European tourists decline against strong baht, competition

[Jon1050]

I’m a prime example of the type of tourist giving up on a family’s holiday in Thailand.30% loss in spending power over the last few years means we aren’t back to see the in-laws this year and will have a shorter winter holiday in Europe.several thousand euros that won’t be going into the thai economy.

[sead]

12 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

I can only judge from what I see myself. I live in Thailand but travel back to the UK every 9 months for a hospital check up and see my rented out  property is ok. When I first did this, the planes were always full to the brim. Now, I regularly sit next to no-one, and recently on a BA flight had an entire row of seats on a 25% full plane only. And as a cheapskate I always pick the cheapest non-stop, I travel on a few carriers, so see it on all airlines. So, going by that I would presume travel to Thailand is down way more that some fairy land 1.5% figure, My own eyes see a 20-30% figure, and that is giving them the benefit of the doubt

Took Air India back to Sweden 1 week ago. Stopped at Delhi. Half full. We could all choose where to sleep

[bristolgeoff]

the baht high and the visa laws changing,they are not coming to the LOAS.the expats leaving for the neighbour countries must send a signal to the power to be for sure.

[Stargeezr]

I only travel to Thailand because it is a tropical country that does not have minus 

temperatures, and the price of food is still decent, and I pay 550 baht per night in the guesthouses where I stay. I am not happy with the strong baht, but I can still afford to

be in Thailand for 2 months each year. Not sure about the future after 2020, but will see.

Today I look out my window in Canada and see snow on the ground. the Tropics are

on my mind.

Geezer

[thaibeachlovers]

14 hours ago, Snuller21 said:

Year on year in Pattaya, it seems more like 50%, will even say up to 65%. But I am NOT TAT, who come with it. I am just living here for 12 years and have seen decline during the last 9 years. Year on year.

Are you surprised? Every time I visited Pattaya it had gotten worse, not better. Moronic projects like the marina and the walkway destroyed what charm Pattaya had, and I think the time period you give would correspond to the rise of internet "dating" for former BGs, and the decline in friendliness of the BGs that remained.

Between the rising accommodation prices, horrid projects and the decline of the bar scene, Pattaya has little to offer western males anymore, and they injected ( pun intended ) billions into the local economy.

 

As a whole, Thailand is just too congested in the cities/ towns and too broken in infrastructure to attract the masses of westerners that used to come, as the new generation are too soft to rough it.

[thaibeachlovers]

14 hours ago, J Town said:

Even if HALF the sad stories we hear about being turned away at the border are true, that kind of bad news travels like wildfire.

 

 

While that may be true for the long stay community, the average western tourist arrives on a visa exempt entry, stays at a booked hotel, goes on a few tours, and departs.

I doubt any of us have heard of a normal tourist being turned away, and I doubt they go on TVF anyway.

[Creasy]

I've said before.

 

When things were dirt cheap in Thailand, you look past all the 3rd world 'charm' and just enjoy yourself.

 

Now things are way more expensive, mostly due to the $AUD going down the drain, it's very hard to pay top dollar and be confronted with all the 3rd world <deleted> thats attached to Thailand.

 

The wife and I will be going to the Dalmatian coast in Croatia again next euro summer.

Beaches are light years ahead of Thailand  in cleanliness 

Food is top notch

Wine. Don't get me started

etc etc

[Fex Bluse]

4 hours ago, Bangkokazy said:

The average salary is In Thailand, 19293 per month
after tax

Hmmm... You sure that's not for Bangkok?

 

Average will be distorted by small number earning far higher. 

 

Mean is better statistic - about 10,000/month 

[Fex Bluse]

5 hours ago, Bangkokazy said:

They have nothing to offer tourists only <deleted> holiday

Even quality of bar girls has worstened. 

 

Now, every 2nd bar girl is a ladyboy which most normal people would not enjoy. 

[bbbbooboo]

Hmmm...what a surprise? I suspect there are a number of other reasons, but let's not mention those.TIT

[tomacht8]

14 hours ago, CockneyGit said:

On Samui, Phangan, Tao it's at least 30-40% down on last year.

I have been in Thailand for over 25 years. Many of my Thai family members are in the tourist business. I know many owners of restaurants, resorts, diving schools, bars, shops, travel agencies, motorbike rental companies, party organizers, etc. All. 100% all, confirm that business is down massively on the southern islands.

 

I am boring to list the 100 reasons why.

But i predict that the downward trend will continue.

 

The 1% of the rich Thai elite who make the laws and determine the good of the country will not suffer, like the millions of workers and small business owners in the tourism industry who live from hand into mouth. There will be coming a big bang soon, when the masses can no longer feed their thai families.

