Thai September tourist arrivals up 2.13 percent year-on-year - tourism ministry

[webfact]

Thai September tourist arrivals up 2.13 percent year-on-year - tourism ministry

 

FILE PHOTO: Chinese tourists visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok, Thailand August 19, 2018. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand saw a 2.13 percent increase in tourist arrivals in September from a year earlier, the country's tourism ministry said on Tuesday, while the number of Chinese visitors declined for three consecutive months.

 

There were 2.66 million foreign tourists in September, the ministry said, which helped generate 140 billion baht ($4.28 billion). Tourists from East Asia accounted for about 73 percent of all arrivals.

 

However, the number of Chinese tourists in September dropped by almost 15 percent from a year earlier. The number has been declining since a boat accident in July, which killed 47 Chinese visitors.

 

The ministry said tourists from China might be 669,000 fewer than initially expected for July-December.

 

Tourism receipts account for about 12 percent of Southeast Asia's second-largest economy, making it one of the most important drivers of Thailand's growth.

 

(Reporting by Satawasin Stapornchai, Writing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Patpicha Tanakasempipat, Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-10-16

[colinneil]

Somebodies telling porkies, if the Chinese numbers are 15% down, how can total tourist numbers be 2.13% up?

Just another load of BS from tourism ministry.

[transam]

7 minutes ago, colinneil said:

Somebodies telling porkies, if the Chinese numbers are 15% down, how can total tourist numbers be 2.13% up?

Just another load of BS from tourism ministry.

Well it could be down to newcomer aliens..????

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Misterwhisper]

22 minutes ago, colinneil said:

Somebodies telling porkies, if the Chinese numbers are 15% down, how can total tourist numbers be 2.13% up?

Just another load of BS from tourism ministry.

Ah, Thais and mathematics. It's a big enigma.

[worgeordie]

TAT to the rescue,say its so, think its so, and it will be.

Chinese numbers down a lot, 17.5 % of others? make

it a net increase, BUT where are the others from ?

regards worgeordie

[DoctorG]

14 hours ago, worgeordie said:

TAT to the rescue,say its so, think its so, and it will be.

Chinese numbers down a lot, 17.5 % of others? make

it a net increase, BUT where are the others from ?

regards worgeordie

It definitely would have helped their credibility if they had listed the countries that recorded an increase.

[NE1]

I think a lot of them come from " Dreamland " .  

[StayinThailand2much]

That's, without a doubt, a mistake, and should read, just like in the URL, 213 percent... ????

 

(The Tourism Ministry probably wouldn't announce any such success-story, if the number didn't, at least, double!)

[RichardColeman]

I'm guessing that 2.13% of all people landing at the airport have been asked to go through immigration twice on arrival - once at the approval desk and once at the stamp desk ! 

[Oziex1]

Some of us might remember a Tourism Minister from the early 1990's who announced the tourist figures were down.

 

He disappeared no body knows what happened to him. 

[StayinThailand2much]

3 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

I'm guessing that 2.13% of all people landing at the airport have been asked to go through immigration twice on arrival - once at the approval desk and once at the stamp desk ! 

Or they asked, on that day, all passengers to raise both hands, and then they counted the hands and wrote down the number as 'tourists'... ????

 

Thais are not very adept at counting after all. Just recently I went to K-Bank to pay a bill, filled out the form, gave the money in cash to the branch manager(!). He went to the counter, cashier counted out change, branch manager gave me the change: 18 baht... (7,040 baht cash minus 7,012 baht for the bill - no fees, mind you -- two bank employees, including the branch manager, after counting and recounting, could not determine how much 7,040 minus 7,012 is!!!! (Not to mention that no staff member understood a word of English, e.g. 'Pay a bill.', or 'Do you have a form?' - In any Western country, someone who didn't speak English would not even get a job at a bank! Not to mention, as a branch manager...

[robertson468]

According to my many Friends in the hospitality business on Koh Samui, tourist figures are not only down, but something like 30% down for September.  I wish TAT would tell the truth, also get out there and start a hard marketting programme for the Country..............like NOW!

[BestB]

Now that’s a total and utter bs.

 

last year my hotel was about 65-70% full in September , this year I was empty for most of the month and the rest had about 10% occupancy.

 

In 10 years never had such a quite month 

[Redline]

22 hours ago, colinneil said:

Somebodies telling porkies, if the Chinese numbers are 15% down, how can total tourist numbers be 2.13% up?

Just another load of BS from tourism ministry.

Maybe they are coming from Cambodia and Myanmar?

[BigC]

Are the Chinese spending money here that’s the real question or are they sticking to all Chinese owned businesses sticking in groups and making the place worse?

[how241]

1 hour ago, BestB said:

Now that’s a total and utter bs.

 

last year my hotel was about 65-70% full in September , this year I was empty for most of the month and the rest had about 10% occupancy.

 

In 10 years never had such a quite month 

Yes,  it did seem to be very slow last month.

