Covid-19: Tour companies told that offering cheap foreign tours is "inappropriate"

[webfact]

Covid-19: Tour companies told that offering cheap foreign tours is "inappropriate"

 

Thai caption: Don't offer promotions

Picture: Sanook

 

The head of the Thailand Tourism Council has called the "fire sale" offerings of tour companies inappropriate. 

 

Chairat Trairattanajaratporn was speaking to Sanook after various companies have been offering 50% off to travel to regions of the world that are affected by the coronavirus/Covid-19 outbreak. 

 

Chairat said that this could lead to more virus cases in Thailand and he called on his members and businesses associated with the council to find alternative ways to recover losses. 

 

He understood that offering cheap tours was a way to recover lost revenue but he called it inappropriate instead saying that operators should talk to airlines about postponements.

 

Meanwhile Thai PBS reported that the Department of Tourism had met with airlines and tour companies to discuss the crisis.

 

Refunds in full were suggested for people who could not travel though some leeway should be allowed for companies to not offer full refunds if they had incurred expenses. 

 

Sources: Sanook | ThaiPBS

 

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[NCC1701A]

more effects of the pandemic.

 

[DLock]

So, it's ok to accept tourists from risky countries, but not ok to offer Thai tourists the opportunity to travel to risky countries.

 

It's not hard to read between the lines...you want money in...not money out.

 

...you don't see just a little bit of hypocrisy here Chairat.

[christophe75]

In a few days... the panic will be global.

 

There are still many people who have absolutely no clue, no info, no data.

 

But it changes very quickly (look at Europe. Less than 10 days ago the virus was a chinese  issue... Nobody was concerned).

 

Regarding Thailand it's the same. Even if the weather reduces the risk here (I start to believe it, to some extend)... Thai people are very emotional.

 

They will go from one extreme ("mai pen rai", "arai na khrap ?") to full blown and baseless panic.

 

Therefore : bye bye tour operators. Ciao little trips for rich people in Europe, Japan  that were so sanook to publish on Instagram and Facebook, etc.

 

Anyway too bad : Disney World Tokyo has just been.... closed (for 2 weeks they say, ah ah ah ah).

 

Nobody will buy cars anymore. And condos/houses neither.

 

More than the health issue.... the Wuwuflu is a disaster for the global economy.

 

That's the real challenge.

 

It might be easy to put the (health) dust under the carpet... But full blown economic damages ? How the current "governement" could handle this ?

 

Prayuth is about to regret the good old days when he had to care only about the menu at the military canteen, and which uniform he would wear at the next ceremony...

[digger70]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Tour companies told that offering cheap foreign tours is "inappropriate"

If they can offer cheap foreign tours for 50 % off they are still making a profit. That just shows that they normally make heaps off money and should've  Heaps of money in the bank .

[DrTuner]

Would that be the companies trying to lure Chinese mass tours back in? Maybe they'll get some customers from Wuhan as soon as they manage to flee the quarantine, welcome to Thailaaan!! Profits go back to China, naturally.

[mlmcleod]

Yes, reducing the prices encourages competition.  That will also reduce the size of the brown envelopes.

 

Only high priced tours are allowed in Thailand.  After all, they are attracting Indian millionaires so the tour price should not matter.

[Expat Brad]

On 2/28/2020 at 12:17 PM, christophe75 said:

In a few days... the panic will be global.

 

There are still many people who have absolutely no clue, no info, no data.

 

But it changes very quickly (look at Europe. Less than 10 days ago the virus was a chinese  issue... Nobody was concerned).

 

Regarding Thailand it's the same. Even if the weather reduces the risk here (I start to believe it, to some extend)... Thai people are very emotional.

 

They will go from one extreme ("mai pen rai", "arai na khrap ?") to full blown and baseless panic.

 

Therefore : bye bye tour operators. Ciao little trips for rich people in Europe, Japan  that were so sanook to publish on Instagram and Facebook, etc.

 

Anyway too bad : Disney World Tokyo has just been.... closed (for 2 weeks they say, ah ah ah ah).

 

Nobody will buy cars anymore. And condos/houses neither.

 

More than the health issue.... the Wuwuflu is a disaster for the global economy.

 

That's the real challenge.

 

It might be easy to put the (health) dust under the carpet... But full blown economic damages ? How the current "governement" could handle this ?

 

Prayuth is about to regret the good old days when he had to care only about the menu at the military canteen, and which uniform he would wear at the next ceremony...

Interesting that we have just entered the Chinese "Year of the metal rat" l was told that it means from  great hardships and decline, great rewards will be gained"

I think we all know who will have the hardship and who will gain!!!

[christophe75]

2 hours ago, Expat Brad said:

Interesting that we have just entered the Chinese "Year of the metal rat" l was told that it means from  great hardships and decline, great rewards will be gained"

I think we all know who will have the hardship and who will gain!!!

 

Well you know what they say : a disaster for someone is an opportunity for somebody else.

 

But to some extend.

 

The "pump it up" economy has ran its course.

 

Signs were clear, even before the Wuwuflu virus.

 

We entering an era of "global impoverishment", AKA a nominal drop in wealth (not "slowing growth"). No : nominal. You had 100 before, pouf, you have 50 now.

 

Rich people... will go down as well.

 

But like a famous farm, some of them will manage to be more equal than others...

[lamyai3]

3 hours ago, christophe75 said:

But like a famous farm, some of them will manage to be more equal than others...

This is the PM's favourite, though I think he took it to be a self-improvement book.

[neeray]

On ‎2‎/‎28‎/‎2020 at 7:15 AM, digger70 said:

If they can offer cheap foreign tours for 50 % off they are still making a profit. That just shows that they normally make heaps off money and should've  Heaps of money in the bank .

That's nonsense. You seem to have no business experience.

It is not the tour operator giving up 50%. It is all the "partners" involved in the tour, from airlines to hotels etc.

Rest assured, the tour operator does not have "heaps of money in the bank". They work on a skinny margin.