Thailand tourist arrivals may fall by as much as 65% in 2020 due to virus outbreak

[akampa]

4 hours ago, car720 said:

Engage.

engage warp engines Mr Spock

[LarryLEB]

14 hours ago, misterjames said:

This is a good thing in my opinion Thailand has been treating foreigners really badly for a while now. we have been forced to put up with increasing xenophobia in recent years along with an increase in crazy immigration rules that have made many feel unwelcome and quite frankly making Thailand not as attractive as it used to be as a hassle free tourist destination.

 

Lets hope that when less of tourists show up this year they will be humbled a bit and realise that they will need to be more fair in order to win the tourists back I'm hoping that in their absence they will begin to see the benefits that foreigners bring more clearly.

 

Don't hold your breath...

[Millcx]

14 hours ago, Just1Voice said:

14 to 16 million.  Optimistic bunch, aren't they? lol

I reckon 90% loss and small numbers Of tourists not until Jan 2021 ... Economies all over are weak

[ThailandRyan]

14 minutes ago, tonysilly said:

More people die on the 3 days of songkron every year  ;( 

still want to believe the Government now don't you, such a shame.....a mind is a terrible thing to waste...

[Millcx]

4 minutes ago, LarryLEB said:

Don't hold your breath...

It will mean the worse for those who stay .. They will bear the brunt ... Vietnam and Cambodia are looking friendly

[Bad boy 561]

14 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Not much in the way of local substitutes for English breakfast tea, Marmite or Gravy granules.

Oh poor little Brit,no yes what a shamw

[Caldera]

The Age of Covid - when a 65% downturn sounds optimistic.

 

[BobbyL]

I would most likely guess the tourist numbers they got from January - mid March will be pretty close to the final figures for the whole of 2020. People will not be booking a holiday here any time soon. 

[Sydebolle]

The boys at TAT can work now already on some explanatory notes on why the year end will be crowned with a seven and not an eight digit number of tourists. 

What is in complete absence is the promotion of domestic travels. If you can get Thais moving within Thailand rather than Disneyland or Sentosa Island etc. ...... a Baht is a Baht and if you get the local yocals to diversify a little from what those folks see back home then you have a winner. 

Presently Phuket, Khon Kaen and Udon Thani have no specific individual character, the same shopping malls with the same overpriced luxury consumer goods items and the same range of rubbish junk food providers - go figure. The Chinese love it because back home the situation there is even worse but Thailand could do MUCH MUCH better. 

Another issue might be that Thais manage to ransack Bang Saen Beach over a weekend while in nearby Pattaya foreigners are prisoned and locked up for just sitting there. Smoking is punishable with THB 100K, no beach chairs in Phuket and Wednesday all beach operators are forced, by law, to be absent.

Maybe a less idiotic government with less idiotic bureaucrats might be a step in the right direction - me thinks! 

[shackleton]

I think the Thai Tourist boss should contact Thai Visa 

And ask for someone to be on the tourist board  and  represent the views 

Of many on here  might get  some fresh ideas for the future 

[Moo 2]

Most countries affected by the Virus are asking their people to holiday at home to help

rebuilding the economy, so it's more likely 75% + that Thailand should expect the arrival

of visitors on its soil.

[Bangkok Barry]

14 hours ago, misterjames said:

This is a good thing in my opinion Thailand has been treating foreigners really badly for a while now. we have been forced to put up with increasing xenophobia in recent years along with an increase in crazy immigration rules that have made many feel unwelcome and quite frankly making Thailand not as attractive as it used to be as a hassle free tourist destination.

 

Lets hope that when less of tourists show up this year they will be humbled a bit and realise that they will need to be more fair in order to win the tourists back I'm hoping that in their absence they will begin to see the benefits that foreigners bring more clearly.

 

Tourists are not affected at all by immigration rules, only long-term residents are. Thailand allows most people to enter for a period long enough to satisfy most genuine tourists with no formalities at all.

 

Thailand's problem has become First World prices for Third World quality and service standards. That is a major cultural problem which is far from easy to solve. Too many Thais appear to be under the illusion that they have better beaches, better attractions, better shopping, better infrastructure, better value than anywhere else. It's the way they have been brainwashed from birth, and as most don't travel they believe such nonsense as they have no way to compare themselves with others.

 

When Thailand was cheap people were forgiving, but those days have gone. And that is why numbers have been dropping and will continue to drop, as people can get better value closer to home.

[animatic]

With TAT saying 65% 

we can expect 80%+

[2 is 1]

Now some numbers is from place where sun not shine! Here have arrive 39.8 million tourist last year and they have left here 59.89 billion $!

