DonniePeverley

So the agreement we signed was pointless? If so, lets say i backed out - would the landlord have no recourse to take action against me either?

Hello all, how about this for the wild wild west. So, we are moving condos. We have a signed pre tennancy agreement (i forget the actual term for the actual name of the contract we signed), but it was a pre contract agreement, with everyones signature (landlord, agent, and ourselves). We pay two months deposit, and one month advance rent. We were going to sign the actual lease a day before moving in. On that day on moving and when we are going to set of to sign the lease (including having had everything packed !!!!) the landlord backs out saying he doesn't really want to rent the property out. He immediately returns our deposit and rent back. Luckily our exisiting condo landlord was sympathetic and let us stay another few days, but we have since spent a few weeks in a hotel. We have luckily found another condo. Can someone tell me if this was a legal document we signed pre lease ? Could we have had any recourse to take action against the landlord? It makes me wary of moving again, as any landlord could just back out. Thoughts ?

Grab can be more expensive than the quoted fare by the 'non meter taxi guy'. 😀

So to clarify you paid 50% above the normal fare - and your point is ?

But when there is a vested campaign to promote tourism, and tourism's huge financial draw - why then let one of the main faces of tourism just run rampant ? When a tourist arrives in Thailand, it's the first impression he gets. Get out the airport and you meet a taxi driver trying it on. What initiatives have the authorities tried ?

Along with cameras (like they do for Uber in America) .... random stops on taxis would be a good idea too.

Taxi drivers in Thailand is a problem that is never tackled. Why not? I was in Shanghai last week, and all taxi drivers have to have a camera installed in them. That way if a tourist has issues, reports a meter not being turned on, or driver refusing a fare - they have all the evidence there. If they turn the camera off or it is not on, they get in bigger trouble. That would be an easy solution. I am sick of getting into taxis in Bangkok, and they tell me 'no meter'. Or refuse a fare, which they're not meant to. The latest issue i have with them is driving into traffic, to push up that fare. Last two weeks i have asked the driver why he turned into this wall of traffic. Fare inflated by 100 baht, but more importantly wastes my time. Sick of Grab too, as it's expensive in Bangkok.

It's bizarre how they're very sensitive of even adding a 300 baht fee. Waived all visa fees for Indians, chinese - that is some massive loss in income.

If it would have stopped digital nomads - i mean cheap backpackers with a laptop - coming in then i was all for it. It was literally the price of a burger in the west.

Finger prints is archaic when they also take a photo, and with photo recoginition technology. Why can Singapore, Dubai etc do automatic gate on arrival ?

You go to some Malaysian resorts and you know what it's pretty classy. No cheap backpackers, or cheap flag following mass tourism. It's a bit more expensive, but the clientele is much better.

Is this a joke? Pushing for 80 million jokes is going to be an enviromental disaster.

I remember 2019, and it was crazy packed. There was pushback at the time from locals, and politicians who were promising a reset and the search for quality tourists. That's been thrown out the window well and truly.

Funny how many of them just 'started' to work in a bar a few weeks ago. Roflmao

Thanks to Wilcop932 for this write up, brilliant said : Thailand’s Tourism Rebound is a double-edged sword. Tourism is a major component of the Thai economy, contributing roughly 20% of GDP. However, COVID-19 dealt a devastating blow to the industry. Prior to the pandemic, tourist arrivals in Thailand steadily increased. COVID-19 brought travel to a near standstill from 2020 to 2022, with 2021 seeing rock-bottom numbers. Determined to revive this vital sector, Thai authorities have implemented measures to jumpstart tourism. 2023, the first "COVID-free" year, witnessed a remarkable turnaround: visitor numbers doubled from 11 million in 2022 to over 28 million. However, a significant shift in tourist demographics occured in 2023. Over two-thirds (20 million) of visitors originated from Asia, followed by Europe (6 million), the Americas (1.3 million), and the Middle East/Africa (around 700,000). This contrasts with the pre-pandemic visitor base, which leaned more heavily towards Europe and China then taking 25% This surge in Asian tourists reflects a change in travel preferences. Many new visitors flock to established tourist hotspots catering to their specific interests. Regular visitors to these areas may have noticed increased density in 2023, while those returning might have observed some "derelict" businesses as the industry recovered. The future: - Returning to Pre-Pandemic Levels and Beyond Tourist arrivals in Thailand have been steadily climbing since the pandemic, with projections indicating a full recovery to pre-pandemic levels (30-35 million visitors) by the end of 2024. The first quarter of 2024 alone saw 10 million visitors, a 44% year-on-year increase. The government's relaxed entry requirements further fuel optimism. These relaxed regulations, coupled with a potential increase in visa-free entry from 57 to 93 countries, are predicted to sustain growth at pre-COVID rates or even surpass them. Notably, relaxed entry conditions for countries like Russia, China and India are already leading to a noticeable rise in visitors from those regions. Airlines, with underutilized fleets post-pandemic, are well-positioned to handle the influx of tourists. While the tourism rebound is positive news, there are concerns. The focus on sheer visitor numbers might overshadow the "quality of the product" and the environmental impact on Thailand's natural beauty – the very resources that attract tourists in the first place. So, I think that although Thailand's tourism industry is experiencing a remarkable comeback, ensuring sustainable growth requires a balanced approach that prioritizes not just visitor numbers, but also the quality of the tourism experience and the preservation of Thailand's unique environment. It seems that the current government is not interested in this.

Mass cheap tourism, attracting some rite dross has actually made me think of going elsewhere. Seems everything is now geared to tourism and nothing else.

I think what he means is can you get this visa over and over again during those 5 years. If so, then many have wasted big money on the elite visa.

Pattaya truly attracts the cess pitt of the world

I'll be honest if you were in my condo i'd be the first to complain about you. Especially bringing friends up to the pool area and drinking. You simply cannot do that. If you want to do that kind of behaviour then either take them to your room, or go buy your own place. If i saw you at my condo, and you had just bought some mates up and were drinking by the pool i'd have a word with you myself. It's a condo, the public spaces are shared by the residents, and they aren't your own personal space. No alcohol by pools is shared universally by almost every modern condominium. You signed up to the rules too. I see nothing wrong in what the condo implemented.

Hong Kong is definately very decent. Some 20 years ago it was a magical experience, but as years have gone on it has become a very cloned Chinese metropolosis - albeit some breathtaking skyline views.

With mine, they became suspicious because a British couple had just passed a few minutes ago, and they were triggered another british couple were also looking for a visa on arrival. We got taken to further 'interogation' where she literally tried to tear my passport with a screwdiver, because she felt that we had a forged passport. I asked what made her think that, when we had nearly 40 stamps around the world, including USA arrivals. She didn't answer why she though that. At one point, i became so concerned she was going to rip my passport up with the screwdriver i was about to tell her to leave it. No trip to Disney was worth a damaged passport and would have left me in limbo to even get back to Thailand. Eventually she gave up, then put me back in the queue. But she seemed very angry. I didn't quite work why she was so annoyed my passport was legit. But we did think this wasn't worth it

Maccause is nothing like the tourist experience you get in Las Vegas. Vegas for all it's fault is a top notch entertainment capital, whilst Maccau despite the grandeuse show building is hardcore gambling without the entertainment.

Mass tourism is a complete enviromental disaster for the natural beauty of the island. It's such a great place that it needs quality tourists, if could just build up some infrustructure, cut out the scams, etc

Okay controversial opinion. But i found Tokyo one of the most overrated cities in the world. I was expecting some kind of different utopia metropolosis, full of an alien specices. But it was just your bog standard western city, modelled pretty much on New York. It was no different.