5 hours ago, abrahamzvi said:

One problem is, of course, the pollution. But it is everywhere nowadays. Isn't it?

Nope. 

 

 

3 hours ago, dunroaming said:

Plenty of good reasons to live in Chiang Mai, especially if you have a family and want a normal lifestyle.

I was a huge fan of Chiang Mai but a combination of the worsening pollution and the plethora of new research last year revealing the many different and surprising ways in which it is bad for you has forced me to move on.

No one with options should stay in Chiang Mai during the first six months of the year, and I now have my doubts about the second half too. As I stepped off the plane at CNX early last November, I was alarmed that the air already had a taste I would usually associate with mid-January in Chiang Mai. The bad period is somehow expanding.

6 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

It's somewhat amazing to consider that Thailand has a city without any sanuk at all, but the city authorities have managed to do what should have been impossible- make a Thai city boring.

I did go to the boxing bar complex of Loi Kroh a few times, but it was so boring I gave up, and never went back. 

Have you considered Pattaya or Angeles in the Philipines?

Might be more your cup of tea, judging by your message.

1 hour ago, Bassosa said:

Have you considered Pattaya or Angeles in the Philipines?

Might be more your cup of tea, judging by your message.

Personally I went with my family who are nothing to do with hookers and bars  . I like mountains and forests way more then beaches (I live in such a place) but when the air is disgusting and you can’t enjoy the outside it’s basically useless being there . 

The real savings the government could do is to shut down the absolutely useless, dream loaded TAT. In all fairness I never heard anything intelligent coming from that agency. 
Another savings could be ridding the country from its tourism ministry. 

As if discounted souvenirs would have any impact on arrivals or spending figures. In closing, I also realized that every discount (and Thais buy nothing but discounts - for the sake of the discount) is being added up prior to discounting - go figure. 

4 hours ago, Just1Voice said:

Been living in CM over 11 years now with Thai wife and adopted son.  Can't think of anyplace I would rather be. 

Lol, did you move here from Chernobyl ? How many fingers ?

Thai tourism obliterated by virus - TAT revises forecasts as vendors do the unthinkable: Discounting souvenirs!

 

Did they do usual here, double the normal price and then give a 20% discount? 

Still lots of tourists up here, even if numbers are down. Many restaurants full every night, still Chinese here, and while hotels may be suffering, bnb operators are doing ok. The main thing keeping the numbers down could be the hysteria of the media over this virus (that only kills Chinese.)

20 hours ago, webfact said:

They quoted figures from the TAT for nationwide visitors as being expected to drop by almost 10% this year.

????

17 hours ago, abrahamzvi said:

If you are looking for bars and bar girls, I agree that you should look for it somewhere else, but to say that Chiang Mai is boring, is absolutely untrue. It's one of the most interesting places in Thailand with beautiful views of mountains, rivers and green pastures all around. One problem is, of course, the pollution. But it is everywhere nowadays. Isn't it?

Yes there are beautiful views but only if able to exit the city. Without transport it's just dirty concrete buildings and broken dirty pavements with broken old telephone boxes obstructing the way.

The lost opportunities are everywhere. The moat and wall could be the centrepiece of C M, but it's just a rather tatty and unattractive pile of old bricks, the old city could be a car free zone with only  bicycles and electric tuk tuks allowed, but it's actually a dirty, polluted, over congested warren of unattractive concrete buildings and dangerous to walk around as pavements too narrow or non existent.

The night markets could be amazing, but they are just a collection of stalls selling the same junk.

Pattaya has amazing ladyboy shows that attract thousands of customers, C M has a decrepit lady boy theatre up a side alley that I'd never visit.

The river tours are on dirty decrepit boats that visit a dirty decrepit restaurant up the river.

The horse carriages are broken and the horse that was unfortunate to pull me was dirty and underfed, the tack old and broken, the carriage in danger of falling apart. The historic temples we visited uncared for and unsightly.

The cultural dinner I went to was a farce- bored dancers and very poor food.

The zoo was an absolute disgrace and should be closed.

The only tour I went on that was any good was the night safari and that could have been better.

