European tourists decline against strong baht, competition

[kentrot]

Looks like the days of the "Two-Week-Millionaires" is over .

 

Time to start showing some respect for us long timers who support the local garage mechanics, pay annual car & motorbike insurance , support markets & chain grocery stores, pay tuition to schools and buy supplies for the "extended family", pay medical bills for in-laws , etc., etc., etc ....... 

 

Having said all that - I must say Immigration has improved their service.  I just returned from a holiday with my (Thai) wife and , as the "home owner" , she escorted me to Immigration the next day - Jomtien Soi 5.

 

The TM30 room was almost deserted. In 10 minutes we were at the counter .. and that time included one "cue jumper".

The  smiling lady at the desk examined our paper work and informed my wife in Thai that ---  I was free to travel as much as I like for the rest of my one-year retirement visa --- without having to report back to immigration with TM30 forms each time !

 

Hallelujah !! Thank Gawd for small blessings ???? 

   

[Yinn]

3 hours ago, RotBenz8888 said:

The real decline is probably a bit more than 1,5%....From what I see with my own eyes at the airport and in BKK, I'd say 50% 

 

 

3 hours ago, mauGR1 said:

Really, you are way too pessimistic, from what i see on the roads i would say 45 % more or less.

 

 

You guys must must look up in the sky. The plane come which place.

 

europe plane down 36.7%

chinese plane up 38.8%

india plane up 49%

russia down 12%

still wait for Malaysia plane. 

 

= tourism up 6% this year.

 

[tomazbodner]

3 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.

 

According to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, some 4.44 million European tourists visited in the first eight months of this year, a 1.9-per-cent drop. The decline was seen mainly in the markets of Russia, Germany, Sweden, and France.

The devil is in the details... 666... 444...

[mauGR1]

1 minute ago, Yinn said:

 

 

 

You guys must must look up in the sky. The plane come which place.

 

europe plane down 36.7%

chinese plane up 38.8%

india plane up 49%

russia down 12%

still wait for Malaysia plane. 

 

= tourism up 6% this year.

 

Chinese and Indians don't come to Koh Chang in big numbers, they are not beach people. Europeans and Russians, yes.

So that's my perception about the place where i live.

[J Town]

8 minutes ago, kentrot said:

Having said all that - I must say Immigration has improved their service.  I just returned from a holiday with my (Thai) wife and , as the "home owner" , she escorted me to Immigration the next day - Jomtien Soi 5.

That's just one immigration office. I am also fortunate enough to use their services. Other offices aren't as common sense as they are. Yes indeed, count our blessings.

[ian007]

“I only believe in statistics that I doctored myself”  Sir Winston Churchill!

[Artisi]

2 hours ago, eddie61 said:

There are things the tourist authorities could do to stimulate the individual tourism sector.

 

Relaxing the laws that prevent local craft brewers from offering their products for sale, as an example.

 

Globally, there is a trend to interesting and varied craft beers being offered in bars. In Thailand they are all highly taxed and expensive imports, due to the laws that effectively create a tasteless duopoly in a key sector of the tourism take.

 

I suspect that if you follow the money, you will figure out why!

I sure that the majority of tourists were previously flocking into Thailand just for craft beer. 

[ian007]

5 minutes ago, tomazbodner said:

The devil is in the details... 666... 444...

My percentage calculation comes up with 33% drop, not 1,5%....

[Burma Bill]

Bring in the Chinese with their hotels and casinos and tourist business will boom again!!

[alzack]

Thailand <deleted> up DOOOMED

[tomazbodner]

8 minutes ago, Yinn said:

 

 

 

You guys must must look up in the sky. The plane come which place.

 

europe plane down 36.7%

chinese plane up 38.8%

india plane up 49%

russia down 12%

still wait for Malaysia plane. 

 

= tourism up 6% this year.

