Thai tourism in trouble: And competitor Vietnam is "scary" for Pattaya

[emptypockets]

I have Thai male friends. Overpaid for a taxi in advance, a whole two bucks.  Pay the same price in the local market and Lotus/Big C as everyone else. Never been molested by ladyboys. Went to the water park in Hua Hin last weekend. Got the senior price 300 baht cheaper than the gf.

What is wrong with me? I feel so different to all you blokes. I need counselling.

HELP ME!!!!

[Percy P]

7 hours ago, Matzzon said:

That´s great news! Maybe the bigger part of all foreign criminalty in Thailand can move to Vietnam too. Then this nice country can go back to what it once was.

Sweet words.

[Matzzon]

4 minutes ago, Percy P said:

Sweet words.

Yes, but it just a dream. Even I understand that.

[sambum]

2 hours 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. 

Even beer isn't so cheap now! When I first moved here (a few years ago now!) i got 70+ baht for my English pound, and my chosen brand of beer was on average 60 baht for a bottle. Now I get less than 40 baht for my pound, and my chosen brand of beer costs me on average 80 baht - more than twice as much. A pint of beer in my old neck of the woods in the UK can be had for much less than 2 pounds. The only thing I find cheap here (in addition to those you mention) are utility bills - gas, water, and electricity, and of course - no Council Tax!!!   

[emptypockets]

1 hour 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.

Highly likely your country counts you in the same way.

[FarFlungFalang]

Bad guys out good guys out!Ooops maybe the bad guy were the good guys,falang all look same.

[marcusarelus]

1 minute ago, FarFlungFalang said:

Bad guys out good guys out!

Would you trust a man who came to your country with no money?  And said, "trust me I have money in the bank of Mumbai."

[sambum]

2 hours ago, marcusarelus said:

They aren't.  They are only making things difficult for the person who lives here and pretends to be a tourist. 

Do you work for TAT? 

[cnx355]

7 hours ago, Matzzon said:

That´s great news! Maybe the bigger part of all foreign criminalty in Thailand can move to Vietnam too. Then this nice country can go back to what it once was.

Not sure about that.  Other countries around Thailand deal with criminals too. And Immigration offices apply the rules from the central government. Not like here !

[FarFlungFalang]

3 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

Would you trust a man who came to your country with no money?  And said, "trust me I have money in the bank of Mumbai."

As a rule I don't trust anybody who says "trust me".

[cnx355]

3 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

Would you trust a man who came to your country with no money?  And said, "trust me I have money in the bank of Mumbai."

Maybe if this man has a proper visa and legit bank account I may trust him ….

[sambum]

2 hours ago, marcusarelus said:

You don't have the grasp of the situation that the Thai Immigration people do.  They do not want to become the retirement home for India and China as the middle classes in those two heavily populated countries get more money. 

 "They do not want to become the retirement home for India and China as the middle classes in those two heavily populated countries get more money." 

 

Most of your posts annoy me, but this one puzzles me! 

[bristolgeoff]

they have had plenty of warnings.exchange rates visa conditions for people who stay and who are tourist only.neighbour countries will cash in with cheaper cost and visas.when they go elsewhere and see it maybe they will learn

[Elfin]

3 hours ago, MartiniMan said:

Just the beginning wait until you see their housing bubble its gigantic one of the largest bubbles i have ever studied - its literally out of control with driver sleep at the wheel 

When this goes down they will beg IMF for bail out

Based on The Big Short?

[sambum]

2 hours ago, marcusarelus said:

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

It doesn't surprise me that you have no family to visit! ???? 

[marcusarelus]

2 minutes ago, sambum said:

 "They do not want to become the retirement home for India and China as the middle classes in those two heavily populated countries get more money." 

 

Most of your posts annoy me, but this one puzzles me! 

It started a couple of years ago with men from India involved in fake marriages to Thai women and from there Thailand began to see a rising amount of middle class people from India and China taking advantage of marriage and retirement visas.  Both of those countries have the population to completely change Thailand.  And has been said many times on this thread and others like it Europeans don't like to vacation in the same place as Chinese and people from India. 

[emptypockets]

38 minutes ago, StevieAus said:

I agree that the baht has resulted in a drop in the value of a number of currencies but what are the ever increasing number of hoops to jump through at Immigration?

I am not doing anything differently than when I came here years ago and from memory the cost of the retirement extension and retry permit hasn’t increased.

I had more hoops to jump through just with daily living in Australia. 

Agreed. I come to Thailand on a monthly basis. The hoops I go through - arrive Swampy and walk to IO. Present passport. Scan finger prints. Get stamped 30 visa exempt empty. Go get bag off carousel. Get meter taxi from airport to hotel. Have fun for one night in BKK. Fly to Isaan to see wife for 10 -14 days. Fly back to BKK. Get meter taxi back to hotel. Aforementioned fun again. Get meter taxi to Swampy. Fly out.  Rinse and repeat.

