Virus shaving tourism in half, minister says

[snoop1130]

Virus shaving tourism in half, minister says

By The Nation

 

Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn

 

Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn expects tourist arrivals to plunge by 50 per cent in the first half of this year because of the COVID-19 coronavirus.

 

He dropped the bomb at a government-private sector meeting on Thursday (February 13) where mitigation measures were discussed.

 

Tourist numbers from February 1-9 were down 43.47 per cent, he said, and among Chinese visitors 86.55 per cent.

 

“We expect the situation to pick up in April and will be discussing with Airports of Thailand ways to manage flight schedules for Chinese tourists to reduce airport congestion,” Phiphat said.

 

“There’s also been the news about the speedboat collision in Phuket in which several tourists were killed, so we want to put the priority on tourist safety.”

 

He plans to propose to the Cabinet a visa fee exemption for Chinese and Indian visitors as a way to stimulate tourism and asked the private sector for its support.

 

“We might also propose that the Cabinet allow entrepreneurs who run businesses in the entertainment area to stay open until 4am, but we must first survey the operators and tourists to get their opinions.”

 

A 50-per-cent reduction in tourist numbers in the first half means cutting the prediction from 40 million people to 20 million.

 

“The Tourism Authority of Thailand will need to work harder in the second half to compensate for the first,” he said.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30382091

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-02-13

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[ratcatcher]

5 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

A 50-per-cent reduction in tourist numbers in the first half means cutting the prediction from 40 million people to 20 million.

???? Such big numbers given the present circumstances. But we can dream can't we?..................

[BobbyL]

so we want to put the priority on tourist safety

 

Yeah, right. 

 

 

[CGW]

10 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

“We expect the situation to pick up in April and will be discussing with Airports of Thailand ways to manage flight schedules for Chinese tourists to reduce airport congestion,” Phiphat said.

Which village is missing it's idiot today? April, he is kidding himself at best! somehow I doubt the first thought for the Chinese, after being in quarantine for months and surviving will be a holiday in Thailand!

[ratcatcher]

13 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

Virus shaving tourism in half, minister says

Shaving is normally a delicate procedure with a sharp blade. This virus has taken a machete to tourist numbers.

[Mavideol]

TAT blamed anything and everything they can blame, this virus is their last resort,  for the lack of tourists... but they never blame themselves on their poor performances

[DrTuner]

That's still 13.45% too many Chinese.

[tifino]

1 minute ago, ratcatcher said:

Shaving is normally a delicate procedure with a sharp blade. This virus has taken a machete to tourist numbers.

but it turns out quite an Apt, yet subtle Idiom, hidden in the Headline...

 

paraphrasing the 'razor gang' analogy:

"a committee or organization that seeks to drastically cut expenditure, in particular a parliamentary committee established to examine ways of reducing public expenditure.

"Labor's razor gang has approved the cutbacks"

 

[BritManToo]

Maybe they should stop giving tourists who 'come too often' a hard time at the airports.

And allow unlimited entry to those on VISA waivers.

And scrap the O-A VISA insurance scam.

[Eindhoven]

Is this the 'proxy war' to which the other %$#@^ referred?

[GinBoy2]

Maybe if they hadn't put all their eggs in one basket, and actually addressed the issues that drove away the Europeans and North Americans, the loss of the China market wouldn't have been so devastating. 

 

But then again by lunchtime TAT will be predicting tourist number up by 5.767489%, so why worry

[DrTuner]

Having now played a post-apocalyptic tourist in nearly Chinese free Samui for a few days, I can report that even getting rid of the hordes won't help: the overbuilding and loss of quality over quantity is irreversible.

 

Thailand will have to get any scraps they can, until even the least discerning won't come anymore. Race to the bottom.

[thequietman]

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

so we want to put the priority on tourist safety.”

Blah blah blah, change, blah blah blah, take care, blah blah blah, hub.

 

All empty words. Thailand, the country of talk with no substance. ????

 

[darksidedog]

41 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

 

“The Tourism Authority of Thailand will need to work harder in the second half to compensate for the first,” he said.

It's just a circus isn't it, with more clowns than you can count?

[RotBenz8888]

48 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

The Tourism Authority of Thailand will need to work harder in the second half to compensate for the first,” he said.

I bet more tourist will come the day they flush TAT down the toilet.

[BestB]

And not a single attempt to bring back or to entice western tourists , you know the ones who actually built it from the start 

[DLock]

49 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

A 50-per-cent reduction in tourist numbers in the first half means cutting the prediction from 40 million people to 20 million.

 

Whilst your maths is incorrect knucklehead, 20million is still probably optimistic for the entire year.

 

50% reduction in the first half, means (assuming equal halves) 50% of 20million = 10million + 20million from the second half of 2020 = 30million, not 50% of the entire year.

