Stronger baht not keeping tourists away

[murraynz]

13 hours ago, totally thaied up said:

I am 12,000 baht a month down on what I use to earn from the baht being strong. That is 12,000 baht a month less I spend now as I I do not bring in anymore to cover this short fall. I know plenty of Australians doing the same as me as in cutting spending. So in a essence, my local area in Mum and Dad's shops have lost that 12,000 from just me. Add a few more people to this all in per head count and yes, I do think Thailand is missing out. For the elite or the high earners here that get paid in baht it means nothing and there are a lot of them, but for the average Joe tourist, I think they are spending dollars elsewhere. Like I said before, I had my yearly holiday back in Australia and I actually saved money by going home. Buying luxury goods in Thailand is madness and to do that, you really need to be going somewhere else.

take note everybody--this IS reality, very typical of many expats here.. for those from uk , the situation is much worse..for me, from nz, its not quite so bad--with freehold condo, i can live quite well off my 'smallish' nz pension-alone.. it now gets me approx 2,500-3,000thb /mth less than 1 yr ago..because of the low exchange rates, i refuse to transfer any other money from nz, it probably is also 10,000thb + per mth LESS  that i now spend in thailand.

i have also noticed some large increases in supermkts for imported items...

its not realy a problem for me... i just drink less booze.. thats ok.. 

[marcusarelus]

39 minutes ago, Cadbury said:

What a profoundly obvious statement..."The money that goes off shore comes from income in Thailand"

Really? ...........Of course it does, even my 5 year old grandson knows that!

The point I made was that the legal wealth going offshore comes from the filthy rich 1% elite plus military generals and politicians who are/were protected by the junta. Or are you suggesting the wealth going offshore is generated by rice farmers, day labourers, motorbike taxi drivers and fishing boat deckhands. 

BTW what has the pound got to do with it except other than for UK residents.? The UK is not the centre of the universe even though you might think so. There is a whole world out there with about 180 currencies. Get a grip man.

The story is about the baht as a rising value currency not about the pound as a diminishing value currency.

The baht is not rising in value the other currencies like the pound and US dollar and Aussie dollar and Canadian dollar are losing value.  Wealth makes the same amount of money in Thailand as offshore - one can trade in any currency in Thailand.  The only people who are making more money are the importers and since Thailand is a major exporter they are in a minority.  My 5 year old grandson does not know this as I just asked him.  

[reargunnerph3]

Tourists will just spend less in Thailand or they will go to Vietnam, Cambodia or the Philippines where things are cheaper and tourists are welcome.

[ronaldo0]

Deluded !!

[marcusarelus]

3 minutes ago, reargunnerph3 said:

Tourists will just spend less in Thailand or they will go to Vietnam, Cambodia or the Philippines where things are cheaper and tourists are welcome.

How many tourists went to Vietnam last year and how many Thailand?  Isn't about 40 to 1 in favor of Thailand?  

[Sumarianson]

And the only prostitution in Pattaya has just been uncovered and quelled by police!

[murraynz]

59 minutes ago, jarda said:

It certainly keeps me from buying investment property here! Aussie buck went down 35% in 5 years.

only a fool would transfer money from aus to buy property, at present.

at any time- property in thailand {with very few exceptions} is NOT   an 'investment'.. cap gains are rare...

and yes, i DO  own my own condo, but dont class it as an investment -because its in a good area, it will 'hold ' its value ,thats all ....

[SOUTHERNSTAR]

What you are saying you are too late, you missed the boat. If you bought a condo 5 years ago you could have sold at the same price now and send the money back to Oz and still make 30%. In general most farangs dont want to bring money into Thailand. How many times we read comments like dont trust their banks or only bring in money you will spend. Now the exchange rate got them. But some will still continue to bet against the Baht and when the £ reaches 30 you will hear the cries.

It certainly keeps me from buying investment property here! Aussie buck went down 35% in 5 years.

Sent from my SM-A730F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Jiggo]

I was in Bangkok this weekend, very quiet, Indians walking about only using the pubs to take a pee, go go's in Nana mainly empty, not even many Arabs walking about, quite boring thank god for the Cricket. 

[Bangkok Barry]

14 hours ago, FarFlungFalang said:

If the minister says the strong baht is not deterring visitors then you know it is!

