairy land 1.5% figure, My own eyes see a 20-30% figure, and that is giving them the benefit of the doubt

[zydeco]

13 minutes ago, eddie61 said:

There are things the tourist authorities could do to stimulate the individual tourism sector.

 

Relaxing the laws that prevent local craft brewers from offering their products for sale, as an example.

 

Globally, there is a trend to interesting and varied craft beers being offered in bars. In Thailand they are all highly taxed and expensive imports, due to the laws that effectively create a tasteless duopoly in a key sector of the tourism take.

 

I suspect that if you follow the money, you will figure out why!

Yes, I'm sure that the tourist market turns on the availability of craft beer. 

[helloagain]

34 minutes ago, Denim said:

The policy of not allowing people to make frequent visits is probably not going to do much for tourist arrivals.

 

The problem seems to be that they don't actually want tourists   only their money.

So so true. 

[Deli]

The Western long-timers, snowflakes, retirees, etc. not coming or leaving for money reasons are not the main problem, as they are little in numbers, in comparison to the classic 2 weeks holiday maker, who came, spent and left. And these people are not coming anymore in numbers and this hurts the businesses most.

[Lacrimas]

Tourism is the second most important sector they have in Thailand and they are killing it with the strong baht. Retirement is another big revenue and they plan to kill it with absurd insurance premiums. Export is dying because of the strong baht. I forecast a recession in Thailand for 2020-2021.

[spidermike007]

I believe it will get worse and then get even worse. It will not improve. It is a dying industry here for a dozen good reasons. Sure the numbers are up. That means nothing to 90% of the people in the industry. Low and lower middle income Chinese and Indian tourists benefit very few. 

 

And the higher quality tourists will not be returning. Thailand made too many mistakes, considered itself the center of the universe, took it's well heeled tourists for granted and abused them. The extreme ignorance, arrogance and hubris of the officials and especially the army has been a catastrophic disaster for the nation. Add in ridiculously high luxury taxes and wine taxes and mediocre service, and they have no reason to  come back. Westerners are very turned off with Thailand. The wealthy ones come once, and never return. 

 

The $350 three night, four day Chinese tours will continue to come. But few benefit. Really bad policy. Really, really dumb planning. 

 

How do you NOT move a nation forward? Put the army in charge. 46% of Thai people recently said in a survey that their lives were worse now, than before the army took over. That is quite an indictment. Prayuth leave now. You are not liked. You are not wanted. Your army is universally despised. Get out now! Resign. Admit your stunning lack of competence. 

[somtumwrong]

49 minutes ago, RotBenz8888 said:

The real decline is probably a bit more than 1,5%....From what I see with my own eyes at the airport and in BKK, I'd say 50% 

 

I agree, but would say 85% based on a subjective observation only (of course this is not the case.) I travel once a month to Thailand using Suvarnabhum, last 3 times (3 months) absolutely no queues at all at 7:30 AM. Used to be very long queues at immigration. I always use the priority lane, but no queue there either, actually seems like it's often faster to go through "normal" immigration than walk the extra 75 meters to go through priority lane.

 

I have also recommended my relatives to go to Vietnam, based on the dirty beaches, the bad service and constant cheating in Thailand :(

[Colabamumbai]

More Thai lies. 

[Crash999]

51 minutes ago, mauGR1 said:

Really, you are way too pessimistic, from what i see on the roads i would say 45 % more or less.

Come on now stop making up statistics on the spot. It’s quite clearly 46.3%. 

[CockneyGit]

On Samui, Phangan, Tao it's at least 30-40% down on last year.

[unamazedloso]

It aint just the baht that should be taking the blame.

I could write a long list of reasons from misstreatment of visotors to corruption making this place look worse and worse for tourists but it is looking good for a governments desire to have complete control over the population...

Tourists travel and want to feel carefree and would pay whatever for it.

[spoon1967]

43 minutes ago, Snuller21 said:

Year on year in Pattaya, it seems more like 50%, will even say up to 65%. But I am NOT TAT, who come with it. I am just living here for 12 years and have seen decline during the last 9 years. Year on year.

