wensiensheng

Doesn’t look so good for him then.

Well the tax thing isn’t really a tourist issue. That’s applicable to residents, not tourists

Yep, the beaches used to be the big draw and Bangkok was a bit of a blast for a few days. But the average provincial city has nothing much to see, certainly no more than all the other average provincial cities in Thailand. Having ruined most beach areas through over building and allowing nearby sleaze night life, there isn’t really much that Thailand has to sell. Changmai was the big alternative to the beaches, but that has long since been ruined. i’d be happy to do a short break trip to Hua Hin with a group of friends to play on the various golf courses, but aside from that, I’m not sure what else I could recommend. It’s a great shame, but there it is. All that’s left is the sex pat business and those tourists who want a week ensconced in a 5 star resort with a spa.

Maybe it’s true but I wouldn’t be surprised if the ages were reported incorrectly.

I lived in Udon for 5 years so I know the real Thailand and not just the tourist areas. The question is, where in Udon would a high end tourist wish to visit? Or Issan in general? Where in Thailand WOULD a high end tourist want to visit? Chang Mai and Pai? Sure 20 years ago, but now, meh. Down south? Plenty of nice beaches there, Trang and so on, Koh Lanta maybe. But where is the infrastructure to support large numbers of tourists? And if they go there, they’d don’t just want a beach, they want upper class dining and entertainment in the evening. Not a lot of that around unless you’re talking of a guy strumming a guitar. Hua Hin, Prachup khiri kan, maybe. Hua Hin certainly has golf courses that would be appealing for some. But to offset the stuff you describe, there are also negatives. Walking? Pretty dangerous actually if it’s anywhere near a road. There is hiking in national parks but trails are not well marked as they are in a lot of areas in the west ( I go hiking every year in places like Georgia, Armenia, Romania, etc) and….its darn hot. Sea sport places? Outside of the sleazy tourist areas, where are those? Sorry, in my view the sleazy tourist areas are beyond redemption. They are what they are and describing them as Thailands vibrant night life doesn’t change what they are in reality….sleazy. Some of the other areas I mention above can be interesting to visit if people want to know what it’s like to live in Thailand. But that is not high end tourism, that is back packer style experiencing what another country is like. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, backpackers aren’t all cheap Charlie’s, some are 50/60 years old and venturing out to experience new things. But let’s face it, the Patong, Patpong, Pattaya style is what Thailand has been branded as because THATS what is on offer and what attracts 90% of Thailands tourists. 90% is just my opinion, I have no source for that other than gut feel having lived here for 19 years.

Talking your own book?

Didn’t that happen in previous years also? So not an explanation for a fall in tourist numbers that typically arrive at this time of year

“The emphasis lies on transitioning from a demand-driven to a supply-driven approach, crafting high-value tourism products” what a fool. Doesn’t he realize that the Thai tourist industry is already a supply driven one. They supply huge amounts of hookers and booze on every street corner in tourist areas and they get the tourists who want that kind of thing. Sexpats in other words. If Thailand truly wanted to upgrade its tourist offering and attract upgraded tourists from what they currently get, they’d need to eliminate sleaze and improve the infrastructure and environment so that tourists don’t get continually injured, maimed and murdered. The alternative is to be honest about what you’ve got to offer and market the heck out of that. Neither is happening at the moment, hence the handwringing. On a plus note maybe the Central bank will now massage the baht downward 😃

And more Russian. They are the only people here in numbers

Probably least said about the finances of certain temples and the activities of monks within them, the better. It’s not a subject for farang to comment on imho. And in any case, can it be said that other religions such as the Roman Catholic Church or Church of England are hard up and many of its clergy living simple lives? Ostentatious opulence more like.

I understand and agree with most of what you say, except for one thing. I have never known a bar girl save ANY money for herself later in life, or for her kids future. Some gamble the money away themselves, some send money back to the family so as to look after their mother and their kids…..in which case the mother gambles the money away. But save? Nope, never known a Thai do such a thing

I don’t see that the car was overloaded. 5 passengers total in a hatchback is fine. Just that one of them wasn’t in the back seat, she was in the rear luggage compartment ( not a boot in the sense of a saloon car). The wife was no doubt there, so that the car did not give the appearance of being a taxi picking up passengers. That would be illegal since the car is not licensed as such. So she was camouflage, so to speak. Maybe campflage was needed because they were picking up from the airport or a hotel. The taxi mafia don’t like that happening.

Yes, it’s hard to see how a properly vetted course via submitted curriculum documents does anything to ensure that foreigners don’t enroll and then simply not turn up. Seems to be a case of doing something, anything, whether or not it is relevant or effective to resolving an issue.

A pretty run of the mill story for anyone who has rented out property. Some tenants are good, some bad. It’s why the landlord takes a security deposit. To cover damage and cleaning as a result of bad tenants

I think it’s like most topics, Thailand has plenty of laws, rules and regulations. They just aren’t observed or enforced. Traffic laws are a visible classic example. Buildings regulation observance is far less visible….until there is an earthquake that is.

In this day and age buildings are built that can withstand severe earthquakes, certainly more severe than the one that occurred recently. So the 10% lifetime risk of an earthquake, does become effectively zero if quality buildings are built. So what is the earthquake durability of Bangkoks buildings? That is the question that should be asked and depending on the answer, acted upon.

Because a lot of the cameras don’t work do to poor to no maintenance?

“The Tourist Police have integrated Social Listening technology to quickly respond to incidents reported on social media and dispel false information affecting the tourism image.” Why do I worry that they will spend more time latching onto stories so as to suppress them and avoid tarnishing Thailands reputation, rather than actually putting away bad guys

Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Iraq, maybe a few more.

“In a developing saga that highlights Thailand's growing frustration with disorderly foreign visitors,” I get that he was selling illegal substances, but can’t for the life of me see where it says he was disorderly. Did they mix up the story or did they just tag it on to a theme of the moment that they are trying to develop into a “thing”?

Where is the sting aspect? They just arrested him as he passed through immigration. He wasn’t lured there was he?

Well I should be ok if one of them goes for me at any time. I nullified their primary grappling hold.

If the government ever thought, or currently thinks, that restricting alcohol sales serves to culturally respect Buddha, they should think again. Buddhists throughout Thailand habitually buy alcohol and gamble on the holiest of holy days. Why? Because they want to. Trying to stop them is like trying to stop time itself. If alcohol is permitted to be sold, Thai people can pay their respects to Buddha in what ever way they wish. For some people that will mean getting totally drunk after a day/night of gambling. For others, a day spent at the temple in silent dedication.

And the BTS police were where?

I think the normal procedure is to invite them to turn themselves in at a police station so that the warrant can be executed. Not sure why the plod went out of their way to do extra work on this one. Must have sniffed a photo opportunity