Thailand’s tourism – stormy weather ahead

[marcusarelus]

2 minutes ago, DrTuner said:

Sure. On an English language survey site which only a few dozen western expats have put their likely inflated figures in. 

 

Try this one for a better picture: https://adecco.co.th/salary-guide

Good site.  What I know about - Electrical engineer 5 years experience 50,000 to 80,000 per month. Plant Engineer 5 years experience 70,000 to 185,000

[ThomasThBKK]

https://tradingeconomics.com/thailand/wages

 

Quite low and decreasing... 13995.56 Last measurement... lets stop dreaming

[mike1967]

6 hours ago, ChipButty said:

I went to get some breakfast the other morning and bumped into a poo ying I know from somewhere I couldn't remember which bar anyway she knew me, she ordered her food which came to 90 Baht she didnt even have enough money to pay so I gave her 100 Baht so even the bar girls are falling on hard times

My ex girlfriend always moaned that I didn't give her any money (not true by way). I said you don't work so you don't need it!!!????????????

[Redline]

Tourist safety, and the ridiculous traffic are certainly contributors as well

[NoshowJones]

6 hours ago, vinniekintana said:

I hope the 'storm' turns into a hurricane.

Might knock some sense to all concerned.

As long as the top brass income stream does not go down nothing is going to change, if it ever does start to go down we will see a real hurrricane.

[meand]

News like this is stupendous. 

 

Cheap, empty resorts and hotels. Rich, greedy money grubbing property owners losing profits, fewer annoying tourists all around Thailand. 

 

I do not see how there could be any better news, if you are a tourist in Thailand or a resident. 

[NoshowJones]

6 hours ago, Cadbury said:

Government greed is playing it's part in the demise of Thailand's travel industry. That being the 11% on entertainment venues. 

https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1111421-phuket-entertainment-venue-operations-call-for-delay-in-excise-tax-enforcement

 

The industry is beset with greed and now the cash cow is running dry and tourism as a whole is in panic mode.

1. Danger on the roads and in/on the sea.

2. Scamming and cheating taxis (and just about everybody else).

3. Double pricing for foreigners/tourists.

4. Airport immigration queues and delays.

5. Stupid laws e.g. E cigarettes.

6. Excessive government taxes.

7......100. Fill in the blanks

 

Thailand only has itself to blame.

 

 

 

 

No6. You obviously don't come from the UK.

[Cadbury]

13 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

No6. You obviously don't come from the UK.

No, so just for you I will replace No. 6 with ............"Thailand tourist locations have become rubbish and effluent dumps".

[mal2018]

8 hours ago, LongTang said:

 

Rubbish !!! 

 

The MAIN reason they are no longer coming is that they are NO LONGER FEEL WELCOMED !

 

The high Thai bath is definitely not helpful, but its not the main reason.

From 2006 till now it was about 30 to 35 Bath for a $, So no drastic changes there !

 

???? Looks like everyone will be drowning in the "Thai Bath" [sic] 

[Danthai]

The article doesn't mention much about the changes in xpat requirements and tourists requirements not to mention the TM 30 requirements. Xpats and tourists denied entry tell their friends and news media back home, so visitors go elsewhere where there is less hassle and better currency rate. 

[Odisan]

7 hours ago, marcusarelus said:

Average with a degree is 84,000  https://www.averagesalarysurvey.com/thailand

I look forward to telling my teacher wife that they're going to double her salary soon...

[mal2018]

59 minutes ago, fishtank said:

Not everybody is an American.

But most American's would at least have a shower ????

[Expat Tom]

After many years here, I feel less welcome than ever before. I'm outta' here.

[mike1967]

5 hours ago, Dinobot said:

 

It’s no accident that this fundamental change in Thais, which I think many of us can agree on, coincided with the development of the smartphone and the invention and subsequent spread of selfie culture.

 

I’m not saying that the vain self interest wasn’t there, dormant to begin with... but the Instagram ecosystem made it not only possible, but most importantly acceptable - and even admirable, to be a completely self absorbed little tawt within thai society.

 

What were once curious eyes pointed outward at the world and the many curious foreigners come to their homeland, are now buried in an endless scroll newsfeed of self indulgent masturbatory one-upsmanship where everyone tries so hard to present a picture perfect lifestyle but simultaneously and quite ironically, leaves them more empty and wanting to live up to their fictional avatars, ever more lonely in the increasingly connected world.

 

The Thais did not patent this social phenomena, but they sure do it to the fullest extent possible, in my opinion.

 

Many facets of what was once a wonderful combination of attributes in this culture have as a result been thrown to the wayside, including the once-famous siamese welcome mat.

I recently questioned why the bar girls are on their phones constantly. The answer from the bar owner/manager was that they had customers. Not sure what I was then? 

[nickstav]

2 hours ago, marcusarelus said:

You don't agree with me or the survey.  Great.  Present another one.  That's why I posted it rather than anecdotal evidence about the 200 Thai executives that I know.   

I don't need to present an alternative survey to recognize that the one you've presented is flawed. Your survey consisted of a very small number of respondents, we don't know how those respondents were recruited to participate in the survey, and it obviously targeted a selective type of respondent. It is flawed. Only 10 job categories were listed. Seventy percent of those 10 jobs were managerial level jobs. It cannot follow that 70 percent of university graduates hold managerial positions. Can I prove this? No. But I have a brain. 

