Fresh ideas to shore up stalled Thai tourism

By THE NATION

 

 

Thai tourism numbers are forecast to increase this year at the same rate as in 2019, with the sector’s lingering shortcomings offset by government pushes for sports tourism, street-food promotions and homestays.

 

This year should see 41.8 million foreigners visit Thailand, the government believes, bringing with them a combined Bt2.2 trillion to spend.

 

People involved in the sector are predicting a 4-per-cent rise in Thai tourism, the same as in 2019, due mainly to intense competition from abroad and the baht’s comparatively high value against the dollar and other currencies.

 

Kuala Lumpur is this year rolling out a “Visit Truly Asia Malaysia 2020” campaign and will unveil new tourist attractions 20th Century Fox World and Pangkor Island. Japan will be siphoning off tourism money with the Summer Olympics.

 

Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports wants to lure foreigners with more world-class sport tournaments and other events.

 

It will sponsor international MotoGP events and more trail running in scenic locales, and will launch 60th-anniversary campaigns for both Thai Airways and the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

 

The government will put more focus on grassroots tourism with Thailand Street Food Festivals in Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Chonburi, Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen and Phuket and expansion of the home lodging trade keyed to “free independent travel” (FIT) tourists.

 

The Department of Tourism will collaborate with small-scale entrepreneurs and local communities in all four regions to open 600 homestays this year, hoping to accommodate 10,000 tourists.

 

Artificial intelligence (AI) will play a larger role in analysing tourism data so that services can be geared to individual and group needs.

 

Facial recognition technology will also be increasingly in use at airports.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30380099

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-01-03

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

 

3 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

Artificial intelligence (AI) will play a larger role in analysing tourism data so that services can be geared to individual and group needs.

Edited January 3, 20206 yr by NCC1701A

Hmm, they have a funny way of promoting Thailand's streetfood.  Oops!

Tourism bounced back already! They were only just telling us it was down. Fair play. They'll have to sort out the Middle East next. 

35 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

street-food promotions and homestays

Both of which have been the target of crackdowns recently.

 

A volte face followed by a 360 and an about turn and before you know it they have lost all their sense of direction , which they didn't have much of in the first place.

59 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

Facial recognition technology will also be increasingly in use at airports.

Umh yes, well, that should bring them flocking in!

Firchrissake, how many shades of lipstick are they gonna try on this pig? Police - do your jobs so tourists feel safe. Gubmint - lower the strength of the baht. The really really rich will still be rich but the street level vendors and hotel operators will get some, too.

they became to wealthy with too many smart phones so dont need tourists any more ..they can survive alone on credit cards which they dont pay back

I always roll my eyes with these stories.

 

'Tourist numbers at record high's'

"Thailand welcomes 39 million tourists'

'Pattaya Dead'

'Phuket hotels at record low occupancy in 3 decades' 

 

Who knows what the real story is.

 

But maybe the penny is beginning to drop that they maybe have, if not killed the Golden Goose, with the their scams, over charging, pollution, the list goes on, severely wounded that goose.

 

And perhaps they have figured out that there is actually competition for the Asian tourist market, and others may be winning!

When will they realise that they are loosing the tourist market to other destinations in Asia, the reason tourists are not welcome in Thailand, and the strong Baht is driving away tourists were other destinations give better value for money. 

I have not been back in about a dozen years.  Seems to me that it's lost much of its charm for reasons mentioned above and more.  It was cool when I lived and worked there for 3.5 years (1977-1980). 

11 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

This year should see 41.8 million foreigners visit Thailand, the government believes, bringing with them a combined Bt2.2 trillion to spend.

Dream on! Dream BIG! Spew out any numbers you want. It won't make it happen!

Just imagine all the blame-somebody-else excuses that we will be reading about right here on this forum come 10 to 12 months from now.

Almost every other report says DOWN, now this fresh one projects UP.

11 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The Department of Tourism will collaborate with small-scale entrepreneurs and local communities in all four regions to open 600 homestays this year, hoping to accommodate 10,000 tourists.

Yeah, right. This bright idea is really going to assist the struggling hotel industry.

About all it will open is a "new can of worms".

11 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

will launch 60th-anniversary campaigns for both Thai Airways and the Tourism Authority of Thailand

Should be  demolishing both of these useless groups

So street food is back? Thinking it was just banned recently !

6 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

I always roll my eyes with these stories.

