Lack of European visitors the cause of Thailand's tourism woes, says hotelier

[brendanmann]

6 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

I disagree with all of it.

 

More and more are Airbnb, etc. renting condos.  1000' s of people everyday come to Pattaya, not staying in hotels.

 

The hotel industry should have put a stop to it a few years ago.  But they are unorganized and basically not smart about a situation that will just get worse and worse for them.

your airbnb numbers are extremely exaggerated

[IvorBiggun2]

Let the hoteliers do what they did in the 'Financial Crisis' when the tourist figures dived. They raised their prices to offset their loss. Must have worked as the numbers later returned.

[dallen52]

And the reason for this lack of European visitors is..

(Apart from the thai government saying that Indian and Chinese tourists are preferred)

Is the strength of the thai baht.

 

So effectively it will cost you 30% to 35% more before you even buy your first beer, or enjoy your favorite entertainment. 

[adammike]

2 hours ago, candide said:

It may also be that European tourists got tired of generalised overpricing and scams in the South. 

Trash everywhere.I sat at a bar second road end soi7 Jomtien other side of soi two or three green garbage trolleys overflowing onto the street a stinking festering pile and all the bars and restaurants just threw more on it oh and throw a few rats and scabby dogs in the mix.

Walked to the beach and there's a couple more overflowing and the road around is caked in compacted stinking trash repeat every 500 metres,the promenade is stained from dripping fat and God knows what.

Pass the restaurants that have fish displayed outside and the floor and pavements are black with grease the kitchen? and food prep areas have not seen soap since the last century.

Welcome to Jomtien 2019 and don't get me started on the soi dog's.

 

 

[IvorBiggun2]

10 minutes ago, SteveK said:

For me to do a TM30 involves a 200km round trip, and a good 60-90 minutes wait in the office. It really puts me off going anywhere to be honest, twice now we have changed our minds about trips to Chiang Mai and Pattaya because it's just a massive headache. If they sort the online system out then obviously it wouldn't be much of an issue.

Do it online or just get your missus to book in at the hotel. They don't bother about who else uses the room.

[transam]

Exchange rate bad, against the law to smoke virtually anywhere, sexual assaults are your own fault, can't play cards, lousy toilets, army walking up and down the streets looking for trouble, ladyboy thugs unchecked, being ripped off by "fun" ride folk........????.

[maprao]

European tourists are repeat visitors. 

Chineese tourists go somewhere  once the dont return. 

[legendcat]

Hoteliers says the numbers are down for tourists. Their biggest problem is that a lot of people are using airb&b and other sites to book rooms. All these condos with their signs saying it illegal to rent under 30 days but they are still doing it. 

[brendanmann]

33 minutes ago, lust said:

Does anyone else secretly enjoy watching Thailand squirm? You mistreat your guests, what do you expect to happen? Som nam na, bitches.

I agree what goes around comes around. Those voices shouting TAT area a little quieter now their beer money is effected.

[dallen52]

3 hours ago, CaptainNemo said:

Competition from other destinations that seem new, interesting, and affordable, like Vietnam?

The Vietnam retirement system is not brilliant. 

But minimum hassles and certainly making a difference. 

Philippines is on the rise once again. 

And Bali is the place that many people are looking at now.

 

Needless to say,  the Balinese are saying,  "come in, come in".

 

My partner still wants to know what happened to the 20,000 baht each month that I no longer have...

[Parsve]

2 hours ago, NanLaew said:

The expat/retired demographic is infinitesimally small compared to agriculture or tourism and thus a totally insignificant blip on the radar when it comes to contributing to Thailand's GDP.

 

I hear and read plenty stories as well... about people hearing stories about other people's stories about leaving.

Not as small as you maybe think as most every expat is equal to 20 - 24 tourists.

[dallen52]

14 minutes ago, adammike said:

Trash everywhere.I sat at a bar second road end soi7 Jomtien other side of soi two or three green garbage trolleys overflowing onto the street a stinking festering pile and all the bars and restaurants just threw more on it oh and throw a few rats and scabby dogs in the mix.

Walked to the beach and there's a couple more overflowing and the road around is caked in compacted stinking trash repeat every 500 metres,the promenade is stained from dripping fat and God knows what.

Pass the restaurants that have fish displayed outside and the floor and pavements are black with grease the kitchen? and food prep areas have not seen soap since the last century.

Welcome to Jomtien 2019 and don't get me started on the soi dog's.

 

 

Health and safety. 

What's that mean. 

 

Just pour it into the water drains and next downpour it all dissapeared. 

Into the ocean. 

 

Just another area where fines should be handed out. 

[brendanmann]

Farang farang farang I got shown more respect in Malaysia and Vietnam.

