Hotel prices slashed and quiet beaches, Phuket faces challenging high season

[tonysilly]

Soo no more half farang and half Thai babies?  I wonder if half Indian half Thai babies will be on all the drama and singing shows? 555

 

[RBOP]

I'm just not seeing any deals at all. 

[xylophone]

15 hours ago, madmen said:

Yep after 27 years of patong is dead threads they can finally at last say "we told you so" ????

Now, now, it's been in decline on average for the last 8-10 years, and that has been obvious to those of us living here, despite what TAT says.........not hard to see.

[xylophone]

16 hours ago, 4evermaat said:

Ok.  All you "Patong is Dead" and "Patong - The Wake" people finally have your "I told you so" article.   

 

So what are you waiting for?  

That reminds me.........must write my latest "report"!!!!!!!

[weegee]

But, but, but....isnt there 40 million tourists already this year?...Where are they sleeping, and eating?

[baansgr]

When a decent meal and a few drinks on a night out cost more than London or Paris with bad service to boot, what do they expect....that's not even mentioning the airport hassles, taxi and tuk tuk rip offs and violence.

[ChakaKhan]

16 hours ago, Scot123 said:

OMG! Why can they not just come out and say it, the high Baht and very bad reputation has and is causing this crisis not only for the big hotels but everyone who is connected in anyway to tourist income. The downward spiral should not be measured year on year mut maybe should be measured from the day democracy was stolen at the end of a gun. I am sure that would paint a far worse picture. The damage really took grip with the closer of establishments for several months, the disinfectant of places character. These all a play part and the high Baht which stops foreign tourists coming but also increases the high end Thais to holiday in foreign countries. 

The lesson will be repeated until it is learned..let them learn it the hard way, or just keep lying to themselves

[marqus12]

55 minutes ago, marin said:

 

Checked up north Chiang Rai and the surrounding mountains for a road trip. Prices are way down. So I called and asked why. " We need guests we have had a terrible year, come on up and we will give you another 20% off. So we are booked. Chiang Rai, Pu Chee Fah, Chaing Khang, Mae Sai, and Doi Tung.  Nice little trip.  Hope some of the losers in the south wake up

In Chiang Rai and the surrounding area, the Thai people retained

some connection with reality. A good example is a cheap Bus with

air conditioning from the airport. It gives a lot when you know that

after leaving the plane you will not have to fight the taxi driver for

a reasonable price.

Phuket airport bus 170 baht, similar distance from Penang airport

to Georgetown 30 baht.

They lost contact with reality.

[ChakaKhan]

16 hours ago, Mavideol said:

you didn't realize yet, they are in complete denial.....

 

Yet a report earlier this week painted a different picture of what the near future holds for Phuket’s tourism industry.

 

 

Thainess 101

[ChakaKhan]

16 hours ago, PatOngo said:

But December is luck-eeee!

You tink too mutt!! Gin khao leaw?

[Skallywag]

16 hours ago, rooster59 said:

According to the report, hoteliers have been forced to slash hotel rooms prices by as much as 50 percent.

That is the old scam where you previously raised hotel price 100% and then claim you slashed your prices by 50% to get people to stay there

[ChakaKhan]

15 hours ago, the guest said:

Don't know any one of my friends coming to Thailand this year. You can tell white lies, but the facts speak for themselves. 

The more whitening cream the whiter the lie...aka these are called Hiso lies ????

 

14 hours ago, Phuketshrew said:

How can they give accurate occupancy figures when they don't even know how many hotels there are?

 

[ChakaKhan]

24 minutes ago, justin case said:

som nam na ?

som tam na?   gin kao leaw?  why no sleep??

[kingofthemountain]

21 minutes ago, weegee said:

But, but, but....isnt there 40 million tourists already this year?...Where are they sleeping, and eating?

All the chineses and indians walking in the street, looking at the location of their airbnb rent

pushing their suitcases full of ''soup mama noodles''  should explain a little

[FinChin67]

Just talked to my Chinese lady friend who is going to travel to Phuket in two weeks time with her friend. She was just in Malaysia visiting me about month ago. Belongs to those good/well earning Chinese who travel alone and not in groups. However, not much money is going to spent in Phuket as they are staying at their friends (Chinese) house and eating Chinese food in Chinese restaurants. Maybe a little travel here and there with Grab (not sure if works in Phuket, have not been there for a long time). Of course, flying with Shenzhen Airlines, not Thai airways. Buying souveniers? Not this lady.. except maybe booze in China from Tax Free counter on arrival.. I told them also to be aware that there are scammers around. Let see, interesting to hear from her what she spent in total.

[toofarnorth]

' Are you Indian ? '

' Yes'

 

Do you have a reservation ? '

No . we are from India , not live on reservation.

[Assurancetourix]

17 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Mr Kongsak predicated occupancy room rates will hit 90 percent with tourists from Europe, Asia, Thailand, and even China still expected to visit in large numbers.

 

Yet a report earlier this week painted a different picture of what the near future holds for Phuket’s tourism industry.

Complitly normal;
on the one hand we have a big friend of the TAT and

on the other the reality that puts him a big slap ...

 

With that, Chinese growth is less than 5%; unheard of for 27 years!
It is likely that Phuket will not see Chinese tourists again for a long time.

 

The boat that sank a few years ago with 47 dead on board, all Chinese, will remain long years in the collective memory of the Chinese.

