Chinese tourist arrivals to Thailand plunge in April

[Gecko123]

The $5.15 billion in revenue based on 3.2 million tourists works out to $1,609/tourist. I found a stat from 2017 which said average length of stay was 9.5 days, or $169/day. Breakdown per day by expense category is: $50.70 lodging (30%); $35.50 food (21%); $16.90 transportation (10%); $42.25 shopping (25%); $16.90 entertainment (10%), and $6.76 sightseeing (10%). The $169/day works out to $5,070/month, or 162,240 baht/month.

 

At first blush it may appear that tourists are far more lucrative than expats. But it needs to be remembered that tourism has enormous hidden costs which need to be factored into the analysis. Tourism places a huge burden on infrastructure, road congestion, environmental degradation, air pollution, water pollution, trash disposal, ground water depletion and the general quality of life. Thailand's tourism numbers can't keep going up in perpetuity. Sooner or later these hidden costs are going to be a drag on further growth. Perhaps this is the message the latest tourism numbers is trying to send.

[NanLaew]

6 hours ago, Kenny202 said:

I see stuff like this all the time here. It's called polishing a trd. Often stories about the economy etc I need to read two or three times and still not clear. Like someone mentioned how could they possibly measure spending, particularly from one specific tourist group. Tourists down but spending up? Of course it is. Talk about spin. Have a look at some of the economic stories. Everything on the up, happiest place in the world etc then they list the growth, employment etc figures and all negative. They tell lies like small children blaming the man from the moon coming down and stealing the missing cookies. It seems to me like at some point in the future here the bubble has to burst. 

Not before your head explodes with trying to digest all this trivia.

[Srikcir]

6 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Thailand saw a 3.31% rise in tourist arrivals in April from a year earlier, after a 0.69% decline in March, the tourism ministry said on Friday.

The 3.2 million tourists in April spent about 164 billion baht ($5.15 billion), up 3.9% from a year earlier.

So many numbers. This might help.

• The number of visitors increased again in the first month of 2019, so the dip last year is likely not caused (alone) by the decrease in economic growth in China during 2019.
• Since around 27.5 % of foreign visitors came from China in 2018, it is clear than any negative news about Thailand, or a serious economic downturn in China, will have a profound effect on Chinese arrivals, and thus in arrivals overall. It would be wise to not overly relying on visitors of China. (my italics)

http://www.thaiwebsites.com/tourism.asp

[Gecko123]

49 minutes ago, the guest said:

Its not rocket science ... May onwards the weather in the northern hemisphere is normally wonderful. Why would anyone go to Thailand on their holidays in the rainy season ?

 

The statistics that are being quoted are year-over-year, meaning that the current month is being compared to the same month last year.

[newnative]

5 hours ago, Moo 2 said:

No wonder, the Baht is a disaster, cost of living has gone up 30% or more in the last 2 to 3 years,

there are more cops in Pattaya than in the whole of Thailand, and so forth...

There are other beautiful countries to visit and cheaper, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, etc..

Cost of living up 30% or more?  What rot.   Yes, alcohol has certainly gone up but I can't think of anything else that has jumped 30% or more.  The cost of renting a condo--a big monthly expense for a lot of farangs, has likely gone down, not up, with the number of condos up for rent.  Stating that 'there are more cops in Pattaya than in the whole of Thailand...' is even nuttier.  

[NanLaew]

2 hours ago, Benmart said:

I avoid groups, crowds or herds, whatever nationality they may be. The wildebeast like behavior when on the move is unsettling, particularly when crossing the street lemming-fashion. I stop, put on my flashers and pray they aren't run over by the less disciplined scooter misfits.

Wildebeest's! Lemmings!

 

Where are these new attractions then? I'm getting a bit fed up with the usual dolphins tigers, elephants and crocodiles.

[NanLaew]

1 hour ago, Traubert said:

Don't talk utter tripe.

 

It's really very simple. There is no public holiday in China between Lantern Festival (the last day of the Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival) 15th February and Labour Day, 1st May. This year the Government joined the 5/4 Revolution holiday to Labour Day giving a full week's holiday, so naturally Chinese tourist numbers will rebound for May.

 

The reason for other tourist numbers going up is also very simple. Easter. There is no Easter holiday in China.

...is the correct answer!

 

Top of the class. Well done.

[bender92]

7 hours ago, RotBenz8888 said:

So who is coming, North Koreans?

Lots of Indians at Pattaya beach.

[Thingamabob]

Numbers all over the place. Best ignore and move on.

[NanLaew]

55 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

At first blush it may appear that tourists are far more lucrative than expats. But it needs to be remembered that tourism has enormous hidden costs which need to be factored into the analysis. Tourism places a huge burden on infrastructure, road congestion, environmental degradation, air pollution, water pollution, trash disposal, ground water depletion and the general quality of life. Thailand's tourism numbers can't keep going up in perpetuity. Sooner or later these hidden costs are going to be a drag on further growth. Perhaps this is the message the latest tourism numbers is trying to send.

Tourists are far more valuable to the Thai economy than any amount of gated farang retirement villages in Chiang Mai, condo's and apartments in Pattaya full of former 2-week millionaires with a frozen pension or the diaspora scattered throughout greater Isaan.

