Tourism minister in Samui: Hints at baht action and "new group" of tourists - all revealed next month

[Matzzon]

4 hours ago, metempsychotic said:

You know what it is. Its a typo.

Great, Thanks! That smart reply comes almost 1,5 month after the news was released. After?

[Grumpy John]

I predicted the baht wouldn't go down against the Aussie dollar till September or October but with the criminals and inept fools running Australia into the ground I maybe wrong!   Roll on the day when Australia becomes the 3rd autonomous region of China. 

[spidermike007]

8 hours ago, White Christmas13 said:

I do normally agree with you but not this time. Yes I agree with every thing you listed

but the high baht is a big factor for me as well. Being a pensioner with limited income

I need a lower baht to make it worth while to come to Thailand again. And yes the normal

young tourist don't care about a high Thai baht, but for me it is essential and maybe for

many other tourists as well. Yes I could go to other south east Asian countries but I have

friends in Thailand since I lived there for many years and still have a lady friend living

there and her family. So for me the high Thai baht is not very nice.

Yes, but it sounds like you spend a significant amount of time here. For tourists, there are so many other factors. The high baht makes the trip 10% more expensive for them. A factor. But, perhaps not the deciding factor. 

[thasoss]

people who have a reason to holiday in thailand because of family or friends are still going to come regardless of the exchange rate.TAT blaming high thai baht,china-USA trade war is the normal reaction from children.

The real reasons,...bad press,including road carnage,pollution,attitude of thais in tourist areas cannot of course be mentioned.

Add the best reason to give thailand the flick?.....more interesting places to visit.Thailand for westerners is yesterday's paradise.

[saengd]

4 hours ago, Grumpy John said:

I predicted the baht wouldn't go down against the Aussie dollar till September or October but with the criminals and inept fools running Australia into the ground I maybe wrong!   Roll on the day when Australia becomes the 3rd autonomous region of China. 

I read today that China will have to stop importing goods from a number of countries if it is to meet the terms of the US/China trade pact by importing more from the US.... Australia is the country most affected by this.

[toofarnorth]

On 12/9/2019 at 9:49 AM, bluesofa said:

It must have be written by a Petula Clark fan.

Yes about AH 2 up here at night.   " where all the lights are glow ".

[Woolsgibb60]

On 1/23/2020 at 4:03 AM, saengd said:

I read today that China will have to stop importing goods from a number of countries if it is to meet the terms of the US/China trade pact by importing more from the US.... Australia is the country most affected by this.

It not just about the baht and the economy its everything about this country so u cannot blame the baht or economy it the whole attitude with the thai the 1 place I hate coming to is the airport specially at don muang where u got to face them totally disgusting immigration I been coming here 21 years and it at 21 year I never had a smile or hello  and the way they talk to u its disgusting and what would somebody who never been here before what would they think about the welcome and the attitude they receive I think these immigration need to take attitude course and it not just in airport it's in immigration office they are just ask disgusting if I not have to arrive at thai airport at be great and the women are the worst 

[Gweiloman]

3 minutes ago, Woolsgibb60 said:

It not just about the baht and the economy its everything about this country so u cannot blame the baht or economy it the whole attitude with the thai the 1 place I hate coming to is the airport specially at don muang where u got to face them totally disgusting immigration I been coming here 21 years and it at 21 year I never had a smile or hello  and the way they talk to u its disgusting and what would somebody who never been here before what would they think about the welcome and the attitude they receive I think these immigration need to take attitude course and it not just in airport it's in immigration office they are just ask disgusting if I not have to arrive at thai airport at be great and the women are the worst 

Woah...breathe, breathe.....

[Mavideol]

and the baht was depreciating, (making us all happy) at a normal pace but all of a sudden stopped and starts to stagnate below 31 to the USD.... could it be Prayut's friends were loosing too much too fast

[saengd]

2 minutes ago, Mavideol said:

and the baht was depreciating, (making us all happy) at a normal pace but all of a sudden stopped and starts to stagnate below 31 to the USD.... could it be Prayut's friends were loosing too much too fast

The Baht didn't really move but USD did. 

 

https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/index/dxy

[spidermike007]

Such astonishing incompetence. Does anyone know what Pipat did before he became the "tourism minister"? He had absolutely no experience within the sector. When you select from the bottom of the barrel, based on cronyism and nepotism, and you go out of your way to practice anything even resembling a meritocracy, this is what you get. Promises. But no action. 

 

To say the authorities were totally unprepared for the nation they put all their eggs into, having a crisis like this, would be the understatement of the century. There is no plan b. Why? They have utterly demolished Western tourism, with their mass xenophobia, and racism. Few want to deal with that anymore. Especially, the ex-pat community. I know. We do not count. But we do exist, right?

 

Thailand is in for a world of hurt. But, if you really break it down, the devastation of the tourism industry will benefit most of us. It will likely mean a falling baht, and less congestion, pollution, traffic and madness at the airports. It is a shame for the Thai people. But, in a sense they allowed this to happen, by giving the army free reign. That hapless group should have been put in their place a long time ago. 

 

And it is even possible that immigration will get their heads straight, and start behaving with some degree of respect towards us, and treating us with a modicum of dignity, if that is possible. We, the remaining few!

[Woolsgibb60]

12 minutes ago, Gweiloman said:

 

It's TRUE they need to go on a attitude course plus a politeness course and a manners course because they dont know any or them 3 

[Mavideol]

6 minutes ago, saengd said:

The Baht didn't really move but USD did. 

