Thailand Tourism Industry To Recover In 6 Months

[w11guy]

Personally I don't think it will ever recover fully. It's not just the danger factor associated with the unrest. It goes much deeper. Many foreigners have been forced to do a complete 360 on their views of Thailand and its people. Although most Thais are great people 5,000 paid thugs will change forever the way the world views the land of smiles.

No question over time things will stabilize and memories will fade but by this time Thailand's neighbors will have capitalized on Thailand's loss.

So you don't think things will EVER recover? Very odd. Britain dealt with a World War between 1939 and 1945 but has managed to recover. So why can''t Thailand recover after a few months of demonstrations. Nothing lasts forever. Just look at history and how other countries have recovered from much, much worse situations. Take a step back and think about this a bit more objectively.

[w11guy]

Wow - make a prediction that in the historic "high season" of December (6 months from now) that things will be better than now (June - low season).

Wonderful prediction.

Lets have lots of statistics to show that in December that visitor numbers are higher than June, that will really prove lots of things.

Thailand is a mess, its has no freedom of the media, it has a repressive decree in power limiting the rights of all people, its army and government are alleged to have been killing many civilians, it slams the foreign media as liars as they report the truth and not the propaganda and of course everyone is supposed to forget this ?

Thailand is not cheap now.

Its a place full of scams and rip off's,

Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia are all far better value in terms of service and value for money.

Burma should start advertising itself as a great place for tourists perhaps with the headline "We have the same freedoms as Thailand, so come here and forget the overpriced bahtland (and our people are more friendly and will not rip you off) "

Thailand may not be cheap to you, but it is incredibly cheap compared to the UK. I live comfortably here on a fraction of what I spent in the UK. Maybe there are cheaper places, but certainly for British people it offers a great way of life for next to nothing. Most things I buy here are about 25% of less of the cost back home. If that's not cheap then what is? I have met some great people here and no-one has tried to scam me, cheat me or rip me off. On the contrary, they have been extremely helpful and have help me settle in quickly. I was expecting the worst after reading this forum before coming, but now I have been here a few weeks it seems like a different place to the one many on this forum talk about.

Edited June 19, 2010 by w11guy

[fasteddie]

If there is no more trouble (and finding out who was paying the Red shirts will be a big factor in "No more trouble") then I am inclined to agree. People need cheap food, cheap hotels and cheap companionship. Thailand will be going strong once again.

(and finding out who was paying the Red shirts will be a big factor in "No more trouble")

i think restoring democracy will be the biggest factor in ''No More Trouble''

Read more: Thailand Tourism Industry To Recover In 6 Months - Thailand Forum Thailand Tourism Industry To Recover In 6 Months - Thailand Forum

[ronthai]

My first reaction

After living here for many years, my question is to what level they think it will come back to???

We all have seen tourism going down for many years (5-6) every year less and less people.

Every time we say wow this year is again lower then last year.

But then I can not blaim all the people whom choose to not come to Thailand anymore.

Me for one, am seriously thinking about leaving and moving to the Philippines, not just because of the last Red crap, but overall the way Thailand has gone downhill the past 5-6 years.

Used to love this country starting 23 years ago, but now it has grown for me more into a 70% hate vs. 30% love thing.

Good luck and best wishes to you all.

PS. Please keep on building all those condominiums that Thailand does not need, since all excixting ones hardly get rented out or bought anymore.

[w11guy]

Tourism to recover in 6 months ............ Hmmmmmmmm

The western world is broke, unemployment high, wages down.

Air fares to Thailand are two to three time what they were (2009 I paid 245UKP for a return LHR to BKK, 2010 cheapest was 650UKP)

The Baht is 20 percent more expensive (2009 I got 54Bht to 1 UKP, 2010 47bht to 1 UKP)

Western news portrayed Thailand as a war zone

None of Thailand's problems have been resolved

I don't think tourism will ever recover in Thailand, in fact I think it will get worse as new bookings are unlikely to be made.

UK travel agents don't advertise holidays to Thailand any more, and the Baht is not listed in UK currency exchange shops.

If I didn't have a Thai wife, I would have left last month.

WOW, where do you book your flight tickets. There are lots of tickets in the £300-£400 range.

