Pattaya: "Zero" tourists - last remaining Russians have cancelled and tourism industry faces 80% closure for up to a year

[FarFlungFalang]

3 hours ago, darksidedog said:

Should be easy though to now calculate tourist numbers. ZERO. Not quite sure how they will put a positive spin on that, but I am sure they will try.

Easy just do what they normally do and add a few zeros to make the zero appear bigger!

[kwonitoy]

3 hours ago, darksidedog said:

I suspect there is much wailing and gnashing of teeth going on right now at TAT who had been trying to tell us it would all start to come good again from next month. Should be easy though to now calculate tourist numbers. ZERO. Not quite sure how they will put a positive spin on that, but I am sure they will try.

Let me try

 

Next month if there are 3 tourists, then TAT will announce a whopping 300% increase in tourism, month on month.

 

Maybe I should apply

[ThailandRyan]

3 hours ago, Phuketshrew said:

Instead of giving away money why don't they come up with a complete makeover plan and employ those without work to complete it?

exactly, the beach could be raked nicely and those foot prints erased.  The trash buried in the sand could be removed, the seawall's could be repaired, the facades to the buildings repaired and painted.  Those unsightly cable wires could be removed and buried under the roadways in large conduits, the soi dogs captured and moved out so there is no one getting bit, possibly adopted out or euthanized depending on there health, all a pipe dream I guess, but then what could be if some ingenuity was thought of to keep people employed on civic projects....

[baansgr]

3 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

condo values will be of course totally unaffected. 

 

 

Some great bargains already from people who are sensible and realise money is better...

[Jane Dough]

I was always one who thought that Pattaya was a great place to take my growing families. I stopped going because of the noise and smell of diesel fumes from tour buses. But if the tour groups are not back and it's still relatively quiet I will be one of the first to spend weekends there again when this is all over.

 

Pattaya is family friendly with all the great attractions. And no, I haven't been hired to say that by the TAT!

 

Rooster

[baansgr]

2 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

I do not think so.

The Chinese are supposedly getting things going one way or another.

Pent up demand.

I bet by Nov/Dec or earlier the crowds are back.

For the sake of people with businesses I'd like to share your optimism but reality is going to be totally different. Pattaya will never be the same For rent and for sale signs everywhere already....that's just after a few weeks. Marketplace is awash with restaurant gear for sale....

[baansgr]

1 minute ago, Jane Dough said:

I was always one who thought that Pattaya was a great place to take my growing families. I stopped going because of the noise and smell of diesel fumes from tour buses. But if the tour groups are not back and it's still relatively quiet I will be one of the first to spend weekends there again when this is all over.

 

Pattaya is family friendly with all the great attractions. And no, I haven't been hired to say that by the TAT!

 

Rooster

The period between the Chinese not coming and the lockdown...Jomtien was a dream....sad it didn't last long

[Peterw42]

Seems odd that people are almost celebrating the demise of tourism and the broader Thai economy, but dont appear to feel the same about tourism and economies failing in the rest of the world.

A worldwide pandemic has shut down Thai tourism, not any other factor. Thais haven't brought this on themselves, they are the victims of the pandemic, as is the rest of the world.

Whatever is happening in Thailand, is happening in home countries, no difference, its not anything to be happy about.

 

[Leaver]

3 hours ago, exparte said:

We all know the ignorance of most countries; Thailand will always be viewed as Asia and the Epicenter of the virus and people planning their Holidays will opt to choose other destinations.

It's not just the possible ignorance of the individual.  As I commented on another thread, the various Foreign Offices have to give Thailand the all clear, which then allows travel insurance to offer cover for a holiday, and that cover is for general illness and injury, not just Corona, which they still may not cover until a vaccine is discovered. 

 

Until Thailand is transparent with their figures, I can't see that happening. So no travel insurance, and in general, that means no tourists.  