[madmen]

7 minutes ago, Expat Tom said:

After many years here, I feel less welcome than ever before. I'm outta' here.

$$$$ you should have put a few dollars away during your 40 year working life and you wouldn't be in this mess.

The whole of the low end pattaya expats will end up in Vietnam..A perfect reason to avoid that dump

[orchidfan]

Two comments;

Immigration. ..all trips back to Australia with my Thai wife over the past 2 decades we have been greeted by cheery, smiling IOs with a little banter of welcome to (or back to) Australia ...how was your flight, have a nice stay etc.

NEVER here in the LOS.

 

Secondly

Tourists : I recall the days in Phuket,  Samui etc with thousands of European tourists ..young and old sunning themselves on the beaches soaking up the warm tropical weather AND getting the mandatory sun tan.

Can't see the Chinese mainlanders replicating or enjoying that

[Superlight]

8 hours ago, lamyai3 said:

Perhaps their wives and kids who depend on them do? The income requirement for a UK expat is now 7-8 times the minimum wage here. Fall below this, and you're a desparado? I'll never understand the apologists...

It's the expats who have taken a Thai wife accepted her children, provided them with house and home and put the children through school and Uni, at the end of the road you're probably pushing desperado.

[BobbyL]

6 minutes ago, orchidfan said:

Two comments;

Immigration. ..all trips back to Australia with my Thai wife over the past 2 decades we have been greeted by cheery, smiling IOs with a little banter of welcome to (or back to) Australia ...how was your flight, have a nice stay etc.

NEVER here in the LOS.

 

Secondly

Tourists : I recall the days in Phuket,  Samui etc with thousands of European tourists ..young and old sunning themselves on the beaches soaking up the warm tropical weather AND getting the mandatory sun tan.

Can't see the Chinese mainlanders replicating or enjoying that

Don't forget that the rich Indians are on their way too ????

[Parsve]

If a friendly person come to visit your home and you kick him in the arse, he probably not come back. Easy as that.

[Bangkokazy]

7 hours ago, marcusarelus said:

Average with a degree is 84,000  https://www.averagesalarysurvey.com/thailand

https://tradingeconomics.com/thailand/wages

[madmen]

14 minutes ago, orchidfan said:

welcome to (or back to) Australia ...how was your flight, have a nice stay etc.

NEVER here in the LOS.

How Naive can you get. They couldn't give a rats about your cheap holiday.

 

Your being engaged with qualifying questions to read your body language and your response . And that beagle doing circuits around your bags when your lined up isn't a welcome home puppy

[dunroaming]

Thailand seems to be focussing on attracting the "new money" countries like China and India.  Massive advertising campaigns going on in those countries.  For most Europeans it's all a bit "Been there, done that and got the fake tee shirt".  You are hard pushed to bump into any Brit in the UK who hasn't visited Thailand sometime over the last thirty years.

[marcusarelus]

49 minutes ago, Odisan said:

I look forward to telling my teacher wife that they're going to double her salary soon...

Include her perks and then re figure.  Low interest loans, health care, hours worked and days off, tutoring and summer camp jobs and many opportunities for pork .  So many choose teaching for specific reasons.

[thequietman]

7 hours ago, RobboR said:

A survey of 935 people with NO proof whatsoever. 

If you look at the figures, the individuals with the larger salaries have got 20+ years experience!

.... and if you ask a Thai the price of anything that they have bought, they lie through their back teeth and double, treble it ????, cause 'face' is everything here!

 

In my Uni, there are lecturers that are there with PhD's, 30 years experience and are still only on 63-65,000 baht a month.

[thequietman]

14 minutes ago, Bangkokazy said:

https://tradingeconomics.com/thailand/wages

Damn you and your facts!  ????

[Bangkokazy]

Thailand today

[chrisandsu]

3 hours ago, gearbox said:

 

You mean cheap like this one?

 

https://www.discoveryholidayparks.com.au/caravan-parks/western-australia/kimberley-broome/1496-unpowered-site-tent?dates=31+Jul+2019+-+4+Aug+2019&adults=2&children=0&infants=0

 

Unpowered tent site in a caravan park nearly $50 AUD a night....

 

That’s about 100 baht a night with current aud rates .bargain 

[strabel23]

The biggest reason for the drop off in tourism is because of the move away from sex tourism. Thailand has been trying to become more Family friendly and is discouraging the bar scene making it difficult for businesses which is sending younger fun seeking tourists to other regional destinations which have not clamped down on the trade.

[KhaoYai]

One thing that should not be forgotten is the amount of foreign tourists that are attacked, murdered or die in strange circumstances in Thailand. The Thai authorities may think they've fooled their own with their stories of 'missing DNA' (Koh Tao) and 'accidents' - I doubt they fool many foreigners who read of these incidents or see TV reports. Do the Thai police seriously think people believe the stories the parade on TV? Most people I know, for example, still believe the culprits for the Koh Tao murders are still at large.

 

Thailand still seems fashionable with young western females - some on their gap year. The risk is too high for many parents who I'm sure do their best to prevent their daughters travelling to Thailand - I know I would.