[FinChin67]

1 hour ago, MRToMRT said:

Well I have been looking on Agoda and Booking.c and I cannot see any reductions. 

Not even on Chinese sites... 16-20 Dec One room, 3 adults (if want to compare)

[mindfulness]

15 hours ago, Inn Between said:

I've never known a Thai so say anything favourable about people from India and have actually heard many of them say they all "smell". So, I wonder how the general population and Thai business people who cater to the tourism industry feel about the the TAT wooing them to replace tourism revenue lost from other nationalities. I suspect an influx of their fresh money will help change (outward) attitudes greatly.  

I was told of a Thai cultural of passing on advice to their children about being confronted with a decision. It begins with having a Cobra and a Indian in-front of you and which should be dealt with first (?) Now let that one marinade ????

[cornishcarlos]

7 minutes ago, mindfulness said:

Now let that one marinade ????

The cobra or the Indian ??

[TTSIssues]

Phuket is lovely at the moment, traffic jams have gone, tour buses have gone, hoards of tourists on the beach and in the shops have gone, it’s like it was 20 years ago. Peaceful and wonderful. 
 

god help thailand if they think the Indian tourists will rescue the economy, everyone knows they are frugal in the extreme. 
 

loving phuket again !

[4MyEgo]

17 hours ago, rooster59 said:

officials said this upcoming high season was expected to be as busy as ever.

Based on hope, nothing concrete, just hope, well.........I have a surprise for you, the numbers are going to be record lows......I too have a crystal ball.

[hotchilli]

17 hours ago, rooster59 said:

While it was recognised that hotel room reservations in Phuket had been 10-20% lower so far this year compared to last, officials said this upcoming high season was expected to be as busy as ever.

So they will "slash the hotels prices" for what reason?

[fulhamster]

17 hours ago, jollyhangmon said:

 

...  ... really?! Well, good luck with them ... 

Straw sales will be up

[richsilver]

Friday:  Tourist numbers well on track statistics show  

 

Sunday:  Hotel prices slashed and quiet beaches, Phuket faces challenging high season

[neeray]

1 hour ago, weegee said:

But, but, but....isnt there 40 million tourists already this year?...Where are they sleeping, and eating?

40 million tourists !!!

 

Thais are apparently so concerned about losing face but TAT keeps toting this bogus number of tourists (actually arrivals) that everybody knows is FAKE.

I'd call that a pretty substantial loss of face.

[marqus12]

13 minutes ago, TTSIssues said:

Phuket is lovely at the moment, traffic jams have gone, tour buses have gone, hoards of tourists on the beach and in the shops have gone, it’s like it was 20 years ago. Peaceful and wonderful

You forgot the roadblocks and shakes downs
they don't seem to have lost steam .

[4MyEgo]

21 minutes ago, TTSIssues said:

Phuket is lovely at the moment, traffic jams have gone, tour buses have gone, hoards of tourists on the beach and in the shops have gone, it’s like it was 20 years ago. Peaceful and wonderful. 
 

god help thailand if they think the Indian tourists will rescue the economy, everyone knows they are frugal in the extreme. 
 

loving phuket again !

I spent a week there last week, sure as you say, it is dead and in the 13 years that I have been visiting Phuket, I won't be returning.

 

Nothing's changed, same old same old, no money invested in footpaths being made wider for people with prams, wheelchairs, children, all having to use the roads as people stop to buy things from the store sellers in these narrow footpaths, that are laden with holes that will break ankles, legs or force someone to have a serious fall. Just in front of Novotel Vintage Park if I am naming it correctly is a large blue PVC pipe going right across the footpath to the kerb for water run off, what the fark is that ?

 

Patong Beach is still as dirty as ever with the large grates evident at the end of the road showing all of the water run off into Patong beach, and it reeks, just pick up some shells to give to your kids, the stench, I feel sorry for anyone swimming in it.

 

Taxi drivers on every corner smoking cigarettes than linger in yours and your child's path, and still trying to rip off the farang, e.g. at the hotel we stayed at, I asked my Thai wife to go across the road and ask the taxi drivers how much they wanted to go to the Australian Consular General's office which was a 15 minute drive from where we were, I thought I was out of sight in the foyer area, the taxi driver immediately said 500 baht with my wife replying, why so much, and his reply summed it up, you are with a farang sister, with my wife replying, the farang is my husband and those two children are ours brother, oh he said, 450 then, no 400 she said and he agreed, now 100 baht is not a lot of money, it's a tip IMO, but the mentality is enough for me not to tip them one baht.

 

I could go on, but I won't, let what is going to unfold, unfold, the writing has been on the wall for years, unfortunately the way I see it is that the Thai's down south are all for themselves and think the prosperity they have been receiving from tourists over the years will never run out, well, good luck with that thought.

 

Will never return to Phuket as I have seen Thai's there for what they really are, and on that note I will it at that.

[marqus12]

3 minutes ago, neeray said:

40 million tourists !!!

 

Thais are apparently so concerned about losing face but TAT keeps toting this bogus number of tourists (actually arrivals) that everybody knows are FAKE.

I'd call that a pretty substantial loss of face.

 "It's dangerous to believe your own propaganda".

[marqus12]

4 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

taxi drivers how much they wanted to go to the Australian Consular General's office which was a 15 minute drive from where we were, immediately one of them said 500 baht

There is only one country in the world where taxi drivers belong to

the upper middle class of this country.
Well, at least on the islands .