Thailand's August foreign tourist arrivals up 5.6% year on year

 

FILE PHOTO: Tourists enjoy a swimming pool at a hotel in central Bangkok, Thailand, January 21, 2019. REUTERS/Jorge Silva

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - The number of foreign tourists arriving in Thailand rose 5.59% in August from a year earlier, with Chinese visitor numbers rebounding strongly, the tourism ministry said on Tuesday.

 

The 3.41 million foreign arrivals in August spent 170 billion baht ($5.55 billion), up 7.12% year-on-year, the ministry said in a statement after a cabinet meeting.

 

The number of Chinese tourists, Thailand's biggest source of visitors, jumped 15.6% in August from a year earlier to 1 million, after increasing 5.81% in July following five months of declines.

 

In the January-August period, the number of foreign tourists rose 2.6% year-on-year to 26.5 million.

 

The government believes the number of foreign travellers will reach its target of a record 40 million this year, government spokeswoman Narumon Pinyosinwat told reporters.

 

"The prime minister has instructed relevant agencies to address any impact of an influx of foreign tourists on the public, environment and infrastructure," she said.

 

Last year, there were 38.3 million foreign arrivals but a boat disaster near Phuket Island that killed 47 Chinese visitors was blamed for a fall in the numbers coming from China.

 

Tourism is a major driver of Thai growth, with foreign tourist receipts accounting for about 12% of gross domestic product (GDP).

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-09-10

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Are we really supposed to believe this............

21 minutes ago, petermik said:

Are we really supposed to believe this............

 but of course   dont be such a doubting Thomas

So with a Chinese currency devaluation and an ongoing trade war with the USA coupled by the ever increasing value of the Baht Chinese tourist numbers are up?

Aye right.

50 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

The government believes the number of foreign travellers will reach its target of a record 40 million this year, government spokeswoman Narumon Pinyosinwat told reporters.

Pessimists, I think it can reach 42.5 million if TAT are responsible for the final tally!

What they mean is number of foreign arrivals as per immigration in certain visa/exemption classes. Immigration isn't releasing data of the length of the stays, meaning any connecting travel that requires clearing immigration is counted as tourists. The figures aren't usable.

50/50?

 

   50 % from India, 50 percent from China and 120 percent from Europe and elsewhere? ( Thaimath...)

It's coming out as a musical soon, a broadway hit no doubt.

4 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

It's coming out as a musical soon, a broadway hit no doubt.

And Sek Loso smokes his Ya ice and Pinocchio sings his hits and talks to some incense sticks. 

 

   

The recently set up "Fake News" Gov dept., has just done exactly what anyone who knows LoS would expect. i.e. Allow this misinformation to keep on being churned out.

It has only been days since the real information was being reported about the Chinese not going anywhere outside the old red curtain/wall.

really suspect numbers, its been down with slowing tourist arrivals but all of a sudden the numbers are up, tourism minister must have to show he is doing something so stretching the truth becomes a required part of his job. The baht is still strong and making all the tourist currencies buying a lot less this year but they want us to believe the numbers are higher than last year, seems to me he has been playing with himself too much

There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.

I was getting worried for a while but I feel better now.

2 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

government spokeswoman Narumon Pinyosinwat

The lovely Narumon Pinyosinwat is the government spokesperson who embarrassed the PM by spreading photos around the media how the PM ate out of a styrofoam container on his plane.  

I would believe anything she said, even tourism statistics lies.

 

Edited September 10, 20196 yr by Cadbury

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I learned from educated Thais that you never trust whatever is being claimed. 

 

Thais know themselves.

 

Any announcement needs to be met with suspicion and read between the lines. 

 

In Thailand there is a very weak attachment to truth, so words are fairly meaningless on their face. 

These are arrivals, not TOURIST arrivals. Big difference. The country is manned by an immigrant work force, every time they cross the border their numbers are included, same as people using Bangkok as a transit hub, going elsewhere.  

Yes, I arrived in August too. So proud to be part of that increase. And every businesses I talked too confirmed that. Well, every business complains for ay least a year now. Good Job this Junta did.

Seems to me the cheapest and quickest way to get to Cambodia is via Bangkok, exactly what I've done. Sorry but I'll be adding to those made up figures!!! I have plenty of friends who used to visit Thailand, 6 of us just booked for Cambodia. We're not the minority for sure.

12 hours ago, petermik said:

Are we really supposed to believe this............

Where are they hiding? Its peacefully quiet and can stay that way in Chiang Mai.

Hmmm..... the more often you tell an untruth the more likely it is to become true(TIT)?

Where are they all hiding ????

Just now, jdwilko said:

Where are they all hiding ????

In the transit lounge

4 minutes ago, jdwilko said:

Where are they all hiding ????

They're not. All of them are in the picture at the beginning of this story. 

All two of them.

The percentage is incorrectly quoted. It should read... 0.056%. Government's apologies.

Furthermore, the picture is wrong. it gives the impression of a hotel swimming pool in Bangkok. It isn't - it is a picture of the flooded flat roof of a hotel with two chinese looking Thais posing for a propaganda shot!

Arrivals ste not necessarily tourists.

Where are they? Pattaya is pretty empty.

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

the tourism ministry said on Tuesday.

When things are far from the truth, they try to appease the masses so as not to lose face, so they lie, another day, another lie, nuff said.....

Edited September 11, 20196 yr by 4MyEgo

 

I told them not to buy this Japanese <deleted>....

When I arrived at Suvarnabhumi airport last month there was no queuing for immigration with only 3 people in front of me at the Immigration desk. They were actually closing Immigration desks as there was too many staff for the number of arrivals.

16 minutes ago, jdwilko said:

Where are they all hiding ????

They are all at the 4 malls on sai song and the 7-11's in Pattaya. 

Taking parasail rides every morning and going to Alcazar/Tiffany show at night

Saw 4 buses filling with Chinese tourists at AVANI hotel next to Royal Garden the other morning

 

Rant: Also many many Chinese couples and small groups staying at my condo complex short term.

Management will not do anything about it - maybe getting kick backs from rentals, who knows.

I even saw those English real estate guys on Television from Thompson's promoting  a condo sale at "The Base" as a great investment.  Saying many are used for rent short term rentals. They must know that daily and weekly rentals of condos is illegal yes? Condos are not Hotels right?  Mai pen rai