 

But, hey, don't worry about, you said double the amount of Chinese will come in the second half, so that should almost make it up.

 

You're all good, Phipat, start spending that bonus.

[Golden Triangle]

As far as tourism goes this country is cattle trucked, is that good ? Is that bad ? Who really cares. 

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, BestB said:

And not a single attempt to bring back or to entice western tourists , you know the ones who actually built it from the start 

Unfortunately Western tourists now rank last behind the Chinese, Asian and Indian tourists. 

[Youlike]

42 minutes ago, Mavideol said:

TAT blamed anything and everything they can blame, this virus is their last resort,  for the lack of tourists... but they never blame themselves on their poor performances

Or the super high baht.

[mercman24]

devalue the baht, but the rich in power wont let that happen, make Thailand worth visiting, this place is dearer than other countries closer to ones home,

[GinBoy2]

2 minutes ago, mercman24 said:

devalue the baht, but the rich in power wont let that happen, make Thailand worth visiting, this place is dearer than other countries closer to ones home,

Thats kinda the problem.

 

If the average tourist wants a beach vacation, Thailand is a bit sketchy.

 

We came back from a week in Hawaii a few weeks ago. Now I won't say that going into the supermarket was cheap, compared to anything on the mainland it was super expensive.

 

But the hotels were great and not that much different to a Thai resort, the service was fantastic (everyone was actually genuinely friendly) and everywhere was clean and the beaches pristine. Oh and not a scam in sight!

 

And it took us 8 hours to fly there, versus 24 hours to a dirty filthy Thai beach resort.

 

Pretty sure many Europeans have similar experiences in Spain, Portugal, Italy and the like 

[RotBenz8888]

17 minutes ago, mrwinner said:

Unfortunately Western tourists now rank last behind the Chinese, Asian and Indian tourists. 

1. Chinese

2. Other asians

3. Indians

4. Africans

5. Straydogs

6. Falang

[DLock]

3 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

Thats kinda the problem.

 

If the average tourist wants a beach vacation, Thailand is a bit sketchy.

 

We came back from a week in Hawaii a few weeks ago. Now I won't say that going into the supermarket was cheap, compared to anything on the mainland it was super expensive.

 

But the hotels were great and not that much different to a Thai resort, the service was fantastic (everyone was actually genuinely friendly) and everywhere was clean and the beaches pristine. Oh and not a scam in sight!

 

And it took us 8 hours to fly there, versus 24 hours to a dirty filthy Thai beach resort.

 

Pretty sure many Europeans have similar experiences in Spain, Portugal, Italy and the like 

 

I 100% agree. I was in Hawaii at New Year on Maui and I didn't think it was that expensive.

 

But the quality of beaches and environment was just amazing. Food was good, people were friendly and overall it is a really relaxing place.

 

Anyone coming to Thailand for beaches and nature is in for a severe disappointment...in fact just coming to Thailand, most people are in for a disappointment...and they will only come once.

[mfd101]

And of course not the least hint of a reference to the Thai public's health safety and the possibility that the virus may become an ongoing middle-level pandemic centered on um our um good friends to the north-east.

[BobbyL]

What about the rich Indians? 

[Beggar]

"We might also propose that the Cabinet allow entrepreneurs who run businesses in the entertainment area to stay open until 4am, but we must first survey the operators and tourists to get their opinions.”

 

I think we had this already. If he asks me then I will leave Thailand when the red light districts can be open until 4 am. Far too many noisy sex bars at every corner here in Pattaya already and he still wants more. Me not. And TAT should be honest and make advertisement for Pattaya as one of the biggest red light district in the world and not as a destination for family tourists. 

[Guest]

Just now, BobbyL said:

What about the rich Indians? 

The average farang probably spends twice as much as the average Indian in Thailand- and that's being conservative.

 

The number of big spending farangs more than cancels out any big spending Indians.

[GinBoy2]

23 minutes ago, DLock said:

 

I 100% agree. I was in Hawaii at New Year on Maui and I didn't think it was that expensive.

 

But the quality of beaches and environment was just amazing. Food was good, people were friendly and overall it is a really relaxing place.

 

Anyone coming to Thailand for beaches and nature is in for a severe disappointment...in fact just coming to Thailand, most people are in for a disappointment...and they will only come once.

That again is part of the problem.

 

The China tourist lives in a different bubble. They are not beach babies, they are the tour type, the ceramic market, the mall, dinner at the local Chinese restaurant etc

So that market is crippled because of the corona virus.

 

The Western market is different.

 

The Western tourist looks for the pristine beach, and in their head they visualize DiCaprio in 'The Beach' movie. That image is quickly dispelled as soon as they see reality, and you are right. 

 

Seen it, done it, but never again!

[mfd101]

I doubt that big spenders of any kind come to Thailand any more ...