[BestB]

6 minutes ago, BigC said:

Are the Chinese spending money here that’s the real question or are they sticking to all Chinese owned businesses sticking in groups and making the place worse?

According to some delusional members Chinese are the biggest spenders. though for the life of me can not figure out how someone can post such rubbish and feel proud of himself.

 

The only ones who do well are 7-11 stores, selling mama noodles.

 

Do Chinese shop for clothing? Of course not, its cheaper in motherland, not to mention most of it IS from motherland

 

Do Chinese shop for electronics? Of course not, its cheaper in motherland, not to mention most of it IS from motherland

 

Do Chinese shop for accessories? Of course not, its cheaper in motherland, not to mention most of it IS from motherland

 

So what do they buy? Durians, visit Chinese owned massage shops, eat in chinese owned restaurants and stay in either chinese owned hotels or hotels that give massive discount to chinese owned tour companies.

 

Then of course all the attractions and thats about it.

[BestB]

Just now, how241 said:

Yes,  it did seem to be very slow last month.

Can not speak for other cities, but Pattaya was a ghost town.  my driver also sidelines as taxi driver to the floating market. He said usually 4-5 trips per day, last month, he said he was lucky to get 1 trip per day

[observer90210]

Well, looks that they are also counting the passengers who plainly transit through the airports for a connecting flight !! ... ????

[Ulic]

23 hours ago, colinneil said:

Somebodies telling porkies, if the Chinese numbers are 15% down, how can total tourist numbers be 2.13% up?

Just another load of BS from tourism ministry.

The TAT use the Bernie Madoff school of accounting principles. Only a steady up. 

[how241]

5 minutes ago, BestB said:

Can not speak for other cities, but Pattaya was a ghost town.  my driver also sidelines as taxi driver to the floating market. He said usually 4-5 trips per day, last month, he said he was lucky to get 1 trip per day

+1...Yes, I was referring to Pattaya and it very very quiet everywhere.

[HAKAPALITA]

1 hour ago, BestB said:

Can not speak for other cities, but Pattaya was a ghost town.  my driver also sidelines as taxi driver to the floating market. He said usually 4-5 trips per day, last month, he said he was lucky to get 1 trip per day

You cant win. I spent 3 days in CM  last month, dead compared with 10 years ago, ans a Poster told me it was rubbish. Down in Ao Nang the same tricle of Singapore n Malay. thats much the same.

[joecoolfrog]

I understand that TAT hired a team of Laotian traders to hop across the friendship bridge constantly for a month.

[zzaa09]

I'm from the circles that suggest we might permanently close the borders and entry points.

Adding...rounding up all of the undesirable foreign residents [98%] and send 'em packing. ????

 

Surely, not a popular notion among those whom are hardwired conventionally and buy into fabricated connections. ????

Just a thought. 

????

[SOTIRIOS]

....'Thai math'...we have seen countless examples of it ....

[Stargeezr]

Well maybe the Russians have had a tough Fall, and the ME people of SA and others

are tired of their sand.

[blackhorse]

Now that’s a total and utter bs.
 
last year my hotel was about 65-70% full in September , this year I was empty for most of the month and the rest had about 10% occupancy.
 
In 10 years never had such a quite month 

What's the name of your hotel?

[blackhorse]

Must bay way overdue for a what happened to high season in Pattaya thread

[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

[BestB]

5 hours ago, blackhorse said:

19 hours ago, BestB said:

Now that’s a total and utter bs.
 
last year my hotel was about 65-70% full in September , this year I was empty for most of the month and the rest had about 10% occupancy.
 
In 10 years never had such a quite month 

What's the name of your hotel?

How is that relevant ?

[huberthammer]

18 hours ago, BestB said:

According to some delusional members Chinese are the biggest spenders. though for the life of me can not figure out how someone can post such rubbish and feel proud of himself.

 

The only ones who do well are 7-11 stores, selling mama noodles.

 

Do Chinese shop for clothing? Of course not, its cheaper in motherland, not to mention most of it IS from motherland

 

Do Chinese shop for electronics? Of course not, its cheaper in motherland, not to mention most of it IS from motherland

 

Do Chinese shop for accessories? Of course not, its cheaper in motherland, not to mention most of it IS from motherland

 

So what do they buy? Durians, visit Chinese owned massage shops, eat in chinese owned restaurants and stay in either chinese owned hotels or hotels that give massive discount to chinese owned tour companies.

 

Then of course all the attractions and thats about it.

Many places in Samui would struggle to still be alive without the Chinese.  Not saying they are a pleasant bunch to have around but they do spend money. You might not see it if you hang out in the bars but they mob the small boutique shops and certainly spend a lot of money in the small local restaurants (they order 2-3 dishes a head which clearly out spends the farangs).

 

I think a lot of BS is written about their spending pattern and people just don't want to realise that business is changing and the Europeans spending unlimited cash are getting smaller.

 

Those who managed to present their businesses in a positive light to the Chinese certainly do well, I have seen it in Samui, BKK and CM (as a side note, made it difficult to visit certain restaurants as they were packed with Chinese tourists).