Coronavirus: Thai tourism ministry admits Chinese tourism now down 80% - losses in the billions

[Steve Vincent]

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/feb/02/coronavirus-deaths-hong-kong-health-workers-to-strike-china-border-?CMP=share_btn_link
 

time Thailand woke up and smelled the coffee ‘ simple solution stop Chinese visitors traveling into the country. Lives more important than money 

[Isaan sailor]

So they won’t stop Chinese tourists from coming?  Unbelievable Thailand.

[yellowboat]

7 hours ago, Gweiloman said:

Not to worry. According to some posters, the Chinese tourists are only one step above western backpackers and don’t spend any money here. So the ‘real’ loss is not 9.1 billion but 9,100 baht (drop in sales of mama noodles from 7/11. 

The Guardian came out with a study that showed backpackers ate more local food, bought more locally made garments, slept in more locally owned hotels and stayed longer which was better for the Thai economy.  

 

When you think about it it makes sense.  Some youngster saves up US$2000 or more and decides to spend two or months in Thailand.  He / she spreads the love evenly between the south to the north.  Your will heeled crowd are not into that, just spending a few days here and there at high end hotels.  Thailand's loss not welcoming those young flash packers.  

[Sydebolle]

Good riddance, I am appalled how Thais were pussyfooting around their red brethren from the North. Not spending any money, loud crowds of uneducated elbowing unpleasant nerds ........

Financially questionable. Maybe the tourism gurus should do some homework and find out, if it was such a good idea to bash on Farang Alien all the time, scrwe them with visas to no end and not getting rid of all those touts, illegal taxis, legal taxis hitting Grab cabbies, overcharging from early mornings to late evenings and the entire service level going down in line with the price increases they kept on applying. 

[JustAnotherHun]

4 hours ago, miamiman123 said:

Watch the Thai baht drop like a rock now

A stone? Really? Then it must be a pumice ????

[ParkerN]

1 hour ago, Number 6 said:

 

I hope that this is just stating of fact and not whinging because as reported by Thai media hotel owners are making the Chinese sleep in the streets despite a booking. Restaurants are hanging rude signs demanding Chinese eat elsewhere.

 

Thai seem quite ok with it.

 

Perhaps they couldn't speak Thai to the level expected by their waiters... beats trying to write a notice in Chinese if you no spikka da lingo...

 

 

[Straight8]

5 hours ago, HeyHeyHey said:

THB going up again against most currencies

well that makes sense!!

[dallen52]

9 hours ago, Gweiloman said:

Not to worry. According to some posters, the Chinese tourists are only one step above western backpackers and don’t spend any money here. So the ‘real’ loss is not 9.1 billion but 9,100 baht (drop in sales of mama noodles from 7/11. 

We don't see it as spending on the streets, but sure as anything I've seen the Chinese spending on duty free at the airport. BIG.

Cognac, whiskey, smokes, high end fashion stuff.

So Mr. King Power is really taking the big hit...

No wonder the government is squealing...

[Traubert]

6 minutes ago, AndrewMciver said:

 

Get yourself back on tripadvisor Thai forums and keep sprouting that nonsense to niave tourists. 

 

 

Touched a nerve did he? ????

 

It's the sprouts you know......????

[Traubert]

3 minutes ago, dallen52 said:

We don't see it as spending on the streets, but sure as anything I've seen the Chinese spending on duty free at the airport. BIG.

Cognac, whiskey, smokes, high end fashion stuff.

So Mr. King Power is really taking the big hit...

No wonder the government is squealing...

Can you tell that Leaver bloke that please?

 

In fact don't bother wasting your time. He's a 'four Indians and a straw' type.

[dallen52]

8 hours ago, Peterbilt said:

Wow, those good news just continue to come. ????

Somm namm nah Thailand! ????

You focused only on Chinese (and Indians), now its "check bin" time.
I really wish that the tourism industry in Thailand finally gets the lesson it so well deserves.

 

I don't understand why the esteemed Indians are not stepping up and doing their bit spending wise.?

