Stronger pound, ruble hold promise for Pattaya tourism

[kingofthemountain]

4 hours ago, saengd said:

BOT issues bonds that represent the country's debt and it wants people to buy them, the main buyers are overseas buyers.

That was i was talking about

BOT can easily reduce the bonds (Thailand debt is not actually a critical deal like in some countries)

or at least reserve it to Thais buyers, like Japan did it.

It should be a good start imo, but they are already 6 months in late 

[Rimmer]

Off topic troll posts removed along with all the flames and bickering replies

[IvorBiggun2]

55 minutes ago, Rookiescot said:

The EU has not said Scotland would need to adopt the Euro.

Quote

What are the conditions for membership to the EU?

 

Quote

Any country that satisfies the conditions for membership can apply. These conditions are known as the 'Copenhagen criteria' and include a free-market economy, a stable democracy and the rule of law, and the acceptance of all EU legislation, including of the euro.Jul 22, 2019

Edited December 24, 2019 by IvorBiggun2

[Rookiescot]

2 minutes ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

 

 

In order to join the Euro you have to have your own currency first.

You will of course be aware the the UK was a member of the EU but does not use the Euro.

[IvorBiggun2]

59 minutes ago, Rookiescot said:

The Scots will have several options for currency after independence

You're dreamers.

 

Quote

Do new members of the EU have to join the euro?

 

Quote

All new EU members joining the bloc after the signing of the Maastricht treaty in 1992 are obliged to adopt the euro under the terms of their accession treaties.

https://www.gov.scot › Publications › 2013/11

[Leaver]

2 hours ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

Why will it be different other than we won't have to answer to Brussels?

Let's see.  How long have you got?  ????

 

You left out the last sentence of my post:

 

"Like I said, I keep and open mind, but nothing would surprise me anymore."

 

I simply don't believe it will be as plain sailing as many seem to think it will be. 

[spidermike007]

3 hours ago, BigC said:

So your saying  rich tourists wont come back became  expensive  whine was too expensive?

No. But that is just one reason. When wealthy tourists travel, they like to live well, and spend money. So, when they are staying in their $300 a night five star hotel, they want to drink good wine. A good single vineyard Pinot Noir from Sonoma County costs me about $50 in the US. If you can find that same bottle here, it is 5,500 baht plus VAT and service a five star hotel. So, add on 17%, without a tip. Wealthy people are discriminating, and do not spend their money foolishly. With some exceptions, but not wine at those kinds of markups, due to inane taxes. Same applies to luxury tax. A woman is not going to spend 450,000 baht on a handbag, that she can get for $4,500 at most of her other destinations. This stuff is real common sense. You keep prices fair, and people spend.

 

Tax revenue would double or triple, if they lowered the taxes, and Thailand would start attracting wealthy tourists. But my guess is that this philosophy flies right over the heads of the protectionist fools in charge. 

[Max69xl]

1 hour ago, Rookiescot said:

In order to join the Euro you have to have your own currency first.

You will of course be aware the the UK was a member of the EU but does not use the Euro.

UK is still a member of the EU. And there are other countries within the EU which still uses their own currency. 

[Max69xl]

1 minute ago, spidermike007 said:

No. But that is just one reason. When wealthy tourists travel, they like to live well, and spend money. So, when they are staying in their $300 a night five star hotel, they want to drink good wine. A good single vineyard Pinot Noir from Sonoma County costs me about $50 in the US. If you can find that same bottle here, it is 5,500 baht plus VAT and service a five star hotel. So, add on 17%, without a tip. Wealthy people are discriminating, and do not spend their money foolishly. With some exceptions, but not wine at those kinds of markups, due to inane taxes. Same applies to luxury tax. A woman is not going to spend 450,000 baht on a handbag, that she can get for $4,500 at most of her other destinations. This stuff is real common sense. You keep prices fair, and people spend.

