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

[Donald Trump]

6 hours ago, Mike Teavee said:

And not forgetting the TM30 hassles which could be stopping Expats from travelling in-country and staying in hotels, using local businesses etc... 

Tm 30, Thailand’s attempt to be like china. Except china rewards talent instead of making it hard for them 

[essox essox]

7 hours ago, HLover said:

Me thinks there are other factors besides just these two.

of course there is.....and I think we all know, on here, what they are...

[essox essox]

35 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

 

So who's telling porkies ?

its anybodys guess....but i think we all get your drift....

[essox essox]

25 minutes ago, lust said:

Im in the same boat. Chaeng wattana is equivalent to a funeral.

do you have to go??

thort most things can be done  online??

[friend of siam]

6 hours ago, madmitch said:

How's that losing momentum?

 

Hoteliers realise that arrival numbers mean less in real terms than numbers of nights spent in the Kingdom. They've replaced Europeans spending their two week holiday in Thailand with Chinese on 4-5 day breaks. That means, effectively, you need three Chinese visitors to replace one Swede, German or Brit. So although numbers of arrivals are up, the hotel industry could well be struggling.

well well ...reality sets in in the land of la la smiles...

but who needs these white falangs ( = kanaks ) anyway ...?

only trouble isn't it ?

and worst if they take residence in our supermondane kingdom..these white noses smell bad thats why we need to track them as close as possible...any ideas in the backbenches ? hey wake up...

ok if they leave a circle of five hundret metres around their residence they have to report online and w. selfie...or better attach a tracking anklet to theyr stinking legs..so in real time we know where the are and what they think...

and about tourists...numbers up nigerians banglas burmese Laos and the no bhat chinese...dont forget the Russian big spenders... we dont need europaens....thats all about our bad guy ( europaen ) out and good guy ( any scum from anywhere ) in..

 

and if these puket vendors complain online well thats a computer crime we will make em feel to comply...

[friend of siam]

6 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

slowly but steady u understand thai style

[terryofcrete]

Thailand is encouraging Chinese and Indians to visit , and anyone spending time on the ground here in Pattaya anyway can see how they operate . Tours of walking street behind a flag without spending money .. the Chinese ... and running in packs constantly negotiating the prices with whoever from massages to ladies..... the Indians .... doesn’t take a genius to work out who spends more ... the Europeans and Americans ... so whatever the results of this hostility towards the caucasians ,they deserve it because they made it happen . 

[Humpy]

The Bar Fines are too high !!

[Pedrogaz]

Well I would check into a hotel and go to Pattaya for a few days....or to Krabi....or Change Mai....but I refuse to file a TM30 for supporting Thai tourism and hoteliers. 

[LNKDES1]

5 hours ago, NanLaew said:

That's 2.

And now that's 3 stay-at-homes.

 

Any advance on 3?

You can include me as #4. American, and headed to Mexico within the year.

[ICELANDMAN]

58 minutes ago, Artisi said:

That could also be in doubt. 

Buying with tax money I assure you that it is very easy to be efficient, for the results purchased is another story. See the construction of the new railway lines that will serve for the logistics of armoured vehicles.

[Mikeasq60]

I'm reading the baht is being kept artificially high and eventually is going to crash hard is this true?  Why would the Thai govt make the baht appear strong so people can think the economy is booming when In reality it's not 

[Artisi]

3 minutes ago, Mikeasq60 said:

I'm reading the baht is being kept artificially high and eventually is going to crash hard is this true?  Why would the Thai govt make the baht appear strong so people can think the economy is booming when In reality it's not 

Why - - Mainly as they know no better. 

Typical military thinking, if it moves salute it, if it doesn't - paint it white. 

[Tyrant]

Are the big guys here that stupid that blame economy on the fall of tourism? When will they realize that it's the absurd laws they come up with? They thought the Hindus and the Chinese would make up for their own xenophobia towards Europeans. The good news is the country will suffer a new economic collapse in no time and they will be forced to abolish all those absurd laws, they love money too much to copy North Korea or Myanmar.

 

[JGV]

Theism is down because

A Thailand is too expensive in tourist areas

B The infrastructure is deteriorating - roads damaged by greedy companies using lorries to transport goods

C Service is an alien concept here - a smile is not enough

D 2 Tier pricing is still common

E The have-nots here are engaging more in petty crime - theft and other crimes to get cash in Tourist areas

F beaches are filthy

G Other destinations nearby are more attractive - Vietnam for an example

H Little effort by government to get the population to learn Englsih

[candide]

5 hours ago, NanLaew said:

But just like Pattaya isn't Thailand, nether is Phuket or Krabi... or even Chiang Mai.

Who cares? The topic is about tourism and they are famous for that. Moreover, one of the guy interviewed in the OP is in Phuket.

[Speedhump]

1 hour ago, Pib said:

Lucky your servicing immigration office is Hua Hin.    But if your servicing immigration office was Cheang Wattana (Bangkok) you would queue for hours on top of the several hours of transportation to/from immigration.

OK, from replies it does seem that some immigration offices are a lot worse than Hua Hin. I stand corrected. 

[wazzupnow]

7 hours ago, JonnyF said:

Beat me to it. I used to go away twice a month to Rayong, Hua Hin etc. 

