Customers in Pattaya’s famous bars and nightclubs down a whopping 40%

[Leaver]

11 hours ago, kingdong said:

I will have to imagine because unless they get their act together I won,t be here,coming over in jan,an going on to vietnam also to Bali so although the los will have the brief pleasure of my patronage for a few days they won,t be getting much in the way of the Nelson Eddie's.

A lot of old timers will come to pass, and not be replaced by new expats coming through.

 

Then, you will see the constant dry up of western tourists here. 

 

Unless we see a devaluation of the baht, and relaxing of the visa requirements here, Thailand is going to have to come up with new ways of getting money out of zero baht tourists.  

[DannyCarlton]

2 minutes ago, Leaver said:

Unless we see a devaluation of the baht, and relaxing of the visa requirements here,

Devaluation of the Baht would help massively. Two week tourists haven't been affected in any way by visa changes. Friend of mine visits 3 or 4 times per year, 2 or 3 weeks at a time. Is totally unaware of any visa changes. Also no link between number of expats in Thailand and number of visitors to Thailand.

[sandyf]

2 minutes ago, DannyCarlton said:

Not 9 years, 2 at the most, and saying that it was due to "behaviour" is a nonsense. Chicken and egg. IMO, farangs stopped coming (mostly exchange rate) and TAT shifted it's desired demographic as a result.

Have to agree to disagree on that, the old TAT statements will be around somewhere.

Been around Pattaya for over 20 years and seen it change, both good and bad, the roads are busier and the bars are quieter.

[Leaver]

6 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Were you in LOS when that happened? I was and it wasn't a "revolution"- it was an attempt by a ( IMO ) very bad man to ( IMO ) loot the country. He almost got away with it.

PS since when was a "democracy" bought?

I was here also.

 

Both political parties were handing out money.

 

Mr. T, a corrupt guy, but also a shrewd businessman, put a lot of money in his pocket, but he also knew that in order for him to put money in his own pocket, he had to let all Thai's prosper, to varying degrees.  Also, in general, he left farang alone.

 

The current guys are putting a lot of money in their pockets, and not caring if other Thai's are prospering also, and we have seen how they have turned the screws on farang here.

 

I am no fan of Mr. T, but at least he knew that in order for him, and the country, to make money, he had to allow others to make money also. 

 

The current guys are all about corruption, with no business sense at all. 

Edited December 31, 2019 by Leaver

[DannyCarlton]

4 minutes ago, sandyf said:

Have to agree to disagree on that, the old TAT statements will be around somewhere.

Been around Pattaya for over 20 years and seen it change, both good and bad, the roads are busier and the bars are quieter.

Some bars are quieter. Beer bar complexes such as MIT, Soi Diana Beer bars and Drinking Street are dead, the format of punters sat round the outside of a bar whilst the girls sit inside the bar playing Connect 4 are old hat. Girls getting naked in the bar and seriously interacting with the customers is the new beer bar.

[Leaver]

8 minutes ago, DannyCarlton said:

Devaluation of the Baht would help massively. Two week tourists haven't been affected in any way by visa changes. Friend of mine visits 3 or 4 times per year, 2 or 3 weeks at a time. Is totally unaware of any visa changes. Also no link between number of expats in Thailand and number of visitors to Thailand.

Allow me to clarify, in relation to my visa comment.

 

Without relaxing the visa requirements, Thailand will struggle to attract the next generation of retirees / expats, who will seek a better visa deal elsewhere.

[DannyCarlton]

1 minute ago, Leaver said:

Allow me to clarify, in relation to my visa comment.

 

Without relaxing the visa requirements, Thailand will struggle to attract the next generation of retirees / expats, who will seek a better visa deal elsewhere.

Agreed but that has no bearing on tourist numbers.

[sandyf]

10 minutes ago, DannyCarlton said:

I have. Recently Phuket and Hua Hin are even more dead than Pattaya.

I went down to Ao Yang at the weekend. Been going there over 10 years and when I first went it was like the back of beyond, not a hotel in sight. Now several to choose from and the road signs are all in English with many indicating tourist attractions. Caucasian tourists have been on the increase year in year out, just one little coastal area doing it's bit.

As it happens the guy in the room next to us was English, a cyclist, had come from Bangkok and was heading off to Koh Chang. He was then planning to cycle through Cambodia and Vietnam up to Hanoi, bit of a challenge, and a different kind of tourist.

[SteveK]

Why did people used to enjoy visiting Thailand so much:

 

1. It was cheap. Under £10 a night hotel, £3 for a meal with a large beer. £20 for very attractive female company overnight. Now it's more like triple that.