So only Donald and hes friend visit in LOS! Or my college has too long time and i don't know how count nomore!

[moe666]

15 hours ago, misterjames said:

This is a good thing in my opinion Thailand has been treating foreigners really badly for a while now. we have been forced to put up with increasing xenophobia in recent years along with an increase in crazy immigration rules that have made many feel unwelcome and quite frankly making Thailand not as attractive as it used to be as a hassle free tourist destination.

 

Lets hope that when less of tourists show up this year they will be humbled a bit and realise that they will need to be more fair in order to win the tourists back I'm hoping that in their absence they will begin to see the benefits that foreigners bring more clearly.

 

I think you are confusing tourist with people staying long term, what changes to the ability of a tourist to stay the usual 2 weeks has been emplimented. 

[Bangkok Barry]

3 hours ago, Greg O said:

The answer is on the dartboard...there can't be any rational explanation .

They banned playing darts without a license (there is no license) as it is seen as a form of gambling. Same as playing Bridge. Same as those fluffy toy crane arcade things that kids like. When you think about it, most things are banned in Thailand. It's just that the bans are rarely enforced because they're so stupid.

[ThailandRyan]

TAT "Come visit Thailand, we offer competitive health care and 14 day quarantine" or "Thailand, the home of the vanishing Covid, free mask included with Immigration Stamp"

[Andycoops]

I for one won't be going anywhere without a cv19 vaccination.

[Bangkok Barry]

58 minutes ago, tonysilly said:

Thailand will come back strong if everyone stay positive and work hard to keep prices cheap and customer service good. 

And the chances of that are??? 

[Surasak]

15 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Not much in the way of local substitutes for English breakfast tea, Marmite or Gravy granules.

English breakfast tea? How common !

[Muzzique]

Just now, ThailandRyan said:

TAT "Come visit Thailand, we offer competitive health care and 14 day quarantine" or "Thailand, the home of the vanishing Covid, free mask included with Immigration Stamp"

TAT Small print

 

*Note.  In addition to the 14 day Thai quarantine period tourists may be subject to a further 14 days quarantine on their return to their home country. Please allow 28 days additional quarantine time to any 7 day holiday you may plan.

[spidermike007]

"Forward bookings are showing a good trend, with smaller drops. But that will also depend on the outbreak situation and travel restrictions," he added.

 

What kind of drugs are they taking? What forward bookings? There are no forward bookings. Most hotels are reporting 0% forward bookings. Tourists do not even know what the policies are going to be, with regard to requirements for health letters, health insurance, incoming flights, quarantines, etc. This is a total fiction, creating by men and women out of desperation. 

 

And to some extent Thailand is getting what they deserve. The people elected a spectacularly incompetent government, and they knew what they were doing, after five years of this mess. I do feel for the people. I really like most Thai people, and millions are going to get crushed by all of this. 

 

Quantity over quality is never a good thing, unless you are selling one dollar items at a swap meet. It just lowers the quality of the experience for all. This is an emergency situation. It needs to be dealt with, and it needs a high degree of intelligence and competence. Not something Prayuth or Pipat possess. Someone else needs to handle this, and it needs to be handled yesterday! The tourism industry is teetering on the edge of a tragic drop, and has already been devastated by this highly destructive administration. And now Covid? It could devastate millions of families dependent on tourism. Why will tourists take a chance? Who can trust the Thai authorities, and what they say? 

 

You know what they say about putting all of your eggs in one basket? I have been warning of the dangers of becoming too dependent on China for years. Now, after you have made your bed, you get to sleep in it. You have alienated all tourists but Indians and Chinese. Westerners are not coming here anymore for a dozen very good reasons. You insulted us. You demeaned us. You accused us of being evil, and you accused us of being criminals. You mounted campaigns touting us as bad for the nation. You demonstrated deplorable amounts of racism and xenophobia, and fear of the outside world. And now you want us to come back? Really? How soon you forget. Sorry, but we have not forgotten what was done and said. What millions of tourists have forgotten is a country named Thailand. There are too many alternatives now, and they are not only trying harder, they actually have competent people in charge! Surprise! Sorry to say, but the high spending tourists are lost for good. They WILL NOT come back to Thailand, for a dozen different reasons. And places like Pattaya, Phuket and Samui will continue to go downhill. So, the goons at the TAT continue to pursue ever higher numbers, regardless of the noxious air, unbelievable congestion on the roads, lack of alternative transportation, woeful immigration service at the airports, that these policy only seems to exacerbate.

