On ‎28‎.‎09‎.‎2017 at 11:06 AM, FritsSikkink said:

Where do you think did MasterCard get their info from?

From Unionpay

On 28/09/2017 at 8:08 AM, Bullie said:

TAT are lying through their teeth, to put it mildly. Sure, Bangkok is a hub where people stay: especially to be able to go somewhere else, fast. Quality American and European visitors have been discouraged to come to Thailand by high prices, ever-changing visa-requirements, the continuance of rip-offs and , frankly, the abundance of Chinese and Indians at all touristic venues.

Nowadays the surrounding asian countries, or even the Spanish costa's , Islands, and not-to-forget the Carribean offer the same, or more bang for your pound, euro, or buck , and your welcome to stay, if you want.

 

 

Not so. Thai prices are not higher than Europe or the Caribbean. There are no ever changing visa requirements except they are getting easier for people. Yes there are more Chinese at certain locations but I doubt that puts many people off as they would not know or give it much thought. The highly emotive statement about lie through teeth indicates the writer is angry and possibly hurting.

Edited September 29, 20178 yr by The manic

3 hours ago, The manic said:

indicates the writer is angry and possibly hurting.

More likely missed off with the lies like everyone else except the blinkered ones.

7 hours ago, The manic said:

Not so. Thai prices are not higher than Europe or the Caribbean. There are no ever changing visa requirements except they are getting easier for people. Yes there are more Chinese at certain locations but I doubt that puts many people off as they would not know or give it much thought. The highly emotive statement about lie through teeth indicates the writer is angry and possibly hurting.

Totally agree.  My four sisters who just visited were amazed at the low prices--for everything from the nice hotel rooms in Bangkok to the low prices at good restaurants.  Admission charges at the tourist sites we visited were very reasonable and, of course, fun places like Asiatique and Terminal 21 were free.   Going through Immigration at BKK seems to have improved--we went through twice on our trip to and back from Cambodia and we waited about 40 minutes both times, not too bad considering the airport was very busy. 

So here's some perhaps rather more reliable figures for our own beloved tourist hub's place in the world pecking order:

 

24 minutes ago, mfd101 said:

So here's some perhaps rather more reliable figures for our own beloved tourist hub's place in the world pecking order:

 

Rankings true for 2011 - 19,230,000. From UNWTO Tourism Highlights, 2013 Edition, page 9.

http://www.e-unwto.org/doi/pdf/10.18111/9789284415427

 

23 hours ago, futsukayoi said:

 

Chinese, Indians, Russians and Arabs are probably the main visitors to Pattaya now and guess they don't stay at the hotels you use. 

You are right and the ones I use are empty, strangely enough the prices continue to rise, must be a local custom.

On 9/28/2017 at 1:36 PM, Deez said:

I guess the Russians, Chinese and Middle Eastern are the future of Thailand

If you go to Phuket, it's just arabs.

TLDR.

Obviously more of the same. Hubris that is.

Analytically it doesn't matter how many tourists arrive. Could be three or three million.

The obvious issue that I'm sure you've all thought of is that a very high percentage of the tourist dollar goes into the gray economy, with much of it going straight into the black economy. This is exacerbated especially in the bottom end of the market. Yes, the crusty, baggy pants wearing, ukulele toting, wonders of civilization we call backpackers. They have very little money to start with, and the little they have is pilfered ultimately by traders of very dubious integrity leaving bugger all for the legitimate, hard working business person.

The bottom end should be a lucrative market, but when corruption just becomes a surreal out of this world burden, everyone suffers.

Yes obviously Thailand is crooked, but in the last ten years it has taken it to a new height. If you've been here more than thirty years you may have an insight to offer me, but for now I remain exceptionally cynical. It's like global warming - you can go past the point of no return.

I have grave concerns that Thailand very soon will be in a position where there will be inability to recover from this malaise. The ineptitude, apathy, lack of care, indolence and absence of integrity in policy making offices, business communities, and the various institutions across the country, is just monumental.

The results of this are evident. /RANT