36 minutes ago, barnsleyman said:

Now they are finding out that more tourists from India doesn't mean more money being spent, because they only spend little money.

Solution is:- devalue the strong Baht to 55-60 Baht to the UK pound, and the equivalent to the Dollar,and Euro, and then the Western Tourists will come back.

That,d be too easy,mind you simple arithmetic never was one of tats  strong points.

Perhaps if the Thai police stopped targeting tourists to extract cash from them more would come.It is disgraceful in places like Pattaya, where the tourist is viewed purely as prey ????

7 minutes ago, oyster said:

Absolutely true unfortunately, wanted your money; not you- just your money. Short time, as much as possible; Long time 400,000 to 800,000 on permanent deposit plus plus, then there are all the mothers and family telling her to get rid of that one we've had all his cash, marry up and this time get a super rich one. Bar girls are more honest, you pay for what you get, but it' a one time deal and they have the decency to smile and say thank you. OH Thailand greed is destroying you.... and the latest? they want to build a road bridge to Samui to enable lots more tourists. The island cannot handle what it already has; so many hotels, villas etc they are down to 40% in the busy season; greed on an industrial scale aka how to destroy paradise in 15 years.

What happened to the proposed international airport in samui?

 Who in their right mind would want to fly from Latin America,considering the  time it must take, to this dump..

Possibly true.

Then they get home and do the sums, and say,

"Never Again ".

18 hours ago, BestB said:

No they do not, they just get over charged and ripped off easier than the repeat ones ????

Current Thai  government still does now understand business at all.  You do not chose your customers, they choose you.    The Problem lies in the elitist attitude of the Thais in these Positions of power.  The junta killed second home of many farangs who worked in other countries.  Many restaurant owners lost many of their regular customers.   Those are your bread and butter.  You cannot run a sustainable businesses gouging people.     

"Fool me once, shame on you..." Yeah, but we got some money

"Fool me twice... ain't gonna happen" Why no money now?

"Targeting" (could they have chosen a better word?) first timers is bound to fail, like a pyramid scheme in a way. Sooner or later the pool of potential first timers runs out. And shrinks faster as reports from other first timers float about social media.

Enough to make you weep, if you have any tears left over from previous idiocies

16 hours ago, Misterwhisper said:

And there we have it again, ladies and gentlemen. Repeat business is neither wanted nor appreciated in the Land of Fake Smiles. It's typical Thai economics: Milk your customers TODAY for all they're worth and don't worry about whether they might come back again tomorrow or not. It's such an incomprehensible, short-sighted attitude that it makes me scream.

yes...and don't forget: this latest c.r.a.p. comes from TAT themselves (again) = a most esteemed, professional organisation with a dear love for figures and constant "change mind" attitude

18 hours ago, ThaiFelix said:

Hahaha this reminds me of my situation here in a small village in Isaan.  I'm told I am disliked by most of the locals here because I have been here too long and therefore quite knowledgeable of the tricks/scams etc the Thai wives pull on their farang husbands.

 

This horrifies me because its an indication that most of the villages support/condone such  thievery!

Of course they do... Thais can rob a farang all day long and others Thais will remain silent.. its a disgrace really. 

There is a fatal flaw in their argument in that you need an advertising budget to entice first time visitors. Once you take that budget into consideration you probably gain more from the repeat visitor . This looks like a justification for a new advertising scheme.

18 hours ago, HeyHeyHey said:

Easier to scam and not aware of true costs

 

Repeat visitors or expats won't buy that lovely suit on behalf of tuk tuk driver recommendation

 

 

Hey come on be fair, he’s only charged you 20 baht for the privilege of being tipped off

It is assumed that they spend more because they are less aware and more vulnerable to scams and over priced items. Now, people do the research before travelling and they are reasonably well informed when they arrive. Do the pollsters think that first time visitors are not aware of the double pricing system currently used or the scams with taxis and others?? I'd like to see the data they used to based their assumption.

I want a gold plated Rolls Royce

18 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Can't we have a story that Thailand wants more expats because they buy more Leo or something like that? more upbeat news

It already was sugar coated ????

Another great joke of the week ... If they would look after their base falangs the rest automatically come... They have gone to far with greed this time

Here is a novel idea.  Take care of the tourists and expatriates you already have who contribute to your economy rather than just focusing on how you can best fleece new tourists.  Take care of the environment, police the roads, reduce the scams and overpricing, and people will come and revisit and stay and spend.