Currencies are always fluctuating up and down. No big deal. Surely you knew this would happen. Or were you expecting the bhat to be pegged to the £GBP to make your life easier?

Western news didn't report Thailand as a war zone. It reported Bangkok as a war zone for a few days.

Most countries have unresolved problems - that's nothing new. Tourists still visit those countries. They don't go for the political debates. It's irrelevant if countries have some problems, as it doesn't usually affect tourists.

UK travel agents DEFINITELY advertise holidays to Thailand - what planet are you on? I've seen the adverts.

Why should the bhat be listed in UK currency shops. Not many Thai people rock up to change bhat to £s. But you can exchange at all major currency exchanges in London or at any bank. I'm not sure why you think this is at all relevant to holidays in Thailand.

Leave and take your wife with you if you have such negative feelings about the country.

Your post is riddled with inaccuracies.

[Jimi007]

IMO opinion they are having a laugh and not a chance will it recover in 6 months, 6 years maybe

One catastrophe after another in the last 2-3 years and this one was the worst of the lot

If you were living outside of Thailand, would you bring your family here?

I wouldn't

Yes. I haven't had any problems at all here. Focus on the news and forums like this and you will always see problems. Live in the real world and it's a completely different place to what gets reported.

I have read on here about the various scams, dodgy women, dodgy police, etc, etc, etc. I haven't come across any of them personally and neither have my friends. Yes, I'm sure bad things happen, but they happen everywhere. Keep things in perspective and focus on the good things. I'm having a great time here.

Now long have you been here? Give it some time... Police and political corruption is off the charts.

But back to the topic. As another poster or two have said; six months from now is peak tourist season, so of course it will be better than June, the peak of low season. Kind of a no brainer there. But the strong Baht and the political crisis that was televised world wide, may keep the numbers lower than usual. Last December it was nearly as crowded in Phuket as the previous December or the one before that...

[stubzi]

This thread is a joke right? I agree with the post that says 6 years (at best). The people living/running this country have their heads uo their <deleted>. There are so many problems in this country associated with tourists/holiday makers/expat's... Try treating people equally and not ripping them off time and time again.. Half the reason people aren't coming back here is because they are sick to the back teeth of the thai national sport- Let's steel from farang-

Dead right!! Talk, Talk, Talk and the average Thai will believe in anything that comes from 'above'.

Concur with above, 6 months is being very optimistic, there is much more to it than the recent problems with the red shirts...exchange rates, prices, rip off's etc.

In the 4 years I have lived in Thailand it has changed from land of smiles to land of scowls!!

[w11guy]

Is this the man who proposed and implemented the 150 baht atm fee on foreign cards? Suggest that domestic airlines increase fares? Another Thai with the monopoly theory so prevalent here, but this time he forgot there is no Thai monopoly on incoming tourist. I think Thailand has entered a phase of diminishing returns on tourist investment.

This is a time for change in thinking and adaption to a new market share. It is a sick system at present with the scams, rip offs, dual prices, increase in prices, price fixing, same products as 10 year ago,(including some of the bar girls) etc. The man spouting this nonsense will probably not be in the International head hunters top 10 recruits.

What difference does it make if the products are the same as 10 years ago. Most people go on holiday to different locations every year. If someone is visiting Thailand for the first time, what difference does it make if the same products are around. I visit NYC every year and the same products are still around. That doesn't make me want to stop going.

In London there are csams, rip-offs, increase in prices, same products, etc but it is one of the most popular cities in the world. There is no logic to what you are saying.

[djayz]

I think he forgot one major factor re the tourist industry recovery: faced with a weak EUR/GBP/USD I think many tourists will either stay in their home countries or look for alternative (ie even less expensive) destinations.

With the current exchange rates, holidays may just be too expensive for many Europeans/Americans.

Just a thought...

[rreddin]

And I presume you've all read this article:-

The Destruction of Thailand's Global Brand - Newsweek

No, No, No, there is something wrong with that article......it cannot be legitimate........you see, it does not blame everthing on the fugitive, how can that be?

