Chiang Mai hotels and the virus: Even discounting rooms is having no effect on tourist numbers

[webfact]

Chiang Mai hotels and the virus: Even discounting rooms is having no effect on tourist numbers

 

Picture: Daily News

 

Daily News were the latest media to visit Chiang Mai and discover the disastrous effect that the coronavirus is having on tourism in the north.

 

They spoke to Pornchai Jitranawasathien, a hotelier who is the former chief of the Chiang Mai tourism business association.

 

Pornchai said that hotels have been forced to offer discounts but even this drastic measure was having no effect. 

 

There just were not any tourists to take advantage of the offers. 

 

He said that tourism in Chiang Mai is down 70% with hoteliers getting just 15-20% of expected earnings in recent months. 

 

And he said there was no end in sight. He called on the government to offer tax breaks. 

 

The doom and gloom was echoed by La-iat Bungsrithong of the Northern Thailand Hoteliers' Association who spoke of the four and five star hotels in Chiang Mai who principally cater to the Chinese market as being particularly hard hit. 

 

Up to 60 of such hotels had to give refunds after cancellations caused by the coronavirus/Covid -19 outbreak. 

 

She expected the crisis to continue through March at least. 

 

Source: Daily News

 

 

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[BritManToo]

Yep, Doi Pui village is usually crowded with visitors, but I was up there yesterday lunchtime and the only other people was the shopkeepers and their cars, shops and restaurants empty of customers.

 

Edited February 27, 2020 by BritManToo

[keith101]

11 minutes ago, webfact said:

They spoke to Pornchai Jitranawasathien, a hotelier who is the former chief of the Chiang Mai tourism business association.

 

Pornchai said that hotels have been forced to offer discounts but even this drastic measure was having no effect. 

 

There just were not any tourists to take advantage of the offers. 

Maybe you should talk to TAT because according to them tourist numbers are up (up <deleted> creek ) .

[sammieuk1]

Raise the value of the baht this has always worked before and guaranteed to rinse what little tourist numbers that are left ????  

[cmsally]

Well of course offering discounts has no effect, if no tourists are coming! I think the years when you could depend on tourism are long over.

[RichardColeman]

22 minutes ago, webfact said:

He said that tourism in Chiang Mai is down 70% with hoteliers getting just 15-20% of expected earnings in recent months

But, but, didn't the TAT just publish 2-3 % increases in tourists today ? Someones telling porkies somewhere

[moe666]

Once upon a time in CM, you could throw a rock and you would be guaranteed to hit a Chinese tourist not any more. There are a few around but not many. Having breakfast at Miguels this morning and saw two pushing their luggage down the road. At present more westerns in town than Chinese. 

[GeorgeCross]

31 minutes ago, webfact said:

Pornchai said that hotels have been forced to offer discounts but even this drastic measure was having no effect.

 

everywhere else in the world this is called a 'promotion'

 

 

[Yorkshire Tea]

Who the hell wants to visit Chiang Mai right now?  Air is toxic!  I should know, I live here!

[Hayduke]

46 minutes ago, webfact said:

Pornchai said that hotels have been forced to offer discounts but even this drastic measure was having no effect.

 

Chiang Mai hotels are obviously not following the TAT checklist. When hotel occupancy is down you don't offer discounts...you make up the loss by raising prices accordingly. Everyone knows that...these guys need to stop whining and get with the program.

 

 

Edited February 27, 2020 by Hayduke

[CNXexpat]

6 minutes ago, Yorkshire Tea said:

Who the hell wants to visit Chiang Mai right now?  Air is toxic!  I should know, I live here!

Tourists don´t care about the air quality - or they don´t know. 95% of the tourists don´t wear a N95 mask. In my area (Nam Phrae, near the Grand Canyon) it´s 203 right now.

[Yorkshire Tea]

Just now, CNXexpat said:

Tourists don´t care about the air quality - or they don´t know. 95% of the tourists don´t wear a N95 mask. In my area (Nam Phrae, near the Grand Canyon) it´s 203 right now.

After last year's horrific figures for Chiang Mai air quality, I reckon more are aware now.

[Airalee]

No discernible discount at the Eastintan hotel on my way through Chiang Mai 11 days ago.  Had they offered one, I would have stayed a week instead of a night.

 

Ibis in HuaHin seems to have the same rate as usual for next week too.  Gonna be a short stay there too.

