Tourism: Indians "last hope" for Pattaya as Thai media reports massive high season decline

[smedly]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Now the last hope is seen as big spending Indian tourists whose daily expenditure is twice as much as the Chinese. 

not sure what to make of that

 

either the Chinese spend pretty much close to zero or their calculations are nonsense or likely both

[ChipButty]

Just now, smedly said:

not sure what to make of that

 

either the Chinese spend pretty much close to zero or their calculations are nonsense or likely both

Thats normal

[Sticky Wicket]

Just now, smedly said:

not sure what to make of that

 

either the Chinese spend pretty much close to zero or their calculations are nonsense or likely both

It's impossible to have actual figures re spending when there are no proper books and records kept and mostly cash transactions

[KhunBENQ]

2 hours ago, soalbundy said:

The article says 10,000 per day

You were faster.

What a huge load of ..

So far from real life observation.

Maybe someone can check the 5-star places in Pattaya for these Indians.

Not my usual residence.

[Vacuum]

1 hour ago, Beggar said:

"But in a statement that will surprise many the media said that Indians spend on average a whopping 10,000 baht per person per day. 

A week or so ago, the media said Indians spend 5800 baht/day. Does anyone really believe what they read/hear on media?

[Liverpudlian]

Bars for sale !  would make a wonderful curry restaurant walking street ... 2 for the price of one !

[kingofthemountain]

2 hours ago, soalbundy said:

The article says 10,000 per day

Probably a typo with too much 00

 

[Percy P]

2 hours ago, keith101 said:

Your problem is Indians aren't big spenders , they would much rather share and save and the baht is still to high for them to spend up just like most tourists . The only hope is that the economy crashes sooner rather than later and tourists can afford to come back but until then this is what to expect .

I can't see the economy crashing . To much money in foreign currency reserve. May see many companies going bankrupt. And with 39 million tourists expected FCR will strengthen more keeping the exchange rate low in exchange.

[Gecko123]

"My bad."

[spiekerjozef]

7 minutes ago, Liverpudlian said:

Bars for sale !  would make a wonderful curry restaurant walking street ... 2 for the price of one !

deodorant sales will go through the roof in thailand

[Percy P]

5 minutes ago, kingofthemountain said:

Probably a typo with too much 00

 

Thats 20,000000Baht/day coming into Thailand if each person is required to bring in 20,000 Baht.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

1 hour ago, rrremo said:

I am from the subcontinent too and I would have strongly disagreed with you if I wouldn’t have seen the same. That said I still believe Indian market is very huge and have a lot to offer.

 

I think so too.   I chatted with some guys from India on my last visit in Pattaya and they weren't short on cash, and very willing to spend it. 

 

The weird ones (of any nationality) tend to be people who really shouldn't be travelling but somehow ended  up on a group tour and behave in really peculiar ways.  Applies to Chinese and Europeans just the same.

 

People who travel independently tend to behave much more rationally and civilized. ???? 

 

Actually I wish more Indians would visit the North of Thailand.  I don't see many here.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

2 hours ago, Puchaiyank said:

Consequences of hard-axx stance against foreigners by you know who!  It may take decades...generations for Thailand to undo the damage they have done to themselves.

 

Ask the German guy who Immigration just arrested and tossed in jail for FIVE days overstay what he thinks of the Thai tourism market....  

[JonnyF]

35 minutes ago, spiekerjozef said:

thai tourism? only 1 guy to blame...

I disagree. The anti-foreigner stance of the Junta hasn't helped but the culture of trying to rip off tourists has been prevalent for much longer than that. Even when I was living in Phuket from 2006-2007 I was routinely being quoted ridiculous amounts for simple items from local vendors (fruit etc.) to the point that I gave up trying to support the Mom and Pop shops (who were thanking me for my support by trying to rip me off) and started shopping at Tesco just so I could get the correct price on basic household items.

 

It wasn't so bad paying a bit more when it was 68 to the pound and things were very cheap. Paying double the local rate (which isn't even that cheap anymore) at 38 to the pound isn't much fun for tourists on a budget and they resent it. 

 

The whole culture of ripping off tourists needs to change. People aren't stupid, they might not make a fuss when it happens because they don't fancy a holiday being ruined by getting into a fight with 5 locals  but they know it's happened and they don't return. 90% of my friends/family have been to Thailand in the last 10 years and none of them ever talk of returning. They'd rather go to Spanish/Greek islands. Cheap flight, cheap food/drink available all day, reasonable law and order, clean beaches, fewer ripoffs etc.

[Vacuum]

3 minutes ago, WinnieTheKhwai said:

Actually I wish more Indians would visit the North of Thailand.  I don't see many here.

The reason could be that most Indian tourists are single males who visit Pattaya for one reason only. CM can not offer what they want.

[kingofthemountain]

Tourism: Indians "last hope" for Pattaya

sound like desperate times

and it's very surprising because some days ago

TAT was boasted how everything was ok with 39 millions of tourists this year

and the numbers was up year on year as usual

so it's very confusing

 

[Mavideol]

3 hours ago, keith101 said:

Your problem is Indians aren't big spenders

but they say ..." Now the last hope is seen as big spending Indian tourists whose daily expenditure is twice as much as the Chinese".  555

[essox essox]

There is no way Indians spend over 260 quid a day. Who and where does this figure come from. It is a plain guess in my opinion, same for Chinese they will never spend 130 quid a day. Absolute bunkum are these figures. 

