DonniePeverley

I'm glad you're aware of the airbnb / short term infestation issue.

Valentines day .... really or is that just a theory ? If Valentines Day a major thing here?

Bangkok always busy, but usually between 9-2, and 7pm onwards thinks become a little more 'bearable. Not today. It's 9pm and the roads around Silom, Riverside, are just at a gridlock. Is there some event going on, or has someone new at his job done a poor job at doing a manual takeover of the traffic lights? We literally didn't move from our condo for nearly 30 mins. A simple normal 10 minute journey took us nearly two hours. All the same small soi's just rammed. Reading on Twitter many are reporting the same issues. Wag gwaaan ?!

Was this the concert at Emisphere ?

There are no hand breaks to halt tourism now and the sheer volume of numbers, after the visa waves for China and India. If you look at how horrific the situation in Phuket is and how miserable things are out there for anyone living there, i doubt the powers care. Pack in as many people as we can, good or bad seems the mantra. Someone has to pay for the revenue lost from visas fees, and other spending. They are on course now to smash 40-50 million people a year.

I still don't fully fathom why they were given these long visas ? For free too. Why?

Absolutely disgusting today in Bangkok. You could actually see the misty pollution around you.

Well technically speaking - Bangkok has 2 airports. London has 6. So yay for London again.

If it has it's own immigration desks, and manned - that can only be a positive.

And remember Heathrow is closed between 11pm and 6am

4 million arrivals in January. Airports the busiest i've ever seen them since time began. That would be on course to smash 50 million for the year. No hand breaks now with all visas fees waves for China and India. There seems to be a raft of online content creators who are pushing this 'move to Thailand' nonsense too. Particularly from the UK on TikTok. Flat out lies how anyone can just come to Thailand and work, the supposed cheapness of the country ( it isn't), and how easy it all is (it's not that easy), and how the UK is a dump. Funnily enough none of them are prepared to give up their UK citizenship though. I found it rather bizarre, until one of the guys on TikTok who pushes this whole narrative (it's cheap, move to Thailand), suddenly appeared at a mall event with officials talking about tourism. When he was asked if he was just promoting Thailand, he denied it. But it does feel slightly unusual and a whiff of adverts posing as 'amateurs'. Anyways tourism is back in a big way. We had a great few years with relative peace, but that's all over now.

There was simply no need to stop the visa fees for Chinese tourists. Tourism from China has resumed all around the world. In a blind panic and desperation they've invested billions into wiping away visa fees - when there was simply no need to in my opinions. 4 million tourists January - means we could be heading to 50 million tourists by the year end. That is just too much. That was a massive investment when you consider they also did the same for Indian tourists. Huge investments.

At the risk of running through 231 pages, can someone give me a brief synopsis of what is going on ?

You continue the problem by paying them 200 Baht or even attempting to negotiate a non meter fee. Just get out and don't use them.

These taxi drivers are rotten to the chore - they really ruin the reputation of this country.

But if you are in desperate need of a taxi, and the driver doesn't cancel - you are then unable to get a taxi. You have to cancel to try and find another driver.

They will reach those numbers, and probably some more. Tourism has bounced back around the world. They panicked and stopped visa fees for Chinese and Indians to give a boost, which was a stimulus that wasn't needed. If you cancel some 2000 Baht for nearly 15-20 million tourists that is a big massive investment. The only way you are going to even recoup that (and then some more) is by massively allowing millions more tourists to enter. Now effectively what you have done is remove all the levers that could sustain a level of tourism that the country can handle. There is no way they will reinstate visa fees for the Chinese again. You now have no levers to stop the masses coming in. The knee jerk decisions have been astonishing. You are already seeing many complaints from Phuket and some islands about the sheer volume of tourists. If you are going to open the gates to allow a free for all, then you need the infrustructure in place (roads, transport system being vital). At the moment Bangkok roads are a standstill. Phuket has zero public transport system, nor do the islands. The airports have seem massives queues. The vaunted BTS in Bangkok (although still great) has gone from seating, to removing many seats, to now everyone just stand up and get squashed in. You need to invest in the infrustructure like Singapore has to accomdate that many people, but sadly that is not going to happen here. So what you are going to get is 40-50 million tourists this year. Most will be low spenders, and most will have miserable experiences. And those who live here will suffer.

I have news for you - even the regular taxis on the street have fees to pay to use a taxi.

So they refuse to cancel themselves. Then kind of play a game a chicken to see if we cancel ? Knowing the mentality of Taxi drivers here they would rather sit and not accept any jobs rather than have to cancel.

We unfortunately got rinsed by our agent, who showed us a lovely condo - but deceptively failed to mention the school runs in the area are absolutely horrific. So whenever we attempt to order a grab, they will always accept it straight away, but then immediately call and message and tell us to cancel. Even if i attempt to book the premium grab, they just want to cancel. What is the glitch in the system that makes them accept the job in the first place? Then why can't they cancel it themselves? But no, they want me to cancel. Sometimes i give it ten minutes, and watch their cars sitting their stationary (they could have come to me in 5 mins), and they still don't cancel. The problem is as soon as you cancel, Grab then penalise me and add a fare onto the next attempt i make. With the taxi mafia now in full swing in Bangkok and rarely anyone using a meter, it's become ridiculous here.

Nothing will be done. Unless it hurts tourism. Apparently tourism is all that matters now

Did he inspect the taxi drivers refusing to use meters ?

concerns? They've literally been one of the most visited countries in the world last year. Why always a constant concern and panic ?

Obsessed with tourism. Horrific for locals.

I miss that General.