Thailand Cuts 2008 Tourist-arrival-target

[george]

TAT firmly focused on quality tourism

New chief Pornsiri cuts 2008 arrivals target by 4 million to reflect policy

BANGKOK: -- The Tourism Authority of Thailand is slashing the 2008 tourist-arrival target from 20 million to 16 million as the country reverses its tactics. Mass markets will be avoided as the TAT pursues "quality travellers" to avoid the "cheap-destination trap".

TAT's newly appointed governor Pornsiri Manoharn said the original target was too high and did not match the goal of becoming a leading world destination in terms of quality tourism.

"We have seen clear signs that we can move up, reflected through hotel room rates which have increased despite unfavourable factors," she said in an exclusive interview four days after she was signed up as the new governor.

Lured by price maintenance, local people will be encouraged to help preserve the environment and offer tourists new destinations. One of Phornsiri's goals is to entice tourists, locals and foreigners, to all parts of Thailand, not just prime destinations like Phuket, Pattaya, Samui and Chiang Mai.

Thailand started to market itself to the world about 40 years ago. As a small Asian country, it attracted visitors through mass advertising, resulting in a mixture of tourists. The deteriorating environment has caused concerns about how Thailand will survive in the world's thriving tourism industry with old destinations and low returns.

Pornsiri said it was time to change the national strategy. To pursue quality travellers, the TAT needs unique tactics to bring tourists from the regular target markets, while trying to explore new markets, particularly in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. At present, 65 per cent of tourists are from Asia Pacific.

The TAT will approach golfers and honeymooners in South Korea, female office staff and the elderly in Japan, and families in India. Medical and health services are also to be used to attract Middle Eastern travellers. Supporting the one-stop service approved by the Cabinet recently, film shooting will also be promoted. Pornsiri also sees it as necessary to market other Thai brands, saying Thailand had been recognised as top in terms of beaches but not in culture or attractions.

"Culture, destinations and attractions are all Thai brands. Our marketing tactics should not be limited. Now most travellers in Asia looking for culture go to Luang Phrabang in Laos," she said.

The TAT is now working closely with local administrative bodies at the tambon and provincial levels to offer new attractions and local culture as well as raise awareness among the locals of the need for environment protection as well as hospitality.

"We're proud that 55 per cent of tourists are repeat visitors. We need to impress tourists as word-of-mouth advertising is highly effective. If they are impressed with Thailand, they tell four or five more people in their home country," Pornsiri said, adding that Thailand was now competing with 170 countries in the world.

Driven by the new policy, the TAT decided to reintroduce the campaign "Amazing Thailand" to restate the intention to excite travellers with a greater variety of culture, destinations and attractions.

This year TAT targets 14.8 million arrivals, 18 per cent up from 2006, who are expected to spend Bt547 billion, a 13-per-cent increase.

To Pornsiri the local market is of equal importance. Domestic travellers are expected to make 82 million trips and generate income of Bt577 billion this year.

Probably bad news for local travellers is that Thailand is moving up another level in the industry, so there will be no more price-cutting. In the past two years following the tsunami, many domestic travellers relied heavily on discounted tour packages offered at a few tourism fairs. From now on, only one fair, the Thai Tourism Festival, will be available, every June. At this year's event, between June 7-10, local culture from four regions will be featured in line with TAT's new approach of marketing more of the Thai character.

Pornsiri promised that though there would be no discounts, buyers would be offered greater value, for example, a full-rate hotel room with free spa service.

-- The Nation 2007-01-22

[Ijustwannateach]

People willing to pay $100+ a night for a room are NOT going to be impressed by the state of Thailand's overdeveloped and overpolluted tourist areas- the only reason they were economically viable to begin with was their reasonable price.

Aim at the foot- and shoot!

[cclub75]

Okay. For her first statement... it starts well : thanks to common sense she has to cut the delirious previous "targets".

Of course, she has to lie a little bit, to bend the reality, to justify, to avoid loose of face : "we go up market, so the target of total number of visitors has to be reduced".

Fair enough.

But then, suddendly, the skid. Unfortunate.

Now most travellers in Asia looking for culture go to Luang Phrabang in Laos," she said.

Another lunatic thai official ?... Luang Prabang is way, way behind Angkor for instance, regarding the number of visitors... I mean : even a reader of Lonely Planet knows that.

Then, I notice some other BS : the quest of the Holly Graal (the famous "greater value"), the fashion viral marketing, and the rant against discounts.

Point less. Who cares to pay full price a hotel room, to be rewarded with a free spa ? I find this marketing instant noddle soup not really tasty....

