Thai tourism: 40 million tourists won't happen this year - strong baht, trade war to blame

[webfact]

Thai tourism: 40 million tourists won't happen this year - strong baht, trade war to blame

 

Picture: INN

 

The president of the influential Tourism Council of Thailand is the latest prominent official to say that tourism in the kingdom is not matching up to expectations in 2019. 

 

Chairat Trairattanajarasporn told INN that the strong baht and the trade war between the US and China is to blame, sentiments that echo others made last week. 

 

He said that foreign tourists were going to other countries where they might get more for their money.

 

He said that the industry would have to wait and see if there were third and fourth quarter improvements that would keep the country on track for the target of 40.06 million tourists this year. 

 

As far as the Tourism Council is concerned, he said that their forecast was now under 40 million at 39.56 million after a drop in expectations in the first two quarters of the year. 

 

Source: INN

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2019-09-23

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[Chelseafan]

Who knew?

 

Oh wait, Everyone except the ToT.

 

Edited September 23, 2019 by Chelseafan

[trainman34014]

No worries; TAT will inform us that next year there will be 80 million visitors to make up the deficit !

Edited September 23, 2019 by trainman34014

[overherebc]

Not only me but a couple of friends would really like to know how the figure are decided.

What factors are used to determine a tourist arrival.

Total count of non Thai passports going through airports and border posts?

Total number of hotel registrations of non Thai passports or just all passports.?

Total of passports in airports plus total of hotel registrations?

[quandow]

1 minute ago, overherebc said:

Not only me but a couple of friends would really like to know how the figure are decided.

What factors are used to determine a tourist arrival.

Total count of non Thai passports going through airports and border posts?

Total number of hotel registrations of non Thai passports or just all passports.?

Total of passports in airports plus total of hotel registrations?

They pull the numbers out their butts.

[Chelseafan]

3 minutes ago, quandow said:

They pull the numbers out their butts.

That'll be a number 2 then.

 

[cerox]

It is really surprising that after you tell me and others to buy Elite or leave that tourist numbers are down. I cannot figure out the reason why tourist numbers are down.

 

Apart from that I have always wondered who makes these numbers up.

[bluesofa]

8 minutes ago, trainman34014 said:

No worries; TOT will inform us that next year there will be 80 million visitors to make up the deficit !

That's probably because the TOT pull phone numbers out of their system, whereas the TAT just make up any number then multiply by their mother's birthday. The TAT are the more creative ones.

[Mavideol]

37 minutes ago, webfact said:

As far as the Tourism Council is concerned, he said that their forecast was now under 40 million at 39.56 million after a drop in expectations in the first two quarters of the year. 

can't believe it.... could it be possible TAT/TOT are down to reality and s... hit the fan

[ExpatOilWorker]

Thai travel agents seem to agree:

 

http://www.atta.or.th/?p=4019

[ExpatOilWorker]

22 minutes ago, overherebc said:

Not only me but a couple of friends would really like to know how the figure are decided.

What factors are used to determine a tourist arrival.

Total count of non Thai passports going through airports and border posts?

Total number of hotel registrations of non Thai passports or just all passports.?

Total of passports in airports plus total of hotel registrations?

 

Correct (Total count of non Thai passports going through airports and border posts?), that is what TAT is using.

 

In other words, they don't differentiate between different type of tourist. Any non-Thai that enter Thailand = 1 tourist. Flawed accounting of course. 

 

https://www.airportthai.co.th/en/airports-of-thailand-plc/about-aot/air-transport-statistic/

 

Edited September 23, 2019 by ExpatOilWorker

[PatOngo]

21 minutes ago, overherebc said:

Not only me but a couple of friends would really like to know how the figure are decided.

 

[ExpatOilWorker]

25 minutes ago, trainman34014 said:

No worries; TOT will inform us that next year there will be 80 million visitors to make up the deficit !

TOT, the phone company? Did they call you and said that?

[trainman34014]

1 minute ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

TOT, the phone company? Did they call you and said that?

Typo !

[SidJames]

13 minutes ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

Thai travel agents seem to agree:

 

http://www.atta.or.th/?p=4019

2.76% from India.

The whole lot must go to Pattaya & no where else

[cyril sneer]

has nothing to do with the Baht

[overherebc]

4 minutes ago, PatOngo said:

 

Double tops this year and treble tops next year then??

[moe666]

33 minutes ago, overherebc said:

Not only me but a couple of friends would really like to know how the figure are decided.

What factors are used to determine a tourist arrival.

Total count of non Thai passports going through airports and border posts?

Total number of hotel registrations of non Thai passports or just all passports.?

Total of passports in airports plus total of hotel registrations?

Thats funny actually wanting to know how they arrive at the figures, who really cares at the end of the day it is all about how many people come to your business

[Eligius]

They are like a load of clueless, headless chickens running around from one excuse to another - but never blaming themselves.

Pathetic!