 

Tax revenue would double or triple, if they lowered the taxes, and Thailand would start attracting wealthy tourists. But my guess is that this philosophy flies right over the heads of the protectionist fools in charge. 

If priceworthy nice whine is the most important thing while on holiday, then why come here? 

[spidermike007]

3 minutes ago, Max69xl said:

If priceworthy nice whine is the most important thing while on holiday, then why come here? 

Thank you your honor. I rest my case. You very succinctly made my point for me.

[Max69xl]

16 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Thank you your honor. I rest my case. You very succinctly made my point for me.

I don't think people come here for the whine even if it was cheaper.  But, if you like whine you can get priceworthy whine in many restaurants in Pattaya. Just go back 10 years and you couldn't find a nice bottle almost anywhere. 

[Rookiescot]

1 hour ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

You're dreamers.

 

 

https://www.gov.scot › Publications › 2013/11

Almost every country which achieved independence from the UK adopted its own currency. 

Can you list some reasons why Scotland is unique in that it lacks the ability to do that?

 

[saengd]

3 hours ago, overherebc said:

Is there a way to tie the £ to the tourist figures?

Do you mean the value of the Pound to Baht versus the number of British tourists who visit? I've never looked at that but I am sure there's a relationship, I would expect the volume to drop as the Pound weakened.

 

 

[BigC]

3 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

No. But that is just one reason. When wealthy tourists travel, they like to live well, and spend money. So, when they are staying in their $300 a night five star hotel, they want to drink good wine. A good single vineyard Pinot Noir from Sonoma County costs me about $50 in the US. If you can find that same bottle here, it is 5,500 baht plus VAT and service a five star hotel. So, add on 17%, without a tip. Wealthy people are discriminating, and do not spend their money foolishly. With some exceptions, but not wine at those kinds of markups, due to inane taxes. Same applies to luxury tax. A woman is not going to spend 450,000 baht on a handbag, that she can get for $4,500 at most of her other destinations. This stuff is real common sense. You keep prices fair, and people spend.

 

Tax revenue would double or triple, if they lowered the taxes, and Thailand would start attracting wealthy tourists. But my guess is that this philosophy flies right over the heads of the protectionist fools in charge. 

Rich tourists won't  care about the prices of whine specially  Chinese  they pay more as a show of face.

 

Thailand  has never really been a country  for the elite 

 

More for people  who want adventure  not for people who want to sit in hotels drinking  whine all day

 

The high inport taxes should  be revised.

 

Remember there are many different  kinds of rich  tourists 

 

Indians  spend nothing  if rich or poor

 

Thai high so tourisrs shall pay the extra to show their power

 

A Chinese shall pay more  for show of face

 

Europeans, have mang different classes of rich. 

 

Then again rich peolle can buy allot mote land and house for their money than in most European  countries.

 

 

If Thailand  wants to win back foreign income  it has to whoe back expats as they make up  allot of income  all year round 

 

For every  expat that leaves thats 1 house not rented

 

1 bike or car not rented

 

Many restaurants  bars massages gyms not being attended

 

Even 1 or 2 vehicles  no putting gasoline into their vehicles 

 

The list goes  on  but right down  to the small things

 

If expats leave in large  numbers  this  is having  a huge  efffect in the economy 

 

Allot of these expats have business  in the tourist  industry  

 

Less short tern tourists  less income

 

More crime

 

More scams

 

More angry people

 

Best way to win foreigners  back is with farer visa system. Specially  for those in family Visa supporting thai family

 

Possibly  making zones where forangs can own little  bit of land and house to boost the housing  market but also be very strict on those who try to abuse the system

 

 

 

[Mr Smithy]

Mmm - The £ is falling - the much hyped brexit bounce did not last long

[saengd]

45 minutes ago, Mr Smithy said:

Mmm - The £ is falling - the much hyped brexit bounce did not last long

https://www.fxstreet.com/news/gbp-usd-seen-higher-at-14000-by-end-2020-standard-chartered-201912240703

[Leaver]

10 minutes ago, saengd said:

https://www.fxstreet.com/news/gbp-usd-seen-higher-at-14000-by-end-2020-standard-chartered-201912240703

That's a projection for the end of 2020.

