4 minutes ago, Centra said:

Not for long.

 

The Thai business people have them selves to blame. It's very sad as I love the Thai people and their way of life

From Chiang Mai I found flights to Vietnam were cheaper than to the Thai beaches. I thought it was low season? Hotels seem more expensive than ever.

11 minutes ago, pokerface1 said:

You got that right my Thai friends give me a shopping list of items that are cheaper in Aust. To bring back to Thailand. It appears that the only cheap things here is street food and Thai hand crafts, rent of course and beer. Forget the rest. 

House Australia 10 mil baht.  House Thailand 2 mil baht.  You only need one calculation.  Housing is always your largest budget item and always the one people avoid when trying to convince Thailand is expensive.  Fall back position is but but the craftsmanship .......... ha ha. 

1 minute ago, thenewgoo said:

From Chiang Mai I found flights to Vietnam were cheaper than to the Thai beaches. I thought it was low season? Hotels seem more expensive than ever.

Maybe in Vietnam but I found a ton of specials lasts weekend in Thailand while looking for family to visit.

3 minutes ago, thenewgoo said:

From Chiang Mai I found flights to Vietnam were cheaper than to the Thai beaches. I thought it was low season? Hotels seem more expensive than ever.

Are you comparing price to Thai Currency of to your Countries.

4 hours 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.

You nailed the over count issue—thanks. Will ad that some expats ( like me) travel back to home country 3-4 times a year.  So TAT counts me as 3-4 tourists every year.  What a farce.

5 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 

I also vote with my money. Poor service = bad reviews and no return business. The good businesses will survive.

15 minutes ago, uncleeagle said:

 

It was entirely legal, they were granted visas legally, they entered the country legally and they contributed hugely to the Thai economy without taking anything from it. 

 

It is only the narrow minded idiocy of Thai immigration to randomly deem their behaviour somehow illegal.

 

Instead of their mindless hostility in branding these visitors as criminals they should have been on their hands and knees begging them to keep on coming back.

Exactly, this narrative being hammered by certain people on the forum that it was illegal is pure BS.

 

4 minutes ago, Isaan sailor said:

You nailed the over count issue—thanks. Will ad that some expats ( like me) travel back to home country 3-4 times a year.  So TAT counts me as 3-4 tourists every year.  What a farce.

What does your country count when Thais fly to Thailand 3-4 times a year?  Do they count them as tourists?

Obvious false information.  If it were true there would be a graph to support it. 

8 minutes ago, Isaan sailor said:

You nailed the over count issue—thanks. Will ad that some expats ( like me) travel back to home country 3-4 times a year.  So TAT counts me as 3-4 tourists every year.  What a farce.

But you have left. And returned as a new tourist. Simple. They don't keep a file on people. 

15 minutes ago, thenewgoo said:

From Chiang Mai I found flights to Vietnam were cheaper than to the Thai beaches. I thought it was low season? Hotels seem more expensive than ever.

 My next holiday destination , round trip flight to Da Nang for 3500.- THB.

Cheaper then going to Krabi and see some hospitality for a change.

I am not sure about now, but I know when I lived in Vietnam 10 years ago I met many tourists who swore they would never come back to VN after one visit. The reasons being that service providers and sellers overcharge foreigners so zealously. Often prices are double. The Siklo drivers don't really negotiate prices. If you are aggressive with them, they don't cower, they challenge. 

 

On another front I recall tourists paying money to attend private beaches because on public beaches aggressive vendors would try to make a sale and if you refused, they would not walk on; they stay and persist.

 

I heard even the VN citizens complaing about the high rate of theft of personal property, including child pickpockets.

 

Finally, tour goups can be treated like herds of sheep. The attitude being the tourists are here for us, not the other way around. 

 

I saw this behavior of overcharging and litle regard for tourists to be the rule rather than the exception.  Perhaps things are different in VN now. They are clever people. I am certain they will work it out.

 

Also, the last I knew, foreigners could not bring VN ladies within the confines of a private home or hotel room overnight without facing legal consequences.

 

Many people visit Thailand many times, not sure about VN.

Bank of Thailand just doesn’t get it.  You can only take in so much foreign hot money from bond sales—before the entire economy collapses.  Let Rome burn...

The TAT reps working overtime on this thread

1 hour ago, Sticky Wicket said:

You can be really myopic at times. Just because you have got it 'easy' it doesn't mean everybody else has.

Just look at the forums in the last few years and the various stories of pain/suffering

The last 5 years have seen cataclysmic changes in Thailand re visas and attitudes towards expats/westerners. 

The High Horse, Ivory Tower and colored glasses are strong in that one. best left alone.

 

34 minutes ago, stropper said:

really ! none of my mates would agree with you, it may be cheaper but at what level !

Depending on your Countries money exchange rate.

27 minutes ago, Centra said:

1 hour ago, marcusarelus said:

I guess that's why Thailand has 40 tourists to Vietnam's 1.

Not for long.

 

whats this 40 to 1 crap??? and check out the growth!!!

 

vietnam had 15.5M toursit arrivals in 2018:

 

Data source: Ministry of Culture, Sport & Tourism^[8]

Year	Tourist Arrivals	Change
06/2019	8,480,993	10.2 % [9]
2018	15,497,791	19.9% [10]
2017	12,922,151	29.1%[11]
2016	10,012,735	26%
2015	7,943,651	0.9%
2014	7,874,312	4%
2013	7,572,352	10.6%
2012	6,847,678	10.8%
2011	6,014,032	19.1%
2010	5,049,855	34.8%

 

source wikipedia.

 

 

Don't worry they will get the Chinese and all countries back when Pattaya is turn into the next gambling destination, for the Chinese, like Sihanoukville has become. Pattaya has a port too that China would like to have troops near. Then that visa will be easier to get also. If not look for them extra long immigration lines. 

6 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,

Blame your own currencies value.

32 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

House Australia 10 mil baht.  House Thailand 2 mil baht.  You only need one calculation.  

That calculation would be: foreigners can't own land here. The house is usually part of the chanote. So the comparison makes little sense.

6 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,

Blame your own countries currency value.Thai currency has value .

6 minutes ago, DrTuner said:

That calculation would be: foreigners can't own land here. The house is usually part of the chanote. So the comparison makes little sense.

The price of rent and the price of housing for expats depends on the price of construction as you very well know.  I didn't say anything about the price of land anyway.  Farang can own a house or condo so the comparison makes perfect sense.

Aside currency exchange, Thais themselves are finding it cheaper to spend holidays in Da nang, rather than domestic.

 

One of my Thai friends will just that in September.

6 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,

Thai goods are very cheap but not against your own Countries currency. So that the problem.

If they are worried about Vietnam, wait until Myanmar opens up and gets going. Take a look at the map of the Myanmar coast - thousands of small islands. Of course it needs development and not least, investment. It may be a way off but Thailand needs to be prepared.

6 hours ago, soalbundy said:

Poor you mean

Yes!!!

9 minutes ago, Percy P said:

Blame your own countries currency value.Thai currency has value .

A killing value!!!

mass tourism in thailand  has killed that special feeling we call exotism, change of scenery, total escape. the strong baht doesn't make things better

6 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,

Thai goods are very cheap but not against your own Countries currency. So that the problem.