 

1 or 2 nights in a decent hotel, spending money in restaurants, local markets, beach bars etc.

 

Haven't been since this TM30 nonsense came up.

U AND MANY OTHERS

[CygnusX1]

2 hours ago, newnative said:

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.

But many tourists, especially those staying for a week or two, prefer to stay in an apartment with a kitchen and washing machine. The signs they’re now confronted with when they arrive at their accommodation accusing them of trespassing, etc could well be dissuading many of them from returning to Thailand.

I’ve just spent over two months in Croatia and Montenegro, staying in various short term Airbnb apartments the whole time, in common with most other tourists. Not a single “you’re trespassing” type of sign to be seen anywhere. People there have been renting out their apartments short term long before the internet existed, let alone Airbnb.

For the record, I own a condo in Jomtien, and would never rent it out either short or long term, as it would be too much hassle and I don’t need the money. I have no problem with those owners who do, though. I look at it with a glass half full attitude - I may have to wait a bit for the lifts in the middle of high season, but for the rest of the year I almost have the whole place to myself.

[ThomasThBKK]

1 hour ago, Donald Trump said:

Tm 30, Thailand’s attempt to be like china. Except china rewards talent instead of making it hard for them 

 

There's some new china visa requirements it seems, like years of work history they want to know...

 

Edited September 18, 2019 by ThomasThBKK

[Wake Up]

Would all you guys that threaten to leave please leave. And the doom and gloom guys please exit stage right. Maybe then the lines for extensions of stay at CW will get shorter and not take all day.  

[fruitman]

When we go on a short holiday we don't stay in TH anymore. There are much better and cheaper places near where they won't treat me like i m a criminal.

[observer90210]

Word does go around all over the world on many issues on how foreigners are considered in Thailand.

 

 Take the greed of local merchants and tourists are not as stupid as they used to be. Many items in leading malls of Thailand are either the same price or more costly then in the leading brand malls of Europe. The rude and cheating taxi drivers who ripoff tourists are also to blame as people spread the word once they get back home.

 

No comment needed on the filth and pollution of the beaches in Thailand, in comparison with the blue flag beaches of Europe...

 

Furthermore, many retirees living in Thailand also give regularly news to their people and embassies back in Europe on the immigration hassles, on the real estate cheats who scam, the cost of living that increases....currently it is a better bargain to holiday and shop in Spain or Portugal, the in the metros of Thailand.

 

Last but not least, the overrated cost of the THB exchange rate will plainly lead the country to it's doom on the short term....

[RtotheC]

7 hours ago, JonnyF said:

Beat me to it. I used to go away twice a month to Rayong, Hua Hin etc. 

 

1 or 2 nights in a decent hotel, spending money in restaurants, local markets, beach bars etc.

 

Haven't been since this TM30 nonsense came up.

Funny you mention this. I was planning to spend my break outside of Bangkok with a couple nights in Pattaya, then a week in Koh Chang, a couple more in Pattaya and then back to my place in Bangkok. Guess what I'm not doing? It's sad that literally flying out of the country is less of a hassle than staying in it. 

[Pique Dard]

living is cheaper in cambodia, in vietnam and in the neighboring laos, let alone in the philippines

[Wongkitlo]

I just use non-os and never interact with Thai immigration, so don't need to do TM30s.
Trip to Vietnam every 90 days isn't that onerous a duty.
Went to DaNang in July, off to Hanoi in October.

Is that multi entry based on marriage or just over 50 based on retirement? My friend told me I can just leave before 90 days is up and start again but haven't read much about it. Do you need to pay for a new visa every time? Do you need financial proof.

Sent from my SM-J730F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[emptypockets]

26 minutes ago, RtotheC said:

Funny you mention this. I was planning to spend my break outside of Bangkok with a couple nights in Pattaya, then a week in Koh Chang, a couple more in Pattaya and then back to my place in Bangkok. Guess what I'm not doing? It's sad that literally flying out of the country is less of a hassle than staying in it. 

Why? The hotels will do a TM 30 for you.  You will most likely have to report when you are back home regardless whether the travel is domestic our international. Some posters are reporting no need for a TM30 if the travel is purely domestic but MUST be done if the travel is international. Shooting yourself in the foot going out of the country to avoid a TM 30

Seems like a nonsense post just to jump on the bandwagon. 

[Toscano]

The exchange rate is horrendous , about 37bt to the pound sterling . When I first came it was 70bt to the pound .

There must be many other beautiful places that are cheaper , better value . The Thai Baht is long overdue for devaluing .   

[Langkawee]

8 hours ago, simon43 said:

Having moved 1 month ago from Thailand to Luang Prabang (Laos), Hanoi is just a 90 minute direct flight away, ideal for weekend trips, and no need to do a TM30 on my return ????

If you got a one year visa. How much did you pay for it? Can you recommend a visa agent for this? Any apartments or hotels you would recommend that give a monthly rate. 

[emptypockets]

13 minutes ago, Pique Dard said:

living is cheaper in cambodia, in vietnam and in the neighboring laos, let alone in the philippines

Try Yemen,  very cheap I hear. If that's what determines your holiday or residential aspirations.