Blaming everything on "the fugitive" as you call him is part of the problem. He is only part of the problem. The excellent article reveal other important issues that are part of the problem. All parts of the problem have to be fixed if Thailand is to be fixed. Even if there is the will on all sides, which of course there is not, it would take at couple of generatons for some issues such as reform of the education system to be resolved. However, that does not mean people of goodwill should not make a start now.

[w11guy]

I think he forgot one major factor re the tourist industry recovery: faced with a weak EUR/GBP/USD I think many tourists will either stay in their home countries or look for alternative (ie even less expensive) destinations.

With the current exchange rates, holidays may just be too expensive for many Europeans/Americans.

Just a thought...

For British people Thailand is a better option than their usual holidays in Europe or America. Thailand is incredibly cheap for British people. Even at the current exchange rates.

[djayz]

My first reaction

After living here for many years, my question is to what level they think it will come back to???

We all have seen tourism going down for many years (5-6) every year less and less people.

Every time we say wow this year is again lower then last year.

But then I can not blaim all the people whom choose to not come to Thailand anymore.

Me for one, am seriously thinking about leaving and moving to the Philippines, not just because of the last Red crap, but overall the way Thailand has gone downhill the past 5-6 years.

Used to love this country starting 23 years ago, but now it has grown for me more into a 70% hate vs. 30% love thing.

Good luck and best wishes to you all.

PS. Please keep on building all those condominiums that Thailand does not need, since all excixting ones hardly get rented out or bought anymore.

It never ceases to amaze me just how many houses and condos here in Hua Hin are empty or have "for sale/for rent" signs on the gates and they're still building more houses and condominiums!!! The beach front is beginning to look more like Pattaya... ugly high-rise condominiums with no charm or style...

[Shiver]

What percentage of GDP is tourism? I would have thought food exports would be a more important concern for them (I don't have data on this, just speculating), and if the THB is strong, then perhaps there's someone demanding the food at any price, so they're holding the THB up there as it's more useful to them than tourism, which would further suggest that someone knows there's a food crisis on the way. I believe China stocks of grains are well over reported. In India there's a multi-year crop failure and farmer suicides. GM crops, lack of cash to buy seeds blah blah... The weather is playing up strangely this last few years, and tourism might be the last of their concerns.

As for the shirt colour clashes. Again I'd watch the food harvest. Here in Issan you can't hire a worker anywhere as they've all started to plant the rice. When the harvest is in, that's when I would expect the shirts to resume their campaign. That's if there is a harvest. With the water table so low and no ban on SongKran, a stumble now could easily be a crisis down the line.

Do I read that correctly in the first post? that they expect a 45% gain in the economy? I've re-read that line several times. It must be a typo surely (just like "The third factor is the draught") Freudian slip perhaps...

Every time I hear SME's here, I'm reminded of the Uni students here using that acronym. They use it everywhere, but when asked, they don't know what it means. To me it means getting a cheap loan to buy a new motorbike and TV, not being innovative and creating an effective business, or even copying the business that the person next door is doing, and not thinking beyond today.

I'm not well versed in many of the areas this article alludes to, but even as a casual uneducated observer, it looks to me like BandAid has no idea what he's talking about. Worse, is that people will accept without question what is handed to them. I love this country, and it hurts to see it shaft itself like this, but Rome wasn't built in a day, and suspect it will be a multi-generational thing (real education), not a 6 month turn around, especially since its neighbours appear to have picked up the ball so swiftly. It's a hugely complex model, and statements like his will send the followers over the cliff. In a land so concerned about face, I wonder why they do this to themselves at every opportunity.

[thaibkk]

one thing for sure "bandid" did not steal his name... could as well being "stupid"

yeah right, world still in crisis and people will spend their hard earned money in this inflamable country...

guess hooker runners will come as expected...

[Jimi007]

My first reaction

After living here for many years, my question is to what level they think it will come back to???

We all have seen tourism going down for many years (5-6) every year less and less people.

Every time we say wow this year is again lower then last year.

But then I can not blaim all the people whom choose to not come to Thailand anymore.

Me for one, am seriously thinking about leaving and moving to the Philippines, not just because of the last Red crap, but overall the way Thailand has gone downhill the past 5-6 years.

Used to love this country starting 23 years ago, but now it has grown for me more into a 70% hate vs. 30% love thing.

