Thailand’s Tourism Council reports ZERO bookings following coronavirus outbreak

[Thunder26]

Some hotels are really hit hard, especially if they rellied on Chinese tours. Their bookings dropped to almost 90 %. That will have a chain reaction of people losing jobs, of people not being able to pay their debts and so on and so forth following the chain Thai economy will have a crash. It is going to be a really bad year and it is going to affect almost everyone.

[DrTuner]

1 minute ago, Miami007 said:

and the boat is being owned and paid for by the Chinese

Phoenix II.

[Miami007]

4 hours ago, SteveK said:

No no no. Because of the concept of "saving face" which seems to control almost everything in Thailand, they won't make an about turn on previous decisions because they will lose face or be made to look stupid. Hence they won't welcome back the farangs, they will find another excuse, another thing to pin their hopes on, anything but admit that they were wrong. Even if that means damaging the country's economy further. Then they'll pat themselves on the back and say what a good job they did handling this crisis.

 

Saving face is holding the country back and has a lot to answer for. If they immediately scrapped TM30, 90-day reporting, and allowed as many tourist visits as you want per year, then that would have a quick impact and be a good first step to recovering from this crisis. Will that happen? Not in a million years. Thai logic (oxymoron if ever there was one) is incomprehensible.

 

Admitting when you were wrong isn't just the decent thing to do, it allows you to make changes and progress and improve the country. But they'd rather cut off their nose to spite their face than ever do so.

TM30 and 90-day reporting will not impact tourist arrivals from USA/ Europe/ Australia one bit... Tourists from these countries can already enter for 30 days without any visa.  The decision of these tourists (not expats who want to live in Thailand long-term) is affected by reputatin of the destination, exchange rate, which competing destination markets itself better.  Thailand has been a staple for Western tourists for many years - the life-cycle is ending and people are now looking at other countries in the region (Vietnam, Philippines etc)

 

the concept of "Saving Face" is more pronounced in Asia but also exists in Western companies.  Once a top-executive makes a decision, facts will be re-arranged to support that decision - whether actual results have declined or improved.  This usually continues until the pain is too big and course has to be reversed.

[FarFlungFalang]

25 minutes ago, DrTuner said:

Phoenix II.

If it goes down now we will know it's an insurance job,like my neighbour's boat caught fire and b*g*er me if he wasn't doing his tax return and lost all his documents in the fire! 

[Skallywag]

Hotels I see walking home at night with no lights in the rooms have only changed a bit since last June. 

AirBnB and many newer hotels have kept them mostly empty for the last 8 months as far as I can tell. 

 

 The restaurants and hotels adjacent to beach road and second road are doing OK for high season in my view, but I believe they have raised their rates beyond what they are worth and were struggling since before the corona virus reduction of tourists.  I have seen rates at 20 year old hotels or "resorts" as some call themselves changing up to 3000 baht a night for the same room that was 800 baht 12 years ago.  Might work if there were no better choices around but there are and too many actually, though many newer hotels change  more than you can get an AirBnB condo for, which is why the condos are glutted with people and hotels are not.

 

Today I saw an old old hotel advertising a small bottle of Chang for 95 baht at their ancient ground floor bar, while all the other regular bars around are charging 60 baht or less.  I did not inquire at the room price, but likely very high for the quality and age of the hotel.  No one in lobby, no one sitting outside smoking or drinking. Pretty simple economics, you cant charge 35% more than your neighbor and expect customers.

 

IMO ridding the beach of those ridiculous speedboats can only be a good thing though.  

Add a few ferries at Bali Hai to transport a normal amount of people to Koh Larn as they did 15 years ago, and stabilize the tourist numbers for the long haul .

Am sorry for the Thai people working for a Chinese run hotels or restaurants as they have likely lost their jobs.  Yet I believe the Thai people need to look beyond the zero baht Chinese tour industry and find a way back to what is best for them.  

[Expat Tom]

I was not a farang on living on a shoe string in Thailand. I transferred 90,000 baht per month into the country and spent it all. But the powers that be decided the farang like me were less desirable than hoards of Chinese so, I (and my paltry 90,000 baht per month) now live in DaNang, Vietnam. Sorry Thailand, you reap what you sow.

