Netizens disagree with official numbers: The miracle 20% rise in tourist numbers [Opinion]

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Netizens disagree with official numbers: The miracle 20% rise in tourist numbers

By The Thaiger

 

A story from The Thaiger yesterday stirred up a lot of suspicion that the Ministry of Sports and Tourism are being ‘flexible’ with the truth.

 

The story quoted the Sports and Tourism Minister saying that, since they introduced the visa-on-arrival fee waiver (for 21 countries), the numbers of arrivals has surged 20%. He said in his quotes that the ‘bounce’ came mostly from Chinese and Indian tourists.

 

But some of our readers didn’t go along with the PR spin out of the Minister’s office. Here’s a few of the responses (we’ve corrected a few spelling and grammar errors)…

 

Totally bulshyt! I am 9 years in Thailand  I didn’t see so less tourists like this year – GZ

 

Full story: https://thethaiger.com/news/phuket/netizens-disagree-with-official-numbers-the-miracle-20-rise-in-tourist-numbers

 

-- © Copyright The Thaiger 2018-11-30

[Samui Bodoh]

"...the numbers of arrivals has surged 20%..."

 

I have been visiting/living in Thailand since the mid 90's, and not once have I seen the tourism numbers go "down"

 

If (repeat 'if') the Thai government were to be believed in this, there would literally be no room to actually lay down anymore.

 

BS piled on BS piled on BS piled on BS piled on BS piled on BS

 

 

[pattayadgw]

Lets be realistic here... does anyone seriously believe any of the figures released by TAT or any other authority in LOS?  If you do, you certainly cant have lived here for long, is all I can say.

[Sonhia]

Speaking to real people on the ground employed within the tourist industry, bar workers, business owners etc... the general response is that far less tourists are visiting Thailand, the ones that do spend money not the penny pinching recent mass tourist groups that spend far less amounts of money and are very rude...

 

Thailand has become very expensive and difficult to live within.

 

This country sound relax immigration laws, encourage more investment by dealing with corruption with far better law enforcement, less racism and fairness when it comes to investment.

 

But that will probably never happen.

 

It's no wonder more long term farang are closing up shop and leaving or contemplating doing so, moving to more tempting locations close to Thailand that offer a cheaper way of life, simpler visa process and better investment opportunities, unlike Thailand. 

 

A bag of apples does not mean all the apples are good, meaning, although on the surface there seems to be more tourists, the fact is that numbers are down and so is cash flow.

 

Numbers are easy to manipulate as are student scores plus the rest.

 

 

 

 

[colinneil]

The number of arrivals has surged 20%

Sad thing is the people who make up these stories actually believe the nonsense they spout.

[Naam]

that netizens, especially if foreign expats, disagree with any published numbers poses a serious problem for the present Thai government.

 

[KneeDeep]

The number could have surged 20%. But as someone has posted, when they arrived at the airport there was no one.

I concur. Twice I arrived at BKK within a few months and the Immigration area was desolate.

Of course it could mean that there simply weren't any incomings from China at that time.

 

Either way, I was happy enough, as I was seen and through in minutes. Went straight to a line in front of the IO. They were perhaps three people in front of me.

So 20% of an already low figure is certainly feasible. But remember that it is also supposedly high season or coming up to it. So a surge was expected anyway.

It's just well below their expectations. The bulk of the Chinese are likely not returners.

So of them looked bussed in directly from the village. I cannot imagine that they had anything to spend.

So there will be tourists, but perhaps not quite on the crazy scale they had before. 

Nothing wrong with that. They need sustainable tourism, not locusts devouring all they can see.

 

[KneeDeep]

14 minutes ago, Naam said:

that netizens, especially if foreign expats, disagree with any published numbers poses a serious problem for the present Thai government.

 

Quote

Arrivals from India and China are up about 20% compared with the first half of the month, when VOA fees were still in effect for countries under the scheme.
Read more at https://www.thephuketnews.com/arrivals-up-20-in-wake-of-voa-exemption-officials-claim-69491.php#H2OaKAbOO6jRr6Mc.99

 

In other words, the first half of the month was dire. The second half, dire + 20%.

 

 

[neeray]

"since they introduced the visa-on-arrival fee waiver (for 21 countries), the numbers of arrivals has surged 20%." FAKE NEWS

[zzaa09]

1 hour ago, Samui Bodoh said:

"...the numbers of arrivals has surged 20%..."

 

I have been visiting/living in Thailand since the mid 90's, and not once have I seen the tourism numbers go "down"

 

If (repeat 'if') the Thai government were to be believed in this, there would literally be no room to actually lay down anymore.

 

BS piled on BS piled on BS piled on BS piled on BS piled on BS

 

 

Well...

If the NETIZENS [whatever that is] say it's so, then it must be. ????

[Oziex1]

Just last week the guy said they were down by 20 percent, I think we can relate the sudden increase to the fact that the down by 20percent guy is now breaking rocks on a chain gang with a bunch of Burmese unfortunates.

[chainarong]

just like the trade figures rubbery

[mikebell]

The big spenders are mainly European/American.  The Government should encourage retirees from these countries by allowing them to buy a house and get a visa without 800,000 in a Thai bank.  They have to have a minimum spend of 65,000 a month.  Why can't anyone in Government see this?

[NE1]

I suppose the people spouting the figures are in danger of losing their jobs.

After all , I keep reading how many millions of baht are spent promoting tourism and if they are not coming a scape goat has to be found.

[ReMarKable]

What is the departure rate?

