Thailand's entire tourism industry will collapse if foreign tourists are not allowed back, industry leader

[tribalfusion001]

2 minutes ago, GAZZPA said:

Firstly i will never believe any numbers that come by way of the Thai authorities and that is where all Thai numbers come from. i was in Thailand for many years prior to Covid working in Lemchabang, living in Pattaya and the tourist numbers were way way down. The beach road was very clear, many restaraunts empty and bars going out of business. In the early years you couldnt move down beach road. It was very noticeable and in my view undeniable. The numbers into Bangkok airport are also not all tourists, it is a very popular airport for stop offs. I think people are going eleswhere long before Covid... Thailand also is not the top 4 destinations in the world, the true numbers that I saw many months ago put it in the top ten,, barely.. France, Spain, USA, China, UK to name a few all have bigger tourist numbers and of course much greater tourist income. In the UK Haethrow ariport alone equals Thai numbers, never mind Gatwick, Luton, Stanstead, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow, etc,,,,

 

First I came in 2009 mostly western tourists at Suvarnbhumi, but since 2017 onwards the majority where Chinese tourists, some of them were rude, pushing into queues, some stank of BO and made it an unpleasant experience going through immigration and security.

 

Chiang Mai in September 2019 was quiet, the locals were telling me this was the worst for a long time. Bangkok was quieter in the main tourist areas last year and pre covid this year, apart from the Chinese, but those numbers seemed to less than before.

[uffe123]

What a 100K tourist are going to come here and quarantine for 14 days. forget it, this guy is still smoking weed. They might get 10 if they are lucky.

[Searat7]

Most of people coming through Phuket are well healed long term residents who should have been let in already under plans announced for others- just not the retirement visa. I hope they count the actual tourists so they can see what a dismal plan this really is. Until they figure out how to get rid of the quarantine this is a non starter.

[GAZZPA]

2 minutes ago, tribalfusion001 said:

First I came in 2009 mostly western tourists at Suvarnbhumi, but since 2017 onwards the majority where Chinese tourists, some of them were rude, pushing into queues, some stank of BO and made it an unpleasant experience going through immigration and security.

 

Chiang Mai in September 2019 was quiet, the locals were telling me this was the worst for a long time. Bangkok was quieter in the main tourist areas last year and pre covid this year, apart from the Chinese, but those numbers seemed to less than before.

Dont know about Chinese BO but I agree with you on tourist numbers.. There is absolutely no way the numbers are up and you are right Chinese tourists seem much less. Used to be in Pattaya you could nt move on the roads full of coaches with Chinese tourists, now next to nothing...

[tribalfusion001]

1 minute ago, GAZZPA said:

Dont know about Chinese BO but I agree with you on tourist numbers.. There is absolutely no way the numbers are up and you are right Chinese tourists seem much less. Used to be in Pattaya you could nt move on the roads full of coaches with Chinese tourists, now next to nothing...

I was in the queue for security and there was a group of 6 Chinese women in their 60s, they were trying push past me and they stank of BO. I tried holding my ground, but a couple of them commies did get past me 555.

 

At the top of the Ratchadapisek road next to Lat Phrao road there is a mall and hotel, Ratchadapisek night bazaar. Last September the car park must have had around 20 coaches for the Chinese tour groups, when I went past early this year, all gone, although I think covid was already hitting, so maybe banned from entering.

[sambum]

3 hours ago, tribalfusion001 said:

I've had 3 flights in the last 8 days, perfectly fine, everyone had a mask on. London to Athens to Dortmund to London, I didn't think about the virus once, I was drinking beer and looking at the lovely ladies, plus sightseeing and taking photos. The reality is the world is no more dangerous out there, the risks of getting covid are the same as getting flu.

"I was drinking beer" With a mask on? Sorry - stupid question! ???? 

 

[tribalfusion001]

3 minutes ago, sambum said:

"I was drinking beer" With a mask on? Sorry - stupid question! ???? 

 

Whoops, lack of punctuation. Should had a . after I didn't think about the virus once,

 

No, I don't drink beer with a mask on, normally check out the talent with sunglasses on during the day and during the night I don't care because drunk lol.

[Peterphuket]

27 minutes ago, the green light said:

The govenrment smoke animal fecees. they live in a fake world of realities.

just because you have a cash surplus... you are safe. Investor are not going to invest in thailand now because they are far behind other asian nations. in the handling of this epidemic.  NO investor will want to put money in thailand knowing the econmy is going south.

Well, may be the government will wake up when they realized that they lost 40% of the revenues.

The tourism industry market is gone... even if they open the border, they will have so many restriction that no traveller will consider thailand.

 

The government has managed to kill also the EXPAT market.. How can you retire in Thailand when hard to come in and cant leave once you are in?.. It sound like the song from Hotel California.

 

HAHA-- waiting for more disaster news.