If it isn't the strong baht putting people off then it must be the pollution, the rip-offs, the double pricing, filthy seas, crumbling infrastructure, surly faces everywhere you turn, high prices for low quality. And so on.

[Cadbury]

9 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

The baht is not rising in value the other currencies like the pound and US dollar and Aussie dollar and Canadian dollar are losing value.  Wealth makes the same amount of money in Thailand as offshore - one can trade in any currency in Thailand.  The only people who are making more money are the importers and since Thailand is a major exporter they are in a minority.  My 5 year old grandson does not know this as I just asked him.  

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

[marcusarelus]

Just now, Bangkok Barry said:

If it isn't the strong baht putting people off then it must be the pollution, the rip-offs, the double pricing, filthy seas, crumbling infrastructure, surly faces everywhere you turn, high prices for low quality. And so on.

The the pollution, the rip-offs, the double pricing, filthy seas, crumbling infrastructure, surly faces everywhere you turn, high prices for low quality has been here for a long time.   The only change is the recent drop in value of many currencies.  

[SOUTHERNSTAR]

Has the pound fallen against the USD and Euro or only against the Baht? The Pound is down against most major currencies which means the Pound is weak. The Baht is up against the USD because of hot money flows. There are speculators at work and this is driving up the Baht (just like before 1997 crash). Due to cross currency exchange rates, when the USD/Baht exchange rate drop these other rates also drop.

yes, but that is because of the strong Thai Baht.
You have noticed the amount of other currencies dropping against the baht?
are they all weak too?

Sent from my SM-A730F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[GalaxyMan]

15 hours ago, petedk said:

I am totally confused.

I didn't realize that you were a member of the government. ????

[Paul52]

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.

I think he’s trying to say that although the number of foreign tourists is down, the average amount of money they make per visitor is up.  There again, it might mean something completely different.  Might be a problem with the translation.

[Bangkok Barry]

1 minute ago, marcusarelus said:

The the pollution, the rip-offs, the double pricing, filthy seas, crumbling infrastructure, surly faces everywhere you turn, high prices for low quality has been here for a long time.   The only change is the recent drop in value of many currencies.  

The headline of the article reported that the nice man from TAT in the nice jacket said that the strong baht (against weakening foreign currencies) was not to blame for lower tourist number. That is not the 'only' change, as you put it. Social media is making more and more people increasingly aware that there is a downside to visiting the self-styled 'greatest country on Earth'.

[kinyara]

A lot of talk of farangs going to Vietnam rather than Thailand, sat waiting for my Jomtien bus at Swampy last month and there were several big tour groups of Vietnamese passed by and also saw the same thing at Jomtien beach last week. Swings and roundabouts.

[Joker Man]

Hurray! If not of the ''Very Rich Indians'' who else? Oops the poop masters are coming as well.

[Tuvoc]

Judging by the absolutely enormous queues at BKK passport control when I flew in last week, I'd say Thai tourism is alive and well. 

[thesetat2013]

Aside from the fact that reports already stated a 20% reduction in tourism that negates this article. One has to ask.. what tourist would come for his three reasons.. adventure.. boat sinks killing so many or ropes break on attractions killing others. 

Sports.... Thai again caught cheating at scrabble competition for a second time after being banned several years.. 

Health conscious... Fresh produce samples from around thailand sent to Australia for testing showed the majority contained more poison and contaminants than permitted for them to be considered healthy to eat.

Anyone.. anyone who follows the news releases here and worldwide and can add 1+1 and takes their time to research what they are seeking for their holiday could easily see this is not the place to go for those things. 

And what lame person thinks a stronger baht.. everything costing more.. would not influence a persons decision whether to travel there. Complete ignorance in this article written to pacify those who are even more ignorant. 

 

[Millcx]

16 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!

I have read some serious poo in my time but this report is 10 million Buffalo doing it all at same time in one box ... Obvious they guy who released the info is closing off a foreign property deal .... Fact: Your tourist industry is dying due to your strong baht 

[jirathama]

I live in Chiang Mai for many years. My last four beach holidays all went to Vietnam. And the way I do, i am sure many other expats do the same. Why? Vietnam is much cleaner, people way more friendly and eager to have a chat with foreigners. Nice beaches, accomodation much cheaper and newer, beer half price, i could go on and on........