Good luck and best wishes to you all.

PS. Please keep on building all those condominiums that Thailand does not need, since all excixting ones hardly get rented out or bought anymore.

It never ceases to amaze me just how many houses and condos here in Hua Hin are empty or have "for sale/for rent" signs on the gates and they're still building more houses and condominiums!!! The beach front is beginning to look more like Pattaya... ugly high-rise condominiums with no charm or style...

Same thing in Phuket. There are almost completed condos abandoned, houses, shop houses for sale, for rent, but they keep building more. Who wants to come to an over developed, once beautiful tropical island?

[glegolo]

As from a swedish point of view this "train has left the station for the last time". meaning that the combination of this last crap

here in Thailand with the red shirts plus the increasing of the prices down here PLUS the behaviour of many of the thai

service-people.

That will put an end to swedish families coming to Phuket for holidays. I have noticed since some time now that almost all the

travel-agencies NOT have Thailand as number one any longer. Turkey, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Italy will most probably

replace thailand as i new holiday destination.. Sorry to say that!!!!

And if, by all means, any families are looking for any longer holidaytrips than Europe, they will probably end up in Malaysia,

and Phillippines I guess.....

Sorry Thailand.. but you do your absolutely best to bite the hand that feeds you....

Glegolo

[kuffki]

The Central Bank also believes that THB is in line with all Asian currency's and that thb is not manipulated by them.

If people were to listen to Central Bank, then Thailand could be the next China but much better.

[freedom4life]

This thread is a joke right? I agree with the post that says 6 years (at best). The people living/running this country have their heads uo their <deleted>. There are so many problems in this country associated with tourists/holiday makers/expat's... Try treating people equally and not ripping them off time and time again.. Half the reason people aren't coming back here is because they are sick to the back teeth of the thai national sport- Let's steel from farang-

I agree 100% That is the real issue with tourism in addition to Thais not giving a shit what happens to foreigners when they get here. DO YOU HERE ME THAILAND!

[freedom4life]

Wow - make a prediction that in the historic "high season" of December (6 months from now) that things will be better than now (June - low season).

Wonderful prediction.

Lets have lots of statistics to show that in December that visitor numbers are higher than June, that will really prove lots of things.

Thailand is a mess, its has no freedom of the media, it has a repressive decree in power limiting the rights of all people, its army and government are alleged to have been killing many civilians, it slams the foreign media as liars as they report the truth and not the propaganda and of course everyone is supposed to forget this ?

Thailand is not cheap now.

Its a place full of scams and rip off's,

Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia are all far better value in terms of service and value for money.

Burma should start advertising itself as a great place for tourists perhaps with the headline "We have the same freedoms as Thailand, so come here and forget the overpriced bahtland (and our people are more friendly and will not rip you off) "

Thailand may not be cheap to you, but it is incredibly cheap compared to the UK. I live comfortably here on a fraction of what I spent in the UK. Maybe there are cheaper places, but certainly for British people it offers a great way of life for next to nothing. Most things I buy here are about 25% of less of the cost back home. If that's not cheap then what is? I have met some great people here and no-one has tried to scam me, cheat me or rip me off. On the contrary, they have been extremely helpful and have help me settle in quickly. I was expecting the worst after reading this forum before coming, but now I have been here a few weeks it seems like a different place to the one many on this forum talk about.

You tell 'em ...tell 'em tell'em stick it to them good!

[BigBikeBKK]

He believes the country's economy will grow 45 per cent this year.

Wow- I want some of what that guy is smoking. Why would tourists choose over-priced, scam-ridden, politically unstable Thailand over other regional destinations like the Philippines, Indo, Vietnam, Cambo, etc?

Good luck to anyone in the Thai tourist business- you need it!

[BigBikeBKK]

What percentage of GDP is tourism?

Officially only ~%5-%6. The rest of the Thai economy remains fundamentally strong.

[khon kaen boy]

Another negative for the UK will also be flights will be more expensive come November due to the departure tax going up

[BigBikeBKK]

I have been here a few weeks it seems like a different place to the one many on this forum talk about.