 

 

That's a good one, I agree, yes indeed I have the feeling now I stay in hotel California...I like to go out but I know I can't come in.

Rediculous and dirty.

[Jen65]

There's more to this than meets the eye !! Lets just say that these military purchases might just be sweeteners in case of wider political unrest when their allegiance is needed to support those in power and repress the protests !!!!?????  

[GAZZPA]

17 minutes ago, tribalfusion001 said:

I was in the queue for security and there was a group of 6 Chinese women in their 60s, they were trying push past me and they stank of BO. I tried holding my ground, but a couple of them commies did get past me 555.

 

At the top of the Ratchadapisek road next to Lat Phrao road there is a mall and hotel, Ratchadapisek night bazaar. Last September the car park must have had around 20 coaches for the Chinese tour groups, when I went past early this year, all gone, although I think covid was already hitting, so maybe banned from entering.

I saw the Chinese coaches were declining way before Covid. It used to be a real pain on the roads clogged up by coaches, not anymore and not for some years. 

[herfiehandbag]

2 hours ago, aussienam said:

More ports of entry needed.  More ASQ facilities.  Using BKK as only way in is causing huge backlog and is just way too slow.  

Other airports and land borders could be set up to funnel in arrivals and send to new ASQ facilities.  It is merely expanding on an already successful model.  Plus lowering costs of ASQ needed.  Phuket model will be for wealthier expats, who would represent a small percent of the total retirees.  

Retirees and other expats bring in hundreds of millions of Baht from foreign accounts all year round.  ASQ is a cash cow for hotels and government.  The health insurance is also a huge cash cow with near zero claims being made on policies. 

They need to let us back ASAP to help make up the shortfall of tourism in the meantime and stop leaving so many thousands of stranded expats in limbo.  

Patience, patience. It takes time to ensure that all those cash cows are only depositing their pooh in the buckets held by the right people!

Edited August 28, 2020 by herfiehandbag

[SteveK]

Critical thinking, forward-planning and situational analysis are things that Thais simply cannot comprehend. Do they want tourism back or don't they? Do they hate western tourists or don't they? If they want westerners' money then why are they keeping a racist moron in the government? They don't know what they are doing.

 

They just use various committees and subcommittees to keep putting out complete and utter garbage and misinformation in the hope that people will think they are doing something. They are not! They must understand that most people in the world are probably more intelligent and educated and don't just swallow complete and utter rubbish like the Thais do.

[tribalfusion001]

2 minutes ago, GAZZPA said:

I saw the Chinese coaches were declining way before Covid. It used to be a real pain on the roads clogged up by coaches, not anymore and not for some years. 

I know Chinese tourists have to go somewhere, but tourism will be a lot better without the tour groups. Places in Europe are much better without Chinese tour groups and visits from cruise ships. Athens was pleasant, no queueing to get into the Acropolis and just a good experience without mass tourism. Venice is virtually empty and Rome too.

 

Thailand needs to reset and do without tour groups, they have ruined so many places. The enviromental impact on UNESCO world heritage sites needs to be considered. Thailand is now reset for tourism with none.

[Caldera]

Well they cannot have their cake and eat it. Either they open the borders and tolerate some manageable level of virus transmission, or they don't and ruin their tourist industry.

 

[darrenr]

Why would I come to Thailand to quarantine for 2 weeks (I only get 4 weeks holiday a year) have a 2 week holiday and then more than likely have quarantine on return home ! Not worth it , and this is what they don’t get ! Even the chinese, Russians and Koreans won’t bother ! 

[GAZZPA]

2 minutes ago, darrenr said:

Why would I come to Thailand to quarantine for 2 weeks (I only get 4 weeks holiday a year) have a 2 week holiday and then more than likely have quarantine on return home ! Not worth it , and this is what they don’t get ! Even the chinese, Russians and Koreans won’t bother ! 

Well you would't of course. The tourism industry is down the toilet for this year and next year at least. After which it will be an uphill fight for countries to attract tourists and I suspect Thailand may be appear a weaker destination then many other countries... 

[elliss]

10 hours ago, Orton Rd said:

So what, nothing lasts forever

 

     True Love, , lasts forever ...

 

    

Edited August 28, 2020 by elliss

[elliss]

3 minutes ago, PatrickC said:

 

Nope - when you die you don't love anyone any more, because you're dead. So by definition love can't last forever.

 

     Links ? ..

[Orton Rd]

10 minutes ago, elliss said:

 

     True Love, , lasts forever ...

 

    

As long as you keep paying for it ????

[GAZZPA]

8 minutes ago, PatrickC said:

 

Some English tourists love these package holidays where they fly to a resort and don't leave.

 

Could potentially work targeting them.

Not anymore they don't, those types of holidays have been out of favour for years now. The internet took over, even Thomas Cook didn't survive (worlds largest travel agent). Brits love booking their own holidays, it's cheaper and they have better control over their own holiday. Thailand has fallen out of favour with Brits, if SE Asia is on the cards Vietnam is growing, Cambodia is growing, Thailand is declining.

