Thailand’s popularity dips in Europe

[Jimbo53]

16 hours ago, Scot123 said:

The question I would ask each and every expat living or who as lived in Thailand recently: if a close relative asked for advice about booking a holiday in Thailand would you immediately say yes or stop and think first or maybe simply say try Vietnam. For me the spiral of Thailand's down turn started in 2006. Now Thailand is 1. Dangerous, 2. Expensive, 3. Not very welcoming. 4. Very dirty. 5. Bangkok smoggy or flooding. Then you would have to start the list of donts like don't argue with any Thai's as it could end in your death..... 

My sister in the U.K. asked me to price 1 or 2 pool villa's in Pattaya for a group of 20 family members! For the end of 2020, I immediately told her i would not recommend Thailand to anyone,i couldn't believe she even asked me,especially as she was one of a family group of 9,that got scammed out of 47,000 baht by the Customs at Swampy in 2013...So that's  been cancelled.. 20 quality tourists that are spenders lost!

Many years ago it was LOS the Land Of Smiles...Nowadays its the Land Of Scowls.  T.I.T.

[nobodysfriend]

11 minutes ago, Jimbo53 said:

My sister in the U.K. asked me to price 1 or 2 pool villa's in Pattaya for a group of 20 family members! For the end of 2020, I immediately told her i would not recommend Thailand to anyone,i couldn't believe she even asked me,especially as she was one of a family group of 9,that got scammed out of 47,000 baht by the Customs at Swampy in 2013...So that's  been cancelled.. 20 quality tourists that are spenders lost!

Many years ago it was LOS the Land Of Smiles...Nowadays its the Land Of Scowls.  T.I.T.

May be there is something positive in it too ... I would like to see Thailand going back 30 years in time ... much less tourists , and of a better kind ... thai people more friendly , not only thinking about the money , life was fun , now , not so much anymore ... times they are a'changin , and not for the better most of the times .

Let's hope we will survive all this ...

[Scott Tracy]

According to these figures, on average, each Chinese visitor spends around 50,000 baht. 

I'm no longer sure if that's good or bad, as figures don't show a period of time over which this money is spent.

 

[nobodysfriend]

1 hour ago, DefaultName said:

I keep reading about tourists reading things and not coming.

We expats have friends and family back home.  They ask us how things are and we tell them;

• Immigration officers randomly deciding which rules to follow,
• Police checks for no apparent reason,
• Traffic police stopping cars and bikes for one thing, then "finding" something else to fine for when they are proved wrong,
• Padded bills,
• Mad road users,
• Thai's fighting in packs with weapons,
• The foreigner is always to blame and pays,
• Unusable pavements,
• Road crossings ignored,
• Rubbish everywhere,
• Pollution on land, air & sea,
• Taxis that won't use the meter,
• Dual pricing,
• etc.

Then TAT wonders why the western tourists don't come in numbers any longer.

 

Writing this, I'm wondering why I'M here!  Then I remember the life I had in the UK.  OK, I'll stay.  ????

 

 

It's a mad , mad world ... we're both in it , may have a lifetime , may have a minute ... ( Talking Heads )

[spidermike007]

27 minutes ago, Grumpy John said:

Fruit pickers from Myanmar get 200baht a day.  The local green (ma-muang mun felun) mango buyer employs them.  We give them lunch,  most orchard owners do but it's small compensation for a days work....not that their that good as I found another 2 boxes going around after they finished!  That's 50+ kg or a thousand baht of income! So why they here?   If their working for 200 baht a day here, how bad is it in Myanmar?

He should be called a (ma-muang mun felon)! Paying 200 baht a day in this day and age is unforgivable. It is only deplorable people who engage in that kind of behavior. Guys who have absolutely no perspective on life, nor on the afterlife, and the fate of their souls. When it comes to people like this, there is no truth, honor, or respect. It is all about me.

[gk10002000]

20 hours ago, unamazedloso said:

Thailands just not a friendly place. There are so many other far nicer places that are cheaper, more welcoming and best of all appreciative!

I am not sure that from a chasing girls point of view that Thailand is surpassed by many places in Europe.  I do agree so many things in Thailand have gone way down hill and I myself passed up going there for several years and just vacationed here in the states instead.

[spidermike007]

If you really break it down, the devastation of the tourism industry will benefit most of us. It will likely mean a falling baht, and less congestion, pollution, traffic and madness at the airports. It is a shame for the Thai people. But, in a sense they allowed this to happen, by giving the army free reign. That hapless group should have been put in their place a long time ago. 

 

And it is even possible that immigration will get their heads straight, and start behaving with some degree of respect towards us, the remaining few!