 

Other countries will have got on top of this virus, and opened up again to tourists, while Thai authorities are still playing smoke and mirrors with the rest of the world, and if they expect tourists will go against their Foreign Office travel ban, and holiday to Thailand uninsured, then they are the ones being ignorant.

[RJRS1301]

Does that mean that the government will take this opportunity to stimulat eht economic recovery by underatking major infrastructure projects to improve roads, sanitation, footpaths, power supplies ??

Or should one remove the rose coloured glasses??

 

[cornishcarlos]

3 hours ago, Liverpoolfan said:

maybe all the dregs will flee an never come back.

 

Doubt it, not many flights available to Australia !!!

 

 

Kidding ????

[Peterw42]

6 minutes ago, baansgr said:

For the sake of people with businesses I'd like to share your optimism but reality is going to be totally different. Pattaya will never be the same For rent and for sale signs everywhere already....that's just after a few weeks. Marketplace is awash with restaurant gear for sale....

Why would people be selling ? Expats who live here are not going anywhere, foreigners with holiday condos are probably keeping them to come to when the virus is over. Thais are getting government assistance to pay the rent or put mortgages on hold.

Sure, There will be business closures and job losses etc but no point throwing the baby out with the bathwater and dumping property at a loss. 

If people are dumping properties after a few weeks of the virus, a few weeks of no tennants, then they must have already been in bad shape.

[Peterw42]

1 minute ago, RJRS1301 said:

Does that mean that the government will take this opportunity to stimulat eht economic recovery by underatking major infrastructure projects to improve roads, sanitation, footpaths, power supplies ??

Or should one remove the rose coloured glasses??

 

Will the rest of the world be doing these infrastructure projects ?

[Ryan754326]

43 minutes ago, Liverpoolfan said:

My heart bleeds.

They killed the golden goose!

 

Maybe now is a time to reflect on how badly they have treated their guests over the last 40 years.

They treat me just fine. If they didn’t, I wouldn’t keep coming back.

Edited March 30, 2020 by Ryan754326

[RJRS1301]

3 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

Will the rest of the world be doing these infrastructure projects ?

Well hopefully those countries which need them.

But Pattaya being empty seems to provide a once in a generation opportunity

 

[4737 Carlin]

19 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

A worldwide pandemic has shut down Thai tourism, not any other factor.

To be fair, the tourist industry was dwindling here before the pandemic. Far better value to be had in Vietnam, for example.

[Peterw42]

2 minutes ago, RJRS1301 said:

Well hopefully those countries which need them.

But Pattaya being empty seems to provide a once in a generation opportunity

 

You could say the same for most cities in the world at the moment. People are in lock-down, they cant be out doing projects.

[Leaver]

12 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

Sure, There will be business closures and job losses etc but no point throwing the baby out with the bathwater and dumping property at a loss. 

If that was an investment property, with a mortgage, you have no investment anymore. 

 

Best to try to sell it yourself and try to get the best price possible, rather than let the bank foreclose and sell it for peanuts. 

[Destiny1990]

If some folks are interested how Pattaya was looking in 1960 this is ur chance.

[Emdog]

4 hours ago, Phuketshrew said:

Instead of giving away money why don't they come up with a complete makeover plan and employ those without work to complete it?

I was going to hit "thanks" but then I thought about the horrible job makeover of Jomtien Beach. Would we have designs from people who bought their diploma and got job through connections be in charge? Looking at how the wholesale slaughter of shade trees, beyond shoddy construction, removal of benches and circles that promoted social contact, etc etc.... all these beach improvements have been a downhill slide into awfulness. Look at photos of Jomtien 20 years ago and weep.

[Peterw42]

1 minute ago, Leaver said:

If that was an investment property, with a mortgage, you have no investment anymore. 

 

Best to try to sell it yourself and try to get the best price possible, rather than let the bank foreclose and sell it for peanuts. 

Thais can go to the bank and put their mortgages on hold, wife did it a couple of days ago, minimal payments for the net 3 months. The tenants are still paying their rent but she is covered if they loose jobs and stop paying, and she passed on a temporary rent cut to the tenants.