[GeorgeCross]

28 minutes ago, Caldera said:

Well they cannot have their cake and eat it. Either they open the borders and tolerate some manageable level of virus transmission, or they don't and ruin their tourist industry.

 

i think the worry is if they let the hordes in without quarantine they will destroy their domestic tourism. thais are not dumb they'll shun the tourist spots, effectively turning them into leper colonies - for an example look what happened in Rayong recently - it could go really badly wrong PR wise, both for the regime and for Thailand internationally

 

the paradox is if they enforce the health checks, and lets be honest they are for the thai's benefits not the tourist's, only a tiny amount of tourists will actually come anyway

 

thats the downside of scaring your population half to death the last few months.

 

or put another way its a decision only the thai population can make, the junta do not have a say in it.

 

[chrisandsu]

10 hours ago, Somtamnication said:

It really is a catch 22. I think the Thais are realizing that the GDP was grossly understated when it comes to how much tourists actually do for the economy. Wake up call!

I have been saying this for years . The Thais day it’s 12% of the market but the reality is it’s probably closer to 30% if we add in indirect tourism related buying . 

[Jumbo1968]

29 minutes ago, PatrickC said:

 

Some English tourists love these package holidays where they fly to a resort and don't leave.

 

Could potentially work targeting them.

Long way to come for a sun tan, English do like all inclusive resorts if they have kids, free ice cream, soft drinks, food and alcohol for the adults that’s why they never leave the resort.

[jerolamo]

3 hours ago, PatrickC said:

Don't see an issue if tourism collapses. There was too much of it.

 

Domestic tourism is fine for now. 

 

Thailand will be just fine. The world will not end. Life goes on.

You are very courageous to publish a comment who said that you absolutely don't care that a big part of a population loose his job and become poor, can no more paid for health care for there family and will die (maybe, i let you a doubt with that) more than if this dramatic economy situation would not be so scary because of panic decision in front of a virus who is far to be the Ebola.

Maybe you don't care the other around and live only for yourself. Don't cry when you will be the one in pain if everybody around will be like you.

I think that to be able to have a bit of empathy is a better health mental situation...

Well... i don't like pandemic situation and if this one was stronger, i would understand better the closed doors. But when i'm looking at numbers, i not really understand the decisions as i feel it to be a panic.

[jerolamo]

38 minutes ago, Jumbo1968 said:

Long way to come for a sun tan, English do like all inclusive resorts if they have kids, free ice cream, soft drinks, food and alcohol for the adults that’s why they never leave the resort.

i know some other English people than the one you describe.

i think we know people who are close to our mind and practices. That is maybe why.

Maybe you see these one because you have a resort, so sure, you see these one a lot. It is not the only one in other place you do not see.

I may be wrong.... don't feel yourself offended, it is an idea.

[Pesche]

12 hours ago, webfact said:

He said that 4 million people in the sector are already out of work. That could soon be ten million. 

THIS IS WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT!

[NoComment]

The Kingdom has survived successfully in the past and will survive whatever happens.

Tourism is not the be all and end all.

 

 

[jerolamo]

10 minutes ago, NoComment said:

The Kingdom has survived successfully in the past and will survive whatever happens.

Tourism is not the be all and end all.

 

 

maybe yes. In fact, depend to Thailand culture, Kingdom, yes, sure 99%, will be there at final end time.

 

But people and life standard... well... it is difficult to said which one choice between open border with low restriction and have a bit more pandemic cases on land, and close, or do non acceptable rules (unrealistic or ugly one) to kill an economy and see million of people suicide or die by other infections they will not be able to survive by poverty.

 

I'm thinking the best choice is to not kill to much by fear and panic, then open to save the maximum people at final end point.

[CG1 Blue]

10 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Tourism was already going downhill long before Covid. Now? It will never recover even close to its former levels. Not even close. Not even after 10 or 20 years. 

 

I wrote and posted this long before Covid. 

 

Most 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 we have forgotten is the nation 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, and woeful service at the airports, that this policy only exacerbates.
 

You may have some valid points, but how do you explain tourism to Thailand reaching a record high of nearly 40 million in 2019? 

 

[GAZZPA]

9 minutes ago, CG1 Blue said:

You may have some valid points, but how do you explain tourism to Thailand reaching a record high of nearly 40 million in 2019? 

 

Because the numbers are nonsense. How many of those numbers arriving in the airport and overseas workers or people on a stop over? Thailand will always twist it's numbers. All the bars were empty, restaurants empty. hotel bookings down, people complaining about the lack of money and tourists compared to the "good ole days" and once busy streets now ticking over and yet Thailand claims record numbers,,, it's just false information.. That's how you explain that.

 

If you think Thailand produce accurate numbers about anything you are very sorely mistaken.