Enjoy your honeymoon- sooner or later you'll wake up to reality. Thailand is just like anyplace else- good points and bad points- you'll figure it out soon. Good luck!

[Shiver]

I have a Thai neighbour that reposesses motorcycles. Historically I would see perhaps 2 per day on the back of his truck. For the last year or more it was steadily rising until it got to about 5 per day, where it remains until this day. As a "McDonalds Index", that says a lot about the economy here (Isaan). Meanwhile, I've noticed that a lot of (Thai) people have been buying trucks on the drip. Maybe the idea is to finance the way out of debts(?). Low interest loans seem easy to come by, but at the same time I hear stories from Farang about bar workers asking not for lady drinks, but food(!). I cannot verify the last part myself, and may be a shaggy dog story.

[TheBarbarian]

A good name for a an official (Bandit). I am under no doubt that we will get to see beautiful growth figures from now on. I am only a bit afraid that the head of the greek statistical office is running that of Thailand for a few years now.

[kuifje]

Why are so many post so negative about the possibility Thailand Tourism Industry will recover.

Most of the arguments come from people who live here a long time and only want to see the things in their own small world.

The highest number of tourist are the Thais themselves. So don't worry they have the money and the desire to travel.

Generally the second highest number of tourist which comes to Thailand come from within the nearby regions, they where scared the first, but will also the first to come back.

Tourist which has to take long haul flight, will have some effect downwards because of the world crises, but this will have only minimal effect because that number of tourist is not the bulk which is needed to let the Tourist Industry recover.

The political situation, and for the mentioned scams, etc, this will not effect the Tourism Industry so much, because they are not so important issues for most normal holiday makers.

What is important are all the outstanding accommodations, the many very good value for money tourist attractions, the excellent food, good and very cheap transport, and many friendly people.

The strong baht is also not the most important factor.

In the average price people who come with a long haul flight, a very big portion of the budget will go for the flight (flight prices are almost unchanged year on year)

In every country their will be bargains for the flights and big travel agent will buy on bulk anyway (so this will not have any negative effect on the price of the package).

The package of hotel overnights, transport around Thailand and the visit of tourist attraction will be a little more expensive because of the strong baht.

But be sure most Travel in Thailand (agents) agencies will have some reserves for this, they will not change or maybe change on a little their prices towards their

overseas counterparts because they will ply for their businesses. Probably some will make their quotes in the overseas currencies, so they take the risk at home.

(this means they will have maybe a little less profit now because the baht is strong, but if it the other way they will have higher profits).

As for the cash expenditures such as food, drinks and souvenirs, not much is changed over the years. (the increases reflects global trends)

Take in mind that in most of your home countries

1. Food in a restaurant will cost 5 x or 10 x times as much as here and drinks will cost about double of what it cost here. (except maybe wine)

2. Public transport is one of the best in the world and with an enormous choice. You can chose to travel cheap with buses or expensive by planes.

3. Taxi rides, even if you overpaid from any airport to your destination, it will a be fraction of what it would have cost you back home.

4. Souvenirs are plenty and generally very very cheap (not considering the quality), most tourist still shop untill they drop (and the suitcases are full).

5. Tourist attraction with an entrance fee, still very cheap in comparison with many other destinations (even although tourist have to pay sometimes more than locals)

To wrap up this topic.

Every year their are more newborns around the world, then their are tourist coming to Thailand. So if Thailand gets it average share of new visitors, their will be enough tourists for the recovery of Tourism.

[Tatsujin]

The central bank believes the tourism industry will recover in six months, based on past experience, and expects the economy to show improvement during the rest of the year, with five major indicators considered.

lmao, tell me it's recovered in 6 months time and I'll apologize for laughing

[ukinbkk]

Wow - make a prediction that in the historic "high season" of December (6 months from now) that things will be better than now (June - low season).

Wonderful prediction.

Lets have lots of statistics to show that in December that visitor numbers are higher than June, that will really prove lots of things.

Thailand is a mess, its has no freedom of the media, it has a repressive decree in power limiting the rights of all people, its army and government are alleged to have been killing many civilians, it slams the foreign media as liars as they report the truth and not the propaganda and of course everyone is supposed to forget this ?

Thailand is not cheap now.

