The Indians are coming! And they're not "Cheap Charlies", say the TAT

[webfact]

The Indians are coming! And they're not "Cheap Charlies", say the TAT

 

 

The Tourism Authority of Thailand have sent out an upbeat message about visitors from India. 

 

Indian visitors to Thailand will soon be number two to the Chinese with ten million annually.

 

And they have claimed that Indian tourists are big spenders. 

 

TAT chief Yuthasak Suphasorn said at a travel fair in New Delhi that the average expenditure for an Indian per trip abroad is 50,000 baht per person. 

 

Thai Rath reported that more and more Indians were taking foreign holidays and 1.6 million were expected in Thailand this year. 

 

They are increasingly travelling abroad for healthcare, honeymoons, weddings, meetings and making movies, they said. 

 

The market is huge - there are 1.3 billion people in India and within ten years the number of visitors to Thailand is expected to rank them second only to the Chinese. 

 

 

Other Thai media reported that when it comes to Indian tourism there is no low season or high season - they just keep coming all year round. 

 

In 2020 50 million are expected to travel abroad.

 

Indian visitors to Thailand are hoped to be 5 million annually by five years time and ten million by the end of the next decade. 

 

Indian full service and budget carriers are increasingly competing for flight space in Thailand with Chinese airlines.

 

Chief Yuthasak was speaking at the South Asia Travel and Tourism Exchange in New Delhi.

 

Source: Thai Rath

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2019-01-31

[dcnx]

I stopped reading at “says the TAT” because I know what they say is nowhere near the truth.

[Thaiwrath]

4 minutes ago, webfact said:

They are increasingly travelling abroad for healthcare, honeymoons, weddings, meetings and making movies, they said. 

It missed out the 6 on 1 ratio for bargirls ! ????????

[HLover]

Did not see the phrase Cheap Charlie once in the article.

Anyway, this article and the pollution situation warrants an investment in a facemask stockpile.

[RotBenz8888]

11 minutes ago, webfact said:

weddings,

Avoid staying on a resort during these events, they turn the place into a Bollywood movie..

[keith101]

12 minutes ago, webfact said:

The market is huge - there are 1.3 billion people in India

And the vast majority of these are the poor and cant afford to take holidays even in their own country for more than a couple of days .

[ChipButty]

1 minute ago, HLover said:

Did not see the phrase Cheap Charlie once in the article.

Anyway, this article and the pollution situation warrants an investment in a facemask stockpile.

The pollution wont affect the Indians they are used to it Bangkok is a palace compared to Mumbai

[mok199]

At this point in the game ''WELCOME EVERYONE'',and treat them with respect and professionalism...

[darksidedog]

5 minutes ago, keith101 said:

And the vast majority of these are the poor and cant afford to take holidays even in their own country for more than a couple of days .

Sorry, have to dispute that. Yes, there are around 700 million who do not have disposable income, but there are around 100 million very wealthy and 500 million middle class, numbers which pretty much match those of everyone in western Europe. I lived in India for three years and there are a lot more folk there with money to burn than there are here.

I agree that you will get some traveling on a small budget, but backpackers from around the world are too.

[SammyT]

I'm sure the bargirls are thrilled about it all. I've heard many won't even touch them due to the disrespect the Indian guys treat bargirls with. 

 

If true, it's fair to say that many Indians won't be coming...

[baansgr]

Now where was the number for that house for rent in Cebu...wooosh

[Hayduke]

24 minutes ago, webfact said:

And they have claimed that Indian tourists are big spenders. 

 

They now hit the go-go bars and order two cokes for six people instead of only one.

 

[giddyup]

 

They are increasingly travelling abroad for healthcare, honeymoons, weddings, meetings and making movies, they said. 

 

I thought good healthcare was far cheaper than Thailand, that's why a lot of falangs opt for India for major operations instead of Thailand.

[HLover]

3 minutes ago, Hayduke said:

 

They now hit the go-go bars and order two cokes for six people instead of only one.

 

Sad

[Rimmer]

An overtly racist troll post has been removed

[Vacuum]

3 minutes ago, Hayduke said:

 

They now hit the go-go bars and order two cokes for six people instead of only one.

 

And two ladies...

[Snow Leopard]

A new seating level to be added to the Pattaya buses... Big spenders my bum. The Indians invented 0 (ZERO) 

 

 

[Maverell]

20 minutes ago, SammyT said:

I'm sure the bargirls are thrilled about it all. I've heard many won't even touch them due to the disrespect the Indian guys treat bargirls with. 

 

If true, it's fair to say that many Indians won't be coming...

You are right ! I was a regular customer at a beer bar in the Sukhumvit 22 area of Bangkok which had a notice on the door ' No Indians Please' . I also remember being in a go go bar on Soi Cowboy when 7 Indian's came in and sat and watched the girls and  making lurid and suggestive actions towards them, they didn't buy a drink until the Mamasan insisted they did, they bought one coke and shared it among all of them. They were forced out of the door....

 

Of course this is just 2 examples but they support the comments from SammyT. But I am sure TAT were not talking about Indian sex tourists.....

[ZeVonderBearz]

I like Indians and I like India as a country. Indian men's general view of Thailand is that's it's a place to get away from the judgement of India and that all Thai girls are prostitutes.

