It's Getting Worse...More Shops Closing Down

[BKKTRAVELER]

14 hours ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

I'm now in Phuket and it's even worse than Pattaya, if you can believe that. In Pattaya, in the the central tourist corridors, I'd guesstimate 60-70 percent of the businesses are closed. Here in Karon Beach, and the rest of the western side of the island (Kata and Patong) I'd say 80-90 percent of the businesses are closed. It's utter devastation...how long it will take to get things up and running again when international tourism is open again is anyone's guess.

It is sad, but I can imagine that is the case unfortunately. The good thing Pattaya has is that Bangkokians like to come on weekends. Especially now with many hotel promotions, it definitely must help locals make some money on weekends. Phuket is further and taking a plane just for the weekend is not practical.

I used to love and then hate Phuket after many trips over the years. Mostly, it was the people that made me hate it. I felt ripped off by everyone and at some point I wished them to not have tourists anymore so they could realize our importance to their survivals. As I understand, that was the same feeling as many members here on Thai Visa. Now that it has happened, I regret it and can't believe I ever wished them that. 

[Rimmer]

Please stay on topic:

It's Getting Worse...More Shops Closing Down

•  

[Pattaya Spotter]

55 minutes ago, BKKTRAVELER said:

It is sad, but I can imagine that is the case unfortunately. The good thing Pattaya has is that Bangkokians like to come on weekends. Especially now with many hotel promotions, it definitely must help locals make some money on weekends. Phuket is further and taking a plane just for the weekend is not practical.

I used to love and then hate Phuket after many trips over the years. Mostly, it was the people that made me hate it. I felt ripped off by everyone and at some point I wished them to not have tourists anymore so they could realize our importance to their survivals. As I understand, that was the same feeling as many members here on Thai Visa. Now that it has happened, I regret it and can't believe I ever wished them that. 

I felt the same way...used to come a lot but when the Chinese floodgates opened wide...forget about it. Now it's a tragic paradise, but the eastern side of the island is somewhat better, as it's more oriented to Thais and expats. I'm in Chalong/Rawai area for the next few weeks and it's more like Pattaya...50-60 percent closed but better than 80-90% on the west side.

[VocalNeal]

On the weekend I met an itinerant coffee seller from Pai. Apparently there are no back packers there to make business viable.  

[BKKTRAVELER]

1 hour ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

I felt the same way...used to come a lot but when the Chinese floodgates opened wide...forget about it. Now it's a tragic paradise, but the eastern side of the island is somewhat better, as it's more oriented to Thais and expats. I'm in Chalong/Rawai area for the next few weeks and it's more like Pattaya...50-60 percent closed but better than 80-90% on the west side.

We may go to Phuket in April, will look into options on that side then if so, thanks. I will also go back to Pattaya more often to support and at the same time take advantage of good deals. 

[Pattaya Spotter]

1 hour ago, BKKTRAVELER said:

We may go to Phuket in April, will look into options on that side then if so, thanks. I will also go back to Pattaya more often to support and at the same time take advantage of good deals. 

I booked a week stay pool access deluxe room with breakfast at the Patong Merlin, right across from the beach, for later this month at B1300 a nite. This is a rooms where the balcony has steps leading directly into the pool. If you just like to relax on beautiful beaches and have it all to yourself then Phuket is wonderful right now. And we'll never see prices like this again in our life time (unless there's another pandemic. The restos and other businesses that are open will surely appreciate your custom too.

[treetops]

20 hours ago, polpott said:

Why not open if only the tourist has been vaccinated?

It was previously thought that vaccinated people could still transmit the virus, but there is data now that allegedley disproves that theory.  It appears Thailand could now safely open its borders to vaccinated visitors without vaccinating the population.