 

https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/index/dxy

you are partially correct..... the baht did move against Chinese Yuan/Renminbi 555 matter of interpretation

[saengd]

12 minutes ago, Mavideol said:

you are partially correct..... the baht did move against Chinese Yuan/Renminbi 555 matter of interpretation

That would be a good trick, RMB is hard linked to USD and THB is a managed float (soft linked) against USD, any movement between the two would have been minor. Having said those things, RMB did fall quite substantially or so I heard, I don't track YUAN so I don't know by how much.

[losworld]

They have no grasp of the situation.  Thailand was the golden child of SE Asia.  It's infrastructure benefited while others suffered during the Vietnam war.  After they became a tourist mecca.  Now it has come full circle.  They have bitten the hand that feeds them and their ever increasing appetite for easy money has left their country polluted with a crumbling infrastructure and a xenophobic attitude that looks to "blame someone for this fiasco" rather than taking responsibility themselves. 

[saengd]

Rhetoric without substance.

[Mavideol]

9 minutes ago, saengd said:

That would be a good trick, RMB is hard linked to USD and THB is a managed float (soft linked) against USD, any movement between the two would have been minor. Having said those things, RMB did fall quite substantially or so I heard, I don't track YUAN so I don't know by how much.

no problem..... as I said, it all depends where you look, there are always 2 versions, as I do have interests in China does have to follow the Renminbi as well as the Baht VS the USD

[Sujo]

On 1/23/2020 at 11:11 AM, spidermike007 said:

Yes, but it sounds like you spend a significant amount of time here. For tourists, there are so many other factors. The high baht makes the trip 10% more expensive for them. A factor. But, perhaps not the deciding factor. 

I live in malaysia and go to thailand about 3 times a year, about a week each visit. Have done this for 5 years.

 

Im the last year I have chosen vietnam and manila.

 

Reasons were high baht and dont like getting so nervous at imm. 

[saengd]

1 minute ago, Mavideol said:

no problem..... as I said, it all depends where you look, there are always 2 versions, as I do have interests in China does have to follow the Renminbi as well as the Baht VS the USD

Yes agreed. But for those who are simply trying to understand why the currency movement occurred it's important (I think) to make sure people look at all sides of the equation... what did USD do, what did RMB do and finally what did THB do, in the case of the latter not much happened at all, all the movement was in the other halves of the currency pairs. What all of that says is that BOT isn't doing anything much to weaken THB, they are relying on the movements of other currencies.

[Mavideol]

3 minutes ago, saengd said:

What all of that says is that BOT isn't doing anything much to weaken THB, they are relying on the movements of other currencies.

and there you just said it..... as always, Thailand relying on somebody else to solve their problems

[Mavideol]

On 12/9/2019 at 8:14 AM, webfact said:

He hinted that the government had plans for the baht and stimulus measures to lure foreign tourists.

hope he's not referring to the "rich" Indian (billionaires) as that was already proposed and didn't work out

[saengd]

1 minute ago, Mavideol said:

and there you just said it..... as always, Thailand relying on somebody else to solve their problems

I'm not sure but I think if I was BOT and my currency was the size of a small town in Ohio yet I was soft pegged to the currency of the entire USA, I think I'd probably do exactly what BOT's doing, you'd have to be pretty foolish to do otherwise.

[Woolsgibb60]

On 2/5/2020 at 6:04 AM, saengd said:

I'm not sure but I think if I was BOT and my currency was the size of a small town in Ohio yet I was soft pegged to the currency of the entire USA, I think I'd probably do exactly what BOT's doing, you'd have to be pretty foolish to do otherwise.

They cant find nobody else they gone through every country so they decide to stick with the Chinese and Indians and to be honest I cannot see the Chinese and Indians the type of people who will keep coming back here so wait and see how it play out they will run out of people soon

[outsider]

On 12/9/2019 at 9:14 AM, webfact said:

He hinted that the government had plans for the baht and stimulus measures to lure foreign tourists. He promised a "new group" of tourists, more domestic tourism and sustainable tourism. 

 

Knowing the competence of most members of this cabinet, I'd wager Khun Pipat had no idea in hell what he was on about. He was probably just reciting from a script presented to him minutes before he went public. Plans and promises - we have all heard that before

 

[GalaxyMan]

10 hours ago, Woolsgibb60 said:

They cant find nobody else they gone through every country so they decide to stick with the Chinese and Indians and to be honest I cannot see the Chinese and Indians the type of people who will keep coming back here so wait and see how it play out they will run out of people soon

Unlike Europeans, the Chinese don't do the same vacation year after year; they like a new experience, so planning on them as long-term repeat tourists is not realistic.

[ChipButty]

1 minute ago, GalaxyMan said:

Unlike Europeans, the Chinese don't do the same vacation year after year; they like a new experience, so planning on them as long-term repeat tourists is not realistic.

I agree with you, I dont find the Chinese being repeat tourist even when they are here most stay 2 or 3 days and move on

[connda]

On 12/9/2019 at 8:14 AM, webfact said:

He promised a "new group" of tourists

"Next month has come and gone - right along with the Chinese.   
In retrospect, what group did he pander too.  Indian tourists? <laughs>  Mid-February and the most predominate tourist demographic in Chiang Mai is - those 'da*n farangs' whom Health Ministry Anutin disdains. 
Thailand's on a roll.  Who will be left when the evil farangs leave? 

[Gulfsailor]

On 2/12/2020 at 8:56 AM, GalaxyMan said:

Unlike Europeans, the Chinese don't do the same vacation year after year; they like a new experience, so planning on them as long-term repeat tourists is not realistic.

You’re forgetting the fact that there are 1.5 billion of them. If 30 million of them visit Thailand every year and never come back, the supply won’t dry up in the next 50 years.