DonniePeverley

New zealand wasn't that safe, as the threat of invasion from Japan was very real at the time. Furthermore, you were most likely to be called up into the military to fight for the UK. Best place would have been in South America - as you were far from everything, and not really involved enough to be called into a draft.

I've never believed for a minute in the marketting gimmick of 'sancturys' for these elephants. It's just clever marketing, makes tourists believe they are doing some good because the word 'sanctury' is used, and they don't SEE the chains, and they aren't riding them. Reality is, no one knows what happens when the tourists go home if the elephants are treated well or not.

Grab drivers are often going on pavements as 1) they are literally going up to the door of the shop, and 2) they have to rush the food to get it to the customer in a reasonable time. You literally cannot wait in traffic if you are delivering hot food. Hence they use pavements. It had stopped, but now pavement driving is in full force again.

Quality tourists.

Probably on holiday again. It's been a week.

They are going to smash their record for incoming tourists this year in their history. They've done this by waving visa fees for many nations, like India and China - essentially letting in mass cheap tourism. Just horrific.

The current leadership, without much consultation, prefers mass cheap tourism, AT THE EXPENSE of quality tourism, albeit lower numbers. Locals (whom are voters) are starting to resent mass cheap tourism as the quality of life in Thailand is severely effected. The beauty is being spoilt. The pollution, especially on ground level with vehicle emissions is disgusting. Some of the worst i've seen in Bangkok.

Fear of whom ? Whilst they kept neutral and allowed Russians to visit. I never quite understood why they then went overboard and gave them a 6 month visa (with an easy renew), when they didn't do that for any other nation. You were basically allowing mass settlement. Why ? Was someone benefitting from the steep rise in property prices in Phuket? Because the locals certainly were not and most have been driven out. And it is to locals who you answer to in the next election. Just some strange moves.

On course to smash 40 million visitors. It will be 50 million next year. Utterly horrific for anyone living here.

Who gave Russians a 6 MONTH VISA ?! And on top of that very easy to renew. What else did the expect the Russians to do to earn ? They knew these Russians were living here, and by all accounts now permanant immigrants. Why the hell was that allowed? Horrific

That makes no sense. Just use a calculator.

What is your motive behind this ?

Visa free access for Chinese. They're going to be moving here now in the millions. What happens when Russians go back ?

Horrific

Inflation incoming. An absurd policy.

Hmmmm ... crimes against tourists too, in tourist zones ?

Is Phili dangerous or what ?

Maybe reinstate visa fees for Chinese and Indians. That goes into billions.

Went a few weeks ago - Pattaya beach in the evening was awfully crowded, and very dirty - alot of litter around.

There needs to be an immediate return to a one month visa only policy for Russians. The 6 month nonsense has allowed them to live here.

Chinese tourism has resumed all around the world late 2023. There was no need to cancel the income from visa fees (which go into the billions), and the ensuing problems of visa waivers. Simply put they panicked for no reason at all. Once the covid situation resolved in China, outbound tourism were always going to resume. There is simply no evidence the stimulus had any effect. Otherwise why would the same volume of tourists be returning to Europe, America at the exact same time the tourist returned to Thailand ? Simply put ... where do you plug the hole that you have spent on wiping away the visa fees? Furthermore, you have now basically opened up the country to mass cheap tourism, instead of quality tourism (the exact type of tourism you strived not to repeat after covid). To repeat it for Indian tourists was simply scandalous. Naive to the chore to simply want MASS tourism. Eventually the local population won't like it. You see the signs now.

Most chinese go to South Korea for plastic surgery.

It's impossible.

Weed relaxation rules have come at the wrong time

What did they think would happen when they allowed Russians a 6 month visa. They weren't just going to sit in their rooms and play dominos. Clearly they don't want to be in Russia, and some will seek means of work/business. It's been clear for nearly a year they were buying businesses, and operating with free will. Sri Lanka recently had to stop their long visa for Russians as a result of the local population growing fed up. Now they've given Chinese the free visas to come and back and forth too. Same issue is going to start. The barriers Thailand had up to protect it's population (employment, rising rent prices from long stayers, etc) were just thrown away in a few days with some strange decisions.