 

I would say that it is mostly Indian area in my part of Bangkok now. Most caucasian and Arab tourists have disappeared. Even Chinese are far fewer than there used to be, but it's a change from group tours to individual travelers from China. Overall regardless of what the numbers for the whole Thailand are, year on year in this part of town the numbers are dropping. From inability to walk through the streets all jammed with buses waiting for clientele and being unable to get out of my house for the whole Chinese tour group sitting in front of my door for an hour waiting for their bus to... well, an occasional procession with a stick holding up some stuffed toy to identify the group. Maybe tourism is up to other places but it certainly doesn't look like that here.

[Bangkok Barry]

3 hours ago, eddie61 said:

There are things the tourist authorities could do to stimulate the individual tourism sector.

 

Relaxing the laws that prevent local craft brewers from offering their products for sale, as an example.

 

Globally, there is a trend to interesting and varied craft beers being offered in bars. In Thailand they are all highly taxed and expensive imports, due to the laws that effectively create a tasteless duopoly in a key sector of the tourism take.

 

I suspect that if you follow the money, you will figure out why!

 

My observation is that more and more places are opening up with a very large selection of craft beers. The problem is that they cost the same or more than back in Europe, so why bother to pay the airfare?

 

But I doubt that many tourists base their decision on whether to visit Thailand or not on the availability of craft beer. More on what they've read or heard from others, and that is very far from positive. The bottom line is that for the things that tourists like to do, eat and drink, Europe often has better choice, better quality and better prices.

 

[alzack]

2 minutes ago, tomazbodner said:

I would say that it is mostly Indian area in my part of Bangkok now. Most caucasian and Arab tourists have disappeared. Even Chinese are far fewer than there used to be, but it's a change from group tours to individual travelers from China. Overall regardless of what the numbers for the whole Thailand are, year on year in this part of town the numbers are dropping. From inability to walk through the streets all jammed with buses waiting for clientele and being unable to get out of my house for the whole Chinese tour group sitting in front of my door for an hour waiting for their bus to... well, an occasional procession with a stick holding up some stuffed toy to identify the group. Maybe tourism is up to other places but it certainly doesn't look like that here.

still wait for Malaysia plane. "yer a lot of people waiting for Malaysia plane"

[kevin612]

Strong baht is a huge issue， but Thai government does not care about the export.

[spidermike007]

34 minutes ago, Yinn said:

 

 

 

You guys must must look up in the sky. The plane come which place.

 

europe plane down 36.7%

chinese plane up 38.8%

india plane up 49%

russia down 12%

still wait for Malaysia plane. 

 

= tourism up 6% this year.

 

Total nonsense. The TAT counts transit passengers, departures and arrivals and biz visits. It is all totally fictitious. Believe their politically motivated fiction at your own peril and naivety. 

Edited October 11, 2019 by spidermike007

[adammike]

2 hours ago, Deli said:

The Western long-timers, snowflakes, retirees, etc. not coming or leaving for money reasons are not the main problem, as they are little in numbers, in comparison to the classic 2 weeks holiday maker, who came, spent and left. And these people are not coming anymore in numbers and this hurts the businesses most.

Snowbirds! if you don't mind.

[Samuel Smith]

21 minutes ago, mauGR1 said:

Chinese and Indians don't come to Koh Chang in big numbers

Lucky Koh Chang!

[Ajvat37]

1.  Legalize it!

2.  Ease up on visa requirements and reporting 

3.  Stop propping up the baht

[mac1970]

Naah, I will take my family and 10 000 Euro somewhere else next year. Make it easier, my wife doesn't want to go as well, even if many of her friends and family would like to see us again. She has started to complain about prices and how people treat us nowadays in restaurants and shops. Have to say that it's no better than back home, but at least they don't run away or leave you without service here. And I have never seen Vietnam, so why not. Maybe its worth to try and find out if it takes me back to the old good days when beach was beautiful, drinks cold and cheap. 

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, Ajvat37 said:

1.  Legalize it!

2.  Ease up on visa requirements and reporting 

3.  Stop propping up the baht

You clearly have not got "Clue One" why the Baht is so strong. Period.  Full stop.