[londonthai]

This year TAT targets 14.8 million arrivals, 18 per cent up from 2006, who are expected to spend Bt547 billion, a 13-per-cent increase

looks like the foreign tourists won't be staying as long as they use to stay in the past - maybe bacause they can't efford hotel charges? At some stage they might stop comming alltogether - what's the point taking an expensive flight through the several time zones, suffering from a jet lag, and coming back home after just a few days.

[Mai Krap]

In the days after the Tsunami began what I named the Koh Chang Stampede. The arrivals doubled or even trippled over the next month as every airplane and bus heading towards the island was suddenly booked and the mad house was opened up. These tourists were of a flavor never seen before on the island as maybe half were loaded down with suitcases and baggage, not the usual light travelers.

At the time and to this very day there are no services to accomidate such people just arriving without advanced warning to have a gaurenteed seat on one of the handfull of authorized vans who pick up at the airport. So these upperscale taxi passengers were handed over to the island truck mafia to sort out their own transpertaion, a nasty bunch of sychopaths for the most part. They are a well known bunch of criminals on the island and almost anytime some kind of low budget activity is going on they are somehow linked to it, drinkdriving, outrageous dangerous driving, gambling, beating up tourist, attacking each other and intimidation in general.

A few incidents will always remind me of why the island will remain a lowbudget destination for years to come. In one a friend stopped his new Toyota truck to give a ride to a couple beutiful European girls who waved him down which is the obligation of any western man, only to have some truck mafia loser try to block his truck then jump out and start taking pictures of the friend, his truck, and its license. The reason behind this was to turn him into the local police for working with no permit and try to get him booted off the island. It could have also been in order to get the boys to ruff him up since these girls were obligated to pay to ride in the back of a old wore out truck like farm animals instead of shaking thier butts a little to ride in the front of a new truck. The truck mafia have no idea how the world works but I do believe my friend ended up paying for the girls drink bills a couple nights and had a very nice time with them for a few days, A bonus on the island.

The second and most disturbing is just the raw number off accidents that happen with truckloads of people forced over the mountain in speeding old trucks driven by guys with no defensive driving skills. It is a testiment of their nature to observe the trucks themselves and view the condition of them, many having sustained multiple accidents or in some cases it is clear they have had the entire front cap replaced from damage in a high speed crack up. I will never forget the day I arrived minutes after a head on high speed accident in klongson to see westerners layed out in the road and ditches because they bounced out of the truck on impact. Two speeding pickup taxis crashed head on in the center of town and every person involved was hauled off to the hospital with 7 or more having to be evacuated to the Bangkok hospital on the mainland. One young U.K. woman of 23 or so recieved multiple broken bones and a broken hip for her upperscale holiday which would last months in a rehabilitaion center.

The best example of the relationship between upperscale suitcase tourist and the man on the ground waiting to meet them can be summed up quite nicely by a scene I quietly watched one day. During the madness of the Koh Chang Stampede the local truck mafia was infused with money and vigor that had not been seen since the days before the big gambling raid that ran them out of Dan Khao for a time. It seems they raised the price everyday and just became shitty with about every person who wanted to get somewhere and the more bags one had the bigger hassle they recieved on arrival. In one case a small argument broke out between a tourist trying to get to the beach without being ripped off and the driver of a truck standing on the ground. His exspensive looking suitcase had already been handed up to a man on the top of the truck and stacked with many others and when the argument ended his luggage was thrown off the top of the truck and onto the ashphalt in such a way as to do the most possible dammage to it . You always suspect that the guys at the airport toss luggage around and are basicly careless about their handling of others things and jokes are often made about the subject but this was so over the top that I will never forget it nor will I ever place myself into the hands of the scumbag drivers around Koh Sumui, Phuket, or Koh Chang.

I highly doubt any of the people who arrived during the Stampede will be repeat costumers to the island but you can always count on the same core group of light travelers who come back year after year who are willing to put up with some bullshit and risk some danger in order to spend some qaulity time at a cheep and one time Amazing Thailand destination.

[Jingthing]

Thanks Mai Krap, an excellent testimony about the reality on the ground in Koh Chang! It makes for a gripping read.

For a related thread dealing with the need for Bangkok style taxi meters in Pattaya to offer people without vehicles a real alternative to the baht bus mafia: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...02190&st=30

[Jet Gorgon]

Thanks for the excellent observations, Mai Krup.