 

How many businesses here will have gone broke and closed in the next 12 months? 

[saengd]

29 minutes ago, Leaver said:

That's a projection for the end of 2020.

 

How many businesses here will have gone broke and closed in the next 12 months? 

What does the GBP/USD exchange rate have to do with businesses in Thailand going broke! Uk tourism to Thailand is hardly a make or break as far as the economy is concerned, even if Pattaya thinks it might be.

Edited December 24, 2019 by saengd

[saengd]

8 hours ago, SidJames said:

That will be nigh on impossible with the extreme import tarrifs imposed by the government on just about everything one would want or need.

 

Yep! They seem to be afraid of the competition that Johnny Foreigner might bring, it might introduce quality products and that would hurt local repeat business, we can't have that can we.

[Leaver]

On 12/24/2019 at 10:19 PM, saengd said:

What does the GBP/USD exchange rate have to do with businesses in Thailand going broke! Uk tourism to Thailand is hardly a make or break as far as the economy is concerned, even if Pattaya thinks it might be.

This is the Pattaya forum.  When I used the word "here" that meant Pattaya.

 

On 12/24/2019 at 10:19 PM, saengd said:

Uk tourism to Thailand is hardly a make or break as far as the economy is concerned,

I agree, but there would be some British themed establishments in Pattaya, and other parts of Thailand, that would be concerned, if they are not already.  

[Scot123]

On 12/24/2019 at 1:45 AM, Leaver said:

I keep an open mind about it.

 

I am not agreeing, or disagreeing.  I am only offering my opinion. and accept everyone else's. 

 

The fact is, no one really knows, for sure, how deep, and wide, the divide will be, post Brexit.  This is something only time will tell.

 

I do see Scotland as a problem for the UK.  It's quite ironic that as the UK voted to leave the EU, Scotland has basically voted to leave the UK.

 

Interesting times ahead, but one thing is for sure, the days of 70 baht to 1 GBP will not be coming back any time soon. 

Scotland did not vote to leave the UK! SNP surge was due to tactical voting Labour voters switched to SNP for this vote. Scotland had a referendum and voted REMAIN. Scotland is notor ever been a Tory strong hold. 90% of Scots I know are very much pro UK and anti SNP. 

[Scot123]

On 12/24/2019 at 10:39 AM, saengd said:

https://www.fxstreet.com/news/gbp-usd-seen-higher-at-14000-by-end-2020-standard-chartered-201912240703

Wow another remainer. Look at the £ and $ over the past 3 ~ 5 years. As for your smug remark again look at the history of the currency. However what never happened which was prodicted and screamed about was the crash which never happened. 

[metisdead]

A flaming post has been removed as well as a reply. 

[saengd]

1 hour ago, Scot123 said:

Wow another remainer. Look at the £ and $ over the past 3 ~ 5 years. As for your smug remark again look at the history of the currency. However what never happened which was prodicted and screamed about was the crash which never happened. 

Whatever are you talking about? I posted a link showing that the Pound is expected to increase in value next year and you seem to have gone off a cliff....get a grip man, get a grip!

[yogi100]

On 12/23/2019 at 8:55 AM, kingstonkid said:

I am confused everywhere I read Brits are going to Spain or Tenerife or places closer to home.  

 

Pattaya for the cost does not really offer much different.  Even if the pound were up I have a feeling Brits are still not going to want to blow their money flying to Pats.  The only ones that would do that are the old geezers with the big belies that have been doing it for years and it is their right of retirement to seek cheap booze and young ladies that will tell them that they look very hansum in a leo wifebeater that is too small and shorts with their beer gut hanging over the waist of the shorts.

