European tourists decline against strong baht, competition

[lensta]

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

There are alot of hurting Thais out there right now. Hopefully enough will connect the dots and hold the army accountable. I see a reckoning coming. Those hundreds of billions may have to be returned to the people. 

 

I am predicting the youth will rise up and force the army's hand. Will the army have an appetite for a bloodbath? I predict no. Remember there is one huge difference between now and before. I can't spell it out but it is huge. 

Hong kong in Bangkok coming

[mogandave]

I do not seem to see a decline in Bangkok. If anything, I’m seeing more than ever. 

[adammike]

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 !

That may be so for first time visitors but I have been coming every winter Jan/Feb for getting on for 30 years so I have seen the rise and what is now the beginning of the fall of Thailand for tourists.

Forget the peaks and troughs of western currencys my Euro has dropped maybe 25% in 4-5 years now that hurts.

It's become a dismal experience nowadays in Thailand if you are a middle income tourist.Now I am a second or third class person getting fourth class service and treatment across the board,from the Immigration official at the airport to a waitress in a restaurant/bar or hotel receptionist they look at us like something they have trod in.If you have been to Thailand you know about the garbage everywhere and my pet peeve the dogs.

[Jack P]

The baht is not strong, rather the Western banks are printing free money and making a stack at the expense of their citizens who fall for the free stuff politicies and devaluing the currencies.

[biggerpill]

After reading all the possible reasons for lack of europeans...and amerians as well, i have some observations. I am an american still working having a thai wife for the past 8 years. I own a condo in heart of bangkok and wife has a farm near chiang rai. As a man with a marriage visa(1 year) i still must leave the country every 90 days. Add to that the absurd tm30 to file every time i go from provence to provence.the list continues:beaches are dirty everywhere you go,garbage strewn about eveywhere, drivers that have no clue, police who do no administer the simplest laws of the land like helmets,police who shake down farang for money for the simplest infractions, rude chinese taking over many areas with no manners or totally impolite, govenment creating new regs. to monitor all wifi traffic, yes the baht is high,double standard pricing for farang, major polluted cities like chiang mai with all the burning and authorities not really enforcing the no burns,the total harassment with ridiculous immigration laws that make no sense...is that enuff? It is time for me to explore cleaner, friendlier, non authoritarian governments. Hell, even the cable guy needed to see my passport for reconnecting my wifi and television on a return.  I own the <deleted> condo! Hell.... can,t register vehicles in my own name, almost impossible to open a simple bank account..now they want to have us fully document all wires from abroad at 50,000 baht..that's only 1500Usd..like we really need to money launder such a small amout of cash ! ⁰⁰What will happen with the retired expats wiring their monthly incomes that exceed that every month? Why should i as an expat buy some substandard generic health insurance locally from some gov,t cronie versus my own policy..the list is enormous..i will miss my wife and family. And thailand will lose somebody who has put tons of money into workers and their family pockets, put millions of baht into real estate and ate alot.lol. keep treating all of us like " aliens" and all they will have left is a bunch of cheap, loud and impolite tourists from countries that the thais hate..haha. wake up

We will all be gone to some other place..viet nam treats me nice. Portugal sounds great. For those of us who have money.

We have options. It ain,t just the baht..really.

Signed a sad and annoyed farang

[Roma persa]

4 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% 

I agree. Just back from Kho Samet, Chinese outnumbered EU 9 to 1.

 

4 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% 

 

 

[Gillyflower]

Will someone tell me what the euro/baht exchange is please.  Every time I check, and the latest was this week, it is always 33.4.  Well that is the same as it was when I left earlier this year.  I will be back end of November, but I still have time to cancel if it is as bad as you all say.  Thanks in advance. 

[lensta]

17 minutes ago, maddox41 said:

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. 

 

 

 

 

 

And years ago, these same people welcomed the army with open arms (including the ones on hear) and they will now be the loudest complainers, completely ignoring the fact that they supported the coup and prayut

[Roma persa]

I believe the decline of EU and UK tourists is a lot higher than we are told.

my Thai wife and I are just back from Kho Samet where Caucasians tourists where outnumbered by Chinese  9 to 1

[Isaan sailor]

Strong baht the perfect storm—drowning western tourism, exports, the SET, and free-spending expats and their families/friends.

 

[Dice Man]

4 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% 

 

at least 50% up in the North east....no tourists at all now! I mean NONE

[yogi100]

4 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!

What actually is craft beer?

[geisha]

THe biggest drop will be felt after the 4 th quarter and the 1 st quarter of 2020. 

[Steve Vincent]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

According to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, some4.44 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.

 

Pattaya has become a ghost town when several years ago the bars were flourishing,the beaches full and people received good value for there money. Today bars empty / beaches empty / tourists who once visited for several months are now staying only a couple of weeks. Or are now arriving in Bangkok and taking flights to Vietnam Cambodia or up country away from these once thriving tourist destinations ... Eva air has seen a 8% drop in travelers from the uk alone Yet no mention of British or American travelers dropping in numbers or the Chinese ? Like most things the government say i take with a pinch of salt,. 

