Thailand Aims to Turn Away From Mass Tourism and Target the Wealthy

[animatic]

Ah yes, the old “ Quality Tourist” trope.

They say this regularly and never ever “reset the sector”.

Som nom nah!

[southcoast]

What a complete moron this bloke is. Just proves the government dont give a "Rats A***" about the thousands and thousands of people of Thailand working (or trying to) in the Bars, Restaurants, Hotels etc. I wonder "WHEN "the Thai people are going to wake up!!! and say enough is enough. Oh how nice it would be, living in a democratic country, thats a country for the people NOT a military government. Time to move on, there must be another country that wants my money because Thailand doesn't. I think its time to leave the sinking ship and the land of brown envelopes.

[murraynz]

6 hours ago, WhatsNext said:

Get wealthy tourists to thailand, ok then :

 

- Make clean beaches, streets, sewage systems that work, no floodings, get rid of air pollution, soi dogs, crazy dangerous traffic, overhead cables, make food safe, supply service on a western level, have flexibility for guests in hotels, increase english knowledge, have sidewalks bigger than 40cm, have clean public parks, boulevards without traffic, classy nightlife, quality all in hotels, and have a street appearance on 1st world level not somewhere between 2nd and 3rd. Put sex industry out of sight and then maybe MAYBE some high class tourists might come. 

 

I live here so for me the reasons to be here are entirely different than for a tourist. If i was an upper class tourist , thailand would not be in my list of goto desitnations.

 

[Oldie]

4 minutes ago, animatic said:

Ah yes, the old “ Quality Tourist” trope.

They say this regularly and never ever “reset the sector”.

Som nom nah!

I think they are looking for quality sex and booze tourists now. The tourism minister was the one who wanted to extend the closing hours of the nightlife if I remember correctly so that they can earn more money. This was before Corona because there were not enough s&b tourists. 

[transam]

17 minutes ago, herwin1234 said:

promoting quality over quantity, a SMART decision for the future.

There will be still mass tourism, but less, and instead of making efforts to attrackt loads of mass tourists, efforts will be made to attrackt quality visitors. Smart!

But what quality will you offer....?

Smart car visa checks we know about, tell all about your smart moves...?

[Krataiboy]

From the Central Alliance to the Premier League in one quick hop! In your dreams, buddy.

[Andrew65]

1 hour ago, hansnl said:

But of course rich, affluent tourists bring in money directly into the pockets of the rich and affluent, the poor who eked out a living in sometimes very "dirty" jobs and the families dependent on them are not important.

The medical tourism, till now, was based on Thailand being cheaper.

However, the prices in Thailand are now on the same level or higher as the prices in Europe's healthcare industry.

And what are rich and affluent people looking for?

Exactly the same as everybody else.

Thailand, in my view, gambled on Chinese, well, Chinese come once and next year go somewhere else.

The rich Chinese come here, buy a few condos to rent them out to Chinese tour groups, but stay away.

But as Chinese seem to have a grudge against white people, that filters down to the people in power in Thailand.

Poor Thai......

Another thing being, for 100's of millions of Chinese & Indians, Thailand's a short-haul destination. Unlike westerners they're not paying $700++ for the airline ticket.

[chainarong]

Talk about realin and rockin from one drama to another 

[Chiang Mai Bill]

Luxury resorts on of Phi Phi?  I must have missed that one! Phi Phi is full of tat and cheap shops -- hundreds of day trippers! Not an island that I would select (if I were wealthy)!
 

And they'll have to do a lot of clearing up of the dirty, scruffy villages, and towns for the mass of wealthy tourists when they are doing their sightseeing tours!

 

No more dumping of rubbish right outside the resorts in the future then!

[chainarong]

16 minutes ago, southcoast said:

What a complete moron this bloke is. Just proves the government dont give a "Rats A***" about the thousands and thousands of people of Thailand working (or trying to) in the Bars, Restaurants, Hotels etc. I wonder "WHEN "the Thai people are going to wake up!!! and say enough is enough. Oh how nice it would be, living in a democratic country, thats a country for the people NOT a military government. Time to move on, there must be another country that wants my money because Thailand doesn't. I think its time to leave the sinking ship and the land of brown envelopes.

Problem is this is what the Thai's are used to they know no different , only the ones that have spent time in another country. Although I wouldn't recommend the US at the moment.

[connda]

7 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Thailand Aims to Turn Away From Mass Tourism and Target the Wealthy

Excellent idea.  What could go wrong?  Absolutely - Go for it!!!
????

[5633572526]

7 hours ago, mfd101 said:

Still, if it actually happened, it would be nice for those of us who haven't been to Pattaya for several years or to Phuket ever or the islands ever to be able to make a pleasant journey and stay in cleanliness, quiet & comfort.

 

One can always hope.

If you couldn’t afford to go before you will not be able to go in the future 

[kingofallasians]

Lol, Thailand is not Monaco.

[barney42bb]

At 38 to the £ you will be lucky to get even the wealthy..especially with what precious  little there is to offer... Your Competitors are doing it better and ore cost friendly.