So onerous.

[marcusarelus]

3 minutes ago, sambum said:

It doesn't surprise me that you have no family to visit! ???? 

You must have misunderstood my post.  I was booking hotel accommodations for the family who came and had a nice weekend on the beach and shopping.  

[Jane Dough]

15 minutes ago, sambum said:

Even beer isn't so cheap now! When I first moved here (a few years ago now!) i got 70+ baht for my English pound, and my chosen brand of beer was on average 60 baht for a bottle. Now I get less than 40 baht for my pound, and my chosen brand of beer costs me on average 80 baht - more than twice as much. A pint of beer in my old neck of the woods in the UK can be had for much less than 2 pounds. The only thing I find cheap here (in addition to those you mention) are utility bills - gas, water, and electricity, and of course - no Council Tax!!!   

Beer never was cheap in Thailand. 

 

Rooster

 

[Yinn]

4 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

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? 

Another long lecture for thai people. Thankyou so much. 

Big effort again. But who listen to you?

 

With all the problem you say, look at the score.

Funny when farang think they know everything about tourism. But wrong.

[marcusarelus]

46 minutes ago, StevieAus said:

I agree that the baht has resulted in a drop in the value of a number of currencies

How could the baht make the pound or dollar drop in value?  Are you saying anything that happens in Thailand effects currencies in the UK, Australia and America?

[fordguy61mi]

3 hours ago, marcusarelus said:

Don't be silly.  I've been having pleasure here since 1968 - am I a tourist?

No, you’re old.

[Percy P]

8 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,

But it is cheap. The cost is with the exchange rate of your Countries performance economically.

[emptypockets]

7 minutes ago, Yinn said:

Another long lecture for thai people. Thankyou so much. 

Big effort again. But who listen to you?

 

With all the problem you say, look at the score.

Funny when farang think they know everything about tourism. But wrong.

Don't let facts get in the way of his oh so predictable rant.

[BritManToo]

8 minutes ago, Jane Dough said:

Beer never was cheap in Thailand. 

Rooster

That's true Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines beer is 50c to $1 a glass/bottle.

Thailand isn't the country for alcoholics, unless you can drink rice whiskey.

[Almer]

Everytime the Chinese  come they get wiped out in brake failure or sleeping bus driver, would you come ?

[Percy P]

15 minutes ago, sambum said:

 "They do not want to become the retirement home for India and China as the middle classes in those two heavily populated countries get more money." 

 

Most of your posts annoy me, but this one puzzles me! 

Me too .

[HeyHeyHey]

2 hours ago, MartinKal said:

Yes there is competition, but let's take a look at it first.

Bali, Bali the beautiful. But kuta beach has been unfavorably compared to UK's clacton-on-sea. And Ubud is so crowded and the lovely rice terraces built over that people cannot pass on the pavement without stepping into the street. So I wouldn't go there.

 

What about Vietnam Is there a more all year round polluted city than Hanoi? Yes, Saigon. And is Agent Orange a Buddhist attraction or is it in fact a deadly poison that remains in the soil together with the cluster bombs from the last war? So that's off my itinerary.

 

Malaysia is fine, but Liberties restricted if you know what I mean and the cost of living there is a lot higher than in Thailand. So I wouldn't go that either.

Sounds like you are on your 47th trip to Thailand, too scared to exit your comfort zone.

 

Topped with Stockholm syndrome

[Dominion]

This is what we all get when a military government has been in power. Let's hope for some friendly change of attitude towards future foreigners visiting and of course not forgetting expats who live here who are not stereotyped as a criminal. In other words make Thailand creat again!. And one more thing let's hope their new leadership realize the reality of global economic changes and the ability to progress forward and not backwards. Think negative you will get negative, think positive and you will receive.

[Thaidream]

9 minutes ago, Yinn said:

Another long lecture for thai people. Thankyou so much. 

Big effort again. But who listen to you?

 

With all the problem you say, look at the score.

Funny when farang think they know everything about tourism. But wrong.

I. for one, am listening to him because he points out things that are real and are a problem.   Sometimes, the truth hurts.  It doesn't mean we do not like Thailand or Thai people.

 

The charts you presented are fine but they do not represent the fact that  Westerners are in short supply in Thailand and the reasons they are not coming have been spoken about in the forum.

 

There is no doubt that many tourists are giving Thailand a pass and going to other countries and even the Chinese are not coming in prior numbers.

 

There is a reason for all this and those who depend on tourists should listen to the reasons why people are not coming.  A smart business person listens to his/her customers or potential customers and never dismisses their complaints.

 

There are many people on this forum that have a love for Thailand and its culture and want the country to succeed.  

 

As I said , sometimes the real truth can hurt but it is not always meant fo be destructive but a positive force for making the right changes.