Thailand’s tourism – stormy weather ahead

[DrTuner]

39 minutes ago, madmen said:

utter rubbish anecdotal nonsense. This pic is stamped 2019 

 

Well, here's an interesting task for those that like puzzles: Count the number of caucasians and others in the photo. That some kind of concert day? I've been to KSR quite a few times and it's never been this crowded. 

[Traubert]

11 minutes ago, DrTuner said:

And in which countries was it spent in? 

 

And.. where did UN get their data from? I'm guessing it's ... TAT. 

Open the link and read it.

 

I did say few would bother.

[sambum]

47 minutes ago, madmen said:

Dont be sad , enjoy . The peak of low season is the best time to be in Thailand and duh of course your resort is empty. Post back again in high season lol

HIgh season - Low season is same,same in Samui - never seen the bars so quiet or so many bars and restaurants up for sale. It's been getting quieter every year for a while now, and I don't need to read any statistics to tell me that - I just go down the streets and look inside the "venues"!

[teav]

3 hours ago, johng50 said:

Exact, the only thing they have got right "Hope". Because thats all they will

get from Aussies, Hope. With 20Bht for 1Aud, then you have to endure being treated like

crap from smiling thais, all the rip offs, scams, prices etc etc, we all know, its all on

other posts time and time again, thailand have put too many nails in

the tourist coffin lid, now its time to bury the coffin and thailand tourism

with it.

with thai scams I just recently got bus from ekamie bus station Bangkok. to pattaya, ticket cost 110 bath, then got charged an extra 60 baht for wait for it heavy baggage ,I know how much my bag weighed. it was 14.4 kg,s. also german tourist with wake board was charged an extra 200 baht excess baggage charge . funny thing is he should of bought the wake board a seat on the bus as it was only 110 baht. please note I have taken the bus on more than 1 occasion, and sorry for any spelling errors upfront.

[Megasin1]

I dont agree with a lot of this article. If they think that potential tourists consider the effects of how long it takes to appoint a Government then I am truly surprised that a country whose main income is tourism doesn't understand a jot about tourism. What people consider when booking a holiday is cost, weather, safety and relaxation. So let's look at Thailand. expensive, weathers ok. dangerous and 2 hours queuing to enter.....hardly relaxing at all..... why they cant get the basics right is what they should really be looking at as it seems that a long time ago the lunatics took over the asylum.

[marcusarelus]

6 minutes ago, DrTuner said:

Well, here's an interesting task for those that like puzzles: Count the number of caucasians and others in the photo. That some kind of concert day? I've been to KSR quite a few times and it's never been this crowded. 

Not much to figure out - It's songkran.

[marcusarelus]

1 minute ago, Megasin1 said:

I am truly surprised that a country whose main income is tourism doesn't understand a jot about tourism.

Tourism is 20% of Thailand's GDP.  Most is industry.  

[emptypockets]

7 hours ago, jessebkk1 said:

Any of these articles that are not stating "the weird immigration laws" as reason number 1 for the drop in Tourism is not worth the paper it's written on.

 

  People want to come, but the your laws only allows them twice a year on tourist visas/visa exempt/voa, so they're going elsewhere. Long term stayers are denied any reasonable way to stay here, why are the thai's even looking for more people? so they can catch them on a day overstay or lack of 90 day report and take pictures of them with handcuffs to put on their newspapers?

 

Nonsense.  There is no official limit on entry by air.  I come every 3/4 weeks on visa waiver.  Have done for five years. 

[Skeptic7]

Any stormy weather for Thailand = blue skies for me/us! 

[lkv]

5 hours ago, marcusarelus said:

Since there are 400 million middle class Chinese tourists a short distance from Thailand - hardly a concern.  

Give it some time. You think the Chinese have no other options apart from Thailand? They have conquered Cambodia and building casinos there.

 

5 hours ago, marcusarelus said:

Nope.  Source is Trading Economics provides its users with accurate information

The information from Trading Economics for Thailand is provided by the Bank of Thailand.

 

I will let you work out yourself the implications of that.

 

4 hours ago, Bundooman said:

Maybe the queues of people at Suvamabhumi aren't 'floods' of tourists at all - rather hacked off tourists who are kept waiting in long queues for hours on end for fingerprinting, stamps, the lazy Imm. Officer to speed up? Maybe....

Exactly. What's creating queues are the biometric systems (own experience, saw the lag myself), and unmanned desks at times (4 out of 10 with actual IO's in them).

[sambum]

58 minutes ago, Traubert said:

I'd like to see some peer reviewed evidence to that effect. That's a daily spend of Bht1369, By no means large potatoes. When the same figure was pinned on a Chinese tourist, you'd hear the howls in the queue in HMC Immigration Office.

