Their "tourist numbers" always were bogus. Used to know a Thai guy who worked at Swampy.  His job was to "count tourists arrivals". He that me that EVERYONE who got off a plane and entered the airport, even to just catch another plane to somewhere else, was counted as a tourist. 

When I first visited Thailand 9 years ago I was able to get a Visa allowing me to stay for 15 months with a border run every 90 days. Now I can only get 30 days unless I want to supply bank statements, return plane ticket etc. If for any reason my Visa is denied then my plane ticket is wasted. I've gone from staying 9 months of the year, contributing upwards of £20,000 a year, down to not even going. What does that tell you? I'm just one person.

35 minutes ago, Phuketshrew said:

This highlights how false and grossly over-inflated the TAT "tourist" numbers are in Thailand.

Are they just counting all the arrivals regardless of whether they are genuine tourists, people living here on tourist visas or any other visa types?

I "arrive" at least 4-6 times a year - am I being counted in these figures each time?

Are the many living here on tourist visas also being counted in these numbers?

Given the recent clampdown on these it would be hardly surprising that there has been a decline in numbers.

It's a bit like the road death numbers in reverse - A lot more people die on the roads than the "official" numbers released.

TIT - Nothing is as it seems.

Does the recent clampdown effect Chinese tourists?  How do you know that more people die on the roads than the official numbers?  I don't. 

2 hours ago, Lucius verus said:

Throw cheap Bali into the mix and others and Thailand is in trouble.

Bali not that cheap anymore, just got back and was disappointed; prices have been rising a lot !

8 minutes ago, mike1967 said:

When I first visited Thailand 9 years ago I was able to get a Visa allowing me to stay for 15 months with a border run every 90 days. Now I can only get 30 days unless I want to supply bank statements, return plane ticket etc. If for any reason my Visa is denied then my plane ticket is wasted. I've gone from staying 9 months of the year, contributing upwards of £20,000 a year, down to not even going. What does that tell you? I'm just one person.

Tells me you are not a tourist. 

Having to wait in the immigration queue with crying kids and frustrated travellers for up to 2 hours is hardly an inducement to come back

Yes, exchange rate and draconian visa regulation doesn't help

50 minutes ago, GeorgeCross said:

 

shocked he didn't know you were the infamous BestB from thaivisa forum.. 

 

i'd have been on my knees wai'ing 

 

 

Oh the trolly dolly out already . Try reading full sentences before making silly comments 

6 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

Tells me you are not a tourist. 

You're right. I'm a nothing now. It's become all too exhausting for me. Think I'll buy a new car with the money I'm saving.

 

2 hours ago, GeorgeCross said:

wait a minute..

 

if visitors from china, europe, oceania and the middle east are down but tourism is still up where are the new tourists coming from?

 

russia, india? they dont have the numbers to offset europe never mind china, so are they counting surrounding countries too?

 

this cannot be good either way (well for thailand, good for me :D)

 

 

Timbuktoo

som nam na

15p for draft beer in Vietnam

2 quid for a bottle of knob wash here .

Extrapolate those figs for a holiday and it starts to make you realise what a complete rip off this place is

13 minutes ago, MasterBaker said:

Yes, exchange rate and draconian visa regulation doesn't help

Are there new visa regs for normal tourists?

2 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

Are there new visa regs for normal tourists?

Bad news travels quickly and there are plenty of visa stories in the last few years that have put people off.

Plus most people don't like to support a military govt. 

My gosh, why ever would Vietnam be a competitor to Thailand? The exchange rate is reasonable, beer costs  half what it does in Thailand, the beaches are clean, and the Vietnamese cuisine is arguably better than Thai food, but these are all minor points. Vietnam was colonised by the sweating farangs, so it isn't pure like Thailand. And they did away with their own alphabet, adopting an accented version of the Latin alphabet. How can they double-price things when foreigners can easily read the prices, unlike using Thai numbers? Really, these upstart Vietnamese have got a lot to learn.

3 hours ago, Metapod said:

Exchange rate is bad, costs are going up, visas are getting a lot harder to get, and more competitive alternatives are arising.

 

it isn't really surprising stuff. Thailand ain't that cheap anymore. Aussie dollar is like 21.7 thb these days. A lot of things are cheaper back in Aus now,

Exactly the same with the UK ????

The "scary" reality for Thailand, is that the neighbors are making a real effort, improving, progressing, and creating a better environment for tourism. While here in Thailand, the environment is one of stagnation, regression, a total lack of vision, xenophobia, fear of foreigners, confused and muddled visa policy, and a baht that is far stronger than it needs to be, should be, or deserves to be. 

 

No effort is being made to address tourist safety, or public safety in general. No effort is being made to address traffic safety and the horrendous amount of bus, mini-van, car, truck, and motorbike accidents on the road. No effort is being made to improve the highway patrol, or even get those incompetent clowns to patrol the highways, and pull people over for reckless driving. No effort is being made to address the understaffed immigration counters at DM, or Swampy. No effort is being made to tackle corruption on the part of the RTP franchisees. Quite the opposite. They are being deliberately protected. No effort is being made to address the myriad of environmental issues Thailand faces, whether it be the water quality, the air quality, the burning by farmers, the plastic epidemic, the extreme lack of trash cans throughout the nation, and a vast host of other issues. And finally, no effort is being made to reform the tourism ministry, separate it from the sports ministry (hair brained to the extreme), or improve the TAT. Nothing. 