 

 

[Da Nang]

I read European travel blogs in 3 languages. Previously, Thailand was number one. Today, the whole of Thailand is avoided because as the whole country was infected by the plague.

 

If you travel to Thailand in today's situation, you are considered extremely stupid in your head. The stopover is ok, but travel further within the transit area without passing Thai immigration.

 

And don't buy anything when landing from a swindler King Power, but waste your money on countries where you are REALLY WELCOME!

 

Cheers to Vietnam buddies!

[Melbun]

16 hours ago, Denim said:

The policy of not allowing people to make frequent visits is probably not going to do much for tourist arrivals.

 

The problem seems to be that they don't actually want tourists   only their money.

Huh - is there a restriction on how many times a tourist can come to Thailand ??

[fruitman]

Europeans are used to have the highest standards of the world.

 

So why would they even think of coming to Thailand?? Anybody?? Yes, cheap sex......and that's all said and done.

[daveAustin]

Still think it's part of the plan to reinvent the place from you-know-what to some kind of Singapore-esque thing. Won't really work and many Thais will be spitting bullets when they see neighouring countries receiving huge amounts of extra tourists. The stories of genuine visitors being turned away is especially concerning and will not bode well.

[Melbun]

15 hours ago, British Bulldog said:

Honestly, I cannot believe this BS ... they still keep going on about the high baht as the excuse why people aren't going to Thailand, so lets look at a realistic, but a hypothetical scenario. Supposing somebody decided that they really wanted to go and check out the mystical eastern Country of Thailand, and they 'really' want to go there ... they wouldn't be overly concerned about the exchange rate (Unless it was something ridiculous) ... if somebody came here say 1 year ago and had $10,000 USD to spend, at say; 31.8 baht to the USD, they would have had 318,000 baht to spend, if they came here today, today's exchange rate is 30.42 baht giving them 304,000 baht to spend ... so come on, you reckon people would change their mind over the difference in exchange rate of less than $500 USD ??? Of course not .... it the stories they hear about Violent Taxi drivers, taxi drivers who rip you off, con men on the streets, bombs near shopping centers, violence, rapes and murders and various Islands and alike ... Jet Ski scams and so on .... is the Thai Government that naive ... that tourist do not go back home and talk about these incidents whether they were directly involved with such an incident or not ... word travels fast !

What a whole load of baloney. Those things happen in many western counties. Need to keep your wits about anywhere.

[tomacht8]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

While that may be true for the long stay community, the average western tourist arrives on a visa exempt entry, stays at a booked hotel, goes on a few tours, and departs.

I doubt any of us have heard of a normal tourist being turned away, and I doubt they go on TVF anyway.

That's exactly the wrong approach. For sustainable tourism, it is important that the first time visitor tourists come back. To make the normal vacationers to regular customers. But if the first time visitor gets too many negative impressions he will not come back and will not recommend in his circle of friends a holiday trip to Thailand.

[dimitriv]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

While that may be true for the long stay community, the average western tourist arrives on a visa exempt entry, stays at a booked hotel, goes on a few tours, and departs.

I doubt any of us have heard of a normal tourist being turned away, and I doubt they go on TVF anyway.

 

Almost every youtube video about Thailand talks about this. Really...  Tourists hearing that a visum in their passport does not guarantee entrance are likely to go somewhere else.

 

 

[thaibeachlovers]

30 minutes ago, Melbun said:

Huh - is there a restriction on how many times a tourist can come to Thailand ??

Yes.

[thaibeachlovers]

21 minutes ago, tomacht8 said:

That's exactly the wrong approach. For sustainable tourism, it is important that the first time visitor tourists come back. To make the normal vacationers to regular customers. But if the first time visitor gets too many negative impressions he will not come back and will not recommend in his circle of friends a holiday trip to Thailand.

Thailand hasn't changed that much outside of Bkk. Repeat tourists will probably come back once a year on a visa exempt entry. They won't have a problem.

[Melbun]

5 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Yes.

Wow the one word guru ?? Please explain why someone can't visit as a tourist every 2 -3 months ?

[thaibeachlovers]

46 minutes ago, tomacht8 said:

I have been in Thailand for over 25 years. Many of my Thai family members are in the tourist business. I know many owners of restaurants, resorts, diving schools, bars, shops, travel agencies, motorbike rental companies, party organizers, etc. All. 100% all, confirm that business is down massively on the southern islands.

They should look at themselves then. The people that destroyed every decent beach in LOS with horrid concrete buildings, rip off taxi drivers, con men etc are all THAIS.

I started going when it was A frame huts and communal bathrooms, and I stopped going when the flashpacker accommodation ruined the vibe.

I loved Samui- Chaweng was fantastic. RUINED by GREED.

