Holiday spots in southern Thailand face hard times after coronavirus outbreak

[webfact]

Holiday spots in southern Thailand face hard times after coronavirus outbreak

By Juarawee Kittisilpa

 

Chinese tourists pose on a beach at an island in Phang-Nga province, Thailand January 30, 2020. REUTERS/Juarawee Kittisilpa

 

PHANG NGA, Thailand (Reuters) - Thai tourist boat company "Love Andaman" is facing a bleak February after China banned all outbound group tours this week to try to contain the coronavirus outbreak.

 

China is Thailand's biggest source of foreign tourists, accounting for 28 percent of the 39.8 million visitors last year, and China's ban has left many in Thailand's tourism industry worried about their future.

 

"I’m a bit stressed out about this. Yesterday was the first time in over 10 years working as a tour guide where there was barely any tourists," said Amie Hemthanon, a "Love Andaman" guide said on Thursday.

 

"Because China closed down a few of its cities, we took a big hit, the (Chinese) tourists are gone and 100 percent cancellations going forward."

 

More than 8,100 people have been infected globally in the outbreak, mostly in China, with millions of Chinese on lockdown as the authorities rush to stem its spread.

 

Thailand itself has recorded 14 cases of coronavirus, all but one of them among Chinese people visiting Thailand.

 

Amie's company usually operates 21 to 30 boats on the Andaman Sea in the peak season, ferrying tourists out to spots on the coast of Phang Nga province and the island of Phuket.

 

On Thursday only one boat had been hired by a group of Chinese tourists.

 

"Chinese tourists are so important to our tourism industry. We hope that they could overcome these problems soon," Amie said.

 

The Tourism Authority of Thailand has said it expects 2 million fewer Chinese tourists this year than last year, when 11 million arrived.

 

Reduced travel from China could result in 50 billion baht ($1.52 billion) of lost tourism revenue, the Tourism Ministry estimates.

 

Traders at a popular market on Phuket said that almost 80% of Chinese tourists had disappeared since the coronavirus outbreak.

 

"But we don’t ban them, we welcome the tourists. We protect ourselves by wearing masks to cover the nose. But if they come here, we really welcome them here," Tanawan Menthongkam, a jewellery store vendor said.

 

(Writing by Panu Wongcha-um; Editing by Alison Williams)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-01-31

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[daveAustin]

Would you welcome them if they didn't bring any money?

[Matzzon]

I can see someone´s been in the cookie jar. ????

Or it can just be little bit too much of the traditional intake of the classical China Sichuan food Peking Duck.

[Deli]

No sympathy, greed and blindness controlled their business. That's the result.

[josephbloggs]

3 hours ago, daveAustin said:

Would you welcome them if they didn't bring any money?

Would any tour company, hotel, or even country be expected to welcome tourists for free? 

Of course with your cynicism you would no doubt allow any random stranger to stay in your house and eat your food for free, right?   Businesses should not exist for profit?

What a ridiculous comment.

[ChipButty]

I noticed last night driving by the markets in Rawai it was quiet on the road and no buses down the seafood market

[RotBenz8888]

And without the Corona virus, I bet it would be crowded with foreigners right?

[SoilSpoil]

27 minutes ago, Deli said:

No sympathy, greed and blindness controlled their business. That's the result.

Who are 'their' in your eleborate comment?

[sammieuk1]

Where has the hoards of rich Indians gone then I'm confused ????

[soalbundy]

1 minute ago, sammieuk1 said:

Where has the hoards of rich Indians gone then I'm confused ????

They're all out drinking with the hoards of Russians

[soalbundy]

You Thais put all your eggs in one basket, you should have looked after your Europeans better they put money into your purse for many many years and you started taking them for granted, they are discerning and don't like being ripped off.

[madmitch]

1 hour ago, ChipButty said:

I noticed last night driving by the markets in Rawai it was quiet on the road and no buses down the seafood market

And I got through Chalong Circle in the rush hour without much of a wait.

[madmitch]

 

5 hours ago, webfact said:

The Tourism Authority of Thailand has said it expects 2 million fewer Chinese tourists this year than last year, when 11 million arrived.

 

Reduced travel from China could result in 50 billion baht ($1.52 billion) of lost tourism revenue, the Tourism Ministry estimates.

That equates to THB25,000 per person. That's a bit less than the amount they normally quote for Chinese tourists expenditure!

 

What they haven't factored in is the number of Western tourists that will choose to take their holidays elsewhere. Normally plenty of late bookings from Europe in February and March. Will these potential tourists choose Asia this year?

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Amie's company usually operates 21 to 30 boats on the Andaman Sea in the peak season, ferrying tourists out to spots on the coast of Phang Nga province and the island of Phuket.