[kinyara]

The cut throat world of competitive scrabble, you learn something new every day on Thaivisa

 

 

[marcusarelus]

1 hour ago, nickmondo said:

yes, but that is because of the strong Thai Baht.

You have noticed the amount of other currencies dropping against the baht?

are they all weak too?

Yes.  That's why tourism and exports are down.  

Edited July 17, 2019 by marcusarelus

[marcusarelus]

3 minutes ago, jirathama said:

I live in Chiang Mai for many years. My last four beach holidays all went to Vietnam. And the way I do, i am sure many other expats do the same. Why? Vietnam is much cleaner, people way more friendly and eager to have a chat with foreigners. Nice beaches, accomodation much cheaper and newer, beer half price, i could go on and on........

Why not move there?

[Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere]

15 hours ago, FarFlungFalang said:

If the minister says the strong baht is not deterring visitors then you know it is!

Note: Outgoing ministers always try to say the buffalo is strong and can still pull the plow but through the eyes of reality the buffalo has died in it's tracks. It is just that the buffalo hasn't fallen over yet. 

[Duck J Butters]

15 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. 

It's the total opposite in Northern Phuket. I hardly see any Chinese at all but lots of Russians, Europeans and Americans. Mostly families. Tourism is way up from last year in Northern Phuket ( Naithon Beach, Laguna Beach, Kamala Beach, Layan Beach ). While your average backpacker may be going elsewhere, Phuket seems to be attracting a wealthier tourist. And isn't that exactly what Thailand has been shooting for by manufacturing a strong baht and making it more difficult for expats to get visas? I thought the whole point of all this was to push the backpacker crowd out of Thailand and usher in an entirely new class of tourist.

 

My wife and I both have noticed a huge uptick in tourism in Northern Phuket. We eat regularly at Anantara and we usually have the place to ourselves which is what we like. However, it's been packed this year. Mostly with families. Same with Cafe Del Mar. Cafe Del Mar has way more people than usual for July.

 

Beaches in Northern Phuket are typically dead during the summer months. Not this year.

 

I'm not sure why Thailand obsesses over quantity of tourists versus "QUALITY" of tourists. How does the backpacker crowd help the Thai economy? Better to focus on getting the types of people that can afford $18k USD / night at Amanpuri Resort in Phuket ( yes, that's what a villa there will cost you ). I will tell you, Amanpuri has been packed with celebs this year. 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?

 

Thailand needs to focus on quality, not quantity. You want the big spenders that drop $100k USD on stem cell and medical tourism at Brio Clinic in Bangkok and Thanyapura in Phuket. I will tell you, my wife works in this industry and they are averaging 130 patients per month for stem cell ( yes, even in June and July ). Each patient spends on average $50k USD / stem cell treatment. These are the people Thailand needs to focus on. It's time for Thailand to grow and graduate from being a third world dumpster site for cheap tourists to run wild.

 

[Wake Up]

Pattaya is so quiet and nice I am considering relocating there from Bangkok. Beer, food, rent and other prices in Pattaya are half the prices of Bangkok in my area. I actually enjoy the lack of tourists in Pattaya and hope it continues. 

[gomangosteen]

6 minutes ago, thesetat2013 said:

Sports.... Thai again caught cheating at scrabble competition for a second time after being banned several years.. 

 

I'm impressed ... blaming a low-level Scrabble player who cheated for tourism downturn ... any actual stats on that one?

N1 O1 but you'll score 6 if you get to a triple word score

Perhaps best comparison would be the impact the British champion Allan Simmons' cheating has had on UK tourism, he remains banned, but I suspect the impact was less than minimal?

 

 

[Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere]

17 minutes ago, RobboR said:

I'm 40/50k down every month!!

Have always trf'd 2,000 quid. Used to get 120/130k now less than 80.

I refuse to trf more apart from when there are holidays,birthdays etc

I prefer to send stuff from the UK and run the gauntlet on tax!

Also pay friends to put stuff from the UK in their suitcases when they return or visit

I won't give these ***** more than the bare minimum

Yup, and for those people who use and international atm card there is their greedy fee of 220 baht per atm transaction. ????