[Surasak]

7 hours ago, WhatsNext said:

Get wealthy tourists to thailand, ok then :

 

- Make clean beaches, streets, sewage systems that work, no floodings, get rid of air pollution, soi dogs, crazy dangerous traffic, overhead cables, make food safe, supply service on a western level, have flexibility for guests in hotels, increase english knowledge, have sidewalks bigger than 40cm, have clean public parks, boulevards without traffic, classy nightlife, quality all in hotels, and have a street appearance on 1st world level not somewhere between 2nd and 3rd. Put sex industry out of sight and then maybe MAYBE some high class tourists might come. 

 

I live here so for me the reasons to be here are entirely different than for a tourist. If i was an upper class tourist , thailand would not be in my list of goto desitnations.

What you suggest would bankrupt, not only the country, but the generals in charge, and that would never do.

[Destiny1990]

So no more 3 Indians sharing 1 beer bottle ?

[herwin1234]

i dont get it. when the Thai focus and promote mass tourism from eg China, all forum farang are negative and full of ridicule. And when the Thai instead start to focus on quality tourists instead of mass tourists, the negative and ridicule IS EXCACTLY THE SAME. 

 

Seems like no matter what, black or white, most farang are extremely negative and quiet frankly very insulting to their guest country, which often is the HOMECOUNTRY of their own children.  Very dumb to ridicule your own childrens country.

 

I deeply wish and will promote that Thailand in the near future starts to focus on attacting positive minded expats AND getting rid of bitter negative old farangs.

 

There are ways to achieve that, which is not based on financial income but an integration course that one has to go through AND succeed in order to stay in Thailand. 

or just browse TV and make a list of insulting farangs  and next time at Immigration its Adios Amigo there is the door and dont come back.

 

Positive minded expats in, negative expats out. IF YOU DONT LIKE IT HERE YOU SHOULDNT STAY ANYWAY. The Thais kicking out negative farangs are really doing a favor to these farangs.

[Kerryd]

Remember this is the place that was going to attract all the wealthy "medical tourists" as well, by offering them a visa that was very expensive and required them to leave large sums of money in the bank the whole time they were here.

Wonder how many of those Visas they've issued since they started that scam ? (I don't even see it listed on the "types of visas" pages. Maybe they quietly scrapped it ?)

[kingofallasians]

I'm an American, but I love Thailand more than the USA.  I feel more at home there than anywhere else.

[dunroaming]

Total rubbish as usual. Thailand needs mass not quality.

[Deli]

It is a chance for a change:

Ban all Chinese for a decade !

[ronaldo0]

So the rich are going to go to the other rich peoples resorts and restaurants and the rich get richer . 
Meanwhile 4* and below places or average restaurants will remain empty due to no tourists !

[rwill]

So they want about 90% of the hotels and resorts to close down.  Good economic planning.

[Bkk Brian]

Thailand 5* destination, oh what a tangled web they weave

[Scottie12]

_{Thailand has not had a decent Minister of Tourism for many years and this guy is no exception. Which planet is he on ? Only business travellers and medical tourists allowed in initially and I can see the Emirates of this world saying yeah right, we’re sure we can fill a 380 with them !}

[Laza 45]

7 hours ago, EricTh said:

Thailand should close doors to foreign backpackers with a shoestring budget hanging out on Khaosan road.

 

They are targeting rich foreigners who stay at 5 star hotels and dine in expensive restaurants. But how many of these will come to Thailand? Not many I suppose.

 

Most tourists who come from western countries are backpackers. I talked to many and they are all on tight budget.

"Most tourists who come from western countries are backpackers. I talked to many and they are all on tight budget."

 

 

Just shows where you stay and who you talk to.. You might not have noticed that there are a lot of hotels, resorts & restaurants who cater for those who have money to spend.    It seems to me that encouraging this sector of travelers is a good idea at the moment. Why?... because it restarts the industry with a low chance of importing more virus cases.  It restarts the industry on a more sustainable footing.  It brings in more $$ per arrival than catering to the masses..   It gives the overused tourist destinations a chance to recover.  It gives Thailand a chance to re-brand itself as an upmarket destination that is a safe place to be.  The cost of getting Thailand to the position it is in now as a virus free zone has been huge.  It makes sense to take advantage of this achievement and create a new normal.  

Yes.. there are problems of re-employing hundreds of thousands of low skilled hospitality workers but that is another challenge but it must not be undertaken without compromising Thailand's enviable virus free status.  That is gold in the bank. 

We are living in a world of 'new normal' ... there is no going back to the way things  were in 2019..  There is a lot of pain for many people here  adjusting to this 'new normal' but the Thai people are a resilient and innovative lot.  Give credit where credit is due.  Just have a look at the mess the developed countries of the world are in... Be thankful that you are here ... you probably wouldn't get in in the future.. 

[Mainhattencitizen]

8 hours ago, mr mr said:

please do explain how they will get to said destination with *minimal risk* driving on any road in this country ? 

 

wealthy people post wuwu will also be making strategic decisions. 

 

derp derp.

The so called wealthy people have better destinations then Thailand to go to

[Deli]

This guy's fab ideas will be forgotten soon and everybody, unfortunately also the Chinese, will be very welcomed. $ talks, bull s....walks

[Andrew65]

Lots of wealthy people first come to Thailand as backpackers.
Some years ago I read an article by one of the bosses of L'Oreal, first came to Thailand as a backpacker & now lives there.

 

[tribalfusion001]

26 minutes ago, Destiny1990 said:

So no more 3 Indians sharing 1 beer bottle ?

And trying to share one girl, dirty cheap f*ckers!