 

The army is doing nothing, to benefit the people, or tourists. Absolutely nothing. Perhaps even less than zero. Perhaps the name should be changed from the Thai Army to the Nothing men. Of course tourism is dropping. Why would it not be dropping? 

Was talking last week to one of my friends in Scotland he normally went out to Pattaya after every second trip off shore, he said that its cheaper now to sit about all day in the pubs at home rather than getting  a long haul flight to do the same in Thailand he also said his brother is just back from a one month holiday in the Philippines and loved it, Thailand is just getting to expensive now for long lazy breaks.

I was just in Thailand. Had the last part of my ( what turned out to be expensive) holiday spoiled by the last two day falling in to a alcohol ban period. I lived in Thailand for a few years and I do respect Thai culture. But is it really a good idea to subject a heavily tourist populated area like Pattaya, to a blanket ban. Wouldn’t it be a better idea to give special licences out to these areas.

The dodgy figures are probably because an arrival at Suvarnabhumi is being counted as a tourist visitor ! Then people change planes and fly elsewhere ! Somewhere cheaper, cleaner, smarter and less dangerous, that listens to the needs of it's guests and doesn't take them for granted. Somewhere that doesn't make it's visitors jump through hoops of fire to stay for a while in the country and spend their money. Thailand is suffering because of its 'take it or leave it' attitude. Clearly, people are leaving it. I want Thailand to do well, but it needs to do much better for people who are used to a much better standard of living.

We need a Pol-Col-Maj-Gen-Lt-Col-Pm-Gen to explain how its all going wrong when we are doing so well????

I've never seen so many pessimistic articles as I have in the last month or so.

I know a lot of people who basically lived in Thailand on back to back tourist visas for years.  They spent loads of money into the economy (true fact).  Most were Western pensioners or close to it and didn't get into trouble with the law.  Now is what they did legal?  No.  Did it help the economy?  Yes absolutely and that's gone now.  

 

You aren't going to replace this with Indians trying to put pencils into your hands then demanding money.  

3 hours ago, Metapod said:

Exchange rate is bad, costs are going up, visas are getting a lot harder to get, and more competitive alternatives are arising.

 

it isn't really surprising stuff. Thailand ain't that cheap anymore. Aussie dollar is like 21.7 thb these days. A lot of things are cheaper back in Aus now,

RE - Exchange rate is bad, costs are going up, visas are getting a lot harder to get, and more competitive alternatives are arising.

 

* A natural consequenze of military policy …  

You can’t fool all of the people all of the time. There are greener pastures and people are on the move (away)

Was in Pattaya in the early part of 2019 and it was quite ! Never seen it so quite for what they called ‘peak season ‘ there was definitely no peak yet hotels still charged peak season prices . . thus tourists that are there feel ripped off and thus talk negatively of time spent there. The more negative talking, the less tourist will come. Yes Vietnam is booming, went there and it was packed out, lots of hype and positive vibes and people seem to really be enjoying it. 

2 hours ago, BestB said:

Taxi company I use for my biz was always somewhat arrogant but did the job so stuck with them.

 

the other week was going away myself, owner was crying how quite it is. 

 

Anyhow actual owner shows up , no hello of any kind, no assistance to put bag in the car . Not a single word on the way , no assistance taking bag out of the car .

 

did not want to keep quit, told him who I was, and he was not interested at all, not even a sorry.

 

Point is, there are less customers and locals provide even less service yet cry about not having customers .

 

not only that but happy to mistreat existing customers.and charge more .

 

was I a massive customer? No, but was giving them about 10-15 trips per week, now it’s done.

 

if that’s how he treats the owner, do not even want to think how he treated my customers 

He described Vietnam as "naa glua" - meaning scary. 

 

Meaning Vietnamese treat aliens as equal. What will taxi owner do when there is no customers?

3 hours ago, BestB said:

Taxi company I use for my biz was always somewhat arrogant but did the job so stuck with them.

 

the other week was going away myself, owner was crying how quite it is. 

 

Anyhow actual owner shows up , no hello of any kind, no assistance to put bag in the car . Not a single word on the way , no assistance taking bag out of the car .

 

did not want to keep quit, told him who I was, and he was not interested at all, not even a sorry.

 

Point is, there are less customers and locals provide even less service yet cry about not having customers .

 

not only that but happy to mistreat existing customers.and charge more .

 

was I a massive customer? No, but was giving them about 10-15 trips per week, now it’s done.

 

if that’s how he treats the owner, do not even want to think how he treated my customers 

Regrettably, this is the face of Thailand today that many people experience.

Thankfully there are still some Thais left that have some kind of Humanity inside of them, as the likes of these people in the post above have ruined their own Country with their Arrogance, Greed and laziness.

It is no wonder that Tourists are going elsewhere. Somewhere where they will at least be treated with some Civility and respect.

 

Free boat rides on the Phoenix 2 would be one marketing strategy to win back tourists...

3 hours ago, Peterbilt said:

Creating those figures is the job of the TAT's spindoctors.....

Good at spinning, but 'doctors' I dispute.