Thailand to drive domestic tourism as economy rides out drop in foreign visitors

[Venom]

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The plans to boost domestic tourism will be financed by some of the 1 trillion baht ($31.3 billion) the government will borrow to reduce the impact of the pandemic on jobs. It may include subsidies on rooms and other benefits, for example, although these have not been finalised, said Thosaporn, who is also the chairman of a committee supervising the spending.

That's a big loan that will need to be paid back with interest and with no specific purpose other than reduce impact of pandemic on jobs "to be decided later" ????????

[baansgr]

3 hours ago, nobodysfriend said:

The income generated by Thai tourists will by far not equal the money the foreign tourists spent .

A lot of Thais lost their job and income ... how could these people afford a holiday ?

Only if the government would pay for it , 55 .

But I know that there are a lot of expats wanting to return to Thailand to stay longer ... that would be a good occasion to reduce the bureaucratic hurdles imposed by the current xenophobic government ... and make foreigners feel welcome again .

You want the money ? Learn to smile and to be friendly ...

 

I doubt there are more than a few thousand if not only a few hundred foreigners wanting to return which would hardly make any impact to the economy...Australia, Vietnam and many other countries have similar restrictions in place for Foreigners at present

[DaLa]

3 hours ago, Vigilante said:

You can't promote a product if you are in the middle of a bankruptcy procedure

I don't know the exact legal terms of either a bankruptcy or IVA order is here in  Thailand, although in the UK you absolutely can trade  during the process.

Ok, if you can buy and walk out with the product; however  who would want to pre-pay on a future purchase such as air travel?

[shackleton]

The Government will be thinking of New holidays plus extending the old ones 

To get those Thais with money to spend

Never mind the ones with out jobs 

Cant see much happening this year Tourist wise International or Domestic 

[DaLa]

50 minutes ago, skorp13 said:

"Drop in foreign tourists"! What a wonderful spin on the fact that there aren't any because "we locked them out"!

TAT now reporting there will be a resurgence of a negative number of tourists.

[spidermike007]

What is fascinating about these ideas, is that the upper middle class, and the wealthy, represent relatively small percentages of the population here. And they are the only ones who will be able to afford to travel, after all this is over. The vast majority of the nation will be playing financial catch up for a long time, and that presumes they will even have a job! A deliberate economic shutdown, is the closest a nation can come, to an experiment in total insanity. 

[spidermike007]

3 hours ago, Trillian said:

Exactly, over 16% of Thai's travelled overseas last year, those same people will simply spend their money on holidays in Thailand this year, same as every other country.

 

"the number of Thais travelling overseas (2018) were 8.79 million last year, up 7.23 per cent and they spent a combined worth Bt276 billion". https://www.nationthailand.com/Tourism/30349409

Would be fascinating to know what percent of those travelers were on business trips, and how many of those numbers represented people taking multiple trips. 

[michael888]

Try opening the beaches.  Lol.  

[DaLa]

6 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Would be fascinating to know what percent of those travelers were on business trips, and how many of those numbers represented people taking multiple trips. 

I don't know the figures, but I absolutely agree. The business my Thai wife runs here  requires 2-3 trips a year and nearly double figures of Lan on stock that will definitely not be spent on tourism at home. She also has close dealings with many others in the trade who operate at a similar level.

 

Almost all figures quoted in an argument are skewed to suit the proposer. 

[Trillian]

18 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Would be fascinating to know what percent of those travelers were on business trips, and how many of those numbers represented people taking multiple trips. 

Wouldn't it though.

 

But if you've ever been on a long haul flight out of BKK I think it's easy to see at a glance that many if not most are on pleassure trips, in economy at least and to the UK or the US.

