Thai tourism: TAT turn to fortune teller for help

[webfact]

Thai tourism: TAT turn to fortune teller for help

 

 

The Tourism Authority of Thailand have turned to a fortune teller to help promote the country.

 

Dr Khatha Chinbanchorn is a tarot card forecaster and feng shui master.

 

He has been hired as a presenter for the TAT's "Positive Energy" tourism project. 

 

He is the man in the white pants in our picture from Spring News. 

 

Director of TAT marketing Wannapha Kiatpongsa said that the project celebrates the organization's 60th anniversary. 

 

It aims to focus on positive energy, environmental awareness, less trash and the gaining of merit. 

 

Dr Khatha - Tarot (Gipsy Cards) forecaster and Feng Shui master presents the project

 

One of the companies onboard is Big C who said that Dr Khatha had already taken 200 card members  on five trips to upcountry temples to make merit. Everybody had a wonderful time. 

 

Others partners in the project are Mono Group, Fortune hotels, PTG Energy and Air Asia. A launch of the project was held at Bangkok's Grand Mercure. 

 

Thaivisa notes that the hiring of a fortune teller will cause mirth in some circles after the TAT were accused of plucking forecasts and statistics from the ether.

 

Some people believe that problems on the ground are severe and drastic action is needed to help tourism in the kingdom as reports of a 20-40% downturn are being made. 

 

The TAT have claimed that tourism is up but perhaps not by as much as was hoped. 

 

Source: Spring News

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2019-12-18

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[petermik]

Dr Katha....he seems a nice boy

 

If it wasn,t published here you could never dream the c**p TAT comes up with

[StayinThailand2much]

Fair enough. The fortune teller's predictions will, probably, be more accurate than the numbers 'out of thin air', created by TAT bureaucrats...

[darksidedog]

If he is any good at his job, as in able to correctly predict the future, TAT probably won't like his predictions though and will have to just rely on the tried and tested fabrication of numbers.

[Misterwhisper]

Dr. Katha seems strangely surprised about the honor... when he should've seen it all coming.

[Denim]

Dr Katha , Elvis to his friends , needs to sort his wardrobe out.

[keith101]

Don't need a fortune teller the officials keep coming up with their own predictions almost every day it seems only problem they never come to fruition .

[ChipButty]

According to Airbnb occupancy rate in Phuket is down to 35%

According to Booking.com it is down to 30% 

This is serious stuff 

[Mister Fixit]

3 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

According to Airbnb occupancy rate in Phuket is down to 35%

According to Booking.com it is down to 30% 

This is serious stuff 

Pattaya down 40% last week, Samui down 30% this week and Phuket 30-35%.

 

Time to put the prices up!  

[ChipButty]

2 minutes ago, Mister Fixit said:

Pattaya down 40% last week, Samui down 30% this week and Phuket 30-35%.

 

Time to put the prices up!  

I will double them that'll fix it

[BobbyL]

Are we still living in the middle ages? 

[trainman34014]

58 minutes ago, BobbyL said:

Are we still living in the middle ages? 

We are not but they are !

[dotpoom]

The guys down at the local will be well pleased with me tonight when I bring them this latest news on tourism. You would love it...they're like little kids waiting on the edge of their seats in full anticipation of whatever latest news I might have for them concerning the latest tourism figures in Thailand.. . Then, after I have enlightened them.. we all get down to the "serious" business at hand.."gulping down as many pints as we can before closing time".

   It's not an easy life...but somebody has to do it.

[champers]

Seems to me that this is aimed at the domestic market ahead of an upcoming holiday period. So, NOT aimed at foreign tourists.

[yellowboat]

And they wonder why people do not want to go to Thailand anymore.  

[outsider]

There is desperation, and then there is the TAT! Everything is to blame, but themselves. Geez. What's next - everyone wears a super-powerful amulet to ward off negative energy and voila! a pile of money and a stack of gold will appear by the wearers' bedsides the next morning? And you lot complain about the cynicism and wonder why people don't take you seriously.

 

Actually, why the panic? Didn't the tourism boss already say tourism will pick up by seven percent during the new year period and that the Chinese are on their way back and in fact, their arrivals will double in a decade, or some <deleted> like that?

 

What a bunch of class-act muppets.

[soalbundy]

5 minutes ago, outsider said:

There is desperation, and then there is the TAT! Everything is to blame, but themselves. Geez. What's next - everyone wears a super-powerful amulet to ward off negative energy and voila! a pile of money and a stack of gold will appear by the wearers' bedsides the next morning? And you lot complain about the cynicism and wonder why people don't take you seriously.

 

Actually, why the panic? Didn't the tourism boss already say tourism will pick up by seven percent during the new year period and that the Chinese are on their way back and in fact, their arrivals will double in a decade, or some <deleted> like that?

 

What a bunch of class-act muppets.

you forgot about the Indians coming in droves

[smew]

TIT: this guy will not help you: solution is simpler: less scams and rip-offs, less garbage, baht is too strong, less fake smiles... cleaner water and beaches …. 

[spiekerjozef]

All problems are solved now

[Naturesway]

Oh man I can’t believe this is true, I thought these officials understanding of this and it’s consequences are a bit higher level than it shows now, but I was wrong about it. 

[Sticky Wicket]

4 hours ago, Ron jeremy said:

He looks as queer as a $3 bill.

so do most of the other 'blokes' in the lineup!

[Emdog]

Close but no ceegar. Should have hired a pundit from TV: a "misfortune teller"

[Hamster007]

4 hours ago, ChipButty said:

I will double them that'll fix it

I see a big future in Thailand for you, excellent math, double the price and you only need half the customers so no need to panic 555.

[sydneyjed]

Like Thai Airways in a state of denial and when the crash comes it will be too late!

[natway09]

So many things I love about living in Thailand but this

has to be about the most studid one

[mauGR1]

37 minutes ago, outsider said:

There is desperation, and then there is the TAT! Everything is to blame, but themselves. Geez.

Personally, having studied a bit of "Feng Shui", i think there is something into it.

Possibly, some "fortune teller" is not a complete fraud.

Yet, i have to agree that this sounds completely desperate.

[sammieuk1]

This must work here when I check out a bottle of wine it costs a fortune says the teller ????

[Gimino]

Ending the dual pricing at various tourist attractions (Thai price v. Faran price) would go a long way

to please tourists. Dual pricing is an insult, pure and simple and discourages many from visiting various

tourist attractions.

[RichardColeman]

Certianly a long road travelled since he appeared in the Goonies

[Ireland32]

Here i thought they used Exclusively