Thailand sees rare but significant drop in tourist arrivals

[Percy P]

4 hours ago, RotBenz8888 said:

And the Baht?

It there's no tourism the Baht will automatically drop as it will not be required. And as started one fifth of the economy is from tourism.

[miamiman123]

Thais can’t sell the rice now, but those red Ferrari’s from America are getting cheaper! Ha! 

[Thongkorn]

They may want the Chinese, They come in a group stay in a group, go every where in a group, The only People making money are the Big Hotels , And tour Guides. they dont use  many Bars or shops,  or Food stalls, The local econamy does not get any custom. Rusisan rubbel had bottomed out, So not a lot of Russians about, Baht to strong so not many Europeans, Even Thai People are finding it hard to live with high prices for food. Most earn 350baht a day. The surounding Countrys seem to be doing ok, Vietnam  Myanmar, Cambodia,

[Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere]

4 hours ago, bluesofa said:

Where's the chameleon?

 

Being devoured by a Cambodian Naga

[harada]

Just watched a documentary about a bunch of Aussie guys riding motorbikes through Vietnam, it reminded me of Thailand many years ago, make that many, many years ago, sad.

[Arami747]

Did communist Chinese betrayed Thais after farangs are gone for good..?? 

[Odysseus123]

51 minutes ago, Artisi said:

Google don't understand Thailand. 

Google also tinks tu much...give Thai headache.

[sambum]

I wonder what the TAT has got to say about it?

 

Would be virtually unheard of for them to say that tourist figures had actually gone DOWN!

 

 

[MasterBaker]

That's odd considering how low Baht went against world currency

[cheapcanuck]

Wait till April numbers come in. There will be another significant drop. Based on what you see on the streets and in bars.

[Peterbilt]

3 minutes ago, sambum said:

I wonder what the TAT has got to say about it?

 

Would be virtually unheard of for them to say that tourist figures had actually gone DOWN!

 

 

Easy.
Bloomberg is a company from the west, AKA "farangland"
Expect one of those simple explanations:

"Falang no understand Thailand!"
"Falang think too much!"
"Falang ting tong!"

Following will be the corrected numbers, stating that the waiver of the VOA fees did lead to a 3.625% increase of highly valuable tourists from China.

[ronaldo0]

You reap what you sow !!! 

[e2x10]

What a surprise.

 

[sambum]

5 hours ago, DLock said:

TAT press releases would confuse any mathematician. 

 

None of them make any sense, corroborate the last press release and contradict everyone else numbers.

 

So, this press release says 0.7% = 3.5million tourists.

 

0.7% is not even 1%, so it can't = 3.5million or even 35,000, unless the base was 5million planned tourists - I don't know what March was planned, but 5million sounds excessive for March.

 

I think the problem is that the problem is so much greater that they disclose, and they lies and spin is confusing even them.

 

 

"TAT press releases would confuse any mathematician."

 

I think that the problem with your post is that the figures you are quoting are from BLOOMBERG!

 

TAT wouldn't be saying that tourist figures had gone DOWN - would they?

 

P.S. From the OP:-

"According to official data compiled by Bloomberg, the number of foreign tourists visiting Thailand fell by 3.5 million in March, a decline of 0.7 percent from one year ago."

 

As pointed out already, I think the word "by" was meant to be "to". Another case of "Communication Breakdown"! 

[PerkinsCuthbert]

I should be welcomed with open arms when I return at Swampy tomorrow then....

[Austrian26]

5 hours ago, jmd8800 said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_Thailand

if 2030 80 million tourists arrive, i will eat my dick on national television. 

 

it will be more likely 10 mio max, at the pace of what this country is doing at the moment. 

[scubascuba3]

I doubt the Chinese come back. Usually 1-2 days only

[alzack]

The Chinese will ruin Thailand, Crazy, rude and loud people. And so many will come, and spend very little and it will be "PEOPLE POLLUTION" in a big way Thailand has had its time, and past its shelf life now

[shaurene]

They never look at the obvious enough, staring them in the face. The Thai Baht is well over inflated, but government listens to the amateurs, "It will bounce back."

i and many Falange friends are spending fare less due to the Baht false strength.

 

[Millcx]

5 hours ago, madmitch said:

No problem. These figures are from Bloomberg. The TAT will have some positive figures very soon.

The TAT had them out last week and saying there was an increase .. I repeat what I said then that if the baht continues to strengthen then this place is dearer than Europe ... No reason to come here

[Phredd]

{"although arrivals from India had grown substantially, up 35 percent, Bloomberg reported".}

      Be very careful of Percentages when used to explain, as above. Example - Did you know that last year 75% of the Girls who went to Harvard University married their Professors? True story! Why? As only 3 Girls went to Harvard University last year. Well it may have been 30 year or more ago, but I hope you get my drift. In this situation on India 170 arrived this year where only 100 arrived the year before. ????

[sambum]

3 minutes ago, shaurene said:

They never look at the obvious enough, staring them in the face. The Thai Baht is well over inflated, but government listens to the amateurs, "It will bounce back."

i and many Falange friends are spending fare less due to the Baht false strength.