It is a pity that TAT focus has changed. As many pointed out here, the state of the roads and general services, and the lack of infrastructure are not high class. I suppose if the swanky tourists are confined to their luxury resorts, they will not see what's around them. Fine by me, as I have witnessed how rude, belligerent and downright cranky these folks can be. Then the Thais see a fanrag and many often lump us together in the same cranky group.

I cannot see how these high-class types will take tours or stay in non-touristy destinations. They shriek at the sight of a roach, scream if their food is cold and complain vociferously about any imperfection in their accommodations. I doubt they want sight-seeing. Just provide an infinity pool overlooking the beach with palm trees, pina coladas and Hawaiian music. A place for the wives to show off their Prada pool wear and the men to type their emails. I've seen it in Conde Nast Traveller.

My best local jaunts were to lovely jungles or remote big-rock beaches, where the huts are mean, the vermin is friendly and the bungalow owners are surely related to the Dalai Lama.

I vote for attracting friendly, interesting, understanding, respectful, and humanitarian tourists with enough cash to enjoy Thailand and support its economy. Ban the others.

[The Skipper]

I stopped recommending friends go to Thai resorts.

Having to deal with the transport mafia is no fun.

The TAT wants high-end guests but then force them to ride in the back of a truck, drivin by the lowlife, ripoff, scumbags.

[Mobi]

I don't want to dwell on the subject of dual pricing as it has already been done to death, and in principle, I don't personally have a major problem with it, if it is seen to be reasonable.

Over Christmas and New Year I had six adult members of my family staying with me from the UK. They are reasonably well off, and had a fair bit of cash to spend. We travelled widely, and they thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Like me, they didn't have a major probelem with dual pricing - for example the Oasis Dolphin Park charged 90 Baht for Thais and 150 Baht for farangs, and it was seen to be reasoanble and good value for money.

Then we went to one of the National Park waterfalls nearby, and , as you know they are 40 Baht for Thais, and 400 Baht for foreigners. Everyone one was very angry and upset, and we had a long debate before finally deciding to go in, as we had already taken the trouble to drive there. It left a nasty taste in the mouth, and my family informed me that they did not wish to go to any other National Park sites.

If they don't sort this out, they will increasingly get a reputation for ripping off tourists, and this will undoubtedly adversly effect the tourist numbers in years to come.

It may be amazing Thailand, but they will be amazed how quickly the bad word will spread.

Edited January 22, 2007 by Mobi D'Ark

[Jet Gorgon]

Too true, Mobi. I think the tourist prices are often whatever pops into the officials' heads. Make it up as they go along. Mind you, high-class tourists will be on package tours, so they won't know about it.

[John K]

So does the new application for a tourist visa ask about your income?

[PhilHarries]

Smokescreen.

Slash the 2008 target, justify it by saying they are targetting "quality tourists", do nothing (the easy bit) and then it's group hugs and back patting when early 2009 they report they exceeded their target. Could even get a few promotions thrown in there.

With all this talk about quality tourists will immigration keep a record of the percieved "quality" of the arrivals at Suvarnabhumi? Or will they add a supplementary question if you tick the holiday box on the arrivals card :

Are you : A backpacker

Sex tourist

Regular tourist

Quality tourist

[Jet Gorgon]

Nice one, Phil.

[h90]

Means in other words:

We should to ripp off these rich idiots more anyway they are rich.

These young students which are only interested in Thailands culture/nature/people but having a low budget are not welcome as they don't bring enough profit.

If we make so much money that we don't know anymore where to put the money, we may consider to make some cosmetic repair on the enviroment like adding a free Spa or a Tiffani show so the SWA (stupid walking ATMs) do not notice how dirty the beach is.

If all the fish die because of the uncleaned shi*t we put in the beach, we build a zoo with panda bears, thats also beautifull and offer one free cocktail on the pool bar (and double the price of the second one).

If TAT needs a new chief, let me know, I can do Pornsiri job (talking bs) better for half the salary.

[PeaceBlondie]

I lived at the beach at Hua Hin for a year. Sometimes it was great. I got bitten by a muzzled dog. I got seriously stung by huge jellyfish. Sometimes the storms were horrendous, and the wind incessant. One storm brought 99 trillion tonnes of debris to the beach. Sometimes the water was too cold or too hot. Oh, and don't play with those biting monkeys at Khao Takiab.

Two holidays to Phuket. Nice, but not that much to write home about.

First time in Thailand: sex tourist. I wrote home about it, but not to my family. Almost killed myself riding a bike on Doi Inthanon, and the stitiches got infected from shower water. That was amazing and unforgettable Thailand.

