Thai tourism: Further doom and gloom from the North

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Thai tourism: Further doom and gloom from the North

 

Thai caption: Year end tourism contraction

 

The head of the Northern Hoteliers' Association has painted a grim picture of tourism in Thailand. 

 

Bookings in the north are down and the outlook for year's end and entering the first quarter of 2020 looks terrible.

 

These were the observations of La-iat Bungsrithong who was talking to INN as quoted by Sanook. 

 

She blamed many of the usual suspects - the high baht, international trade wars and sluggish economy both domestically and internationally. 

 

Compared to last year tourism was down and there seemed little hope on the horizon. 

 

Chinese visitors are still the mainstay in the North with direct flights from China but the expansion of hotel rooms in recent times is only seeing less of the pie for each operator, she observed. 

 

Source: Sanook

 

 

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[NCC1701A]

the thing about it is people need to be able to breathe.

[sammieuk1]

You could add to the list of usual suspects with ridiculous alcohol prices lunatic draconian laws and safety  ????

[Maverell]

Who do we believe - TAT and the Government or the people on the ground?

[PatOngo]

Numbers up or numbers down? Someone is a boldface liar! Why do these people have such an aversion for the truth?

[cornishcarlos]

1 minute ago, Maverell said:

Who do we believe - TAT and the Government or the people on the ground?

 

I believe TAT...

[sweatalot]

1 hour ago, PatOngo said:

Numbers up or numbers down? Someone is a boldface liar! Why do these people have such an aversion for the truth?

They remain in strong denial

[Thian]

I guess they prefer Air-bnb instead of the overpriced hotels. Also there's nothing to do for tourists.

[tabarin]

1 hour ago, Thian said:

I guess they prefer Air-bnb instead of the overpriced hotels. Also there's nothing to do for tourists.

Nothing to do? There is plenty to do (elephants, mountains / waterfalls, national parks, karting, wake boarding, museums, zoo with a panda, cooking schools, kajaks, rafting, shooting, climbing, mountainbike tracks, big bike trails, hot springs, grand canyon waterpark, quality spa's, night markets, live music, plenty restaurants and the list goes on and on).

Rooms are not over priced as well, you can get a brand new hotel with pool from 800B a night. 
Dormitory, nice ones, can be as little as 120B a night in the old city. Single rooms with fan from 200B a night. 

It is simply that overall, exchange rates suck and Vietnam is the new hot thing, where you even get free beers at guesthouses. Hard to compete with that.
And if you look for sex tourism and the girls, it is not a good place to be (farang style). That is about the only thing to really complain about too.

[yellowboat]

Chiang Mai is not that much fun anymore. The night life is dull and manipulating.  Its nice, but been there dune that as with most of Thailand.

[Jimbo2014]

Im shocked actually.  I really thought people would flock to see the most polluted city in Asia (as it was last January).

[30la]

But why don't you believe what the TAT managers tell you?
The sun is rising, the millions of tourists are coming and are just waiting to be let in!
Thailand is a very advanced country for what concerns cell phones, computers and other means of communication, but they have not understood that all these means allow people to be well informed about the situation of their next destination and that the modification of the destination is a decision that can be taken and done in seconds.
Countries like Spain, France, Greece, Turkey, Italy and so on will thank Thailand for the great gift made!
Since the world economic situation is not the best, people look for the safest solution even if a little more expensive!

[Isaan sailor]

Someone's dancing the Cha-Cha with the ChiComs, a bit too much.  So tourists go elsewhere.     

[heybuz]

Was at the white temple Chang rai yesterday it was busy about a million Thai visitors and two falang,me and another bloke

[khunpa]

1. Terrible Air Quality

2. Expensive and impossible to find Transportion services

3. Worst and most boring Night-Life in Thailand

 

I don't understand why people do not want to come anymore. Hmm...... strange!

 

"Hey wife and kids! Let's go to Chiang Mai and get some nice lung cancer" or "Let's go party until midnight with some nice old ladyboys".

 

A dream vacation!

[Chicken George]

Why would anyone unless they were totally blind to the facts of air pollution visit the North?

