Phuket tourism industry ruined!

[fester]

Phuket tourism industry on brink of financial ruin

says an article in todays Bangkok Post, reposted here:

Island teeters on brink of financial ruin

Comments, thanks!

[RalphtheOgre]

I wonder about traveling in general. Why is air travel still a luxury while a bus trip lasting the same time, is not???

I obviously know that there are basic costs that have to be covered, but the rest? Why do I need lots of food on a plane but not a bus? Can't I get it cheaper if I bring it myself? As in a bus.

I am a Swede, not too far from a sick pension, have spent the last 4 winters in South East Asia, mostly Thailand, while my first visit in BKK as a young student was in 1975. I just cannot stand Sweden in winter anymore. But - I just read that Phuket is empty, still - when I asked the travel agent that last winter sold me a return ticket with Aeroflot for US$600, now he had as cheapest alternative Lufthansa for $800 for a 3-month ticket!

Have the Thai authorities calculated the breaking point on prices with Thai International? How much they had to lower it to get more tourists? Probably not. Why do they not put in a new class, Backpacker Class for all ages? Make an experiment over a year. Bring your own beer, we have an empty refrigerator on board......

I live in southern Sweden. To go to the capital, 600 kms, with regular fast train owned by the socialist government, is US$100 nowadays! I can fly, with some new cheap airlines, to England and France, not to the big airports but smaller ones, for US$20-30.

Another thought I have, which could benefit tourism in Thailand enormously is - Europe is full of poor pensioners! Still they have a regular small income, they have time to kill, and hate winter here. If nothing else they slip on the ice and break their legs and crush their skulls. I can imagine loads of them wanting to go to Thailand for 3-4 months in winter, to cheap lodgings - after all, who needs aircon in winter in Thailand? If they want it cool, go north. Unfortunately with the biggest cost the rent for their place back here in Sweden or other European countries, some rethinking has to be done.

Seasoned travellers are not afraid of Iraq, SARS or terrorists - they know the likelihood is microscopic that they and those reporters will be at the same point of time and space. The traffic in BKK is much riskier.

[mrvietnam2001]

This is a good thing. It's way overdue for an "attitude adjustment" in Thailand.

The best ( worst) is yet to come. The real estate market in the USA is so over bought it's unreal. This has been the only sector that has kept the imports coming in and it's starting to teeter. People in the know are divesting themselves of any serious holdings in this arena. This goes, and so does the economy.

Economy plunges any further and places with all the B/S like Thialand can forget about the future for a while and deal with the few who come in and call whatever shots and make whatever deals that are beneficial to them.

The long term effects will be good for everyone as governments ( after some serious police state tactics fail) will have no choice but to downsize considerably as the only thing that will save them and their countries is to draft laws that are FRIENDLY to those of us who are willing to take a shot and buy homes, businesses, and lifestyles within their little realm.

The fact that the "yachters" are going to Malaysia is a true indication that people will go to where they and their money is best served and respected and forget all about the rest.

Vietnam are you watching this???

Mr Vietnam

[Rinrada]

Its whats known as "the bubble has burst"or with ref.to Puk...."BUST"

Tomorrow Pattaya,Jomtien,then to a lesser extent Chang Mai/Rai and finally Bangers itself.

What will happen? Obviously the prices for tourists will rise.Visits to the Croc.Farm at Sam Prac.(round the corner from my gaff-never been) will become 50Bt.for locals and 5000Bt for rich non existent non thai nationals.Actually the Big Elephant museum is good value and No double pricing...but will they learn.

Cheap prices on Thai Airways and Hotel promotions..where?? :blues:

[flackjacket]

Seasoned visitors to Thailand will still come. However others will need incentives, discounted airfares and hotels( come on Thai resorts, wake up). Also reduce the boat taxes, improve Phuket with a good marina and encourage yacht and cruiser people to visit. These people will spend their money, even down to buying fuel for their boats. Make it worth their while to visit. Things in Phuket are more interesting than Lankawai in Malaysia. Sadly a lot of establishments in Phuket will suffer, some permanently but out of the ashes some better ones may rise (if people heed the mistakes they made before). Reference the previous letter from Sweden, true there are many who would become snowbirds from the European winter even though they do not have the financial backing to make a full retirement visa. Surely some cash inflow into Thailand is better than none(snowbirds need places to live, spend money on food and drink).Even backpackers spend some money.

It is time for the Government to seriously think about ways to encourage people to stay in Thailand and spend money, not look for ways to make it harder. As many have said on this web site in the past, it could, at times, be construed that "We want your money but not you"

[RalphtheOgre]

I suppose it is the usual business of "don't leave politics to the politicians". But also not to the most short-sighted businessmen.

I remember when I passed Athens in 1981, I could still get a place to put my sleeping bag for a US$1, the following summer I did not find a place that did not cost ten times as much. The military junta had decided they did not want budget travellers, forgetting that budget travellers have more money a couple of years later. And go to the places they enjoyed.

Of course one is worried that the 200 Bath rooms will go the same way.

It is certainly true that the Thais have avoided becoming a Western colony for a few centuries by smiling and not saying NO too often - but maybe some less Buddhist passivity could help now. We all enjoy Thailand and with some experience I think we know the good and the bad sides - and are sure that if just I was the benign dictator over Thailand and my home country, I could have created the perfect land by mixing the two! The world is getting tougher, and ne cannot anymore trust that the news will get stale during the 3-month transfer to the listerners and thereby fall into oblivition.