[sparticus1]

14 hours ago, YetAnother said:

drop in the bucket; with the mall restrictions, 7/11s, soon-to-be-all large stores, banks; i and all my friends wont be going out; proxy thais to shop for us, much online; private parties in backyards' friends; i and , very many, wont play this game

 

14 hours ago, YetAnother said:

drop in the bucket; with the mall restrictions, 7/11s, soon-to-be-all large stores, banks; i and all my friends wont be going out; proxy thais to shop for us, much online; private parties in backyards' friends; i and , very many, wont play this game

De value the Baht is the way forward  for Thailand and foreign tourism.(1) exports will increase. (2) more tourists will be motovated to visit when they are allowed. (3) Thai families will be able to live a better quality of life.

 

[Odin Norway]

32 minutes ago, DaLa said:

I don't know the exact legal terms of either a bankruptcy or IVA order is here in  Thailand, although in the UK you absolutely can trade  during the process.

Ok, if you can buy and walk out with the product; however  who would want to pre-pay on a future purchase such as air travel?

Please.Get up to date guys.Thai si not out of business.

[buanmeerugsaa]

If the Government were serious it would want to maximise incentives  for everyone in Thailand to visit the many splendid places in this beautiful country. 
One thing to do is scrap TM.30. 
At present, I have no wish to inconvenience my Thai friends who would be required to report my visit to their homes, and I don’t want the hassle of reporting my return to house I have lived in for the past 20 years. 
I did it once, and that was enough. 
(People forget that it is not only foreigners who are being unnecessarily messed about by

TM. 30 Thais are troubled too!)

[Raphus]

Hello valued forum friends.

I have read the article, and I am somewhat perplexed to the governments plan trying to boost the domestic tourist market.

 

1. Yes I agree, the domestic market brings in a good chunk of GDP. However, the current cultural climate of the Thais is one of wariness with covid. Plus, the economic situation of a lot of Thais is of struggling to keep their head's afloat. Where this money and the willingness to travel is going to come from is rather confusing.

 

2. The government has made no mention or thought about all the workers that stimulate these tourist markets. Most of them have all returned to family homes in localities dotted around the provinces. These people will be very cautious about going back to a job with mixed feelings over their stability.

 

3. The foreign workers that also make up a big proportion of income for not just the tourist industry, but in education, manufacturing, finance and other sectors. The government has not made any statement about bringing back these workers. Especially teachers that are important in state schools to the development of foreign languages for the country's school population.

 

Overall, I think this is a statement of hoping some money will come from somewhere! Without really thinking of the current social and economic situation internally. As one person already mentioned. If a lot of people are currently unemployed, where will the money for their domestic holiday come from ?

There must be people in the government that can see this drive is failed to produce results and/or solve the crisis.

 

Finally. As a teacher of over 10 years experience, I am hoping to return and teach from July. I also hope that the government starts to think about these valued workers as well. Because it seems only tourism is on their minds.

[dallen52]

4 hours ago, cracker1 said:

I am surprised to note Thai Airways web - page is closed so it's not possible to make a booking for later this year or next year or any other time ?

I know the Company is in financial strife but surely they should be promoting a product somewhere ?

They were, plus on Instagram and other places. 

I better look and see.

I hopefully have a credit for the flight on hold. 

And a Thai partner still waiting for meee.

[Thomas J]

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thailand to drive domestic tourism as economy rides out drop in foreign visitors

That should work out well.  Most Thai's will have lots of time for being tourist given their places of work have all been closed.  And of course they will have lots of savings stacked up from the last several months of quarantine. 

[craigieboy1973]

Then farang come back price go up 

[Benmart]

2 hours ago, Trillian said:

Agreed, many Western expats imagine themselves as being totally responsible for keeping the Thai economy afloat, it would crash if they all pulled their funds from Thai banks and unless Westerners visit the country quality tourism will collapse.....it's time many re-evaluated their true worth to the country, things have moved on from the 1970's.

I'm not concerned about anyone's financial worth, nor do I know what western expats imagine. I only am sure about myself and leave others to know and imagine about others.

