Stronger pound, ruble hold promise for Pattaya tourism

[BigC]

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".

 

I dunno there seems to be large volume  of expats  with money in soi nana still

[Leaver]

On 12/26/2019 at 10:41 PM, Scot123 said:

90% of Scots I know are very much pro UK and anti SNP. 

Out of the 90% Scot that you know, what's the percentage of Leave v Remain? ????

[Leaver]

On 12/27/2019 at 4:20 AM, RoadWarrior371 said:

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

I suppose you can add UK tourists to the list also.  ????

[nauseus]

On 12/27/2019 at 10:22 AM, BigC said:

I dunno there seems to be large volume  of expats  with money in soi nana still

Christmas shopping.

[Leaver]

On 12/29/2019 at 2:42 PM, nauseus said:

Christmas shopping.

Many only window shopping as well.  ????

Edited December 31, 2019 by Leaver

[nauseus]

4 hours ago, Leaver said:

Many only window shopping as well.  ????

Getting more like Amsterdam used to be.

[Leaver]

22 hours ago, nauseus said:

Getting more like Amsterdam used to be.

Eye candy, with eye watering prices.  ????