Sure, a big problem is also that so few Thais get the chance to travel except to a Farang bf. At the same time, there should be given them an opportunity to visit the West for a sensible price.

[mrvietnam2001]

"""Sure, a big problem is also that so few Thais get the chance to travel except to a Farang bf. At the same time, there should be given them an opportunity to visit the West for a sensible price."""

The opportunity needs to be created so that they have the opportunities for a better life where they are! Even the Chinese will admit that of the immigration doors to America had no rules, there would be nobody left in China and America's biggest language would become mandarin.

Philosophical crappola aside, the money's going to go to where it is best served. Where it is less taxed and where the legal extortion is kept to a minimum. Governments and the people that support them have themselves to blame. Use that to your advantage.

The next couple of years are going to be real interesting.........

Mr Vietnam

[enchanted]

Totally agree with you guys...

While most airlines are slashing their air ticket prices to encourage more people to travel to popular tourist destinations, Thai Airways has not made any such moves to put themselves in a more competitive position. Maybe they are thinking of piggy-backing on these airlines to lure the tourists to Thailand but did it cross thier minds that if the situation don't improve, airlines will be cancelling more and more of the flights to LOS too as to every other destinations?

Thailand shld cater more to the regulars to LOS thru' Thai Airways. Many of us here will definitely go back to Thailand if we have the chance, as compared to Malaysia or any other Asian countries. Why don't they devise new packages such as the LOS Regular Tourist package where you can buy a full 1 year unlimited travel on Thai Airways to a selected destination (eg. Phuket, Bangkok, etc) for a premium price (maybe US$500). Think of it...the more the regular tourist comes back to LOS, the more he will spend in the long run...if he shld like to take a flight on TG to Bangkok instead of his selected destination of Phuket, he could do so by paying a small fee to change his destination for that one-off travel. Boy! This sure beats the hassle of applying of VISAS and doing VISA-runs...!!

Comments anyone?

[mrvietnam2001]

Hi enchanted,

I think they will have no choice, however, I'm eager to see the continuing changes in Vietnam which is going to create quite a bit more stir in SE Asia.

Regards

Mr Vietnam

[Brian]

Australia learned a long time ago the value of backpacker tourists. Although the daily spending isn't as high as the richer short term tourists, they tend to stay for much longer periods of time and actually are better for the local economy because the money that they do spend is spread over a much wider part of the community.

But lets face it. Thailand would much rather no farangs come at all. They would much prefer that we just stay at home and send them all our money.

The coming years will certainly become interesting as Cambodia, Vietnam and Loas tourism industries mature. Thailand will need to come up some good strategy to entice  people to LOS.

[ittakuchinno]

I wonder about traveling in general. Why is air travel still a luxury while a bus trip lasting the same time, is not???]

Actually the air travel still at reasonable cost. I use to go to Phuket Last month. I take Firefly airline from Penang. It cost me only few hundred and it just take 1 hour and 20 minute.

I heard Firefly also fly to Koh Samui. Anyone know about Koh samui.

Special comments: Thanks Firefly for bring me to Phuket.

Need advise about Koh Samui...

[ovenman]

I wonder about traveling in general. Why is air travel still a luxury while a bus trip lasting the same time, is not???

Actually the air travel still at reasonable cost. I use to go to Phuket Last month. I take Firefly airline from Penang. It cost me only few hundred and it just take 1 hour and 20 minute.

Responding to a rhetorical question posed over four years and two months ago. One wonders whether RalphtheOgre has been patiently awaiting a response all these years...

[baabaabobo]

I wonder about traveling in general. Why is air travel still a luxury while a bus trip lasting the same time, is not???

Actually the air travel still at reasonable cost. I use to go to Phuket Last month. I take Firefly airline from Penang. It cost me only few hundred and it just take 1 hour and 20 minute.

Responding to a rhetorical question posed over four years and two months ago. One wonders whether RalphtheOgre has been patiently awaiting a response all these years...

Well spotted!

[LaoPo]

I am a Swede, not too far from a sick pension, have spent the last 4 winters in South East Asia, mostly Thailand, while my first visit in BKK as a young student was in 1975. I just cannot stand Sweden in winter anymore. But - I just read that Phuket is empty, still - when I asked the travel agent that last winter sold me a return ticket with Aeroflot for US$600, now he had as cheapest alternative Lufthansa for $800 for a 3-month ticket!

If you live in southern Sweden (just came back from there -Smaland-, beautiful countryside!) why don't you fly from Copenhagen ?

Found a few interesting ticket options:

http://www.edreams.com/flights/copenhagen-bangkok/

LaoPo

[solo siam]

I've heard this every single year, yet the visitor numbers just keep getting bigger - Best to wait until High Season I think, weren't any villas available to rent over Dec/Jan period just gone, not too sure about the hotel rooms.

[ovenman]

Once again, this thread and the post people are responding to are over four years old!!

[britmaveric]

Once again, this thread and the post people are responding to are over four years old!!

[dogblower]

I think its rather interesting: 4 years ago, all that doom and gloom. What happened? Not much. Puts an interesting perspective on what people think is happening in Thailand. Some of the current posts might well be worth reading in the same light in 4 years time.