 

[30la]

Now what happens is what I call "the return of a mistake" TAT and the government who have always said that the lack of Europeans, Americans and other tourists is not a problem, we have the Chinese and the Indians ...

[Dukeleto]

1 hour ago, Deli said:

No sympathy, greed and blindness controlled their business. That's the result.

How so?

[Beggar]

"But we don’t ban them, we welcome the tourists. We protect ourselves by wearing masks to cover the nose." 

 

My goodness. They still don't know how to use masks... Dangerous for tourists that still travel there. 

[Pedrogaz]

Overall this will be a good thing. The business downturn will force some of the zombie companies that have poor cash flow out into bankruptcy, and force lenders to use more stringent criteria for new loans and extensions. IF it is done well the economy will emerge stringer and better placed for growth when the crisis is over. 

Sadly it is too much to ask that Mr Angry, the Photo OP clown of a PM, will do anything that will improve anything.

[neeray]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

China's ban has left many in Thailand's tourism industry worried about their future.

Maybe they should consider a class action suit on China who exported the virus.

China is good, very, very good at exporting things. They just proved it by exporting the Coronavirus to the world.

[SupermarineS6B]

More good news on its way........ 

 

[mikebell]

I'm lovin' it.  No tour buses in Pattaya; even the bandit police have given up on Rot Fai road.

[mauGR1]

On 1/31/2020 at 11:09 AM, neeray said:

Maybe they should consider a class action suit on China who exported the virus.

China is good, very, very good at exporting things. They just proved it by exporting the Coronavirus to the world.

Not having a go at you, but i really don't get why all this vitriol against China and the Chinese.

Aren't they humans too ?

[1FinickyOne]

On 1/31/2020 at 3:47 AM, daveAustin said:

Would you welcome them if they didn't bring any money?

why would any business welcome people w/o money? They are customers, not long lost Uncle Joe from Kokomo 

[Tropicalevo]

On 1/31/2020 at 7:07 AM, Deli said:

No sympathy, greed and blindness controlled their business. That's the result.

and of course that never happens at tourist destinations in other countries?

[Yadon Toploy]

1 hour ago, mikebell said:

I'm lovin' it.  No tour buses in Pattaya; even the bandit police have given up on Rot Fai road.

I'll drink to that.

 

I hope it forces those parasites into the poorhouse.

[ParkerN]

On 1/31/2020 at 7:07 AM, Deli said:

No sympathy, greed and blindness controlled their business. That's the result.

Yup. none from me either. This is what you get when you're venal and your only goal in life is to separate the tourist from his money. One day, the tourists stop coming. For whatever reason.

 

Then what you got Somchai? Same as you always had: nuffink. The only things that change are that the people you swindled start laughing and shaking their heads and you feel like a fool. Rightly. Som nam na.

[soalbundy]

On 1/31/2020 at 9:03 AM, 30la said:

Now what happens is what I call "the return of a mistake" TAT and the government who have always said that the lack of Europeans, Americans and other tourists is not a problem, we have the Chinese and the Indians ...

If those two green bottles should accidentally fall there'll be no green bottles sitting on the wall....

[daveAustin]

On 1/31/2020 at 12:21 AM, josephbloggs said:

Would any tour company, hotel, or even country be expected to welcome tourists for free? 

Of course with your cynicism you would no doubt allow any random stranger to stay in your house and eat your food for free, right?   Businesses should not exist for profit?

What a ridiculous comment.

Oh dear, guess my flippant comment on the blatant motives of the TAT was bound to rile up some numpty. Never mind. Go and have a beer.

[Brigand]

This will be good for Thailand as it will show them the folly of only chasing one type of tourist and having all eggs in one basket. Also, if they are savvy enough, they will see that if the Chinese want to they can turn off the tap of tourism money whenever they like as they have no problem with weaponizing tourism and they are close to check-mate now. I know that Thailand is heading straight on towards just becoming a province of China in practical terms but if the Thais want to keep on with their famous balancing act between others/opposites (as they have done before) and to continue with their neutrality then they need a wake up experience ... and this might be it as it's going to last for a bit. I hope it goes tits-up as it may help usher in a better Thailand afterwards and problem is that it will need to before the military Nazis can be gotten rid of.

[josephbloggs]

2 hours ago, daveAustin said:

Oh dear, guess my flippant comment on the blatant motives of the TAT was bound to rile up some numpty. Never mind. Go and have a beer.

So the TAT - the government body whose sole aim and purpose is to encourage tourism and the revenue that comes from it - to you has a "blatant" motive to do their job.  Well done Sherlock.

And you call it a "blatant motive" as if that is some evil thing you've seen through.  Guess what, it is the same blatant motive of every single tourism authority the world over.  Wake up.  Maybe a beer would help you too - just make sure it isn't a pint of bitter as I think you've got enough of that already.