 

They are second preference to the Chinese, are they not?

[Gweiloman]

6 minutes ago, dallen52 said:

I don't understand why the esteemed Indians are not stepping up and doing their bit spending wise.?

 

They are second preference to the Chinese, are they not?

High season for the Indian market is traditionally Mar - May. So it’s quite touch and go for Thailand at the moment. 

[adammike]

4 minutes ago, Gweiloman said:

High season for the Indian market is traditionally Mar - May. So it’s quite touch and go for Thailand at the moment. 

And June and into July surprisingly it's cooler in Thailand than India before the monsoon,Delih gets well over 40c.

[dallen52]

3 hours ago, ParkerN said:

Dream on. Half the folk round my neck of the woods don't even know who Prayuth is as they trundle along to the fields to burn some more sugar cane.

 

 

My lady is of the same opinion. 

Not like, she says.

About every one in her village has similar opinions. 

They certainly don't buy a newspaper, and hardly any have the tv on at 6pm and 8pm.

 

Oh she did say today that Thailand has found a cure for coronavirus...????

Obviously they get different news than we do...

 

Power to the people...????

[fforest1]

30 minutes ago, dallen52 said:

We don't see it as spending on the streets, but sure as anything I've seen the Chinese spending on duty free at the airport. BIG.

Cognac, whiskey, smokes, high end fashion stuff.

So Mr. King Power is really taking the big hit...

No wonder the government is squealing...

Squealing like a pig ?......

[gearbox]

21 minutes ago, dallen52 said:

I don't understand why the esteemed Indians are not stepping up and doing their bit spending wise.?

 

They are second preference to the Chinese, are they not?

Where did you get that from? I had friends from Sydney with me last week, and nobody mentioned any preferential treatment for anyone when they arrived. Do the Chinese or Indians get any preferential treatment at the airport or somewhere else? Any signs "Chinese first, Indians second etc?"

[fforest1]

17 minutes ago, Gweiloman said:

High season for the Indian market is traditionally Mar - May. So it’s quite touch and go for Thailand at the moment. 

And why would anyone in their right mind come to Thailand in April or May the 2 crappiest months of the year except for Songkran nuts......

[gearbox]

2 hours ago, Burma Man said:

In Myanmar these Chinese tourist are called ZERO BUDGET TOURISTS coz they don't bring any money . All Inclusive trips paid already in China.

Surprise surprise. Usually all inclusive trips are paid in advance in the originating country. If I book an all inclusive trip to Fiji in Australia I would pay it in Australia too. That doesn't mean the Fijians won't see a cent of my money.

[hobz]

Health experts in Sweden warn swedish people against travelling to Thailand. I bet many health experts around the world do the same. 

 

I wonder if Thailand would have been smarter to stop all flights from china as soon as possible. Maybe then they would at least have got the Western tourists and internal tourists. Thais are staying at home too. That puts a dent into the economy as well. 

 

[Yadon Toploy]

3 hours ago, mrfill said:

Visa regulations are often done on a reciprocal basis e.g. you can get a visa exempt entry to the US and they can get the same entering UK. So, if you want this and that for your visa to Thailand, then allow Thai citizens 30 days visa exempt entry, because it sure isn't like that now. Do as you would be done by.

Won't work as there's an economic disparity between the two countries.

 

If you want reciprocal let us own land, businesses, get PR, become citizens through marriage etc first then we'll talk.

 

Never gonna happen is it?

 

Let them suck it up.

 

Bosh.

[Why Me]

Late night last night Suvarnabhumi was a ghost town. There were actually immigration counters without a line. Zero, nada, the officer was playing on his phone when I waltzed straight up. Landed at 1am, was home 1:40.

 

TAT may complain, I won't.

 

[gearbox]

2 hours ago, yellowboat said:

The Guardian came out with a study that showed backpackers ate more local food, bought more locally made garments, slept in more locally owned hotels and stayed longer which was better for the Thai economy.  