I did say "on average" - the actual amount could well be much higher. The Immigration requirement for a single ex pat on retirement status is 65,000 baht a month into a Thai bank account - that is 780,000 baht a year = 2136 baht a day.

The point I am making is that ex pats are here all year round, spending money day after day, not for 2 or 3 weeks. How many tourists spend 780,000 baht on a holiday? ????

And how many Thais do you know that are making 65,000 baht a month (and don't say "quite a few, actually"- I'm talking on average!) 

 

Edited July 15, 2019 by sambum

[DrTuner]

29 minutes ago, Traubert said:

Open the link and read it.

 

I did say few would bother.

I did. Nowhere does it have a breakdown on Chinese spending per country. It's useless to quote averages.

[DrTuner]

30 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

Not much to figure out - It's songkran.

Ah true, needed to take a closer look. Used to be different with people sporting the guns instead of being watered down with water cannons. I guess that's more appropriate these days given who's calling the shots. Next year, rubber bullets.

[ThomasThBKK]

5 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....

 

https://www.booking.com/hotel/th/naivacha-tent.html?aid=356980;label=gog235jc-1DCAso3QFCDW5haXZhY2hhLXRlbnRIJlgDaN0BiAEBmAEmuAEXyAEM2AED6AEB-AECiAIBqAIDuAKco7HpBcACAQ;sid=9f26babc5d530699d14ea7588c462497;all_sr_blocks=227091101_165284880_2_1_0;checkin=2019-12-01;checkout=2019-12-02;dest_id=900048216;dest_type=city;dist=0;group_adults=2;group_children=0;hapos=1;highlighted_blocks=227091101_165284880_2_1_0;hpos=1;no_rooms=1;room1=A%2CA;sb_price_type=total;sr_order=popularity;srepoch=1563185632;srpvid=8d5147f0b2c501aa;type=total;ucfs=1&#hotelTmpl

 

here the luxury version with electricity, only 2600 THB per day, 120 USD

[anterian]

Thailand has never really understood that today's back packing students whom they despise are tomorrow's affluent business people who they want to attract. 

[Traubert]

9 minutes ago, DrTuner said:

I did. Nowhere does it have a breakdown on Chinese spending per country. It's useless to quote averages.

The figures are out there. Look them up if it's important to you.

[ThomasThBKK]

1 hour ago, madmitch said:

I think you'll find the backpack market is well down. They didn't help matters by trying to sanitise Khao San Road but in general it's the cost and the fact that Thailand has long lost its appeal as an "exotic" destination now seen a mainstream tourism place where their parents have probably been on holiday. Other places in Asia and South America, especially Colombia, are now the backpackers' favourites.

 

My famiily run a guesthouse and can only reiterate what's been said above; it's the worst low season we've experienced with many nights completely empty. The past few years we've had good trade from tour guides for the Chinese groups. That market has all but disappeared. This time last year we were getting bookings for the high season most days; at the moment it's more like one a week, despite good ratings on Booking.com and Tripadvisor. It is not looking good and we'll be discounting if things don't look like picking up soon; the problem is so will everyone else! That won't attract new tourists, simply bring less baht into the economy.

Cold hard facts, thanks, even tho only a few like me are interested in actual facts here

[emptypockets]

5 hours ago, Bundooman said:

And then I woke and looked around me.........

 

Maybe the queues of people at Suvamabhumi aren't 'floods' of tourists at all - rather hacked off tourists who are kept waiting in long queues for hours on end for fingerprinting, stamps, the lazy Imm. Officer to speed up? Maybe....

 

Maybe the queues at Vientiane are just those expats/tourists queueing for a variety of diffent reasons other than just 'entering' Thailand? Maybe......

 

Maybe there are thousands more of expats, tourists, visitors who just enjoy having a few beers in pubs, restaurants or other innocent places where they can relax and enjoy themselves - not just those who wish to sit in dubious bars in Pattaya or Phuket? Maybe......

 

Maybe it's nothing to do with Thai bashing - I've been here 15 years and am quite happy. However, every comment, every criticism of Thailand is quite rightly expressed and justified and we have all seen it first hand. 

Flew out of swampy today.  Fingerprint scan finished before IO had stamped my passport.  Stop repeating some of the nonsense thats posted on here as fact. 

10 minutes to get through security and ten minutes for passport control. 

It seems longer of course but it wasn't... I timed it.  Coming into Thailand late June... 

 

Through passport control before the bags were on the caroisel

 Green line through customs.... No wait at all. 

 

I do remember one particular entry a couple years ago when the immigration lines were huge and took well over an hour to get through but that was the exception. My guess on average 15-20 minutes Max. No big deal if you have spent the previous 9 hours plus sitting on your backside. 

The finger print scanner has not added any time at all to the process either entering or leaving. 

Edited July 15, 2019 by emptypockets

[lkv]

8 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

Flew out of swampy today.  Fingerprint scan finished before IO had stamped my passport.  