[mauGR1]

3 minutes ago, Samuel Smith said:

25 minutes ago, mauGR1 said:

Chinese and Indians don't come to Koh Chang in big numbers

Lucky Koh Chang!

Tbh, what makes KC and Thailand so appealing to me, is the diversity of people who come here, so i really have nothing against any nationality.

What i really dislike are the organised tours, as they enrich the already rich, and destroy the environment and the atmosphere of the place.

[adammike]

18 minutes ago, mauGR1 said:

Chinese and Indians don't come to Koh Chang in big numbers, they are not beach people. Europeans and Russians, yes.

So that's my perception about the place where i live.

There you have it! The drop in numbers won't have any affect in the grand scheme of things but at a local level it will.Jomtien will suffer more than Pattaya, Hua Hin and Koh Chang will hurt more than Samui, and that's starting to suffer if what I read is true.Over a 4-5 year period my Euro has dropped about 20-25%.

I could get a flight via the Middle East a bit cheaper than my normal EVA flight from Amsterdam and don't spend the last few days shopping and partying in Bangkok then I could do a trip and not suffer that much,then I think about the garbage everywhere and those <deleted> soi dog's to hell with that.

[Elzear]

I know I’m’a bit off the point here, but it seems Laos is doing the same, ie discourage visitors by imposing a single entry visa requirement, even if you just want to hop across from NK for a dinner with the missus. Could it be that Thailand and Laos just want to get rid of westerners, prefering perhaps a more .. Asian (see Chinese) clientèle ? 

Anyway, looking forward to that World Ganja Festival next year. I’ll cut a bamboo and bmyob..g ???? 

[Samuel Smith]

5 minutes ago, mauGR1 said:

Tbh, what makes KC and Thailand so appealing to me, is the diversity of people who come here, so i really have nothing against any nationality.

What i really dislike are the organised tours, as they enrich the already rich, and destroy the environment and the atmosphere of the place.

We love to visit Koh Chang & the lack of big groups is part of the attraction. 

[mauGR1]

2 minutes ago, Samuel Smith said:

We love to visit Koh Chang & the lack of big groups is part of the attraction. 

Just a shame that there are too many cars now, and the road can be dangerous in the high season, but if you have the time and the patience to look around, you can still find some pristine place on the island.

 

[HaleySabai]

1 hour ago, charmonman said:

Indeed. In Canada I can get a tasty craft brew for the same or less than the swill available at reasonable prices here. I can get a pint of Guinness for about half what it typically costs here.

oh,man and don't even get me started about the wine and fresh air in Canada!!!

Lucky for me I spend the summer months there (June-Sept.) filling my lungs and my gob till its time to come back to this over-priced,low-Q happyland....mmm.....something wrong with this picture......oh,I forgot,I hate the winter.

[eddie61]

3 hours ago, Bob12345 said:

I doubt craft beer will bring in millions of tourists, but if i had to take a wild guess: you are making craft beers (or plan to do in the near future).

No, I am no longer a big drinker, nor do I have intentions other than to highlight an example of a pro tourism policy choice which could easily be implemented, and which would help the grass roots economy.

[maddox41]

Living in Bkk for 10 yrs the day the junta rolled into town was the day it slowly turned pear-shaped. 

Tourists where are they??? 

Expats going home... 

The strong b with exports is hurting too but it's the people now there starting  to look hollow and under the thumb the fun has gone the smiles gone the chit chat is dissappearing. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mansell]

2 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 !

When people have a bad experience they usually write about it on the Internet. And that is the kiss of death for a country when word of that lousy experience gets around.

[DrTuner]

3 hours ago, zydeco said:

Yes, I'm sure that the tourist market turns on the availability of craft beer. 

It is for certain one of my selection criteria, together with food and wine.

 

Prague and Munich are examples of beer destinations.

Edited October 11, 2019 by DrTuner