There is no reason in the world for a Thai landlord or tenant to loose or be fourced to sell a property

[Leaver]

31 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

A worldwide pandemic has shut down Thai tourism, not any other factor.

I wouldn't say a tourism industry with the majority of tourists being Chinese and Indian package holiday makers exactly a healthy tourism industry. (no pun intended)

 

Their tourism industry had bigger numbers, but was way down on revenue. 

[RJRS1301]

5 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

You could say the same for most cities in the world at the moment. People are in lock-down, they cant be out doing projects.

Most other cities do not have the same tourist influx continuously for 40 years running down a second class infrastructure cobbled together in the first place, It was "stimulus' suggestion, , when lock down is being lifted, because surelythe lockdown will be lifted slowly. Try to give employment to those who are most vulnerable.

The PO was about Pattaya not other countries, just a question thats all

 

[Leaver]

Just now, Peterw42 said:

Thais can go to the bank and put their mortgages on hold, wife did it a couple of days ago, minimal payments for the net 3 months. The tenants are still paying their rent but she is covered if they loose jobs and stop paying, and she passed on a temporary rent cut to the tenants.

There is no reason in the world for a Thai landlord or tenant to loose or be fourced to sell a property

Your wife has a tenant, what about those owners, with mortgages, where the tenants have left?  3 months grace from the bank isn't going to cut it.  There will be no new tenant for the foreseeable future.

 

What about the Thai's that bought in and were doing the daily rental thing to the Chinese.  All gone now, won't be back for 6 to 12 months, if lucky. 

[Peterw42]

1 minute ago, Leaver said:

I wouldn't say a tourism industry with the majority of tourists being Chinese and Indian package holiday makers exactly a healthy tourism industry. (no pun intended)

 

Their tourism industry had bigger numbers, but was way down on revenue. 

China and India represents half the worlds population. And they are not all budget tourists, as the conventional bar-stool wisdom would have you believe.

[WineOh]

2 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

One man's dregs are another woman's only chance to increase the quality of life for her and her children...

Am I supposed to feel sorry for them? Why didnt they study, go school, work in mcdonalds..

 

they are lazy mate. Dont try the sympathy game cos it aint working. 

[Peterw42]

2 minutes ago, Leaver said:

Your wife has a tenant, what about those owners, with mortgages, where the tenants have left?  3 months grace from the bank isn't going to cut it.  There will be no new tenant for the foreseeable future.

 

What about the Thai's that bought in and were doing the daily rental thing to the Chinese.  All gone now, won't be back for 6 to 12 months, if lucky. 

You can still shutdown the mortgage, thats what all the queues are at the banks. Wife had the option to hold the mortgage for up to 12 months. I really dont feel sorry for people doing the illegal short term rental, always a risk involved. They can still hold the mortgage.

[Leaver]

3 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

China and India represents half the worlds population. And they are not all budget tourists, as the conventional bar-stool wisdom would have you believe.

I know what I see, and I saw a lotttttttttttt of coach buses, and a lotttttttttttttt of street food and packet noodles from 7/11 being sold.   

 

Why would middle class or wealthy Chinese or Indians come to Pattaya? 

 

The vast majority were cheap package holiday makers.

[Leaver]

1 minute ago, Peterw42 said:

You can still shutdown the mortgage, thats what all the queues are at the banks. Wife had the option to hold the mortgage for up to 12 months. I really dont feel sorry for people doing the illegal short term rental, always a risk involved. They can still hold the mortgage.

So, it's gone from 3 months to 12 months.  Which one is it?

 

In any case, doesn't this push the loss onto Thai banks?  That's going to have to come back somewhere.

 

 I don't have a property here.  I can see you have a conflict of interest.  Try to be subjective.  Do you really think this crisis will not / should not effect the property market here?   

[legend49]

I like his approach on this line, something we all said was OTT.

 

The requirements to have health certificates and 100,000 baht insurance policies have put paid to that.