DonniePeverley

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.

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

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 ?

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.

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.

I agree with that too. But it's the same logic giving money to 'British' people who live abroad. Why does the UK allow dual nationality ? I have a baller uncle living in Canada - lived there for 40 years. Get's a pension in Canada , and unbelievably gets a pension from the UK too. He then comes back to the UK to get all his dentistry done too, because as he states 'he's still a british citizen too'. You also have guys in Pattaya, who have never been back to the UK for years, barely done any work in the UK, and are on pensions too, with the added security of returning home. They need to close dual citizenship, and stop being a british citizenship if you live more than 6 months outside the UK. Ridiculous THE WASTE.

No you haven't - they just tell you have made contributions. You still have dual citizenship too, something that should also be stopped. So you have that security of returning back home. If a Thai leaves the country they don't get a pension from the state.

Wasn't this one of the predicted worries of lifting visa free access to Chinese and allowing Russians to stay 6 months.

Is the scheme safe and sound surrounding inflation? The UK and USA suffered badly with inflation over the past few years - in 'part' due to some of the handouts during covid.

Personally i've never understood why the UK government should be giving out handouts to people not living in the UK anymore.

I remember many years ago, i saw how many bars would not let Indians in. I remember thinking they could implement policies rather than go straight to banning - for example, they could make Indians pay for their drinks on entry, etc. But nope it was a straight ban. The more i asked club owners about this extreme policy, the more it wasn't really about business and just out right prejudice. Unfortunately now for these places the only main customers in town are the Indians. And sick and tired of the racism they faced they've now gone and built their own super clubs, and reeping it in.

Keep him away from Phuket so he doesn't see the Russian situation on the island.

That's the fear. Now the Russians have had their long term visas stopped, this is a convenient way to come to Thailand. Ghastly news.

Don't believe a word of this.

If in a theoretically view they had been stopped two times before, and didn't have the rite license to drive - then erm yeah you need to get of the scooter and get a taxi to continue your holiday. Paying a fine, doesn't give you immunity to just keep going along with the incorrect documentation.

Reason i don't want to use my debit card is of course the security issues. I don't feel comfortable using it in Thailand just yet. I will look up the true wallet scheme.