[morocco]

A lot of the Chinese have invaded Cambodia. Not such a great thing as the beaches  crater mostly to Chinese only, Khmer businesses and workers are being pushed out and Chinese crime is rampant. Hun Sen and his cronies are selling off a lot of properties for huge profits to Chinese developers. At least Thailand hasn’t  sold out all there coast and islands to the Chinese. Can’t wait to get back to Thailand and enjoy the beaches without shoulder to shoulder Chinese tourists. 

Edited November 30, 2018 by morocco

[lanista]

The problem for Thailand is that most of the Chinese who have been here are unlikely to return anytime soon.  Overcrowded beaches, dangerous ferries and buses,abusive Thais etc.

Those that will come will be newbies and their numbers will slow as the economy slows in China.

The Chinese dont spend much anyway. Whats the big deal??  Only big numbers obviously. All quantity no quality same as Indians.  No Chinese and few Russians and Indians drink in soi bars  so thats pretty much curtains for Pattaya.

[Crash999]

It’s correlation vs causation. 

 

We are getting into high season now so arrivals will go up. The real question is what percentage do they normally go up this time of year. 

[NE1]

I don't think the Tourism ministers care about how much people spend here , it is all about numbers coming through the gates. 

 

 

[neeray]

3 minutes ago, NE1 said:

I don't think the Tourism ministers care about how much people spend here , it is all about numbers coming through the gates. 

 

 

Arrivals ! 555

It would be so nice to know how many are really true tourists.

[chicowoodduck]

43 minutes ago, ReMarKable said:

What is the departure rate?

Will go up a point or two when I hit the road...sooner than later....lucky me...????

[fruitman]

1 hour ago, mikebell said:

The big spenders are mainly European/American.  The Government should encourage retirees from these countries by allowing them to buy a house and get a visa without 800,000 in a Thai bank.  They have to have a minimum spend of 65,000 a month.  Why can't anyone in Government see this?

I'm one of them but what annoys me the most is the stupid staff EVERYWHERE....everything goes wrong and they have very bad manners as well....

 

Yesterday in Central i was looking at chef-knives while the salesman was pushing his pimples in a mirror in the same vitrine i was looking at......disgusting!

 

[Easy Come Easy Go]

2 hours ago, neeray said:

"since they introduced the visa-on-arrival fee waiver (for 21 countries), the numbers of arrivals has surged 20%." FAKE NEWS

'20%' is a nice round number lol, they should have at least said something like 23% or 18%, that'd be slightly more believable 

[chrisinth]

3 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

"...the numbers of arrivals has surged 20%..."

 

I have been visiting/living in Thailand since the mid 90's, and not once have I seen the tourism numbers go "down"

 

If (repeat 'if') the Thai government were to be believed in this, there would literally be no room to actually lay down anymore.

 

BS piled on BS piled on BS piled on BS piled on BS piled on BS

 

 

Yep, agree with the above. Actually seeing (physically) numbers change isn't possible with any accuracy unless you are doing a head count 24/7, at all points of ingress. Patterns change.

 

The line in bold above is something that I don't understand. Why are they so anal about reporting figures every week? This IMO is what gets them into so much trouble, producing figures that simply don't make sense, and for what exactly? Does their budget increase with more numbers, do they get a bonus for more people visiting, or what? The hotels have their own system for assessing visitors.

 

And just on the point of numbers, I traveled through DM yesterday on my way back to Phits, and I didn't see one 'flag waver', focal points for the Chinese tours, during the 3 hours I was waiting for my flight. Obviously there were people there, but the airport was quiet.

[Just1Voice]

A couple of years back in Chiang Mai you would see caravans of 8-10 busses full of Chinese.  Now your lucky if you see two busses together. 

[SkyNets]

 

 

20% rise in tourist body bag numbers

 

[Easy Come Easy Go]

16 minutes ago, chrisinth said:

The line in bold above is something that I don't understand. Why are they so anal about reporting figures every week? This IMO is what gets them into so much trouble, producing figures that simply don't make sense, and for what exactly? Does their budget increase with more numbers, do they get a bonus for more people visiting, or what? The hotels have their own system for assessing visitors.

 

This is what I've been thinking about recently, why lie? What worth is it to lie to everyone that everything is ok. Surely if the ship is sinking, the best thing to do is to acknowledge it and recruit help to fix things. Instead of ignoring reality and going down with it, actually address it instead of trying to cover it up. 

[marcusarelus]

2 hours ago, mikebell said:

The big spenders are mainly European/American.  The Government should encourage retirees from these countries by allowing them to buy a house and get a visa without 800,000 in a Thai bank.  They have to have a minimum spend of 65,000 a month.  Why can't anyone in Government see this?

EU residents spent 84 % of their tourism expenditure on trips inside Europe (79 % inside the EU).  Asia 6%

https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Tourism_statistics_-_expenditure

Chinese tourists spend $782 per trip.  Non Chinese $486

https://www.nielsen.com/content/dam/nielsenglobal/cn/docs/Outbound Chinese Tourism and Consumption Trends.pdf

 

 

 

 

[neeray]

3 minutes ago, Easy Come Easy Go said:

This is what I've been thinking about recently, why lie? What worth is it to lie to everyone that everything is ok. Surely if the ship is sinking, the best thing to do is to acknowledge it and recruit help to fix things. Instead of ignoring reality and going down with it, actually address it instead of trying to cover it up. 

This post gets BEST of THREAD award in my books.

[BobbyL]

I thought it was down just last week in another report. These VoA numbers might be up, but the overall numbers are definitely down.