 

I don't even use that sh!t airport anymore. better deals at Changi

 

Thailand is dead to me

[alzack]

4 hours ago, smedly said:

also, lets not forget the expat/retired population who generally provide a steady 12 month spend that is often overlooked, I am hearing more and more exit stories as people are fed up being targeted by nonsense new cumbersome immigration rules that seem to have no other purpose than to force some people down a route of paying hefty bribes for application approvals because of some very simple marginal technicality

Spot on They never wanted us here How can it be that a BIG MAC cost more than in London, The strong Baht killing Thailand Time to up pegs mates

Edited September 18, 2019 by alzack

[manhood]

TAT is one of the biggest lying organisation in this country and manipulating their statistics they publish just as they need. Always up. Those who work in tourism industry knows better and have their esrs and eyes on the crowd and aren't whistle blowers to the so called government who try to ruin every relation with foreigners from western countries due to the hassle for everyone loves to live here, spend their money, support work of thousands but feel more and more mistreated.  I warn all my friends not come to Thailand,  better go to nicer , cheaper places, cleaner and more safe places you also can find in Europe,  i am just back from a trip !

[sahibji]

beat them up mercilessly and you expect them to come to visit thailand. word of mouth is a powerful tool. spreads like wild fire.TAT and the police has a lot to do to attract visitors.

[brianthainess]

3 hours ago, MadMac said:

Does anyone proof read an article before it is posted here? ????

Me dos sumtims init

[The Deerhunter]

4 hours ago, Mavideol said:

all sounds good but,.....according to TAT nothing to worry about, numbers are up

Writing from the Antipodes to where I returned after 5.5 years living in LOS. I finally realized that my best interests lie at home and no longer in LOS  For all the above reasons and more!!!  My Thai wife also prefers living here over her life in Thailand despite the necessary estrangement from her family.  We were fortunate not to be trapped here by our circumstances and it was nice to have the choice and somewhere else to live. Feel sorry for those with different circumstances.

[rossco1]

Really wonder why it as my understanding tourism was right on target if not more then expected 

The Japanese and Indians are here that's all that matters to them

so others staying away as feeling like why bother were not welcome with all the forms and such  

[TheGhostWithin]

2 hours ago, NanLaew said:

In the south of what?

I think he is talking about Foo-ket (Phuket), it's what most of us bad hombres or potentially-bad hombres call the south.

 

Im writing in from the real south in Yala.. No immigration here, the Police are too busy fighting real terrorists to be concerned about if I am at home watching Netflix or up at big C.. The nearest one being in Hat Yai, 3hrs away. 

 

People of Phuket, hello from the south. I'm a westerner too, spending 1000b a day here before moving on to Cambodia and Vietnam, instead of 10,000b per day over 6 weeks in Thailand. 

 

Why? Its simple. I used to be a currency trader, for 16 years actually. The Thai baht has a partial peg to the US dollar, as a percentage of their foreign reserves (a very high %) is held in dollars. Another high % is held in gold. Some in Yuan. When the US Dollar strengthens, so does the price of gold, so does the yuan, so in turn does the baht vs any other currency that doesn't adopt a similar policy. 

 

If you want to know why tourism numbers are down, compare the PHP vs your local currency, and then compare the THB to your local currency and lasty the USD to your local currency. Tell me which is rhe odd one out. 

 

The Central Bank of Thailand needs to rebalanced its "non-existent" peg by use of foreign reserves to one of the losing currencies (AUD, Euro, GBP) and create a managed fall in the value of the baht to slow the train wreck which is currently taking place in Thai Tourism.

[thurien]

5 hours ago, HLover said:

Me thinks there are other factors besides just these two.

yes . It is fine when the country bureaucratically treats residents as possible European terrorists as long as they stay home in Isaan; but the expats just don't want the hunters to immediately jump on their backs (checking possible terrorist back-ground with endless paperwork) as soon as they travel around TH - and especially reporting back home every time coming in from abroad.

 

the myriads of possible tourist terrorists have a much easier time to enter the country, do their thing and disappear 2 days later without a trace... 

 

 

[The Preacher]

Look, I am not a smoker and am happy to have clean air.  But I used to smoke and I have lots of friends that smoke.  Many, many tourists from Japan, South Korea and Europe are smokers.  They come here to relax.  They'd like to sit and have a drink and a smoke.  It is outlawed.  Healthy or not, evil or not, that's the way it is.  Why would these people come to a place where they can't sit, relax and have a drink and a smoke?  It seems like a small thing, but it isn't.  It is just as easy to go to Cambodia, Vietnam or somewhere else.  As the heavy smoking restrictions sink in for regular visitors that smoke, they are simply going to give this place a miss.  Have another look in five years.  At least the air won't stink as much and there won't be so many butts littering the ground.  Who needs smoking tourists anyway?  Send them someplace else where they can enjoy themselves.  