[yogi100]

1 hour ago, Langkawee said:

They can't come back, they are too afraid to come back with social media awash with stories of would be tourists being incarcerated in cockroach infested urine smelling prisons on arrival at Bangkok airports. Who would risk arriving at a Bangkok airport? Immigration has gone bonkers. 

There only has to be one such story in the media and that will deter thousands of would be visitors. Especially first timers and families.

 

Albeit on a much smaller scale rather like terrorism has devastated tourism in Egypt, Kenya and Tunisia.

[Mrfox]

3 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

i know what i am going to say is a stereotypical comment about Indian people, but I saw it with my own eyes. I could not believe how they were grinding the massage ladies on price in Pattaya. I stood there and watched for a while outside a large shop. The one lady was holding her ground but it was brutal. 

Yup, saw 4 guys 'surrounding' a freelancer on beach road talking down on price... <deleted>. No wonder they are the most hated group for the freelancers and bar girls. 

 

[Skallywag]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Thai business media published damning statistics that showed a dramatic drop off in hotel bookings

The Thai police or whoever is in charge of "hotel licencing" need to enforce the 30 day minimum rental at condo ruling with AirBnB and Booking.com  (they have to figure out how)

Indian renters have increased dramatically at my condo complex over the last 2 weeks.  

Management cannot/ will not enforce the law, and Thai owners hold 51% and are the ones profiting. 

[tifino]

5 minutes ago, yogi100 said:

There only has to be one such story in the media and that will deter thousands of would be visitors. Especially first timers and families.

 

Albeit on a much smaller scale rather like terrorism has devastated tourism in Egypt, Kenya and Tunisia.

once a place is over run by Indians... everyone else goes else where? - and the girls, once touched by them; become the new UnTouchables...   ???? 

[Orton Rd]

Sex tourist destinations are yesterdays destinations, Pattaya never came up with anything else as a real attraction. Sea is filthy, traffic terrible these days and as the place expanded the planning, if there ever was any, was woeful. It just got to be an ever larger grimy, sleazy and unattractive concrete mess.

[KhunBENQ]

1 hour ago, kingofthemountain said:

Probably a typo with too much 00

Only rational explanation:

they might have read statistics from top European spots (like Switzerland) where indeed wealthy Indians go to.

And now they expect to divert them to Pattaya.

Good luck

[thaibeachlovers]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Many reports on the ground have indicated that Pattaya is much quieter than usual, notes Thaivisa. Though the exact extent of the problem may even have the pessimists worried further. 

Wouldn't have this pessimist worried. If I were there I'd be dancing in the street, as it wouldn't be so crowded.

Everything to do with less tourists is directly the fault of the city administration. They turned it from a cheap and cheerful place for mongers where everyone was happy enough into a horror of over priced hotels, traffic jams, unrestricted building and a generally derelict mess.

Of course they'll never admit it was their fault.

[Chivas]

4 hours ago, keith101 said:

Your problem is Indians aren't big spenders , they would much rather share and save and the baht is still to high for them to spend up just like most tourists . The only hope is that the economy crashes sooner rather than later and tourists can afford to come back but until then this is what to expect .

lol its not ever going to crash holding $230 Billion of foreign Currency reserves and growing daily

The bigger problem is the weakness of our own countries currency against the USD on the other side of the pairings

[JonnyF]

41 minutes ago, essox essox said:

There is no way Indians spend over 260 quid a day. Who and where does this figure come from. It is a plain guess in my opinion, same for Chinese they will never spend 130 quid a day. Absolute bunkum are these figures. 

I really don't know where they get the figures from either. Let's say they have breakfast at a local eatery, buy a few things from 711 and then go to a bar where they have a few drinks and acquire the services of a local lady for the evening. How is any of this recorded as money being spent at all, let alone specifically by Indians?

 

Unless they are simply asking them at the airports which again is unreliable. Same as the arrival card, I never gave them accurate information about my salary/occupation etc. because a) it amused me pretending to be an a gynecologist on under 10,000 USD per year and b) it's none of their business. 

[jacko45k]

4 hours ago, keith101 said:

Your problem is Indians aren't big spenders , they would much rather share and save and the baht is still to high for them to spend up just like most tourists . The only hope is that the economy crashes sooner rather than later and tourists can afford to come back but until then this is what to expect .

That is why Indians invented 'zero', it is what they like to pay for things! But apparently they spend more than Chinese.... sadly these will deter other tourists further. Pattaya has slipped in quality, and the locals have simply sought less discerning tourists. 

[Thian]

15 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

Only rational explanation:

they might have read statistics from top European spots (like Switzerland) where indeed wealthy Indians go to.

And now they expect to divert them to Pattaya.

Good luck

I was in Swiss last year, loads and loads of Asians were there (no indians) and they all went to the watch shops where they even had chinese sales working. Those watches are sure not cheap.

[Peterbilt]

4 hours ago, soalbundy said:

The article says 10,000 per day

10k a day? Wow, thats what I call an "inflation".
A few weeks ago the TAT published the news that Indians spend more per day then the westerners. They wrote about 5,800 BHT per day....
And now 10,000 BHT? Per day and person? Or per plane?