It's the older fellows you mock who have the time and money to make the pilgrimage to Pattaya and it's they who keep the nightlife of Pattaya financially afloat. You'll see that if you've ever been there.

 

However fewer old boys are gonna come to Pattaya if they can't afford to enjoy themselves as much as they used to when they finally get there. Many punters won't even buy lady drinks nor tequila shots in the bars nowadays, let alone treat themselves to anything extra.

 

The price of booze going up is bad enough but the money the girls want does not warrant the price of the hotel, the flight and the possibly 24 hour journey getting from home to Pattaya. It's not just us British either.

 

These days you can't even be sure if they're gonna let you in if you're a regular visitor. My chum recently got accused of working in the Kingdom at the airport. He's a sixty year old retired plumber who rents out a couple of houses and flats he's bought over his lifetime. That's after his flying for 16 hours in two legs from Manchester.

 

The journey is a killer and gets more of daunting as you age. At some point blokes are just gonna say enough's enough 'cos it's no longer worth it.

 

That point may not be that far in the future the way that things are shaping. Because without money being spent the girls will go home and even more bars will close than we've seen in the last few years.

 

I'm there now and until last week I was flummoxed as to how some bars and cafes can continue to remain in business

 

A few weeks in December and January is not enough for an increasingly expensive nightlife centre to continue flourishing indefinitely. 

 

You'll see even more bars closing in a couple of months than we already have. They won't be needed, there'll be more Indians and Chinese needing cheap hotels instead.

[yogi100]

On 12/23/2019 at 9:31 AM, Captain 776 said:

EXACTLY......I am 67 lived here 15 yrs, travel extensively in my working career in Oil and Gas.........and NOT ONCE......did Exchange rate ever cross my mind when planning a trip ANYWHERE ....EVER~!!!

Lucky you!

[yogi100]

On 12/23/2019 at 11:29 AM, spidermike007 said:

Sorry to say, but the high spending tourists are lost for good. They WILL NOT come back to Thailand, for a dozen different reasons. And there are alot of things they could be doing, if they were capable of reflecting, admitting their gross errors, and correcting course. Start by lowering luxury taxes. And import duty on fine wine. You then give wealthy tourists a reason to come here. They like to spend money, but they do not like being taken for a ride, and charged stupid prices. 

 

I was recently with a group of friends, and we wanted to order a bottle of wine, at of one of those high end restaurants in the EmQuartier complex. It was Bella Rocca Restaurant. I asked about a 2011 Chianti they had on the list. I was told they were out of stock. I asked about a Barbaresco, at 2,600 baht. Again, out of stock. How about this Nebbiolo? Do you have the 2010, as stated on the list? No, we only have the 2015. OK, what is that wine like? Is it drinking well now? I do not know. Is there anyone here that is familiar with this wine list? No. Sorry sir. Wait a minute. You have well over 100 bottles on this list, ranging from 1200 baht to 10,000 baht per bottle, and NOBODY who works here knows anything about the wine? Are you serious? We all just looked at each other, and got up and walked out. We realized the restaurant was a pretender. And more than likely the food was marginal at best. It was all dressed up to look like a very nice Italian restaurant. But, it appeared to be only window dressing. High end tourists have little patience for that lack of quality and lack of service. 

 

But again, the lack of vision, combined with a naive, surly, silly, churlish, and ignorant sense of nationalism, bites the country in the butt. And again, who is the loser? The Thai people. 