More distorted logic. Once bitten twice shy

This just goes to show how little the Thai government cares about so many Thai people. Only thinking about tourist dollars.  Expats so often support Thai wives or families and greatly improve their quality of life, pay for better schools for their children etc. 

19 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand will try to ease the pressure on tourism from a surging currency by targeting more first-time visitors because they are bigger spenders.

Forgive me if I am wrong, but isn't the problem self replicating ? More tourists, more demand for baht, higher baht

16 hours ago, Thian said:

I don't care what thailand likes, myself i like a warm country where me and my thai wife can enjoy the good things of life and that's not in Thailand..

 

So we'll move to a better place and spend our money there, buy a house with a pool in clean air with polite people around us..byebye Thailand...this was the the rudest thing i ever read from a holiday destination. I'm making a plan to leave from now on..

So the TAT wants more tourists and that's enough to make you leave? Well done TAT! And bye bye. Bet you're still here in a year's time whinging and moaning about how much you hate it. 

19 hours ago, ThaiFelix said:

Hahaha this reminds me of my situation here in a small village in Isaan.  I'm told I am disliked by most of the locals here because I have been here too long and therefore quite knowledgeable of the tricks/scams etc the Thai wives pull on their farang husbands.

 

This horrifies me because its an indication that most of the villages support/condone such  thievery!

Yes of course that's why you're hated in your village, you just keep telling yourself that. 

Well if they keep heading in the direction they have been on since 2014

they may get their wish....

Because it seems there are less & less return visitors once they

experience the current Thailand as they book elsewhere next year

Thailand Wants More First-Time Visitors as They Spend More.

 

NOT...While you keep on burning all the bridges.

What really any visitor will spend money however no one will come and spend unless real major changes are made. Remember people talk about their experiences have a good experiences get good report poor experience well you get it  

Boy, someone needs to take business classes.  The cost of acquiring a new customer is vastly higher than retaining an existing one.  They might also want to talk to the Netherlands about their tourism strategy now to get people to go outside Amsterdam.

 

But, I do find the statement quite odd.  My first visit was with a backpack for long-term travel on a budget of 500B per day.  Later years it came closer to $500/day.  Now somewhere in the middle...

17 hours ago, Misterwhisper said:

And there we have it again, ladies and gentlemen. Repeat business is neither wanted nor appreciated in the Land of Fake Smiles. It's typical Thai economics: Milk your customers TODAY for all they're worth and don't worry about whether they might come back again tomorrow or not. It's such an incomprehensible, short-sighted attitude that it makes me scream.

It has nothing to do with milking. See my comment above yours. The first timers visit all the expensive places with high entrance fees but don't do it again when they come back.

19 hours ago, worgeordie said:

It all starts when they leave the airport and get in a Taxi,

and just continues from there, Thailand needs more fresh meat.

regards worgeordie

 

It begins before they leave the airport, with long queues and sullen immigration officers. And it goes downhill from there. The ball has been gathering moss on the internet, and so many negative reports of Thailand are now taking their toll. Add that many things are now cheaper in Europe and the USA than Thailand, so why on earth would people want to come? I wonder if the government noticed that a European carrier, Norwegian Air, took the decision to end flights to Thailand just as the so-called high season was to begin. That shouts volumes and shows just how bad things are.

19 hours ago, ThaiFelix said:

Hahaha this reminds me of my situation here in a small village in Isaan.  I'm told I am disliked by most of the locals here because I have been here too long and therefore quite knowledgeable of the tricks/scams etc the Thai wives pull on their farang husbands.

 

This horrifies me because its an indication that most of the villages support/condone such  thievery!

Correct! Yes, the truth is that the entire village/town is in on it!  They act so friendly and say "you are so handsome-man."  All the while knowing that your Thai lady is working on getting a big new house, a Toyota Fortuna, and setting everything up for her and her family to live the high-life after you have run out of money and left or died.   ...  The truth is that 'New Arrival Tourists' don't know about the monetary burden of all the sick water buffalo up-country that desperately needs surgery!  

Overrated baht, more and more pollution in air and sea, immigration more and more unpleasant... Let's bet more and more tourists will only come once !
Good job, TAT !

Note to Thailand.

Word of mouth is where you will get the most first timers. Treat all tourists fairly and you will get more first timers. Thailand once had that favourable word of mouth but not anymore.

Right now, Vietnam and Cambodia are getting that favorable word of mouth. They are treating all tourist fairly and now word is spreading around the world. They are getting the first timers.