[Airalee]

37 minutes ago, overherebc said:

Not only me but a couple of friends would really like to know how the figure are decided.

What factors are used to determine a tourist arrival.

Total count of non Thai passports going through airports and border posts?

Total number of hotel registrations of non Thai passports or just all passports.?

Total of passports in airports plus total of hotel registrations?

Excellent point.  

 

One interesting thing about these numbers is that for me, here on a retirement visa, if I decide to travel from BKK to Phuket on holiday, I spend more money in Thailand vs traveling to a different country.  But if I travel to Vietnam, Thailand loses out on the money that I would have spent on hotels, restaurants, etc. but I’m potentially counted as a tourist arrival when I return from my vacation abroad.

[MaxLee]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Thai tourism: 40 million tourists won't happen this year - strong baht, trade war to blame

And the TM (not-to-be-named)...

[sitanonchai]

Guess the strong baht and the trade war are of influence, but there are more factors esp. for repeat visitors.

 

- Dangers on the roads

- Scams every place you visit (even Thai people get scammed everywhere)

- Pollution of streets and beaches, etc......

- Over inflated prices and taxation products foreigners use

- Higher prices for foreigners for instance national parks

- Grudge against foreigners

- Political climate

- Justice only for the rich

 

I can list a lot more and I know that other countries will also have problems, but Thailand has reached the top now.

I feel sorry for all the expats because for them it's even worse because of the TM hassle. 

 

I used to work in Bangkok for ten years and was a regular visitor in the last couple of years, now it's time to go visit other places until Thailand will make some drastic changes. But that won't happen.

[madmen]

26 minutes ago, SidJames said:

2.76% from India.

The whole lot must go to Pattaya & no where else

Way to many lower suk I'n my soi which has quiet a few hotels and to many Indian resteraunts

[madmen]

7 minutes ago, sitanonchai said:

Guess the strong baht and the trade war are of influence, but there are more factors esp. for repeat visitors.

 

- Dangers on the roads

- Scams every place you visit (even Thai people get scammed everywhere)

- Pollution of streets and beaches, etc......

- Over inflated prices and taxation products foreigners use

- Higher prices for foreigners for instance national parks

- Grudge against foreigners

- Political climate

- Justice only for the rich

 

I can list a lot more and I know that other countries will also have problems, but Thailand has reached the top now.

I feel sorry for all the expats because for them it's even worse because of the TM hassle. 

 

I used to work in Bangkok for ten years and was a regular visitor in the last couple of years, now it's time to go visit other places until Thailand will make some drastic changes. But that won't happen.

It's the baht , its always always about the money. The rest is just noise

Yours points are affecting mostly expats. A grudge , political climate, justice for the rich? Seriusly what are you talking about, your averge 7 day tourists could care less 

[Geoffggi]

Anyone thought of devaluing the Baht......!!! Just a thought..LOL

[barryofthailand]

Foreigners that live in Thailand go through the airports and evidently are counted as tourists so the numbers are flaud 

[AsiaCheese]

Oh dear, whatever happened to journalism and language. "40 million tourists won't happen" is more like there will be 40 million fewer tourists (unless you're The Sun and similar rags). To yet again blame the US/China trade war and in the same sentence say that tourists go to other countries where they get more for their money does simply not compute - Thailand is by far and away not the only tourist destination seeing negative effects from US trade sanctions (a.k.a. great idiocy), and more for the money has on the one hand to do with a seemingly incapable national bank, combined with oligarches who have a convenient way to "export" some of their funds at favorable rates, and on the other hand Thailand offering less and less for more and more money. Greed only goes that far...

[Olmate]

35 minutes ago, madmen said:

Way to many lower suk I'n my soi which has quiet a few hotels and to many Indian resteraunts

Plenty in Phuket,direct flights and dedicated hotels,restaurants.

[Saint Nick]

24 minutes ago, madmen said:

It's the baht , its always always about the money. The rest is just noise

Yours points are affecting mostly expats. A grudge , political climate, justice for the rich? Seriusly what are you talking about, your averge 7 day tourists could care less 

What about his other points?

Here, I give you some more: brainless smoking (on the beach) and beach chair/ umbrella laws, air pollution in Bangkok in CHiang Mai, sudden restriction on alcohol sales EVEN INSIDE HOTELS on whatever- some- zealot- has- on- his- mind- day (Buddhist holidays, election days, pre-election days etc)...all these things happen to you on one holiday (maybe you had a run in with the RTP or the Tourist- police or got scammed by taxi- drivers or night market- vendors) and you really think very hard of coming back.

And of course, you share your experiences with your friends or your facebook- group....

 

You need more?  

[ThomasThBKK]

1 hour ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

Thai travel agents seem to agree:

 

http://www.atta.or.th/?p=4019

These aren't tourist statistics, theese are just stats from members of ATTA, an organization for south east asian travel buros... These numbers have absolutely nothing in common with the tourist numbers.

 

Guess why no malaysia is in there, because they don't use ATTA travel agents....