2. Friendly locals - not so friendly now.

3. Care-free and easy going attitude - now gone thanks to military junta.

4. Tasty food - what was once considered exotic and exciting is now known to be salty, greasy, fried rubbish.

5. World-class beaches - now covered with trash.

 

And all of this against a backdrop of neighbouring countries which are friendlier, more welcoming, speak better English and have much cheaper prices for everything. Factor in some of the most petty and moronic paperwork requirements on the planet, and it's a wonder anybody bothers with Thailand at all.

[Salerno]

13 hours ago, NoComment said:

...the fact that most tourists fear going out in Pattaya(Crime, drugs, violence etc) and it adds up to a disaster for tourism.

We all know where that "fact" was pulled from. 

[Leaver]

7 minutes ago, DannyCarlton said:

Agreed but that has no bearing on tourist numbers.

I never said it did.

 

With 30 days free entry, why would it?

[sandyf]

9 minutes ago, DannyCarlton said:

Girls getting naked in the bar and seriously interacting with the customers is the new beer bar.

You mean like it was before mobile phones came along.

The biggest bar complexes have had serious interaction with a bulldozer.

[DannyCarlton]

1 minute ago, sandyf said:

You mean like it was before mobile phones came along.

The biggest bar complexes have had serious interaction with a bulldozer.

The rest need to go the same way.

[kingofthemountain]

54 minutes ago, sandyf said:

You really ought to get out and about a bit more.

And of course you don't answer to the precise question

so i repeat what are the others areas expending their business?

[kingofthemountain]

47 minutes ago, sandyf said:

Been around Pattaya for over 20 years and seen it change, both good and bad, the roads are busier and the bars are quieter.

So can you explain exactly what is good with the roads being busier

saturated with coaches full of chineses tourists spending 0 bahts in the

very local economy (Only few big joint ventures sinothai win money with them) ?

[DannyCarlton]

41 minutes ago, sandyf said:

I went down to Ao Yang at the weekend.

Ao Yang or Ao Nang. Don't know Ao Yang.

Edited December 31, 2019 by DannyCarlton

[RoadWarrior371]

2 hours ago, DannyCarlton said:

I have. Recently Phuket and Hua Hin are even more dead than Pattaya.

No reason to be overly negative. Don't think too much, some of you seem to care more about tourists than Thailand.  LMAO.   Tourism is down worldwide, many countries are hurting more than Thailand.  The doomsday posters warn about the end of days in Thailand.  They are idiots.  Business cycles come and go.  If business is slow, their ladyboy goes home for a long vacation in the jungle.  Easy.  No factories to shutter.  When things pick up, their ladyboy will be back.  Buses running south every day.  ????

[Leaver]

1 hour ago, RoadWarrior371 said:

No reason to be overly negative.

Not negative, just observations.  I have been to Phuket many times, and Hua Hin a few times.  I have friends in both.  They tell me even the more popular establishments can not be sustainable with the current lack of clientele. 

 

1 hour ago, RoadWarrior371 said:

Business cycles come and go. 

Do business cycles come and go with a sham military Government????

[yogi100]

On 12/23/2019 at 9:15 PM, Leaver said:

I know that, you know that, we all know that.  However, whilst the military backed, wealthy Thai elite, are busy raping the country, whilst masquerading as a democracy, nothing can be done. 

 

While other countries are building a middle class, Thailand is doing its best to ensure the majority of the wealth is held by a small percent of the population. 

According to certain reports the gap between the rich and poor in the UK has been widening for some years.

 

We've now got in work benefits for the low paid.

Zero hour contracts which mean if there is no work there's no money.

And Food Banks where they dole out free food to the needy.

All new developments.

And the availability and the waiting times for medical services are getting longer.

And an acute housing shortage in a country with a much colder climate than Thailand. 

[kingdong]

5 hours ago, sandyf said:

 

As it happens the guy in the room next to us was English, a cyclist, had come from Bangkok and was heading off to Koh Chang. He was then planning to cycle through Cambodia and Vietnam up to Hanoi, bit of a challenge, and a different kind of tourist.

A different type of tourist indeed,fair play to the bloke but how much will be be spending in the los? There are many different types of tourist,just because a person books an expensive holiday in thailand dosen,t mean he's automatically spending a pro rata amount of money.i.e he could be in hue hin in the hilton,spend all day round the pool and spend naff all,on the other hand you get people on lower incomes who live like monks in the uk,save up and visit thailand 5-6 times a year these type of tourist spend far more than the former but the money is going into the black economy.

