Stronger baht not keeping tourists away

[JAG]

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

However, we have also learned that the average income earned from foreign tourists is still higher than the number of overall travellers entering the country,” Weerasak said.

 

16 hours ago, petedk said:

I am totally confused.

As, it would appear, is the (outgoing) Tourism and Sports Minister. Whatever does he mean?

[Dice Man]

15 hours ago, FarFlungFalang said:

What he is trying to say is that as there were 20.9 million visitors the the income earned from those visitors is more than 20.9 million baht!That's how you know if you made a profit!

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[Rookiescot]

Its odd how they always mention tourist numbers being up but never mention revenue from tourists.

[Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere]

1 minute ago, Dice Man said:

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I'm like you plus 1 question mark... 

[robertson468]

On 26 June TAT reported that the strong baht was responsible for the drop in Tourist numbers.  Phuket and Pattaya reported an approximate 30% drop in Tourists.  Weerasak needs to do a little more research to stop being suspected of telling "porkies" and suspected of face saving. 

[Salerno]

56 minutes ago, Jiggo said:

...quite boring thank god for the Cricket. 

Damn! Must have been extremely boring.

 

47 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

Social media is making more and more people increasingly aware that there is a downside to visiting the self-styled 'greatest country on Earth'.

Didn't realise tourist numbers where down in the USA too 

[kwak250]

I always remember being told wealthy people dont usually shout about there wealth.

 

Usually its the skint ones that like like you to believe they are loaded.

 

Bit like a Tourist minister trying to say how well Thailand is doing with tourism when in fact friends i have known for years are now going to more welcoming countries now.

[Thingamabob]

15 hours ago, DLock said:

"However, we have also learned that the average income earned from foreign tourists is still higher than the number of overall travellers entering the country,” Weerasak said.

 

I must have read this 10 times.

 

I could be having a dyslexic day...but I don't understand what he trying to say.

Gobbledigook.

[JAG]

29 minutes ago, Duck J Butters said:

When you have Leonardo DiCaprio as a regular and Beyonce buying up 10 homes in your resort, Bollywood having weddings, the Saudi Royal family coming to your area for stem cell and anti-aging, the owner of Amanpuri flying in 20 Maseratis, the entire Fast & Furious crew dropping over 1 billion baht in your region over the span of a month, why on Earth would you care about cheap tourists that hardly spend their money?

If you can look beyond your neo-orgasmic (OK, it's a word I invented, but I'm sure everyone gets the gist) excitement at the thought of a relatively small number of people with a lot of money coming to your favoured little bit of Phuket, think it through. None of that money goes anywhere near the Thais who work in the tourist industry. The bloke who delivers Beyonces Champagne, the people labouring on the "Fast and Furious" film set, the girl who cleans the suite of the Saudi Royals, are all going to be on, or damn near the minimum wage. It is the much larger numbers of visitors, with far less disposable income per head, spending B300 on a meal, buying a few beers, having the occasional massage (with or without a happy ending) and shopping in the markets and night bazaars who put the rice on the table of the vast majority of Thais involved in servicing the tourist industry. Western tourists, backpackers, family groups or retirees are far more likely to spend thus, than Chinese tour groups, "rich Indians" or (astonishingly) Nepalis!. That is why the Thais working in the tourist industry are lamenting their absence, that is why they are hurting economically,

 

"why on Earth would you care about cheap tourists that hardly spend their money?"

Gospel of John, chapter 11, verse 35. !

Edited July 17, 2019 by JAG

[RichardColeman]

17 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

outgoing Tourism and Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat said.

I think that speaks volumes. OUTGOING ! Its far better to say your passing on a booming business and setting your next guy up for failure when new figures released.

[khunpa]

I knew the truth would come out sooner or later. Never believe it when others say numbers are down.

[Sydebolle]

Really good weed helps keeping the dreams coming, right? 

[Skallywag]

10 hours ago, Chelseafan said:

How do they measure how many people are visiting Thailand?

 

From numbers entering at the 2 airports is my take on how they measure numbers.

 

[JusticeGB]

11 minutes ago, Skallywag said:

From numbers entering at the 2 airports is my take on how they measure numbers.

 

Obviously the Minister of Tourism can't read basic figures or listen to the people on the ground in Pattaya who are closing their shops and bars because tourism is down 30% and many hotels are only at 10% occupancy!

[Andy Rawai]

The high baht has had an impact, saying it does not is denial. I know of many people that have moved to other destinations as it's cheaper.

Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk

[khunpa]

16 minutes ago, Skallywag said:

From numbers entering at the 2 airports is my take on how they measure numbers.

 

When they sum up those figures, then how  do they reach 21 mill. tourists per year?

[Duckingand]

Don't be confused, Mr Petedk. It is clear from the empty bars that the tourists are DIFFERENT people these days.  People who don't drink because their bodies cannot tolerate alcohol like westerners can. People from Asia. And men who don't flirt with girls, but just by a word arrange for a visit to their room. Men who like a dark club where "arrangements" can be made.  The "girls" of Thailand love it. Less fun but more profitable. ...  Have you not learned yet, to every Thai money is everything.

[Chelseafan]

4 hours ago, marcusarelus said:

The money that goes off shore comes from income in Thailand.  So, back to the drawing board on that idea.  It's not a strong baht it's a weak pound.  

Have you seen the baht versus other major currencies ?

