StayinThailand2much

Russian tour guides? - Are they even allowed to work in Thailand?

Thai dinosaurs... And the news is?

You might be onto something... I remember the long queues of Chinese at Starbucks in Bangkok before the pandemic, probably to show folks at home that they can 'afford Starbucks', which is ridiculously expensive in China (as coffee in general is). Perhaps, Thailand should let Chinese tourists jump through a few hoops (e.g. when applying for a visa), thereby creating a buzz in Chinese social media 'how special it is to be able to travel to Thailand'...

And they are not shy to invent excuses if their fantasy numbers don't match with reality, e.g. "not enough flights", or "foreigners don't have money"... - I have yet to read: "Less tourists because of scams, overcharging, and pollution in Thailand", and I doubt I will ever read/hear that in Thai publications...

Maybe word got around that Thailand holidays, for the known reasons, aren't always so great. And, as others have mentioned, economic downturn and rising diseases keep many from travelling. And the ones who still travel abroad have discovered other destinations.

There is more going on. 27(!) different viruses and diseases (with many patients carrying half a dozen or more at once), rapid acceleration of cases, and doctors as well as media instructed by the CCP to lie and misname, while proven medications for the officially diagnosed diseases are reported to be ineffective... But yes, the best time for Thailand to invite (tens of) millions of Chinese tourists!

Oh well, a foreign media release, again, that "damages Thai reputation", while Thailand has been doing its best over many years to damage its own reputation with decade-old scams, double-pricing and overcharging, not to mention strange alcohol, nightlife, and visa regulations...

8 billion Thai baht? That's not much for this kind of problem. Shows that it's mostly just talk, not action...

In Bangkok, near where I live, there is an abandoned property, where bums live in tin shacks... They recently bought a few new motorbikes, and the other day an expensive new car was parked there right in front. - I'm not poor, but while there is no bank in Thailand that would even lend me 1 satang, on the other hand, such bums will probably be offered loans left and right. TiT!

Just watched a clip this morning on YouTube which mentioned that, whatever is going around in China at the moment, leading to overcrowded hospitals, will, eventually, affect 60% of China's population... Go, Thailand! Back to January 2020. Time for another 2-3 years of shutdowns and reduced business activity... (Japan and Taiwan taking precautions, and discussion in the U.S. to introduce measures to control a possible health threat, but Thais, once more, just having dollar (yuan) signs in their eyes...

Not to forget VAT for any goods or services...

With households having so much debt, the question is not 'if', but 'when'. Sooner or later the banks will have to take ownership of a large number of properties and cars, or, alternatively, get into financial trouble themselves.

True. And it has little to do with the pandemic. I wouldn't be surprised if even this official debt were to increase to almost 17 trillion baht till the end of next year.

Would feel bored after one, or, at best, two weeks...

Some people seem to enjoy being showered all day with filthy Klong water, and having talcum powder smeared deep into their ear (as happened to me once)...

Scandinavians are encouraged to 'stay warm'...

I wish there were more 'scantily dressed' girls in the Bangkok bars. If there were, I might actually go there to have a beer.

I'm sure that is a typo. Those optimists probably said 38%, not 3.8%...

Both, English language skills, and curiosity about foreign visitors, IMHO, declined significantly from the turn of the century up to 2020, and again a lot since then.

Same here... 1. 'How long you stay Thailand?' 2. 'What your job?' 3. 'Why you like/look for Thai women?' (Told one chick, I'm not particularly looking for a Thai woman, but, living here, the odds to meet one are higher than, say, meeting an Icelandic one...)

Watching, or reading world news doesn't seem to be a thing in Thailand. Get over it, TAT, this is not 2019, and things won't be 'back' anytime soon, esp. in beloved China...

Since when? With limitations during day- and night times, not to mention religious and political holidays...

I wouldn't be surprised. A lot of things, incl. prestigious jobs, are for sale in this "Buddhist" country...

Drafts and talk are cheap...

At least they learnt for a whole period what the words and sentences mean in Thai, without the Thai "English" teacher actually being able to pronounce the words correctly...