[bkkcanuck8]

10 minutes ago, Expat Tom said:

I was not a farang on living on a shoe string in Thailand. I transferred 90,000 baht per month into the country and spent it all. But the powers that be decided the farang like me were less desirable than hoards of Chinese so, I (and my paltry 90,000 baht per month) now live in DaNang, Vietnam. Sorry Thailand, you reap what you sow.

So you are the reason Vietnam is changing the rules about long stay foreigners ????

[mlmcleod]

WHen the Wuhan virus gets to India, you can bet the second leg of Thailand's tourist expectations will crash.  Then it will only be the Russians coming.

[harleyclarkey]

I am delighted. Good on ya Thailand!

Could not have happened to a more deserving  bunch of people. 

They mistreated and then dumped the western tourists in favour of the Russians, then the Chinese, then the Indians. 

Som nam naa ...a hundred times over.

[atyclb]

3 hours ago, DannyCarlton said:

3 hours ago, atyclb said:

an internationally recognized dr knowledgeable on bio warfare believes . corona virus was made in a wuhan lab and accidently got out.

OMG who let the conspiracy theorists out? Forget the masks, break out the tinfoil hats!

 

 

he believes/ alleges .

 

the very first case in china had no contact with the wild animal market.

 

if the indian researchers are correct it could very well e an engineered virus.

 

may i suggest you my friend get some serious education in medical science prior to the ignorant non critical thinking kneejerk "tinfoil hat, conspiracy theory response"

Edited February 6, 2020 by atyclb

[atyclb]

2 hours ago, rabas said:

I watched to the point he claims Bill and Melinda Gates are funding bio-weapon development because they believe in depopulation. That was the 4th conspiracy theory at 12 min mark after US's influenza-A H1N1 swine flu and Britain’s mad cow disease were both bio-weapon accidents in addition to Wuhan Bat virus.

 

And this guy is a known expert, but purely a lawyer (almost politician type).

 

Edit:He is right that a lot of military bio research is going on, but most (lol, they say) is defensive.

 

i dont know about the gates allegation but if the indian research is accurate the virus structure could very well be engineered.

[Gweiloman]

56 minutes ago, Expat Tom said:

I was not a farang on living on a shoe string in Thailand. I transferred 90,000 baht per month into the country and spent it all. But the powers that be decided the farang like me were less desirable than hoards of Chinese so, I (and my paltry 90,000 baht per month) now live in DaNang, Vietnam. Sorry Thailand, you reap what you sow.

How will you be handling the new visa rules for VN? 

[bkkcanuck8]

Quote

here is a video purported to be from wuhan and a coronavirus victim. i do acknowledge he may have fell due to a different medical issue and not corona

 

^ And that is the problem, there are many fools out there posting videos of unrelated things and claiming it is the virus.  I saw one that was obviously a grand mal seizure ... which is not a symptom of this or pretty well any other virus. 

Edited February 6, 2020 by bkkcanuck8

[atyclb]

25 minutes ago, bkkcanuck8 said:

Quote

here is a video purported to be from wuhan and a coronavirus victim. i do acknowledge he may have fell due to a different medical issue and not corona

 

^ And that is the problem, there are many fools out there posting videos of unrelated things and claiming it is the virus.  I saw one that was obviously a grand mal seizure ... which is not a symptom of this or pretty well any other virus. 

 

" I saw one that was obviously a grand mal seizure ... which is not a symptom of this or pretty well any other virus. "

 

 

you are very wrong

 

 

as i had already stated, do not know if he fell due to corona or other medical issue. i would say the ambulance people all wearing full body protective gear is very significant.

 

if what appears to be a seizure as you say enters hospital they will be evaluated including lung xray/ct because hypoxemia can cause seizure and severe enough pneumonia can certainly cause low blood oxygen which in turn can cause a seizure. a high enough fever induced by a virus can also cause a seizure.

 

viral meningitis can also cause a seizure

 

 

therefore there are many ways viruses can lead to seizures

Edited February 6, 2020 by atyclb

[Phuketlover]

I am in Thailand now. If I don’t get a free <deleted> voucher I will leave the country.

[bkkcanuck8]

48 minutes ago, atyclb said:

 

" I saw one that was obviously a grand mal seizure ... which is not a symptom of this or pretty well any other virus. "

 

 

you are very wrong

 

 

as i had already stated, do not know if he fell due to corona or other medical issue. i would say the ambulance people all wearing full body protective gear is very significant.