 

When you think about it it makes sense.  Some youngster saves up US$2000 or more and decides to spend two or months in Thailand.  He / she spreads the love evenly between the south to the north.  Your will heeled crowd are not into that, just spending a few days here and there at high end hotels.  Thailand's loss not welcoming those young flash packers.  

I was last week at Koh Phangan, it was full with backpackers. I didn't get any impression they are not welcomed. Again these were real tourists, not people living and working on tourist visas.

 

An young backpacker couple was having a dinner at the Thon Sala market across me. 1 big Singha 1 fried rice shared between them 130 baht. A Chinese couple in Samui's mid range restaurants spends roughly 10 times more. Easy to see why Samui restaurants would prefer Chinese. But there is a place for everyone, my spending itself is certainly on the backpackers side.

 

 

[Yadon Toploy]

32 minutes ago, gearbox said:

Where did you get that from? I had friends from Sydney with me last week, and nobody mentioned any preferential treatment for anyone when they arrived. Do the Chinese or Indians get any preferential treatment at the airport or somewhere else? Any signs "Chinese first, Indians second etc?"

They do get preferential treatment as there are Chinese only immigration lanes at BKK Airport.

[gearbox]

4 minutes ago, Why Me said:

Late night last night Suvarnabhumi was a ghost town. There were actually immigration counters without a line. Zero, nada, the officer was playing on his phone when I waltzed straight up. Landed at 1am, was home 1:40.

 

TAT may complain, I won't.

 

I sent friends back at the Samui airport twice in the last few days, no queues at the check-in counters, very few people around.

[elliss]

8 hours ago, DoctorG said:

Russia plans to deport any foreigner found to have the virus. Exactly how they will get an airline to take them has not been detailed.

 

Send them to Thailand .

Good for visitor numbers ..

 

 

Edited February 4, 2020 by elliss

[Soikhaonoiken]

Stop crying Thailand, other Countries are facing the same problems with there GDP being affected, but other Countries are making an effort to control this virus, but NO Thailand is still letting Chinese citizens to move freely. 

[gearbox]

1 hour ago, Yadon Toploy said:

They do get preferential treatment as there are Chinese only immigration lanes at BKK Airport.

 

This is probably because the Chinese are on VOA and eVisa, which are slower to process. Most westerners are allowed visa exempt. Are you happy to swap your visa exempt entry with VOA/eVisa and get a dedicated line?  

[Traubert]

22 minutes ago, Soikhaonoiken said:

Stop crying Thailand, other Countries are facing the same problems with there GDP being affected, but other Countries are making an effort to control this virus, but NO Thailand is still letting Chinese citizens to move freely. 

Yeah! Tie 'em up on arrival!! ????

[HHTel]

4 hours ago, kingstonkid said:

If SARS is anything to go by then tourism around the world is going to be down.  People get afraid to go to new areas because they do not want to be in crowds.

SARS hit global tourism worldwide during 2003. SARS lasted around 5 months.  Come 2004, tourism bounced back with a vengeance. 

Tourism is likely to be hit harder this time for a number of reasons:

 

Many more people travel today than during the SARS outbreak, especially in and out of China.

Although much less serious than SARS, it is expected to last longer.

The media, especially social media is breeding hysteria leading people to think it's worse than it is.

 

On the other hand, 'Flu has caused the death of 4,800 people in the last month alone. That is in spite of having a vaccine (ok, not a perfect match vaccine but quite effective).  With up to 600,000 'flu deaths per year, I don't see any measures to prevent anyone from flying 'with a dose of 'flu). More than 90% of infections and deaths are in the Hubei province and if containment proves effective, then it will eventually run it's course.

 

Previous coronaviruses have passed due to containment and the body's immunity to adapt.

Edited February 4, 2020 by HHTel
correction

[garyk]

And investments have departed Thailand in the tune of .5 billion dollars and climbing. Thai baht took the worst hit in 9 years and is expected to go to 31.5-32 shortly. 

Even with the dollar to baht exchange rate it will be a cold day in (h__l) before I spend another penny in Thailand.