[Ventenio]

Serious question:  

 

How bad is the air there now?  Doesn't horrible pollution allow for the quote, "First time, shame on you.  Second time, shame on me."  Why spend money for toxic air????  people should only fall for this once.  

[Vacuum]

8 minutes ago, Ventenio said:

Serious question:  

 

How bad is the air there now?  Doesn't horrible pollution allow for the quote, "First time, shame on you.  Second time, shame on me."  Why spend money for toxic air????  people should only fall for this once.  

It's bad, try Switzerland next time.

[NorthernRyland]

7 minutes ago, Ventenio said:

How bad is the air there now?  Doesn't horrible pollution allow for the quote, "First time, shame on you.  Second time, shame on me."  Why spend money for toxic air????  people should only fall for this once.  

Chiang Mai looks like a toxic waste dump today and everyone is wearing masks. You'd be an utter fool to pay money to visit Chiang Mai right now and that's not considering the global pandemic.

[ChrisY1]

Obviously, these people are complete twits....seems they don't understand that tourists actually need to enter Thailand to take rooms!

[Isaan sailor]

Will return to visit CM....probably in September when the air is clean.  But I hope the Chinese never come back.

[justin case]

did not read how much discount they gave ? 5 ? 10 ?

[Stargeezr]

Poor CM and Thailand, cannot understand that a tourist with a brain does not want to rush to

much of Asia and especially Thailand. China is a big country, but I doubt many want to rush to

visit there as well. Welcome to 2020, year of Corona.

Geezer.

[ChakaKhan]

9 hours ago, moe666 said:

you could throw a rock and you would be guaranteed to hit a Chinese tourist

Free bag of durian chips if u land the rock in their Mama Cup!!!!  Lots of durian piling up!!!

[ChakaKhan]

schadenfreude

[ˈSHädənˌfroidə]

 

NOUN

1. pleasure derived by someone from another person's misfortune.

   "a business that thrives on schadenfreude" ·

   [more]

   synonyms:

   delight · pleasure · happiness · joy · joyfulness · gladness · elation · euphoria · exhilaration · cheerfulness · amusement · mirth · mirthfulness · merriment · joviality · jollity · jocularity · excitement · animation · gaiety · high spirits · exuberance · verve ·

   [more]

[timendres]

8 hours ago, justin case said:

did not read how much discount they gave ? 5 ? 10 ?

Exactly. Offering me $20 off on my room versus the risk of acquiring Covid-19?! As long as this virus is headline news, tourism is a corpse.

[hmficc]

Don’t worry be happy.

Edited February 27, 2020 by hmficc
Clarity

[SmartyMarty]

THAI hoteliers disappointed that tourists aren’t taking advantage of low room rates to come here and risk death. Doh!

[eyecatcher]

Can you imagine the world hysteria if social media decide to pick on the seriousness and fatality figures of the common flu virus, or starvation, or traffic accidents or sepsis or heart attacks or, or, or, or

 

That would be the end of civilisation.

The stupidity of sheeple

[happy chappie]

Luckily my 4 properties are rented to retired expats and that are not going anywhere too soon.

it looks like a big recession is on its way with this virus.if I was at home in the uk I certainly wouldn't risk coming to a 3rd world country where the medical facilities are expensive money pits for foreigners.

theres good news on the horizon though.TAT this week quoted the virus can't live in this heat and it will all blow away,also the Chinese will come back and swamp Thailand with tourism.

myself I see it as 3-6 months of virus running wild through Thailand and a slight recovery after song Kram in a year or so.

if I was in a business involving and depending on tourism I would be looking at some other business because this is just the start.

theres no hope of seeing many Chinese flowing back after this is over as they will mostly be bankrupt and the last thing they will be thinking about is a jolly holiday.

[3NUMBAS]

airlines are slashing routes as their shares plunge daily so no way to fly soon ,nobody will be flying

[ChakaKhan]

Scared to cough due to smoke as all will think I have corona  OR vice versa!!!!???

 

Same same but different!!!

[White Christmas13]

On 2/27/2020 at 1:43 PM, sammieuk1 said:

Raise the value of the baht this has always worked before and guaranteed to rinse what little tourist numbers that are left ????  

Baht to rise

 

The baht's strength is expected to continue throughout this year, buoyed by Thailand's increased surpluses in current account and trade balance.