[BigStar]

2 hours ago, kingstonkid said:

The bigger question though is where will Thais go for their holidays.  Can not see them helping Phuket or Pattaya a lot.

One of the most amusing blind spots in TAT: TVF. Believe it or not, posters are totally unable to see the traffic jams in Pattaya on weekends and holidays caused by Thais flooding in. Can't see the packed parking lots in Central and T21. Can't see Jomtien Beach Rd. packed with cars and leaving hardly any space to park beside the beach. Can't see the mobs of Thais during festivals (Beach Rd. was widened partly to accomodate them.)

 

Can't see all those Thai shoppers in the malls and in the restos and food courts. Point out the crowd and the response is, "I don't see any white faces!" Domestic tourism cannot exist! Seriously! It's one of the most incredible example of selective perception on the entire forum.

 

Instead, they'll blabber on about zero baht tours (which were banned years ago) and how Pattaya's dead, ran off the Golden Egg Layers. ????

 

In short, domestic tourism has been a significant part of Pattaya's economy for YEARS. So, yes, any revival of domestic tourism will most definitely benefit Pattaya.

 

[dallen52]

4 hours ago, cracker1 said:

I am surprised to note Thai Airways web - page is closed so it's not possible to make a booking for later this year or next year or any other time ?

I know the Company is in financial strife but surely they should be promoting a product somewhere ?

Not so.

I just recheck and It's offering me a July 1st from Melbourne. 

Be it at $1000 more than the original flight they cancelled on me late March. 

And hold a credit for me.

(Hopefully still)

[newnative]

2 hours ago, Trillian said:

Agreed, many Western expats imagine themselves as being totally responsible for keeping the Thai economy afloat, it would crash if they all pulled their funds from Thai banks and unless Westerners visit the country quality tourism will collapse.....it's time many re-evaluated their true worth to the country, things have moved on from the 1970's.

     I would never claim that expats make a large contribution to the economy but I do think that we make a contribution that is often undervalued.  Many expats help keep small Mom and Pop shops open with their patronage.  Shops like laundries, car washes, small restaurants, maid service businesses, car repairs, handyman services, pool cleaning businesses, gardening services, renovation companies, property rental agencies, realtors, lawyers, and others.  Many expats, including myself, also travel around Thailand exploring this country that is new to us, helping the tourist industry.  No, we don't totally keep these businesses running but we do contribute.    

    Right now I am employing a work crew that is fixing up a condo for a friend who is in Europe.  This crew was also employed to do the same thing for a second condo she owns.  So, for several weeks or more, they have been earning money to feed their families, not insignificant if you are hungry and have no income coming in. 

     I, myself, have employed local work crews to renovate 18 condos, employing dozens of local people for each project, which lasted several months.  In addition, I have brought business at least a dozen times to wallpaper shops, lighting stores, plumbers, air-conditioning services, local artists, crafts people, ceiling fan installers, curtain/blind makers, and custom furniture makers, among others.                Tomorrow, my partner and I are meeting with a Mom and Pop flooring company to see about hiring them to do some floor work at our Bangkok condo and also our Pattaya condo.  Once the flooring is done we will be hiring a Mom and Pop Bangkok shop to re-do the Bangkok condo kitchen and then employing another another local shop to wallpaper the rooms.   Previously, we had hired another local Bangkok crew to re-do the tile on the balcony and do some ceiling and electrical work.

     I probably do a bit more than some expats in terms of hiring local workers for different projects and services but I'm definitely not alone.  I know many of my expat friends living here both full and part-time are often employing locally to have work done on their homes and condos when needed and using weekly services such as pool cleaning, gardening, and maid services on their properties.  Those of us in condos are helping to keep local management staff, maids, pool workers, gardeners, maintenance, and security staff employed.  No, as I said, none of this is a major contribution but it is a contribution all the same.  And, a contribution that is likely in some instances to be the difference in keeping a local business open. 