 

Yes, there's horrible traffic congestion and badly parked buses up the ying yang but look at the rapid, new motorway expansion that whisks them from expanding airports to their new hotels.

[Pancho]

Elephant(s) in the room: baht, army.

Thank you.


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[Curmudgeon1]

19 hours ago, petermik said:

ghost tourists if you believe the TAT nonsense....

India of course.

[laspalmas]

on the beaches of phuket can see a clear drop in all colors

[Zack61]

7 hours ago, zydeco said:

Hard to tell. I was innocently walking past a restaurant the other day when a busload of Chinese disembarked. It must have been their feeding time. Awful racket, no order, complete chaos. Are these numbers really down? We can only hope.

And were you shoved to one side so they could have their photo taken in front of a landmark you may have been obscuring?

[shaurene]

8 hours ago, petermik said:

OMG. TAT. I THINK these figures WOULD PUZZIL a top mathematician for the Nobel Prize. They are all a per infant joke. 

[yellowboat]

They have polluted air at home.  Why would Chiang Mai bad air taste any better ?  Numbers from TAT probably come from astrologers or bingo nights.

[Percy P]

8 hours ago, RotBenz8888 said:

And with 38 million on OA visa, surely there must be like a billion tourists coming a year?

And all required to bring 20,000Baht into the kingdom+100Baht suggested health insurance. Add all that up.

[bimmerbob]

8 hours ago, worgeordie said:

TAT will be sure to report Chinese tourists rocket in May,

What I would like to know,maybe they can correctly count

the number of tourists that enter Thailand, but how much

they spend ? how do they calculate that.

 

regards Worgeordie

its what the cashier says.......

 

[billd766]

8 hours ago, keith101 said:

It just doesn't make sense to me that after an 8.89% drop of the biggest source of tourists from China there was still a 3.31% rise in tourist arrivals which would mean an overall increase of 12.2% ?

Thai mathematics, courtesy of TAT.

[ttrd]

8 hours ago, keith101 said:

It just doesn't make sense to me that after an 8.89% drop of the biggest source of tourists from China there was still a 3.31% rise in tourist arrivals which would mean an overall increase of 12.2% ?

As we know neither translation nor calculation are their strongest skills so we need to take it for what it is ... 

[kingdong]

don,t know about the chinese,but have just returned and couldn,t believe how quite it was nor how much i spent,vietnam will be graced by myself and my dong next trip out.

[Jimdandy]

8 hours ago, keith101 said:

It just doesn't make sense to me that after an 8.89% drop of the biggest source of tourists from China there was still a 3.31% rise in tourist arrivals which would mean an overall increase of 12.2% ?

The figures are probably based on the same new criteria for defining a kilo with one big exception, it's wrong.

[johnarth]

8 hours ago, Moo 2 said:

No wonder, the Baht is a disaster, cost of living has gone up 30% or more in the last 2 to 3 years,

there are more cops in Pattaya than in the whole of Thailand, and so forth...

There are other beautiful countries to visit and cheaper, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, etc..

you cannot blame that on tourism that a government problem 

[trainman34014]

8 hours ago, ChrisY1 said:

That's correct, no question at all....TAT logic works in a different way than anywhere else in the world.

You always have to remember that basic sums are a no no for Thai's, so it's much easier to make numbers up.  Just pick up two items for 20 Baht each in any shop and watch the girl at the till reach for her calculator !

[dinsdale]

Well they've been pushing and pushing maths at school for years. At last success. So tourism is up. GDP is good and there is absolutely NO manipulation of the Thai Baht.

[trainman34014]

9 hours ago, Kenny202 said:

I see stuff like this all the time here. It's called polishing a trd. Often stories about the economy etc I need to read two or three times and still not clear. Like someone mentioned how could they possibly measure spending, particularly from one specific tourist group. Tourists down but spending up? Of course it is. Talk about spin. Have a look at some of the economic stories. Everything on the up, happiest place in the world etc then they list the growth, employment etc figures and all negative. They tell lies like small children blaming the man from the moon coming down and stealing the missing cookies. It seems to me like at some point in the future here the bubble has to burst. 

You mean it wasn't the man from the moon who stole my cookies ?

[kevin612]

Chinese are everywhere

[Kenny202]

I dont care what the figures say all I can tell you here on the ground this year is very quiet last year all low season mostly Chinese this year nothing many people will suffer this year I think especially in the south of Phuket 

I am up country and its like everything fell off a cliff 6-8 months ago. Mrs has a small food business and down 80%. Everyone we talk to in the same boat

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[sambum]

9 hours ago, darksidedog said:

TAT doesn't expect people to have the intelligence to do the calculations. I honestly believe half the world could get wiped out and visitor numbers would still rise.

I'm actually surprised - no, VERY surprised that the following statement is attributed to "the tourism ministry" :-

 

"Visitors from China, Thailand’s biggest source of tourists, dropped 8.89% in April from a year earlier after falling 1.87% in March."

 

Better keep looking after the farang expats for a little bit longer then!

 

[AtoZ]

23 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

Well they've been pushing and pushing maths at school for years. At last success. So tourism is up. GDP is good and there is absolutely NO manipulation of the Thai Baht.

You forgot about the landslide majority (23%, after making millions of votes invalid) of the current government