[soalbundy]

4 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

You could add to the list of usual suspects with ridiculous alcohol prices lunatic draconian laws and safety  ????

and they are all flooding into Pattaya, nowhere else

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, PatOngo said:

Numbers up or numbers down? Someone is a boldface liar! Why do these people have such an aversion for the truth?

Job security.

[Vacuum]

4 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

You could add to the list of usual suspects with ridiculous alcohol prices

...and the times when one can buy the stuff.

[LomSak27]

12 minutes ago, Chicken George said:

Why would anyone unless they were totally blind to the facts of air pollution visit the North?

 

It should be pointed out there was major GRIM NEWS on the northern tourism front last year. And this took place BEFORE the heavy smoke, pollution came in on the hot season.

 

Shock, Gasp Horror!  ????                              Say What?

 

Over fifty hotels were up for sale by December 2018, likely a low ball figure at that. The Thai hotels Association, northern chapter, was spinning so hard they were turning green. This the result of massive overbuilding, influx of out of province cash chasing the next gold rush. Yes the boat accident deep sixed those Celestial Dreams, but if that magically did not happen, still too many hotels for the demand.

 

And after all that came the smoke. 

 

 

[RichardColeman]

Course there are no tourists up north - they all rushed down to Pattaya beach for the fireworks

[racket]

International trade wars? Hasn’t affected me. Can’t remember anyone blaming the trade wars for not visiting Thailand. Let’s just say that the Thai baht is overpriced...

[tabarin]

Not sure what people are talking about if it comes to air pollution as this got nothing to do with most of the year, neither with high season months.
You are worse off, all year long, on average, in Bangkok. Guess these comments come from people who not live in CM themselves.

Currently being in 'high season', we have perfect weather with blue skies and cold nights.

[Samuel Smith]

39 minutes ago, tabarin said:

Not sure what people are talking about if it comes to air pollution as this got nothing to do with most of the year, neither with high season months.
You are worse off, all year long, on average, in Bangkok. Guess these comments come from people who not live in CM themselves.

Currently being in 'high season', we have perfect weather with blue skies and cold nights.

AQI is bad 7 months of the year.  Moderate at the moment, bad at night.  correct about the cool temps ???? 

[BestB]

7 hours ago, PatOngo said:

Numbers up or numbers down? Someone is a boldface liar! Why do these people have such an aversion for the truth?

Anyone and everyone in the business paints grim picture , only government ministries keep putting out bright releases.

 

do not be surprised to wake up and find country is in some major financial crisis .

 

can not confirm for sure as I have not seen myself but appearantly there is new movement  black shirts who are campaigning for prayut to get out .

[mickey rat]

12 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

the thing about it is people need to be able to breathe.

Yes, it's too obvious but they still don't get it. 

[CNXexpat]

8 hours ago, khunpa said:

3. Worst and most boring Night-Life in Thailand

 

I don't understand why people do not want to come anymore. Hmm...... strange!

 

"Hey wife and kids! Let's go to Chiang Mai and get some nice lung cancer" or "Let's go party until midnight with some nice old ladyboys".

LOL. If you are travelling with your wife and kids, you are not interested in a nightlife till 4 am and also not in old or young ladyboys or bar girls. 

 

Most people are doing tours starting in the morning between 8 and 9 am. They enjoy the little nightlife till midnight or in some clubs till 2 am. Chiang Mai is not the place for a sex tourist for sure. What I like, because we have not so many idiots in town like Pattaya. 

[Ron jeremy]

8 hours ago, Chicken George said:

Why would anyone unless they were totally blind to the facts of air pollution visit the North?

Why would anyone unless totally blind to the facts of air pollution live in the north?

[Traubert]

10 hours ago, Isaan sailor said:

Someone's dancing the Cha-Cha with the ChiComs, a bit too much.  So tourists go elsewhere.     

There's reds under your bed even as we speak.

 

Mr McCarthy was right.

 

70 years ago though.

[Chelseafan]

15 hours ago, cornishcarlos said:

 

I believe TAT...

You had a 50/50 change of getting it right ????