     

[wazzupnow]

DOMESTIC TOURISM?????

working in tourist business for over 10 years now

never knew there was any thai tourists?

anyway not in the touring business, like elephant parc adventure park or anything  like it

just lining up at the temples maybe

fearing for all elephants parcs how can they survive on domestic tourisme, if they do not start selling elephant steaks

wich is the only way for the domestic tourists to notice them

[racket]

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The government expects to roll out a package for domestic travel from July,

We expect they want domestic travelers to stay quarantined for 14 days inside their hotel rooms, before they can head outside. 10 million people are out of job, and the rest are uncertain about their future jobs - you think people really think about traveling these days? Last time I checked, the only thing people think of is putting food on the table.

[bluedoc]

5 hours ago, bkk_bwana said:

Don't discount the value of domestic tourism. If the article is true, locals spend is almost half of that spent by foreigners. Fact 76% of tourists in Hua Hin in 2019 were Thai.  Average hotel rate 4k a night. Domestic tourism also puts more cash right back into the economy.

Hua Hin has always been a Thai people destination due to the close proximity to Bangkok. So there will be a few that have money. But that’s it. There are many that have no money. So it’s pie in the sky stuff thought up by another not very clever government clown that wants to hear his voice.

[tomauasia]

Try opening the airport for international tourists lol. It's child's play. Health guidelines given to each arrival on leaflet. Medical check from departure country. Self quarantine carrying very heavy penalties for law breakers. This isn't rocket science lol. What a mess

Edited May 26, 2020 by tomauasia

[ian007]

Yesterday the news read that between 7 and 10 Million Thai's will lose their jobs because of Covid-19. Only a small percentage of people earn over 15.000 Baht a month anyway so how on earth is domestic tourism supposed to take off??? Baffles me over and over who makes these ludicrous announcements for the TAT!

[CLW]

Recession is a recession. Point.

How they are thinking locals can afford to travel when they've lost their income. 

It might save a few popular weekend spots such as Bang Saen, Pattaya or Hua Hin.

But I can't see the average Thai doing his holidays in Phuket, Samui or Chiang Mai. Those destinations will be dead this year 

[sambum]

15 hours ago, zeamonkey said:

I seriously cant think of another country who has messed up their tourism future as bad as this, primarily based on xenophobia.

Yes, even before Covid-19, Western tourists were choosing other destinations  because Thailand had lost is appeal due to the mistreatment and "ripping off" that was taking place, and no one wants to go on holiday somewhere that the y feel unwanted

Covid has become a convenient excuse for TAT and the government to explain the lack of tourists (albeit a palpable one), but some of us remember before Covid the complaints of mistreatment and overcharging, as well as the out and out violence perpetrated on "farangs". Long before Covid  Vietnam  Cambodia and Laos were becoming more popular because of the cost of living, and more importantly, and according to friends that have been to Vietnam, their much more welcoming attitude.

[Odin Norway]

3 hours ago, baansgr said:

I doubt there are more than a few thousand if not only a few hundred foreigners wanting to return which would hardly make any impact to the economy...Australia, Vietnam and many other countries have similar restrictions in place for Foreigners at present

There is for sure a few thousands with family in the country,who they have locked out at the moment.And we beat the chineses 67k used on a trip every month.

Edited May 26, 2020 by Odin Norway

[CGW]

1 hour ago, BigStar said:

In short, domestic tourism has been a significant part of Pattaya's economy for YEARS. So, yes, any revival of domestic tourism will most definitely benefit Pattaya.

Indeed, Pattaya has always been Bangkok folks weekend retreat, they have always been the "bread & butter" for Pattaya, anyone that was here in the eighties and early nineties before the highways were built will recall Sukhumvit Road becoming one way traffic from 14:00 on a Friday afternoon to accommodate the hoards escaping for clean air in Pattaya, during the lean years of which there have been many, including 1997 when tourists were few on the ground Bangkok folks sustained Pattaya, it will continue this way.