Tourists cannot read the signs in Thai, or some of the signs in English. And those lovely, generous tuk-tuk drivers in Bangkok! The streets and smells of Bangkok, that no walking tourist can avoid.

Excuse me now, the butler hasn't finished cleaning the Lamboghini, and is arguing with the upstairs maid about how they're going to split the chores after we get back from St. Moritz and spend a week in Udon Thani....

[Dupont]

Its only the target that has been reduced from 20 million to 16 million.

This is still up on the 14 million from this year which they failed to achieve (I'll look for the article)! Over 2 million up on this year. That is not a reduction in any language, even Thai.

Lovely little TAT speach again, full of crap, wishes, hopes and dreams. Quality tourists don't come here, you may get some middle classes coming here but thats about it. Cheap beer and nighlife is what most people come for, even foreign couples are showing up in bars now and enjoying it. Many Westerners (of both sexes) are moving away from all the PC crap about fat sex tourists and young girls and seeing it for them selves and getting on with the fun that life in Thailand is all about.

Bar area of Patong is packed to overflowing most nights and we were stood on the sidewalk on Bangla Friday night as all seats and standing room taken.

Beach ok this year and the green slime and brown algae have not shown up yet, still get woken up 15 times an hour to buy lighters, wooden frogs, coconuts, hammoks (tree not included), beads, wigs, CD's, silk throws, t-shirts and other "Quality Tourist" must haves.

Dream on TAT and keep raking in the money from prostitution, beer, slave burmese labour, corruption and Tuk Tuk mafia. It's business as usual what ever the new "old head" says. This is the same person that said they were going to reduce the number of arrivals from 4.2 million to 5 million in order to improve quality on Phuket!

Edited January 22, 2007 by Dupont

[robint]

quote

If Thailand wants to stop attracting mainly grubby, disheveled backpacker types, it's got to stop presenting itself in the same way.

unquote

I think it was the bkk post 2 days ago said that of the 15 million tourist arriving last year, 4 million went to pattaya HAHAHAHAHA

You wiill be aware that TAT gives no mention of Pattaya at all and is desperately trying to sweep the place under the carpet.

gadaam 'kin hypocracy of these monkeys

BTW over xmas pattaya was jam packed with Rusky families (and spectacular hookers 4k ST)

but now mostly gone and only few stragglers left

so its left to the staunch cheap charlies old timers on soi buakhao to maintain the local economy at 45Baht for a large Chang beer

Hooray Henry

[Dupont]

quote

If Thailand wants to stop attracting mainly grubby, disheveled backpacker types, it's got to stop presenting itself in the same way.

unquote

I think it was the bkk post 2 days ago said that of the 15 million tourist arriving last year, 4 million went to pattaya HAHAHAHAHA

You wiill be aware that TAT gives no mention of Pattaya at all and is desperately trying to sweep the place under the carpet.

gadaam 'kin hypocracy of these monkeys

BTW over xmas pattaya was jam packed with Rusky families (and spectacular hookers 4k ST)

but now mostly gone and only few stragglers left

so its left to the staunch cheap charlies old timers on soi buakhao to maintain the local economy at 45Baht for a large Chang beer

Hooray Henry

Pattaya is the Jewel in the Crown of the Tourism Industry from a money perspective. From a face saving perspective though its not what the old girl wants to see.

I said before on here, it (Pattaya) is the goose laying the golden eggs. But the big wig Thais are trying to get it to produce goats milk.

And as for high quality tourists, they are the proverbial dog chasing a truck... What the hel_l would they do with them if they caught some of them!

This is the only area where they truly are a "regional hub".

Edited January 22, 2007 by Dupont

[mark lamai]

"This year TAT targets 14.8 million arrivals, 18 per cent up from 2006, who are expected to spend Bt547 billion, a 13-per-cent increase."

ummmmmm.......

doesn't that mean they expect more tourists to spend less?

how does equate to a bigger spending individual?

[PeaceBlondie]

"This year TAT targets 14.8 million arrivals, 18 per cent up from 2006, who are expected to spend Bt547 billion, a 13-per-cent increase."

ummmmmm.......

doesn't that mean they expect more tourists to spend less?

how does equate to a bigger spending individual?

Good spot, mark. Maybe you'd like to teach high school mathematics for 25,000 baht per month, no work permit, no license, no visa.....btw, most high school students absolutely cannot do simple word problems in English, even if you change the numbers to Thai, and the names and the food. are Thai..cannot do it, because then they would have to think too much.