 

And that presumes that people are even willing to come back. That remains to be seen. The class of tourist that was the hardest hit by this insane economic shutdown, (lower income and middle income) was the exact one which was being targeted by the TAT. It could be years until tourism normalizes here, and nobody knows what the new normal is going to look like. 

 

[Bangkok Barry]

45 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

still want to believe the Government now don't you, such a shame.....a mind is a terrible thing to waste...

If the death toll has been high, why haven't we read about it on social media? Locals would be crying out about the numbers they know who have been affected and/or died and be ridiculing the official figures.

 

Ask any Thai you or your family (if you have one in Thailand) knows if anyone personally knows of anyone who has had the virus. Then come back to us. Your 'survey' would be interesting. My own experience with my family and those they know is that the number is zero.

[Muzzique]

34 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

If the death toll has been high, why haven't we read about it on social media?

My wife's cousin works as a doctor in the hospital. She has been instructed not to test people for Covid 19 even if they show the symptoms and to put any cause of death down as a result of Pneumonia, heart failure or similar. Anything but Covid 19. The hospital is experiencing three time the number of deaths than they would normally expect at this time of year.

 

If she does not comply then she will lose her job and she could face prosecution. Staff are both fearful of catching it and fearful of speaking out for fear of the repercussions. 

 

Problem is that going forwards overseas governments will place restrictions on people travelling to countries where they are not being honest about what is really happening,

 

There is a big fear that a second wave will come with people returning from places like Thailand. We have seen what has happened in South Korea in a single nightclub. We are walking on thin ice here and an honest country where lockdowns have been eased will take tough measures to make sure it does not come back in from the outside.

 

All these lies will come back to haunt Thailand. Given the effect on peoples jobs and livelihoods, citizens from these place will most likely opt for a holiday in a country where the truth is being told and where the quarantine on return will not be required. 

Edited May 12, 2020 by Muzzique

[Traubert]

15 minutes ago, Muzzique said:

My wife's cousin works as a doctor in the hospital. She has been instructed not to test people for Covid 19 even if they show the symptoms and to put any cause of death down as a result of Pneumonia, heart failure or similar. Anything but Covid 19. The hospital is experiencing three time the number of deaths than they would normally expect at this time of year.

 

If she does not comply then she will lose her job and she could face prosecution. Staff are both fearful of catching it and fearful of speaking out for fear of the repercussions. 

 

Problem is that going forwards overseas governments will place restrictions on people travelling to countries where they are not being honest about what is really happening,

 

There is a big fear that a second wave will come with people returning from places like Thailand. We have seen what has happened in South Korea in a single nightclub. We are walking on thin ice here and an honest country where lockdowns have been eased will take tough measures to make sure it does not come back in from the outside.

 

All these lies will come back to haunt Thailand. Given the effect on peoples jobs and livelihoods, citizens from these place will most likely opt for a holiday in a country where the truth is being told and where the quarantine on return will not be required. 

Dont you think that might be quickly spotted?

[Seeall]

59 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

They banned playing darts without a license (there is no license) as it is seen as a form of gambling. Same as playing Bridge. Same as those fluffy toy crane arcade things that kids like. When you think about it, most things are banned in Thailand. It's just that the bans are rarely enforced because they're so stupid.

Needs to be that way or the place would really collapse.....

[Seeall]

4 hours ago, Greg O said:

Where is this so-called second wave going to come from exactly ?Can't possibly be by sea as the beaches are closed. There are still a couple hundred hookers ( I mean hostesses ) being repatriated this week from UAE but they've already been quarantined and tested and fully certified grade A....then quarantined another 14 days on arrival. Darn, forgot what I was rambling about ...Oh yeah second wave will come from China when they allow flights from China to resume...then what ? 

They dont care as long as the short term cash flows...

[Caine]

15 hours ago, Don Mega said:

hahahahahahahahahahaha so 2 cups from a bag that costs 2b........ and complains............. is that taking cheap charlie to a new level ?

Funny how a topic on visitor numbers can turn into 2 dipsticks arguing over cups of tea. You couldn’t make it up.

[Seeall]

1 hour ago, tonysilly said:

Again with the negative artical I guess you are smart guy?? No tourist?? How about 99% no tourist.  Thank you corona!!!

Thailand will come back strong if everyone stay positive and work hard to keep prices cheap and customer service good.  You need help ?? Contact me  ????

Work hard?  ahh just ate 5 times today, need a nap on my bike..  power up so I can meet up with my likewise friends for a whiskey sesion..

[Don Mega]

1 minute ago, Caine said:

Funny how a topic on visitor numbers can turn into 2 dipsticks arguing over cups of tea. You couldn’t make it up.

Your easily aroused if you think that was arguing.