[brendanmann]

10 minutes ago, alzack said:

Spot on They never wanted us here How can it be that a BIG MAC cost more than in London, The strong Baht killing Thailand Time to up pegs mates

Are you serious about the Big mac? wow, the writing was on the wall for me a few years ago. I jumped ship then.

[Dnyy]

Another reason is Airbnb and the likes.

[racket]

Here are 3 reasons why tourists aren’t coming back; 1) thai baht is too strong; 2) Thais are no longer smiling, but rather greedy; 3) tourists have figured out that it rains a lot in thailand, which can be a bit risky if you invest thousands of dollars into a trip and all you see is clouds and heavy rain. 

[Pib]

Thailand is doing things that making it harder and harder to like Thailand if you are an expat living/retired in Thailand.  Things such as:

- TM30 hassles

- Dual pricing like in govt hospitals and parks...the new official higher govt hospital pricing for farangs

- Possibility of "Thai medical insurance" being required for visa/extension of stay

- Banks now applying 15% withholding tax on farang regular savings accts unless having a Thai tax ID number

- Several farang embassies stopping issue of income letters due to Thai immigration wanting the farang embassies to do more verification of income

- Thai immigration making proof of income harder to do for some nationalities...and being inconsistent in the proof required

 

Just a variety of things that making it harder and harder to like Thailand for extended stay purposes.

 

 

[monkfish]

Tourists realise they are being over charged remember or read about it in online reviews etc.
Last time I went to Phi Phi they charged every foreigner 100B for garbage collection before they were allowed to go to the Island Many were complaining.
Did seem a pit petty considering prices on the Island are 3x the rest of Thailand, On top of that of course there was the national park Fee 500B.

[newnative]

    This hotel guy is totally, utterly, clueless.  Thailand is supposedly getting 39 million tourists.  Maybe numbers are down a bit from what was projected but 39 million is still far more tourists than 4 or 5 years ago.  Even if one disputes it's not 39 million and maybe less, it is still far more than in past years.

     So, 36, 37, or 38 million tourists--whatever the number-- should be filling those hotel rooms to capacity.  But, apparently not.  Now, I wonder, I wonder, I wonder, just where all those millions of tourists are laying their heads at night if not in the clueless guy's hotels.

    The answer, as everyone knows except the clueless hotelier, is all those condo projects that have been turned into instant hotels by Airbnb and the like.  Almost every big new condo project in Pattaya, and many in Bangkok, as well, have far more illegal short-term tourists than residents.  And, the more a project has the illegal hotel tourists, the more turned-off the long-term residents get and they move elsewhere--making the living situation at the project even worse.   The Base and Unixx are probably the two most visible examples in Pattaya but almost every new project has them and many of the older projects as well.

     So, not only are established hotels having to compete with new hotels that have been built--in Pattaya I can think of dozens--they are also competing with hundreds of condo projects that now rent out illegal 'hotel' rooms daily.  The clueless hotelier can moan and groan about the lack of European tourists but even if more Europeans start coming they will likely be illegally renting condos, too.   The clueless hotel guy should be working to get all those tourists illegally renting condos back into hotels where they rightly belong.  I want to live in a condo RESIDENCE, not a hotel.

      

[brendanmann]

7 minutes ago, Pib said:

Thailand is doing things that making it harder and harder to like Thailand if you are an expat living/retired in Thailand.  Things such as:

- TM30 hassles

- Dual pricing like in govt hospitals and parks...the new official higher govt hospital pricing for farangs

- Possibility of "Thai medical insurance" being required for visa/extension of stay

- Banks now applying 15% withholding tax on farang regular savings accts unless having a Thai tax ID number

- Several farang embassies stopping issue of income letters due to Thai immigration wanting the farang embassies to do more verification of income

- Thai immigration making proof of income harder to do for some nationalities...and being inconsistent in the proof required

 

Just a variety of things that making it harder and harder to like Thailand for extended stay purposes.

 

 

Sounds like the Thais are racist. I suppose ferang ferang ferang creates a xenophobic culture.

[alzack]

25 minutes ago, The Preacher said:

Look, I am not a smoker and am happy to have clean air.  But I used to smoke and I have lots of friends that smoke.  Many, many tourists from Japan, South Korea and Europe are smokers.  They come here to relax.  They'd like to sit and have a drink and a smoke.  It is outlawed.  Healthy or not, evil or not, that's the way it is.  Why would these people come to a place where they can't sit, relax and have a drink and a smoke?  It seems like a small thing, but it isn't.  It is just as easy to go to Cambodia, Vietnam or somewhere else.  As the heavy smoking restrictions sink in for regular visitors that smoke, they are simply going to give this place a miss.  Have another look in five years.  At least the air won't stink as much and there won't be so many butts littering the ground.  Who needs smoking tourists anyway?  Send them someplace else where they can enjoy themselves.  

As I said They doint like White.pink people RACISTS FARANG says it all