Agree, 12 years ago (getting 70+ BHT/GBP), the likes of Soi 7 was a great place to drink all day, it was full of Western tourists and beautiful girls, New Plaza was the same, now they're empty.  

I still like to have a beer in New Plaza, but mostly drink on Bukhoew/MIT,  which have always been Western "safe havens", but now I see Arabs/Indians etc seeking them out, that's not me being racist, it's just that cultures that are so far apart, don't mix well normally. 

 

 

[BobbyL]

A similar article is sent out almost weekly by these lot. 

 

The high baht is one factor, but there are also many other issues within the country that are negatively affecting tourism (corruption, a military dictatorship, pollution up and down the country, high prices of things like wine, scams galore, terrible safety standards, hassle around returning tourists with VOA etc etc etc).

 

As usual, the likes of TAT and the government probably think that everyone outside of Thailand perceives it as some tropical paradise like it was in the 70s and 80s. They are so reactive to everything and never demonstrate any proactive traits in terms of actually trying to boost a sector which is absolutely huge to the GDP of this country.

 

I actually walked past the TAT HQ on Phetchaburi Road recently and saw next to the entrance some of their morals written in English. There was things like creativity, integrity and honesty. none of which they seem to able to put in to practice.  

 

They milked up tourism in the early days and up until quite recently, but they seem to have put nothing in place to be able to continue this. As many other posters have mentioned before, once you start losing people it is very hard to bring them back. 

[norfolkandchance]

30 minutes ago, Deli said:

The Western long-timers, snowflakes, retirees, etc. not coming or leaving for money reasons are not the main problem, as they are little in numbers, in comparison to the classic 2 weeks holiday maker, who came, spent and left. And these people are not coming anymore in numbers and this hurts the businesses most.

Snowflakes should not be allowed in.

[30la]

What do you need European tourists for? You have so many Chinese and Indians, remember those who want more, MUST do more!

[ross163103]

Whatever the number is, 1.5%, 45%, 65%...sounds good to me!

[korkenzieher]

Thailand has long struggled with the fact that 'high quality tourism' - the kind that fills hotels and resorts isn't what keeps the economy ticking. It is the gap year, flash packer, long stayer and the like, who push money through the normal economy. Simple economics will tell anyone that getting money into the lower strata increases its velocity. Even the government tacitly acknowledges this with eat-shop-spend giveaways. Keynesian pump priming is all very well - but the sensible thing is to ask why it has become necessary, and that is quite simply because the tax take from, and employment rates in small businesses (B&B's, bars, restaurants, taxis etc.) have taken a beating. It isn't going to improve until the basic policy framework changes - and that means a loss of face for some big players.

[jlwilliamsjr18]

Why is it, when Thai Gov. talks about tourism, it's always in the millions?  

[ellathai]

1 hour ago, RotBenz8888 said:

The real decline is probably a bit more than 1,5%....From what I see with my own eyes at the airport and in BKK, I'd say 50% 

 

Arrived at Suvi airport last week, l doubt there was 200 people waiting in immigration.  Never seen it that empty 

[British Bulldog]

Honestly, I cannot believe this BS ... they still keep going on about the high baht as the excuse why people aren't going to Thailand, so lets look at a realistic, but a hypothetical scenario. Supposing somebody decided that they really wanted to go and check out the mystical eastern Country of Thailand, and they 'really' want to go there ... they wouldn't be overly concerned about the exchange rate (Unless it was something ridiculous) ... if somebody came here say 1 year ago and had $10,000 USD to spend, at say; 31.8 baht to the USD, they would have had 318,000 baht to spend, if they came here today, today's exchange rate is 30.42 baht giving them 304,000 baht to spend ... so come on, you reckon people would change their mind over the difference in exchange rate of less than $500 USD ??? Of course not .... it the stories they hear about Violent Taxi drivers, taxi drivers who rip you off, con men on the streets, bombs near shopping centers, violence, rapes and murders and various Islands and alike ... Jet Ski scams and so on .... is the Thai Government that naive ... that tourist do not go back home and talk about these incidents whether they were directly involved with such an incident or not ... word travels fast !