 

Can only agree. When I first came here in 2004, I was getting 73 baht to the British pound - now it's down to 41.

 

Plus, no annual increments to my Government pension as Thailand does not have a "reciprocal" (?) agreement with the UK.

 

Plus, in 15 years the price of food - especially imported food has increased substantially. One example that sticks in my mind is a pack of "pomelo" slices that were 34 baht are now up to 75 baht+  - and that is Thai produce - not imported goods.

 

All in all, in "real terms" I estimate that my spending power has gone down to about half of what it was- and that is just a rough guess! 

[morrobay]

6 hours ago, orchis said:

how can a decline of 0.7% represent 3.5 million people?
if that's the case what's the total of visitors to thailand in 2018?

As said above there are decimal problems here: If the decrease in March was 350,000 instead of 3500,000 and that represents a .7% decrease from foreign visitors from March of last year. Then that means there were 50 million visitors last March???? :  350,000 = .007x 

[johng50]

5 hours ago, madmitch said:

No problem. These figures are from Bloomberg. The TAT will have some positive figures very soon

All i have read for years is from TAT of the booming increase in tourism here, now Bloomberg, who are absolutely spot on and  reputable have said the truth. The truth is thailand is killing itself with the treatment of farangs, the falseness of thais to farange tourists, the crime and corruption, the safety and the violence, carnage on the roads, high prices and farang versus thai prices at venues, value for money, skanky sluts in bars and streets with high prices for services, the high spread of sexual transmitted diseases, ( yes world health organisation warnings), etc etc. I am an aussie and so many people are so dissapointed after holidaying here, expecting pristine beaches, clean and well appointed accomodation, not many aussies return, too many clean good countries who respect foreign tourists are available. Im sold on Cambodia, i used to like thailand but since being to cambodia, i love this place, 10 times better than thailand.

[alzack]

"Can only agree. When I first came here in 2004, I was getting 73 baht to the British pound - now it's down to 41." 

 

Well most tourist rates today at Heathrow 38 Baht £1

 We returned to live in UK 2016 and we are now so much better off. as the other Post said, losing about 45% of exchange depreciation on Pensions was too much to take, we were going bust on a drip feed of devaluation of the pound. As you say the baht crazy value

[morrobay]

3 minutes ago, johng50 said:

All i have read for years is from TAT of the booming increase in tourism here, now Bloomberg, who are absolutely spot on and  reputable have said the truth. The truth is thailand is killing itself with the treatment of farangs, the falseness of thais to farange tourists, the crime and corruption, the safety and the violence, carnage on the roads, high prices and farang versus thai prices at venues, value for money, skanky sluts in bars and streets with high prices for services, the high spread of sexual transmitted diseases, ( yes world health organisation warnings), etc etc. I am an aussie and so many people are so dissapointed after holidaying here, expecting pristine beaches, clean and well appointed accomodation, not many aussies return, too many clean good countries who respect foreign tourists are available. Im sold on Cambodia, i used to like thailand but since being to cambodia, i love this place, 10 times better than thailand.

Right an Australian or Californian is not here for the beaches.  But what about the Chinese, Indians and Russians, and Scandinavians? That Thailand is relying on? They most certainly do not evaluate a beach the same as an Australian or Californian.

[johng50]

1 hour ago, Thongkorn said:

They may want the Chinese, They come in a group stay in a group, go every where in a group, The only People making money are the Big Hotels , And tour Guides. they dont use  many Bars or shops,  or Food stalls, The local econamy does not get any custom. Rusisan rubbel had bottomed out, So not a lot of Russians about, Baht to strong so not many Europeans, Even Thai People are finding it hard to live with high prices for food. Most earn 350baht a day. The surounding Countrys seem to be doing ok, Vietnam  Myanmar, Cambodia,

Absolutely correct, thailand will drown in its own greed, thai only want chinese they can have them, only big hotels will benefit, the bars and go go,s, street hookers will be destitute, imagine the crime then with no lively hood, thailand will get what it deserves.

[hotchilli]

Perhaps the significant danger on the roads, the constant rip-offs from airport arrival to departure, the double pricing at national parks, the beach vendor gauntlet, the street fights, the rapes the drop in value & all that is really on offer is either walking street or similar or polluted beaches nothing is family friendly... or go to Chaing Mai and breath in the fumes... Thailands crown is slipping.

Gone it the jewel in orient BS. It's known worldwide now as the turd in Asia.. !

[raccos21]

Too hot to travel in Thailand anyway.

[StayinThailand2much]

1 hour ago, phantomfiddler said:

Never seen Pattaya deader than it is now, some bar complexes closed down completely where previously hundreds sat and enjoyed a beer or two. Personally I think it is the attitude of the government, particularly the immigration department, where they seem to have succeeded in making paying tourists feel unwelcome ????

First time I went to Pattaya (2000) it was rocking! Last time I went there (2016) it was very quiet.