Loved Railay West- looking at the horrid concrete resorts there now I'll never go back. RUINED by GREED.

Loved Patong- RUINED by GREED.

Samila Beach- RUINED by GREED

Hua Hin- RUINED by GREED

Bottle Beach- RUINED by GREED

Had Rin- used to be great. Probably the best beach in LOS- RUINED by GREED

Kho Tao- RUINED by GREED.

Phi Phi- completely DESTROYED by GREED.

Phi Phi Leh- had to be closed because DESTROYED by GREED.

 

The only beaches worth going to now are difficult to get to.

[thaibeachlovers]

13 minutes ago, Melbun said:

Wow the one word guru ?? Please explain why someone can't visit as a tourist every 2 -3 months ?

It's been all over the forum for years now.

Tourists don't visit every 2-3 months. Get the proper visa.

[Melbun]

3 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

It's been all over the forum for years now.

Tourists don't visit every 2-3 months. Get the proper visa.

Not talking about aspirations of staying long term or even 3 mths at a time. What is to prevent someone going as a tourist say 4 times a year for 2 - 3 weeks at a time. aka - 2 week millionaires ?? I don't know of any regulation preventing this occurrence.

[tomacht8]

In addition to the many other aspects (garbage problems, sewage problems, street dogs, exchange rates, service quality, double prizing, taxi problems, scams, violence, curfew, corruption, dangerous traffic, price increases,

crazy exaggerated personal data collection (maybe soon every foreigner has to show his passport when buying at 7-11), fingerprints, TM 30, 90 days reporting, 

etc.) also the unclear visa policy has a negative effect.

 

Systematically, more and more hurdles are being set up for those who want live and / or work permanently in Thailand.

But what is often forgotten is that many expats have many friends in their homeland. Many of my friends and family members come to Thailand to visit me and to make vacation. It is nice to visit friends who live in another country.

 

So if Thailand make it more and more complicate to stay longtime for Expats, they also lose the short-term tourists from the Expats friend circle.

The visit factor: Expat to friends who visit the expat on their vacation, I estimate at

1:6 per year. 

 

For every long-term expat, who is kicked out over the exaggerated visa regulations, Thailand also loses 6 more holiday tourists. If a TAT employee understands that?

Edited October 12, 2019 by tomacht8

[hotchilli]

17 hours ago, webfact said:

The number of European tourist arrivals in Thailand this year is expected to decline by 1.5 per cent year on year to around 6.66 million, according to the Kasikorn Research Centre.

1.5% is a joke... make it 30-40% then you're in the right area. This loss of income is hurting the government and local tourist businesses are having to make some hard choices, hotels etc are also thinking what to do if occupancy is below 50%.

We will see the truth on the streets come high season.. 

Tourism is an indicator of the economy in general, when it's collapsing because of the strong baht & local businesses cannot export wait for the nationwide fall-out!

[Schtrick]

The strategy seems to be working, and the strong Baht is just assisting. There's no shortage of tourists, what Thailand is losing is the retirees that have no money and cause most of the country's problems. Stayed at Grande Centre Point Pattaya last visit, was packed out but I was almost  the only white European there the whole stay. Desk told me average 75% Chinese & 25% Korean during the week and rich Thais from BKK on weekends.

[thaibeachlovers]

20 minutes ago, Melbun said:

Not talking about aspirations of staying long term or even 3 mths at a time. What is to prevent someone going as a tourist say 4 times a year for 2 - 3 weeks at a time. aka - 2 week millionaires ?? I don't know of any regulation preventing this occurrence.

Have you not read any of the threads from guys got refused on exactly that? The IO doesn't know what any visitor is going to do once entered LOS. If they see several visits a year they assume it's to work and don't allow.

It's been in force for at least 3 years.

[Paul Henry]

Vested interests will keep the cost of alcohol high,they are not interested in tourists only their own self gain.I visit Thailand 3-4 times a year,the regular cry I hear from non asian tourists is the ridiculous price of alcohol. Quality spirits and wine prices are way above what the market value is or what the neighbouring countries charge.The regular chant from these european tourists is go to Vietnam or Cambodia. Myanmar and Loa are coming up fast.The singular self interests of the Thai moguls is we must get richer and the best way is rip off tourists.My future plans is now one trip a year to Thailand to catch up with inlaws and family and that will be a quick trip on our way to one of the other inviting asian countries.

[thaibeachlovers]

4 minutes ago, Schtrick said:

what Thailand is losing is the retirees that have no money and cause most of the country's problems.

?????????????????

What are you talking about? Retirees that have no money don't stay in LOS because of the extension requirements.

Most of the country's problems are caused by the 69 million Thais, not an insignificant number of farang retirees.