Its a place full of scams and rip off's,

Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia are all far better value in terms of service and value for money.

Burma should start advertising itself as a great place for tourists perhaps with the headline "We have the same freedoms as Thailand, so come here and forget the overpriced bahtland (and our people are more friendly and will not rip you off) "

Thailand may not be cheap to you, but it is incredibly cheap compared to the UK. I live comfortably here on a fraction of what I spent in the UK. Maybe there are cheaper places, but certainly for British people it offers a great way of life for next to nothing. Most things I buy here are about 25% of less of the cost back home. If that's not cheap then what is? I have met some great people here and no-one has tried to scam me, cheat me or rip me off. On the contrary, they have been extremely helpful and have help me settle in quickly. I was expecting the worst after reading this forum before coming, but now I have been here a few weeks it seems like a different place to the one many on this forum talk about.

As you have only been here for a couple of weeks I suggest you live here for a while then come back to this website and comment. I am talking from an expat's point of view who is living here and travelled around thailand extensively. You will soon see that the discussions and contributions on here are mostly well founded by people who have a history with thailand, good and bad.

I wish you good luck in thailand, with your journey and hope you don't have to experience some the unwelcoming features this place has to offer of which, believe me they go well into the treble figures...

[sirchai]

Tourism to recover in 6 months ............ Hmmmmmmmm

The western world is broke, unemployment high, wages down.

Air fares to Thailand are two to three time what they were (2009 I paid 245UKP for a return LHR to BKK, 2010 cheapest was 650UKP)

The Baht is 20 percent more expensive (2009 I got 54Bht to 1 UKP, 2010 47bht to 1 UKP)

Western news portrayed Thailand as a war zone

None of Thailand's problems have been resolved

I don't think tourism will ever recover in Thailand, in fact I think it will get worse as new bookings are unlikely to be made.

UK travel agents don't advertise holidays to Thailand any more, and the Baht is not listed in UK currency exchange shops.

If I didn't have a Thai wife, I would have left last month.

Thailand will never be the so called “Land Of Smiles” again. I’m in Europe after eight years Thailand waiting for an operation. I’ll be back because of my family, the weather and some good friends.

The truth is that the European economy really sucks and would I be a tourist, I’d travel to other countries like Laos, Vietnam or South America.

Thailand is pretty good not to tell the truth about the political situation, what about the killings in the South? What we see in the news is what they want us to think.

Of course places like Pattaya, Phuket, Koh Samui will have tourists again, but it will never be as it was before. Some people are addicted to see these bars, to hear sentences like: “Hello handsome man, sit down, where ya come from?” Even when you’re 78 and in a wheel chair.

To be perfectly honest, you can come to TH, spent all your money, but we’ll never have more rights. After all we still have to show a huge amount of money-on a Thai bank- to renew our visas.

All this visa crap, laws are changing more often than some people are able to change their underwear, together with the inflation makes Thailand to a country where people should think twice to settle down.

Why can’t you own land after being there for more than ten years? After teaching their kids for many years, we’ve got no rights to have the same social security status like retirement money, a credit with almost no interest to build a house, or to buy a car.

Not mentioning those guys who lost all by marrying such a beautiful Thai woman………….

Where I’m living, in the lower North East, you can’t go out in the middle of the night, there’s not even one cop to protect you. No cop would take the phone in an emergency situation. We foreigners are so different. I could go on and on and on and on……….

[jupiler]

Tourism to recover in 6 months ............ Hmmmmmmmm

The western world is broke, unemployment high, wages down.

Air fares to Thailand are two to three time what they were (2009 I paid 245UKP for a return LHR to BKK, 2010 cheapest was 650UKP)

The Baht is 20 percent more expensive (2009 I got 54Bht to 1 UKP, 2010 47bht to 1 UKP)

Western news portrayed Thailand as a war zone

None of Thailand's problems have been resolved

I don't think tourism will ever recover in Thailand, in fact I think it will get worse as new bookings are unlikely to be made.

UK travel agents don't advertise holidays to Thailand any more, and the Baht is not listed in UK currency exchange shops.

If I didn't have a Thai wife, I would have left last month.

I fully agree, Thailand tourism haven't seen the bottom yet!