 

if what appears to be a seizure as you say enters hospital they will be evaluated including lung xray/ct because hypoxemia can cause seizure and severe enough pneumonia can certainly cause low blood oxygen which in turn can cause a seizure. a high enough fever induced by a virus can also cause a seizure.

 

viral meningitis can also cause a seizure

 

 

therefore there are many ways viruses can lead to seizures

I did not say him, I saw one... which was a grand mal seizure which was purported to be from the virus... and that is one symptom that was not in any of the diagnosis symptoms...  There are tonnes of videos out there that are being repurposed.  I find it suspicious that he is bleeding though since the virus would result in a progressive loss of oxygenation and given that as the basis the body is very good at letting you prepare rather than collapse without protecting yourselves.  Simply put, if it is not from a respected source... the odds are as good it is a malcontent posting it that it is from a authentic source.

[atyclb]

17 minutes ago, bkkcanuck8 said:

1 hour ago, atyclb said:

 

" I saw one that was obviously a grand mal seizure ... which is not a symptom of this or pretty well any other virus. "

 

 

you are very wrong

 

 

as i had already stated, do not know if he fell due to corona or other medical issue. i would say the ambulance people all wearing full body protective gear is very significant.

 

if what appears to be a seizure as you say enters hospital they will be evaluated including lung xray/ct because hypoxemia can cause seizure and severe enough pneumonia can certainly cause low blood oxygen which in turn can cause a seizure. a high enough fever induced by a virus can also cause a seizure.

 

viral meningitis can also cause a seizure

 

 

therefore there are many ways viruses can lead to seizures

I did not say him, I saw one... which was a grand mal seizure which was purported to be from the virus... and that is one symptom that was not in any of the diagnosis symptoms...  There are tonnes of videos out there that are being repurposed.  I find it suspicious that he is bleeding though since the virus would result in a progressive loss of oxygenation and given that as the basis the body is very good at letting you prepare rather than collapse without protecting yourselves.  Simply put, if it is not from a respected source... the odds are as good it is a malcontent posting it that it is from a authentic source.

 

 

my response is not limited to that single video. my response addresses possible etilologies behind seizures and many a virus can lead to a seizure  head injuries are common among those having seizures.

 

fever is certainly on the symptom list of corona and a high enough fever can cause seizure (common)

Edited February 6, 2020 by atyclb

[bkkcanuck8]

1 hour ago, atyclb said:

 

 

my response is not limited to that single video. my response addresses possible etilologies behind seizures and many a virus can lead to a seizure  head injuries are common among those having seizures.

 

fever is certainly on the symptom list of corona and a high enough fever can cause seizure (common)

The typical fever for coronavirus is not any more than you would get with your average flu (topping out typically at 39.5ish).  If fever caused seizures was popular, the roads would be full of people having seizures during flu season. 

[DannyCarlton]

4 hours ago, atyclb said:

 

 

he believes/ alleges .

 

the very first case in china had no contact with the wild animal market.

 

if the indian researchers are correct it could very well e an engineered virus.

 

may i suggest you my friend get some serious education in medical science prior to the ignorant non critical thinking kneejerk "tinfoil hat, conspiracy theory response"

It might have helped your case if the video hadn't originated from a site dedicated to conspiracy theories. Also his allegation that the first case had no contact with the animal market flies in the face of everything we know about the first case.

[Derek B]

19 hours ago, darksidedog said:

I disagree. Problems have been mounting for some time, with many staying away from Thailand for a number of reasons, mostly of a home grown nature. Strength of the Baht, greed, fraud, danger etc. And as most of the eggs had been put into one basket, the super storm for tourism has now arrived.

Exactly............

[rogerrhino]

Classic case of putting all your eggs in one basket - or one and a half if you throw Indians into the mix! Watch out for contagious Delhi Belly!! It's going to be an uphill battle to woo back Western tourists who have been abandoned in the rush to encourage the masses from China/India.

 

[Canuck1966]

10 hours ago, FarFlungFalang said:

Keep in mind the fatality rate outside of the Province of Hubei is 0.16%

 

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-death-rate/

 

• Mortality rate in Wuhan was 4.9%.
• Mortality rate in the Hubei Province was 3.1%.
• Mortality rate nationwide was 2.1%.
• Fatality rate in other provinces is 0.16%.