[jumnien]

It seems that most on TV are upset somehow that the Thai government doesn't do a better job attracting tourists or paranoid that they are inflating the numbers of tourist arrivals. Is everyone on TV in the tourist/real estate business? Isn't there anyone out there like me that is happy with the level of tourists and would be even happier if there were less of them? What would a well run aggressive tourist oriented government campaign really do for those of us that live here? I say, keep up the good work, TAT, don't work too hard!

[londonthai]

mdeland, many on TV do not live permanently in thailand, so in a sense they are sort of tourists. Also many of those farangs who live in thailand do travel around more than the average thai. Price increase in accommodation and the other tourist services means less and shorter holidays.

[Thai-Spy]

Has anyone the precise TOT definition of a "tourist arrival"? Is it one person getting one entry stamp one time for purposes of tourism?

The lowered projection must in some way reflect (if not built into prior projections) the impact of the new regulations which are strangling the traditional 30-day visa run. Those visa runners are no longer accounting for 13 entries per year, and if the new regs are strictly enforced, they will account for only 2 if getting formal tourist visas. Not to mention those that will henceforth count for 1 or 0, whether from converting to another class of visa, abandoning Thailand all together, or entering just once per year.

Looking at the reduction of 20 million to 16 million, this is a change of 4 million. Taking as an assumption 11 fewer entries by visa runners, to make up the entire reduction would necessitate something on the order of 360,000 visa runners. Surely this is a far too high, perhaps by a full order of magnitude. Or is it?

360,000 visa runners averages to something under 1000 per day. That's easily accommodated by 20 buses seating 30 passengers and 50 vans with 7 passengers. Admittedly not everyone on a visa run is using (some might say abusing) the 30-day Visa Exemption; there are always a good percentage who are doing a run to satisfy the 90-day stamp-out/stamp-in requirement of a formal visa. On the other hand the math doesn't include those with DIY solutions of whom there are a good number.

Since the expected net revenue from tourism is expected to climb, the anticipated increase has to be even greater among what could be called "true tourists" to reflect the losses from 30-day visa runners who are being shaken out of the economic system. Frankly it's hard to see where the increase will come from, at least on that scale, unless the baht weakens significantly this year against most currencies in TOT's target markets.

[alexth]

Maybe they just don't want foreigners in their country anymore...

[Johpa]

Means in other words:

We should to ripp off these rich idiots more anyway they are rich.

These young students which are only interested in Thailands culture/nature/people but having a low budget are not welcome as they don't bring enough profit.

It is not that the younger budget travellers do not bring profit, after all many stay for extended periods of time so the money does begin to add up. The problem, by the TAT'viewpoint, the same viewpoint as the Bangkok elite, is that profit goes to the wrong people. It goes to small guesthouse owners, and smaller restaurant and noodle shop owners, and smaller shop owners. The profit goes to the wrong people where it takes much longer for that profit to percolate upwards into the hands of the elite and thereafter be moved offshore.

[Dupont]

Means in other words:

We should to ripp off these rich idiots more anyway they are rich.

These young students which are only interested in Thailands culture/nature/people but having a low budget are not welcome as they don't bring enough profit.

It is not that the younger budget travellers do not bring profit, after all many stay for extended periods of time so the money does begin to add up. The problem, by the TAT'viewpoint, the same viewpoint as the Bangkok elite, is that profit goes to the wrong people. It goes to small guesthouse owners, and smaller restaurant and noodle shop owners, and smaller shop owners. The profit goes to the wrong people where it takes much longer for that profit to percolate upwards into the hands of the elite and thereafter be moved offshore.

You are so right Johpa. The thought of an upwardly mobile class of poor people terrifies the elite. Add eductaion into the mix and god forbid, they could soon begin to realise how oppressed they have been all these years.

I've always made a point of buying from small businesses and food stands and never go to the Starbucks, Central Stores or Large Hotels as the money made here, stays at the top of Thai society.

[OlRedEyes]

TAT firmly focused on quality tourism

New chief Pornsiri cuts 2008 arrivals target by 4 million to reflect policy

-- The Nation 2007-01-22

TAT firmly focused on quality tourism

New chief Pornsiri cuts 2008 arrivals target by 4 million to reflect policy in an effort to reflect reality, sort of

More realistic I think

[londonthai]

"This year TAT targets 14.8 million arrivals, 18 per cent up from 2006, who are expected to spend Bt547 billion, a 13-per-cent increase."

ummmmmm.......

doesn't that mean they expect more tourists to spend less?

how does equate to a bigger spending individual?

Good spot, mark.

that's what I have spotted earlier in the thread