[Mavideol]

21 hours ago, fforest1 said:

I just do not understand this....Thailand has been bending over backwards to make westerners and expats feel welcome for years....lol

love your sarcasm.... well done 555

[Mavideol]

21 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand’s popularity dips in Europe

has been dipping for quite sometime and no signs of it getting any better.... my friends and family (without telling them anything negative about Thailand) decided, for the 2nd year on the row, to stay in Europe at better pricing for services, friendliness & amenities, the group comprises 14-15 people

[Henryford]

34 minutes ago, Scott Tracy said:

According to these figures, on average, each Chinese visitor spends around 50,000 baht. 

I'm no longer sure if that's good or bad, as figures don't show a period of time over which this money is spent.

 

How do they know how much each tourist spends ?

[Traubert]

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Thailand's popularity amongst all western tourists, has been dipping for at least a decade, and that decline has been dramatically exacerbated by the army, Prayuth, and the incessantly inane heads of immigration, and their incredibly xenophobia, hysterical rantings about the evils of foreigners, and the lack of any progress, in the areas where tourists have voiced issues, or complaints.

 

They will continue to get more Indian tourists. But, as with the vast majority of Chinese, it will be lower class, and lower middle class tourists. Thailand just cannot attract higher end tourists anymore. The focus on quantity over quality will continue to erode the nation on countless levels. More is rarely better. It just lowers the quality of life for nearly everyone, creates more congestion, more smog, more traffic, longer lines at immigration, and makes life difficult, especially in the big cities. There are countless things the government could be doing, if they wanted to attract the high quality tourists, and go for quality over quantity. Rich tourists like to spend money when they travel. And they cannot do that here, as they do not like getting taken for a ride. 

 

Quantity over quality is never a good thing, unless you are selling one dollar items at a swap meet. It just lowers the quality of the experience for all.

 

Sorry to say, but the high spending tourists are lost for good. They WILL NOT come back to Thailand, for a dozen different reasons. And places like Pattaya, Phuket and Samui will continue to go downhill. So, the goons at the TAT continue to pursue ever higher numbers, regardless of the noxious air, unbelievable congestion on the roads, and woeful service at the airports, that this policy only exacerbates. 

 

You really want to boost tourism? Convince Prayuth to resign, and take his hapless army with him. Then you at least have a chance at getting competent people to deal with tourism. Until then? Prepare for the situation to get much worse. It is only downhill from here, with the incompetents running the show. And the corona virus could exacerbate this drop, in a major way. But, though that will cause alot of pain, to the common Thais, it may end up to be beneficial to the nation in the long run.

 

The youth just may end up forcing the army out of power. That is precisely what is needed here. They are dead weight for the nation. Get out now! You are not wanted, or needed. You are despised by the majority of the people. 

The 1% will never outspend the 99% on holidays.

 

40m or 40 people? Ridiculous premise.

[Artisi]

54 minutes ago, Grumpy John said:

Fruit pickers from Myanmar get 200baht a day.  The local green (ma-muang mun felun) mango buyer employs them.  We give them lunch,  most orchard owners do but it's small compensation for a days work....not that their that good as I found another 2 boxes going around after they finished!  That's 50+ kg or a thousand baht of income! So why they here?   If their working for 200 baht a day here, how bad is it in Myanmar?

Think you have answered your own question ????

[Mavideol]

37 minutes ago, Scott Tracy said:

According to these figures, on average, each Chinese visitor spends around 50,000 baht. 

I'm no longer sure if that's good or bad, as figures don't show a period of time over which this money is spent.

 

I do think you have one ZERO to many.... more like 5,000 baht should/could be the corrected estimate

[Artisi]

6 minutes ago, Henryford said:

How do they know how much each tourist spends ?

They don't , just more wishful, unsubstantiated TAT BS. 

[Traubert]

32 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

If you really break it down, the devastation of the tourism industry will benefit most of us. It will likely mean a falling baht, and less congestion, pollution, traffic and madness at the airports. It is a shame for the Thai people. But, in a sense they allowed this to happen, by giving the army free reign. That hapless group should have been put in their place a long time ago. 

 

And it is even possible that immigration will get their heads straight, and start behaving with some degree of respect towards us, the remaining few!

According to the OP tourism isn't anywhere near 'devastated' let alone down.

[Traubert]

15 minutes ago, Henryford said:

How do they know how much each tourist spends ?

FX.

[URMySunshine]

Crikey a lot of hate on this thread. If you read some of the digital nomad / backpackers sites elsewhere (they never seem to come here much except for the usual I've just got busted with a bag of weed at the Full Moon Party threads - I wonder why ?) they still see this as a good place to come along with its neighbours as part their lifetime adventures. That said I and the missus have had more than enough just not feeling the love any more for reasons mentioned here and in all conscience can't recommend it to family and friends anymore. 

[FarFlungFalang]

43 minutes ago, Henryford said:

How do they know how much each tourist spends ?

Surveys at the airport,I used to asked occasionally and said yes one time.