 

'Tourist numbers at record high's'

"Thailand welcomes 39 million tourists'

'Pattaya Dead'

'Phuket hotels at record low occupancy in 3 decades' 

 

Who knows what the real story is.

 

But maybe the penny is beginning to drop that they maybe have, if not killed the Golden Goose, with the their scams, over charging, pollution, the list goes on, severely wounded that goose.

 

And perhaps they have figured out that there is actually competition for the Asian tourist market, and others may be winning!

Agree with you so much BS on a daily basis, but you know the local government depts can NEVER lose face. Maybe each of us has to judge the situation. I can tell you in Chiang Mai currently its rare to see fleets of buses with Chinese, the Mecure hotel that caters mainly for Chinese is a ghost house. Around the CBD I never see the small groups of European type tourists anymore. Major shopping centres are also empty. I like it, not having to put up with bad behavior habits of these travelers.

Good to see they are giving Artificial Intelligence a go ! The human kind isn't doing too well.  

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Artificial intelligence (AI) will play a larger role in analysing tourism data

Aah, the TAT will make its move from fictitious to artificial numbers. Blame the robot!

I was watching YouTube ,  I could not beleive the negative videos on Thailand, all the popular bloggers etc saying stay the <deleted> away.

dont come here anymore.

this has got to be hurting tourism.

Thailand's loss, Philippines gain

Philippines welcomes its 8-millionth foreign tourist

49 minutes ago, jaiyen said:

Good to see they are giving Artificial Intelligence a go ! The human kind isn't doing too well.  

No the Human intelligence went the way of the Dodo, however you must understand it is these same humans that are programming the AI, so do not expect too much difference 

If they want the numbers up they should relax the ban on street food. Tourists want to see the real think not the disneyland versions at those festivals. And also get a regulatory framework that allows Airbnb, - a homestay for mass tourists - which would also help keep accommodation prices down. 

 

 

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports wants to lure foreigners with more world-class sport tournaments and other events.

Seems the customers do not want that.  Never heard anyone say: "Let's go to Thailand to see a badminton tournament".  If they would have just allowed Thailand to remain as is, it would be better off.   Vietnam has good fun that is not expensive.  cha cha has done wonders for Vietnamese tourism. 

We went to Khao Sok last week and were not really surprised we had to pay 6 times the local price. Not very welcoming, but we knew it upfront.

 

What did surprise us, is that we had to pay a 20 baht Tessaban (whatever that is) surcharge on top of the 300 baht park fee. We were not only being double prived, but also double ripped off.

 

Thailands main tourist spots are infested with corruption?

 

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports wants to lure foreigners with more world-class sport tournaments and other events.

Collins sums it up nicely.

1. VERB

To lure someone means to trick them into a particular place or to trick them into doing something that they should not do.

8 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

I always roll my eyes with these stories.

 

'Tourist numbers at record high's'

"Thailand welcomes 39 million tourists'

'Pattaya Dead'

'Phuket hotels at record low occupancy in 3 decades' 

 

Who knows what the real story is.

 

But maybe the penny is beginning to drop that they maybe have, if not killed the Golden Goose, with the their scams, over charging, pollution, the list goes on, severely wounded that goose.

 

And perhaps they have figured out that there is actually competition for the Asian tourist market, and others may be winning!

The goose is long, loong gone by now. Seems to me what they’re attempting now is to create some sort of expo of how amazing that goose use to be. All just my opinion off course. 

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports wants to lure foreigners with more world-class sport tournaments and other events.

 

Yes, world class topsporters love polluted air, noise and dangerous roads! ????

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Artificial intelligence (AI) will play a larger role in analysing tourism data so that services can be geared to individual and group needs.

And sorely needed in lieu of natural intelligence within the rows of TAT and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the latter now pushing for - lo and behold! - sports tourism, according to the article.

7 hours ago, Damrongsak said:

I have not been back in about a dozen years.  Seems to me that it's lost much of its charm for reasons mentioned above and more.  It was cool when I lived and worked there for 3.5 years (1977-1980). 

That's when it started going bad, after 1980.

What the hell did you do?????

2 hours ago, Ketyo said:

If they want the numbers up they should relax the ban on street food. Tourists want to see the real think not the disneyland versions at those festivals. And also get a regulatory framework that allows Airbnb, - a homestay for mass tourists - which would also help keep accommodation prices down. 

 

 

People surely don't fly thousands of miles just to sit in the street eating second rate muck fried in dirty palm oil with rats and roaches running about.