[goonnerone]

4 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.

Sadly they come together

[yogi100]

3 hours ago, Partenavia said:

If you walk past a Travel Agent shop in the UK, look at the exchange rates, currently £1 = 33 Baht!!

That's what the average holiday maker notices.

 

They say to themselves "Blimey, when I went there a couple of years back it was 48. Sod that for a game of soldiers, Benidorm here I come".

[madmen]

44 minutes ago, mogandave said:

I do not seem to see a decline in Bangkok. If anything, I’m seeing more than ever. 

Just got back from soi 11 , an endless line of tourists dragging suitcases, and its still low season

[jollyhangmon]

49 minutes ago, Gillyflower said:

Will someone tell me what the euro/baht exchange is please.  Every time I check, and the latest was this week, it is always 33.4.  Well that is the same as it was when I left earlier this year.  I will be back end of November, but I still have time to cancel if it is as bad as you all say.  Thanks in advance. 

 

Well ma'am, today Bangkok banks live rate on EUR cash was a whopping 32.82 as posted at their counter ...
 

Superrich (one of the best rates) on cash:  33.35

 

https://www.superrichthailand.com/#!/en/exchange#rate-section

 

https://www.bangkokbank.com/en/Personal/Other-Services/View-Rates/Foreign-Exchange-Rates#

 

You're welcome.

 

 

[Samuel Smith]

3 minutes ago, madmen said:

Just got back from soi 11 , an endless line of tourists dragging suitcases, and its still low season

leaving?

[Pique Dard]

a strong baht means more rich tourists and less backpackers

[Pablosbmb]

4 hours ago, zydeco said:

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

Craft beer is more expensive....regular draught in Vietnam is .50 a glass even cheaper. Craft beer is $1-3 even $4 per glass. My Thai Lady managed to talk me into 1 month in Patong which i will be extremely cheap! The following 4 months after that Bali Laos Cambodia Vietnam including the Formula 1 will get all my money this season. 

[GeorgeCross]

5 hours ago, OnTheRun said:

It's the same in Hua Hin, a very marked drop in Scandanvian tourists also.

 

couldn't agree more. very very low in hua hin this year, beach is empty, bars are empty, malls are empty (of westerners)

 

 

 

[wisperone]

For me personally, I won't be retiring in Thailand for the following reasons.

 

1) Traffic fatalities-Am not needlessly putting my life at risk. Too many other places that are much safer in the world.

2) Food-Again quality and safety is just not there. Not consuming it.

3-100) No need to list since 1) supersedes all.

[zhounan]

The reason is not only a strong baht, but also the monetary austerity in the great majority of the Nations in Europe.

Thanks to "EURRS" financial dictatorship, We love you.

[jollyhangmon]

3 hours ago, ChipButty said:

A pint of Hoegaarden in Phuket town 290 Baht how much back in Europe? 

 

... about a month ago +/- EUR 2.30 (about 76THB) for half liter in Amsterdams supermarkets ...

L.O.L. ... 

 

 

[Herbe]

I have lived here on retirement since 2006, married to a Thai for 36 years.

My family visit us from the UK every year each January.

They have just informed me that they will not be coming this

coming January, as it is cost prohibitive, given the current and future

bad exchange rates. There is always 6 to 8 people in the group.

[GeorgeCross]

3 hours ago, ChipButty said:

I was just looking on Booking.com and the stats say 0.53% bookings for this area right now

 

how do you find this data? is there a tab for it or something?

 

thanks!

 

 

[martinhp]

5 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.

Last 3 years on phuket 9 years no way 

We still do good 

Government problem 

Police problem 

Bath not so much a problem 

Freedom is a key word y and t delivered that

like them or not

who like politicians anyway except from Steve 100 who like but don't understand or unable too explaine 

[madmen]

3 minutes ago, Herbe said:

I have lived here on retirement since 2006, married to a Thai for 36 years.

My family visit us from the UK every year each January.

They have just informed me that they will not be coming this

coming January, as it is cost prohibitive, given the current and future

bad exchange rates. There is always 6 to 8 people in the group.

Nothing compared to China India numbers, why would you  even dream that your family would have an impact? even 20 thousand people in your shoes would equate to nothing

[DrPhibes]

5 hours ago, legend49 said:

Or higher. Downtown CNX you can count those tourists on your hands no need for a calculator. But its all good news I am sure they will find more hospital countries to visit.

Yup, was down on Niemannheiman last Sat. with the wife on our rare downtown Sat date nite and it was at least 30:1 Asian vs white guys/gals.  It was somewhat vibrant near Maya (their rooftop entertainment is pretty good for the youngn's) but as we got down some of the side streets is was pretty dead.