[StayinThailand2much]

 

Quote

 

TAT chief Yuthasak Suphasorn said at a travel fair in New Delhi that the average expenditure for an Indian per trip abroad is 50,000 baht per person. 

 

(...) 

 

Indian full service and budget carriers are increasingly competing for flight space in Thailand with Chinese airlines.

 

So? I usually spend three times that much on a holiday, but not in Thailand mind you.

 

Also, great that more and more Indian airlines fly to Thailand and vice versa. However, due to the fact that Thai Air Asia cancelled their flights to New Zealand, I am flying with a foreign full-service airline to my holiday destination. Good luck, Thailand with the '1.3 billion Indians'! I'm sure they have a higher spending power than 325 million Americans or 740 million Europeans... ???????????? 

[Bezdomny]

Indians are big spenders like modern western backpackers. Thailand is happy to have them. ????????

[dreaming]

8 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

 

So? I usually spend three times that much on a holiday, but not in Thailand mind you.

 

Also, great that more and more Indian airlines fly to Thailand and vice versa. However, due to the fact that Thai Air Asia cancelled their flights to New Zealand, I am flying with a full-service airline to my holiday destination. Good luck, Thailand with the '1.3 billion Indians'! I'm sure they have a higher spending power than 325 million Americans or 740 million Europeans... ???????????? 

What is your point?

 

Do you think if they promote tourism from indians, the americans and europeans are going to stop coming.

 

edit: Also last time I looked air asia was based in malaysia. No way would thai air asia fly to NZ

[inThailand]

The Indians are coming! And they're not "Cheap Charlies", say the TAT. 

 

Are they comparing them to the Chinese? Or those in Pattaya? 

[Chippy151]

There are plenty of Indians with enough money to have a holiday in Thailand.

Just like the Chinese, Indians have a short flight to get here.

The numbers of Chinese and Indians holidaying in Thailand will continue to rise significantly every year.

[bluesofa]

1 hour ago, Thaiwrath said:

1 hour ago, webfact said:

They are increasingly travelling abroad for healthcare, honeymoons, weddings, meetings and making movies, they said. 

It missed out the 6 on 1 ratio for bargirls ! ????????

As an ex-GoGo bar owner, I can say that's happened before in my experience (well, I remember two-to-one ratio - or trying it on at least). Another comment about sharing drinks is common too.

[StayinThailand2much]

44 minutes ago, Maverell said:

You are right ! I was a regular customer at a beer bar in the Sukhumvit 22 area of Bangkok which had a notice on the door ' No Indians Please' . I also remember being in a go go bar on Soi Cowboy when 7 Indian's came in and sat and watched the girls and  making lurid and suggestive actions towards them, they didn't buy a drink until the Mamasan insisted they did, they bought one coke and shared it among all of them. They were forced out of the door....

Perhaps the TAT interviewed them after they had just left the bar, and, due to miscommunication, the price of the coke was translated as '15,000 baht', which the TAT staff just divided by three... ????

 

I was once interviewed by Malaysian tourism officials at KL airport. Being a bit embarrased of just doing a 'Thailand visa run', I grossly inflated in my answers not only the time of my stay in Malaysia, but also my expenses. Since then I take such 'tourist expenditures' with a pinch of salt. Perhaps they asked Indian tourists: "So, do you spend more than 5,000 baht per day in Thailand, or less?", to which they replied: "Less.", just to impress the pretty interviewer... 

[dabhand]

53 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

Sorry, have to dispute that. Yes, there are around 700 million who do not have disposable income, but there are around 100 million very wealthy and 500 million middle class, numbers which pretty much match those of everyone in western Europe. I lived in India for three years and there are a lot more folk there with money to burn than there are here.

I agree that you will get some traveling on a small budget, but backpackers from around the world are too.

Totally agree. I was based in India for three years from 1999 and have been travelling there regularly, on business, ever since. I remember when the first mall was opened in Mumbai in 1999, a tiny place in comparison to what Thailand had to offer at that time. Now? Huge number of malls that reflect the spending power of the 100's of millions of middle class Indians. This comes to the fore during the wedding season (Oct-Dec) when money seems to be no object. Thailand are correctly targeting this activity as part of their India marketing strategy.

 

Other posters point out the rather poor behaviour of the Indians who frequent the entertainment areas. But that is a minor issue as the focus should be on the rapidly increasing financial muscle of Indians that keep well away from such 'delights'. 

[StayinThailand2much]

13 minutes ago, dreaming said:

What is your point?

 

Do you think if they promote tourism from indians, the americans and europeans are going to stop coming.

 

edit: Also last time I looked air asia was based in malaysia. No way would thai air asia fly to NZ

I remember people from European countries spending 6 months and more in Thailand in the early 2000s, until they were booted out by stricter visa regulations. 

[StayinThailand2much]

11 minutes ago, Chippy151 said:

There are plenty of Indians with enough money to have a holiday in Thailand.

Just like the Chinese, Indians have a short flight to get here.

The numbers of Chinese and Indians holidaying in Thailand will continue to rise significantly every year.

You're right, of course, but what is questionable is TAT's strategy (or day dream?) to lure 1.3 billion Indians to Thailand. 200 million (or about 15% of India's population) would be more realistic.

[Justgrazing]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

They are increasingly travelling abroad for healthcare, honeymoons, weddings, meetings and

going in the swimming pools with just their pants on ..