[DannyCarlton]

51 minutes ago, yogi100 said:

According to certain reports the gap between the rich and poor in the UK has been widening for some years.

 

We've now got in work benefits for the low paid.

Zero hour contracts which mean if there is no work there's no money.

And Food Banks where they dole out free food to the needy.

All new developments.

And the availability and the waiting times for medical services are getting longer.

And an acute housing shortage in a country with a much colder climate than Thailand. 

Yep, gap has been widening for 10 years since the Tories formed the Government. Now Johnson is in expect more of the same. You ain't seen nothing yet. Double whammy too as he's going to destroy the £.

[Bullie]

3 minutes ago, DannyCarlton said:

Yep, gap has been widening for 10 years since the Tories formed the Government. Now Johnson is in expect more of the same. You ain't seen nothing yet. Double whammy too as he's going to destroy the £.

The Brits are welcome to give up the pound in favour of the euro anytime. We Europeans will just wait until the currencies are on par before we will kindly suggest this - which should not take long.

Doomed ye are, doomed....

[kingdong]

1 hour ago, yogi100 said:

According to certain reports the gap between the rich and poor in the UK has been widening for some years.

 

We've now got in work benefits for the low paid.

Zero hour contracts which mean if there is no work there's no money.

And Food Banks where they dole out free food to the needy.

All new developments.

And the availability and the waiting times for medical services are getting longer.

And an acute housing shortage in a country with a much colder climate than Thailand. 

Agree with you,however the working conditions are dictated by the medium of supply and demand,and at the moment there is a glut of cheap Labour available,this keeps wages low and conditions as you describe kak,there are 2.5 million eu citizens resident in the uk just now,what do,es that tell you about conditions in their country of birth?things are going to get worse before they get better.

Edited December 31, 2019 by kingdong

[kingdong]

2 minutes ago, Bullie said:

The Brits are welcome to give up the pound in favour of the euro anytime. We Europeans will just wait until the currencies are on par before we will kindly suggest this - which should not take long.

Doomed ye are, doomed....

you,'re on a sinking ship,we,'re in a lifeboat,

[jacko45k]

15 hours ago, Leaver said:

Without relaxing the visa requirements, Thailand will struggle to attract the next generation of retirees / expats, who will seek a better visa deal elsewhere.

But we are talking of tourists, Expats are a separate entity and should be in the minority in the beer bars and nightclubs. Tourists don't have Visa problems. 

[thaibeachlovers]

On 12/31/2019 at 8:25 PM, Leaver said:

Also, in general, he left farang alone.

Thou jest assuredly. He sent his <deleted><deleted> purachai out to destroy the farang night scene, which was mission accomplished. They were not making money any more. It's never recovered.

Edited January 1, 2020 by thaibeachlovers

[Leaver]

22 hours ago, yogi100 said:

According to certain reports the gap between the rich and poor in the UK has been widening for some years.

 

We've now got in work benefits for the low paid.

Zero hour contracts which mean if there is no work there's no money.

And Food Banks where they dole out free food to the needy.

All new developments.

And the availability and the waiting times for medical services are getting longer.

And an acute housing shortage in a country with a much colder climate than Thailand. 

I agree.  The developed nations are really talking capitalism to the next level.  The divide between the rich and the poor is widening, but there has always been a middle class, albeit, shrinking in recent times.

 

However, my post focused on developing nations.  Those that are building a middle class will be a lot better for it in the years to come.

 

Those countries, such as Thailand, who seek to keep the status quo, with their ancient way of thinking, with fall behind. 

[somnumna]

The greed and strength of the Baht has destroyed a once vibrant nightlife. I doubt if theres any going back in the near future. All but the diehards and 2 week millionaires have fled IMHO. 

[Leaver]

12 hours ago, jacko45k said:

But we are talking of tourists, Expats are a separate entity and should be in the minority in the beer bars and nightclubs. Tourists don't have Visa problems. 

I agree, but my point being, Thailand is now losing western tourists, and expats.

[somnumna]

21 hours ago, Bullie said:

The Brits are welcome to give up the pound in favour of the euro anytime. We Europeans will just wait until the currencies are on par before we will kindly suggest this - which should not take long.

Doomed ye are, doomed....

Europe will implode in the next 5 years. They are weighed down by the loss of the UK and as we thrive, the silent voices of discontent will get stick their heads up as they realize the depths of the loss to the European project. More countries will attempt the same and a gradual erosion of Europe will continue