Makes sense. It means they learned how to use the machines finally.

 

That, combined with no tourists must indeed create a smoother experience at Suvarnabhumi.

 

"The finger print scanner has not added any time at all to the process either entering or leaving. "

 

Not my experience at the beginning of May, but maybe you queued up instead of me in May, I don't know.

 

Edited July 15, 2019 by lkv

[chainarong]

What comes around goes around or so they say, Thailand as a country for tourism or retirement  needs to have a good hard look at itself.

[Traubert]

21 minutes ago, sambum said:

I did say "on average" - the actual amount could well be much higher. The Immigration requirement for a single ex pat on retirement status is 65,000 baht a month into a Thai bank account - that is 780,000 baht a year = 2136 baht a day.

The point I am making is that ex pats are here all year round, spending money day after day, not for 2 or 3 weeks. How many tourists spend 780,000 baht on a holiday? ????

And how many Thais do you know that are making 65,000 baht a month (and don't say "quite a few, actually"- I'm talking on average!) 

And even at 1369 baht a day, I would very seriously doubt that the average Chinese spends that amount!

But that pre-supposes that they spend every baht of the monthly 65000 in Thailand. It's just a required figure that they can recycle month after month. It simply has to be shown as income each month. Nothing to stop them sending it back and forth and many have said that they do.

[emptypockets]

4 hours ago, Percy P said:

Other countries are happy to welcome you with a month's stay . I will be going to Bali. No visa required .Just a 30day stamp.

Exactly the same as Thailand then. 

[sambum]

1 minute ago, Traubert said:

But that pre-supposes that they spend every baht of the monthly 65000 in Thailand. It's just a required figure that they can recycle month after month. It simply has to be shown as income each month. Nothing to stop them sending it back and forth and many have said that they do.

So how much would you estimate the average farang expat to spend on living here per month?

 

I know how much I spend, but I am interested in how much you think that full time residents spend here.

[Traubert]

4 minutes ago, sambum said:

So how much would you estimate the average farang expat to spend on living here per month?

 

I know how much I spend, but I am interested in how much you think that full time residents spend here.

I have no idea, which is why I said I'd like to see some peer reviewed evidence.

 

I can't agree with the assertion that the amount is an essential prop for the Thai economy as there simply isn't enough of them.

[metisdead]

A post containing a link to Bangkok Post has been removed as per forum rules. 

 

Some more posts discussion prostitution have been removed. 

 

Some troll posts and replies have been removed. 

[madmen]

40 minutes ago, sambum said:

I did say "on average" - the actual amount could well be much higher. The Immigration requirement for a single ex pat on retirement status is 65,000 baht a month into a Thai bank account - that is 780,000 baht a year = 2136 baht a day.

The point I am making is that ex pats are here all year round, spending money day after day, not for 2 or 3 weeks. How many tourists spend 780,000 baht on a holiday? ????

And how many Thais do you know that are making 65,000 baht a month (and don't say "quite a few, actually"- I'm talking on average!) 

 

Average Amount would be lower around 40k. The embassies stopped income letters because majority could not meet anywhere near 65k

Ozzie expats are receiving 36500 baht pension right now and usa poms and canadians and most of europe in the same boat.

 

Nobody wants them, cruel but fair

Edited July 15, 2019 by madmen

[MeePeeMai]

24 minutes ago, anterian said:

Thailand has never really understood that today's back packing students whom they despise are tomorrow's affluent business people who they want to attract. 

Not to mention that a lot of these backpackers will soon inherit their baby boomer parent's estates and will become quite wealthy overnight (literally).

[DrTuner]

28 minutes ago, Traubert said:

The figures are out there. Look them up if it's important to you.

Nah, it's just important to me to spotlight people using stats to try to justify whatever point of view they are selling without giving the exact figures of the matter in question.

 

Given there are no reliable methods to calculate spenditure in societies which use cash I'd rather pull whatever figures I need out of my arse. Hence I'll say the average spending of a Chinese tourist is 25baht/day. As valid as any.

[BritManToo]

5 minutes ago, madmen said:

Ozzie expats are receiving 36500 baht pension right now and usa poms and canadians and most of europe in the same boat.

Brit government pension is 20k/month.

Smallest pension in the western world.

Edited July 15, 2019 by BritManToo

[Traubert]

3 minutes ago, DrTuner said:

Nah, it's just important to me to spotlight people using stats to try to justify whatever point of view they are selling without giving the exact figures of the matter in question.

 

Given there are no reliable methods to calculate spenditure in societies which use cash I'd rather pull whatever figures I need out of my arse. Hence I'll say the average spending of a Chinese tourist is 25baht/day. As valid as any.

And there we have the first assertion that the UN is an incompetent liar, without any referenced riposte.

 

Congratulations.  To be honest it was always going to be one of three regular posters.