The entire country is suffering from a declining tourism industry. And that will not change. It is a permanent declining trend. For a hundred valid reasons. As I stated previously:

 

I have a friend who recently stayed on Samui. He stayed at a resort that has 54 rooms. Normally, they are 100% booked, from about Dec. 20th, to about January 5th. This year, they only had 22 rooms filled. They are down to 60% occupancy for the peak season. Many resorts are experiencing similarly alarming numbers. These hotels counted on the government to support them, when they spend millions on their properties, and the government has let them down, once again. They continue to drop the ball, at every opportunity. The real solution is about encouraging tourists, and ex-pats, from countries that spend real money, to come here and visit. That message seems to have gotten lost, in the fervor to court the Chinese and Indian tourists, many of whom do not spend much money at all here. Though they spend alot of money worldwide, the middle class and wealthy amongst them do not visit Thailand. And if they do visit, they never return. Hotels, restaurants, gift shops, jewelers, galleries, spas, massage shops, bars, and countless other businesses suffer, and will continue to suffer from this extreme myopia, on the part of the officials in charge of tourism. Oh well. Can't say they were not warned. 

 

The neighbors are trying too hard, and making too much effort, and investing money. Thailand is not. Though this topic relates mostly to tourism, in a way it pertains to ex-pats living here too. Thailand is making no steps whatsoever, to improve upon itself. On alot of levels, it feels like it is either standing still, or more than likely going backwards. Frankly, the biggest draw at the moment is being close to my wife's family, the food, the relatively pleasant people. But, I dislike the government, and the level of ignorance being perpetrated by the fabulously inferior educational system here does not appear to bode well for the future of the place. I also despise the practice of face, and the staggering level of cowardice that accompanies that weak, pathetic quality. 

 

It is a real shame, as I find most Thai people to be quite lovely, friendly, warm, helpful and fun to be around. There are many aspects of life here, that I truly enjoy. I am sure many feel the same way. Just wish the country was not moving backwards, (and was instead moving forward under the leadership of progressive minds) due to a system of meritocracy, and a complete lack of forward looking vision. A nice dream indeed.

 

The Thai Army. Moving the country forward? I think not. More like "Moving Thailand backwards at an alarming pace".

 

Like yourself I like to pride myself in being something of a connoisseur of fine wine.

 

I used to appreciate a nice drop of red wine with with my take away chicken kebab or spag bol purchased from the various stalls in or near Soi Diana in Pattaya after the bars close at 3 am.

 

Until about 3 years ago I used to purchase 2 litre bottles of red wine from the wine and spirit department of Friendship Supermarket.

 

The one I used to go for was a very palatable fruit based Italian red wine that went for around 330 baht for the two litre bottle. OK I used to think, a bit expensive but what the heck I'm on holiday.

 

Unfortunately a fancy woman I was keeping company with at the time was also partial to red wine. A former Italian gentleman friend she'd consorted with had given her a taste for it so I had to hide mine in the wardrobe when she came to visit or she'd swig it down as if it was San Miguel Light.

 

But that's all in the past. That same wine is now approaching 600 baht so it's nigh on doubled in price so I refuse to buy it. And that lady friend went back to her village or another stamping ground at about the same time.

 

Putting aside her remarkable thirst she was a decent sort and apart from her nicking a nasal hair trimmer out of my dressing table drawer one time she was good value for money. (Till she upped her massage fee to 1500). So she's history just like my taste for decent wine. But two more reasons why I'm becoming disillusioned with Pattaya and Thailand in general.

 

I have now switched to white wine. Much more affordable at about 40 baht for a 700 ml bottle in 7/11 but alas Siam Sato is no match for that red wine of years ago that I used to enjoy from the wine department of Friendship Supermarket.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 26, 2019 by yogi100

[RoadWarrior371]

On 12/24/2019 at 5:50 PM, Leaver said:

That's a projection for the end of 2020.

 

How many businesses here will have gone broke and closed in the next 12 months? 

If just the British businesses catering to aging UK punters, who cares?  ????

[Tounge Thaied]

Thai officials set there karma in motion... time to reap what you have sown. Who put the military in charge again... Thailand, you might want to re-think who is running things. 

Edited December 26, 2019 by Tounge Thaied

[jacko45k]

2 hours ago, Tounge Thaied said:

Who put the military in charge again...

They sort of did it themselves......