 

 

[Chelseafan]

24 minutes ago, Skallywag said:

From numbers entering at the 2 airports is my take on how they measure numbers.

 

That doesn't answer my question...

 

[Salerno]

4 minutes ago, Chelseafan said:

Have you seen the baht versus other major currencies ?

Have you seen the other major currencies against the US$?

[marcusarelus]

32 minutes ago, Skallywag said:

From numbers entering at the 2 airports is my take on how they measure numbers.

 

Don't the Chinese and others close come by bus?  What good is Airport numbers?  

[dougiemac52]

17 hours ago, madmitch said:

I suppose this press release was only to be expected after the negative ones appearing recently!

 

I know which I believe!

Its interesting how Pattaya is more or less empty. I passed through Suvarnabhumi airport 2 weeks ago and it was so quick.

So where the lies come from who knows ????

[mike1967]

Does this figure include travellers that just use Bangkok as a stopover for other countries? Even if the figures are correct how long are people staying compared to before? With the new Visa laws etc people may be coming but will be staying for much shorter holidays. Myself for one, plus many of my friends, aren't going back to Thailand because it's just too expensive, not worth it if you factor in the travel. More worrying is that my friends that do live there are looking to move away. Everyone is getting sick of the regime there.

[Skallywag]

23 minutes ago, JusticeGB said:

Obviously the Minister of Tourism can't read basic figures or listen to the people on the ground in Pattaya who are closing their shops and bars because tourism is down 30% and many hotels are only at 10% occupancy!

 

IMO - Pattaya and Bangkok are just ridiculously Overbuilt. 

The number of new hotels they built (and condos that are now being used as hotels through AirBNB) in the last 20 years just means that all hotels are getting less customers.

 

Must be the wealthy investors who can afford to lose billions of baht building 4-5 star hotels that will never turn a profit  - other than a few months during high season.

 

[Skallywag]

15 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

Don't the Chinese and others close come by bus?  What good is Airport numbers?  

I think most Chinese tourist groups fly into Suvarnabhumi, then board the buses there.  

[marcusarelus]

1 hour ago, Cadbury said:

You still don't get it. The Thai baht is measured internationally against the US dollar. Not the UK pound or the Canadian dollar or the Australian dollar which are all losing value against the US dollar.

As for your comments "The only people who are making more money are the importers and since Thailand is a major exporter..". Another one of your statements of the bleeding obvious. Please come up with something original.

 

The Thai baht is NOT the international measuring stick of all other currencies.

Read this you might learn something. 

 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-20/world-beating-baht-adds-to-challenges-for-thai-economy-in-2019

I don't know how to tell you but when an American, Canadian or Brit or Aussie comes to Thailand they change their money into baht.  3 years ago they were getting a lot more.  When I changed my money into baht $16k bought 800k baht.  Now it takes $25k.  All Western currencies (that I'm familiar with) buy less in Thailand because the baht is stronger then they are.  As a result of this people in America, Britain, Australia and Canada are buying less goods made in Thailand and Thai exports are down.  

 

Exporters are losing more money and importers are making more money.  Because the baht is strong and the pound and dollar are weak.  

 

2015 you could buy the same amount of gold with the Thai baht as you can today.  In pounds sterling much less today than 2015.  

[Parsve]

No one can say how many people had traveled to Thailand or how much they had spent if the Baht had a lower course and without that knowledge his statement becomes nonsense.

[mike1967]

8 hours ago, nomad2019 said:

i know at least 30-40 guys who have come to los the past 10-20 years from uk and ireland,  i speak with lots of them now and as before they done 3-4-5 trips per year, now most them not coming to thailand, many are finding it too hard to get by even on 5000 baht per day . thats mostly in pattaya, i darent talk about BKK

 

living in isaan might lighten the load but not by much,  theres a thread on business forum i made 2 days ago, reading and studying the currency charts a well known website ( XE i think )  predicted the pound sterling will fall another 19% from now to 26  !!!!!!!

 

do your homework lads, for me i cannot go as often but ive a girl there so ill be staying in her place instead of hotels,  ill be cutting back on the beer and trying to do different things,  to be honest if it wasnt for her i would not think about going back anytime soon.

 

i was used to 73 back in the day,  it does my head in now changing £100 for 3800 baht.....but as the movers & shakers say its going down to around 26 in 2023 ( apparently )

Can you imagine 26 to the £. That would be £10 and up for a pint down in the south. I can go to my lovely local marina in the UK and buy a pint for £2.29, work out the maths.

[DefaultName]

People coming now probably booked their trips a long time back.  It'll take time for the high prices to REALLY hit the numbers.

[Hoppyone]

17 hours ago, totally thaied up said:

Talk to the average Australian punter. Most are now going to Bali or Vietnam for holiday. Most my friends are raving about Vietnam. Reason is the baht is way too strong and the costs have risen in Thailand and true levels of service lack. Sure, when I flew back recently all I saw was Chinese at the airport but what I definitely saw was a lack of farangs. I am even having most my Thai friends in business telling me the same thing in Chiang Mai - not as many farangs this year and the smokey season has really scared a lot away and they are dreading another repeat of the same (smokey) conditions next year. 

100% correct I have mates who normally come here 2-3 times a year but they tell me there is no value for your dollar any more in Thailand,so they also have ventured out to Cambodia & Vietnam and getting much better value for there tourist dollar ,hopefully the powers to be can wake up before it to late for the tourist industry