The real numbers are being suppressed.

Tencent, one of the largest companies in China, 'accidentally' posted the real numbers.

They subsequently deleted the post but many saw it.

The fig of 25k was 6 days ago, so you have to assume it's way higher now

 

https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3871594

 

If you look at the 'official' figs they are so neat , it's almost laughable that anybody believes them. 

Edited February 6, 2020 by Canuck1966

[metisdead]

Some off topic posts and replies have been removed.

 

A post containing a Twitter post has been removed as this is not a Twitter site.

[hotchilli]

20 hours ago, webfact said:

The problems began when China banned all outbound tours in a bid to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Mr Chairat said.

The problems began when an inept T.A.T decided that China was Thailands only salvation and decided to put all its eggs into one basket.
Management should have learnt at University a very important lesson that you spread your supply chain just in-case of something like this happening.

Guess he forgot the number one rule in business.

[Assurancetourix]

12 hours ago, bkkcanuck8 said:

But then, many english speakers don't even know their own language.

We can say the same thing about the French, the Germans, the Italians ....

How to know maybe 120,000 words of a language?
Even a specialist in this language will know only 10% and will have to delve into an encyclopedic dictionary to know the meaning of rare words and know when and where to use them.

We are considered "fluent" in a language when we know about 2,000 words of that language

[bkkcanuck8]

2 minutes ago, Assurancetourix said:

We can say the same thing about the French, the Germans, the Italians ....

How to know maybe 120,000 words of a language?
Even a specialist in this language will know only 10% and will have to delve into an encyclopedic dictionary to know the meaning of rare words and know when and where to use them.

We are considered "fluent" in a language when we know about 2,000 words of that language

And knowing that, you would think any reasonable person that was going to criticize someone else on their language would first consult a dictionary... especially a fairly commonly used word.

[Assurancetourix]

12 hours ago, FarFlungFalang said:

Keep in mind the fatality rate outside of the Province of Hubei is 0.16%

 

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-death-rate/

 

• Mortality rate in Wuhan was 4.9%.
• Mortality rate in the Hubei Province was 3.1%.
• Mortality rate nationwide was 2.1%.
• Fatality rate in other provinces is 0.16%.

You give us the official figures;
those who avoid the world's population from panicking ...

It only remains to know the real numbers 

[FarFlungFalang]

3 minutes ago, Assurancetourix said:

You give us the official figures;
those who avoid the world's population from panicking ...

It only remains to know the real numbers 

That has been my argument all along.They have not tested everybody and the figures that are often quoted are derived from confirmed cases of infection (can't get accurate figures without testing everybody) and the conformed number of fatalities.Even the source I quoted say this.

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-death-rate/

 

 The formula they are using is: cumulative current total deaths / current confirmed cases.

 

 

World Health Organization

The World Health Organization (WHO) had mentioned 2% as a mortality rate estimate in a press conference on Wednesday, January 29, 2020[1][2]. However, thet specified that this is a very early and provisional estimate that may change. Surveillance is increasing, within China but also globally, but at the moment:

1. We don't know how many were infected ("When you look at how many people have died, you need to look at how many people where infected, and right now we don't know that number. So it is early to put a percentage on that."[1][2]). 
2. The only number currently known is how many people have died out of those who have been reported to the WHO.
3. It is therefore very early to make any conclusive statements about what the overall mortality rate will be for the novel coronavirus, according to the World Health Organization [1][2].
4.  

[Assurancetourix]

10 hours ago, EricTh said:

I hope the hotels will decrease the room rate, it has been too expensive lately. 

 

I will start to travel around Thailand if they do.

Which hotels and where in Thailand?

Here, in Isaan, the price of hotels remains the same; it starts at 250 baht a night; airco, color TV, very often flat screen, bathroom with hot water ... free WiFi ...

What more ?

Seaview ?

ah that, we don't have, but view of the sugar cane processing plant, we have ...

[Assurancetourix]

18 minutes ago, bkkcanuck8 said:

And knowing that, you would think any reasonable person that was going to criticize someone else on their language would first consult a dictionary... especially a fairly commonly used word.

ไม่รู้  , and frankly, I don't care