[buanmeerugsaa]

22 hours ago, fforest1 said:

I just do not understand this....Thailand has been bending over backwards to make westerners and expats feel welcome for years....lol

I agree!

It would be good if the government (generals, bureaucrats, police, Immigration) remembered that the westerners living here pass on their experiences to friends and family back home, who pass the information on to their friends, who tell their friends ...

 

First hand experiences beat self-serving advertising every time!

[chrisandsu]

From a personal point of view , 15 years ago (in my mid 20s) I was going to Thailand 3/4 times a year . Was having a great time , then with the fall of the currencies I started going twice a year and now it’s down to once a year (Honestly I wouldn’t go at all if it wasn’t for the in-laws)and this year I didn’t even go as now it’s cheaper for me to go on vacation from America to Scotland for 3 weeks in the summer ! Im sure many Europeans have dropped off on the number of visits like I have . The worlds a big place and Thailand’s just become old news and relatively expensive in the tourist areas I want to be in . 

[DrTuner]

1 hour ago, URMySunshine said:

Crikey a lot of hate on this thread.

It's just payback for what the usurpers & co have been throwing at the expats and tourists for years now. Reap what you sow. It's been going on too long and can't be fixed anymore, even if they got rid of the military, stopped puckering up to the Russians and Chinese and installed a west-friendly government. Too late.

[peter14]

Visa is the major issues..  European are not welcome.... malaysia better Cambodia great.. I sold 2 condos moved money here and live without visa issue here in Malaysia.. 3 month and  never pay a cents... no paperwork no TM30. No question asked..... I will never ever recomend Thailand ..never...

[Caldera]

A friend of mine from back home in Europe used to spend 3-4 weeks in Thailand. Direct flight from his nearest airport, no other countries in Southeast Asia visited. This year he'll spend a few days in Bangkok, then two weeks in Vietnam and a week in Thailand before flying back.

 

Note how he'll be counted as two arrivals instead of one, but spend much less time and money in Thailand. That pattern doesn't seem to be unusual nowadays.

[New beginnings]

After 8 years in Chiangmai, whilst I could avoid the poor air quality by flying down south for 3 months during the burning season each year, the changes in immigration procedures proved to be the final straw. The anti farang feeling, not by the locals but officialdom, coupled with TM30 and 90 day reporting and, goodness knows, what will come next. Anyway moved to Siem Reap last November and have no regrets. I know Thailand will not miss me but family and friends will also not be visiting Thailand anymore as they to can also see the changes in attitude and primarily come to visit me. Indeed friends visiting next week and looking forward to a enjoyable holiday together in Cambodia, my new home.

[seasia]

I am not surprised that Thailand is waning in popularity for Europeans., Plenty of nice holiday spots in Europe itself, which contains some of the most popular tourist destination countries in the world.

 

France normally ranked no.1 followed by Spain at no. 2, Italy no. 5, UK in the Top ten somewhere.

Spain in particular a far more destination for Brits.

Shorter cheaper flights, many other costs either similar or lower.

[ChipButty]

42 minutes ago, seasia said:

I am not surprised that Thailand is waning in popularity for Europeans., Plenty of nice holiday spots in Europe itself, which contains some of the most popular tourist destination countries in the world.

 

France normally ranked no.1 followed by Spain at no. 2, Italy no. 5, UK in the Top ten somewhere.

Spain in particular a far more destination for Brits.

Shorter cheaper flights, many other costs either similar or lower.

Many islands to visit in the Med 

[Thongkorn]

23 hours ago, PatOngo said:

 

Yes, Khmers, Lao and Burmese love working there and taking their earnings home! 

 a bit like the UK then with brexit,

[Thongkorn]

1 hour ago, New beginnings said:

After 8 years in Chiangmai, whilst I could avoid the poor air quality by flying down south for 3 months during the burning season each year, the changes in immigration procedures proved to be the final straw. The anti farang feeling, not by the locals but officialdom, coupled with TM30 and 90 day reporting and, goodness knows, what will come next. Anyway moved to Siem Reap last November and have no regrets. I know Thailand will not miss me but family and friends will also not be visiting Thailand anymore as they to can also see the changes in attitude and primarily come to visit me. Indeed friends visiting next week and looking forward to a enjoyable holiday together in Cambodia, my new home.

 you hit the Nail on the head, Vietnam is more welcoming too.

[spidermike007]

4 hours ago, Traubert said:

According to the OP tourism isn't anywhere near 'devastated' let alone down.

But the facts are it is way down, and approaching devastation. Just look around. This is high season. Everywhere i look, and everyone i talk to says the same thing. It is big hurt time. Thailand is facing a tragedy, and there is not enough vision for them to see it, or do anything to prevent it.

[Elkski]

How do they possibly get  the amount spent  number? And by group? 

 They do get my passport at the exchange booths so they know how much I exchanged I guess.   Do they actually use the exchange data?  I guess they  must.