 

It's not as though Thais can't put on a great show. Sukothai is an incredible experience of history, Alcazar is a fantastic ladyboy show, the river tours in Bkk wonderful, even C M has the Queen Sirikit horticultural gardens which are amazing,  but that's not run by the city council. All the best things in C M are run by private companies- C M city council can't even keep the road to Hang Don clean beside the Airport shopping mall- it's a disgrace, and the traffic islands are disgusting.

 

A tourist city isn't just scenery, it's the city as well, and the C M council has failed in every possible way to provide a city worth visiting.

 

I complained about the nightlife, because tourists don't just want to visit a night market and go to bed early. C M has zero to be proud of in catering for tourists after dark, when their tour is over.

 

I still remember Pattaya with affection as a once great place to holiday in ( sadly it's become a <deleted><deleted> not worth the effort, if my last stay was anything to go by ), but C M, I don't even think about the placed anymore, unless it's on a thread like this.

 

10 hours ago, chrisandsu said:

Personally I went with my family who are nothing to do with hookers and bars  . I like mountains and forests way more then beaches (I live in such a place) but when the air is disgusting and you can’t enjoy the outside it’s basically useless being there . 

The really sad thing is that CM could be an amazing place to visit/ live in, but because the council won't spend any money to fix the place up and the government won't stop the burning, it's a disaster zone.

 

IMO it was so easy to make money in the past that the locals forgot that they have to provide more than a decrepit guest house with a broken AC to attract tourists in a competitive situation. Seems Vietnam did learn the lesson. If Burma gets it's politics sorted, Thai tourism is going to be wiped out, and deservedly so. The Thais need to wake up and do some work if they want to stay in the game.

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

The really sad thing is that CM could be an amazing place to visit/ live in, but because the council won't spend any money to fix the place up and the government won't stop the burning, it's a disaster zone.

 

IMO it was so easy to make money in the past that the locals forgot that they have to provide more than a decrepit guest house with a broken AC to attract tourists in a competitive situation. Seems Vietnam did learn the lesson. If Burma gets it's politics sorted, Thai tourism is going to be wiped out, and deservedly so. The Thais need to wake up and do some work if they want to stay in the game.

I agree . Myanmar looks to have a beautiful coastline and the women are not too shabby too . Will just take a few foreigners to go there and take the risk . Thailand is such old news these days . It’s tired , filthy and nothing new . It’s had it’s day now it’s time to put it out to retirement (like most of the Humpty Dumpty bar girls)

On the bright side horizontal departures will be down to???? 

On 2/18/2020 at 3:43 PM, chrisandsu said:

I agree . Myanmar looks to have a beautiful coastline and the women are not too shabby too . Will just take a few foreigners to go there and take the risk . Thailand is such old news these days . It’s tired , filthy and nothing new . It’s had it’s day now it’s time to put it out to retirement (like most of the Humpty Dumpty bar girls)

On one of my flights from London we flew along the Burmese coast and I thought that it is probably as undeveloped as Thailand's coasts were in the 80s. If the government can get it's act sorted, it might be like visiting Thailand's coasts 40 years ago- bliss. If they can avoid going down the flashpacker/ concrete route, they'll mint it.

depends if and when a pandemic is declared by the WHO,, then you will see mass cancelations .it must be close now

On 2/18/2020 at 9:43 AM, chrisandsu said:

I agree . Myanmar looks to have a beautiful coastline and the women are not too shabby too . Will just take a few foreigners to go there and take the risk . Thailand is such old news these days . It’s tired , filthy and nothing new . It’s had it’s day now it’s time to put it out to retirement (like most of the Humpty Dumpty bar girls)

Been looking at Myanmar for years but I almost get the idea that it is in fact Thailand affords to keep it slow and poor.

I'd be very fast to try and set-up some tourist business there, if that day and chance ever comes. 

Before that genocide stuff started the plan was actually for Myanmar to get a huge sea port and airport as it is a much better location than Thailand.
Could even get a high speed train from China to go there + ship items (as well the other way around).

Anyway, if Myanmar opens up.. that would be a dream! Thailand could benefit from it too at the end.