[BKKTRAVELER]

2 hours ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

I booked a week stay pool access deluxe room with breakfast at the Patong Merlin, right across from the beach, for later this month at B1300 a nite. This is a rooms where the balcony has steps leading directly into the pool. If you just like to relax on beautiful beaches and have it all to yourself then Phuket is wonderful right now. And we'll never see prices like this again in our life time (unless there's another pandemic. The restos and other businesses that are open will surely appreciate your custom too.

That sounds wonderful. I will check it out. I agree, these prices are extremely low and we might as well take advantage of them before it goes back to being overpriced in a few years. Wish you a nice stay there and thanks for the advice ????

[thaibeachlovers]

On 3/15/2021 at 1:04 PM, Yellowtail said:

Because they need the money? How would people immune be spreading the virus?

 

Even a 99% immune rate means that 1% are not immune and can be contagious despite having a tick on the vaccination card.

[thaibeachlovers]

21 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

On the weekend I met an itinerant coffee seller from Pai. Apparently there are no back packers there to make business viable.  

Must be a nice time to visit Pai then.

[thaibeachlovers]

22 hours ago, BKKTRAVELER said:

It is sad, but I can imagine that is the case unfortunately. The good thing Pattaya has is that Bangkokians like to come on weekends. Especially now with many hotel promotions, it definitely must help locals make some money on weekends. Phuket is further and taking a plane just for the weekend is not practical.

I used to love and then hate Phuket after many trips over the years. Mostly, it was the people that made me hate it. I felt ripped off by everyone and at some point I wished them to not have tourists anymore so they could realize our importance to their survivals. As I understand, that was the same feeling as many members here on Thai Visa. Now that it has happened, I regret it and can't believe I ever wished them that. 

I too used to love Phuket and then hated it. I don't regret what has happened as it might make them appreciate farangs when ( if ) the situation returns to what it was pre corona.

[Rimmer]

Some bickering posts have been removed

[BKKTRAVELER]

4 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I too used to love Phuket and then hated it. I don't regret what has happened as it might make them appreciate farangs when ( if ) the situation returns to what it was pre corona.

I am trying to think like you. But, how many of them lost their jobs or businesses permanently and won't recover from it? How many committed suicide unfortunately? And ultimately, they were not all bad. It's been one whole year and the effects will last a lot longer...

Second thing, people are not really good at getting lessons and I believe it might be even worse than before once tourists come back. They may try to compensate for the lost revenues during covid... 

[Leaver]

13 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I too used to love Phuket and then hated it. I don't regret what has happened as it might make them appreciate farangs when ( if ) the situation returns to what it was pre corona.

Not long after the tsunami, the Thai's in Phuket begged the world's tourists to come come back.  

Many tourists were reluctant to go back, for fear of being seen to take advantage of Thai's in Phuket when they were distressed.

As soon as the tourists started to come back, in support of the Phuket Thai's, they cheated them, overcharged them, robbed them, assaulted them etc.  

Don't hold your breath for any appreciation here.  

 

[thaibeachlovers]

20 hours ago, BKKTRAVELER said:

I am trying to think like you. But, how many of them lost their jobs or businesses permanently and won't recover from it? How many committed suicide unfortunately? And ultimately, they were not all bad. It's been one whole year and the effects will last a lot longer...

You think that isn't happening everywhere in other countries? Why should Thailand be exempt?

[thaibeachlovers]

11 hours ago, Leaver said:

Not long after the tsunami, the Thai's in Phuket begged the world's tourists to come come back.  

Many tourists were reluctant to go back, for fear of being seen to take advantage of Thai's in Phuket when they were distressed.

As soon as the tourists started to come back, in support of the Phuket Thai's, they cheated them, overcharged them, robbed them, assaulted them etc.  

Don't hold your breath for any appreciation here.  

 

I visited Patong after the tsunami, and got a great deal on an hotel.

I took the opportunity to visit Phi Phi and was shocked at the destruction. I couldn't even find the places I stayed at. What saddened me though, was that far from building back better, they were rebuilding the same <deleted> hole it was pre tsunami, and from photos on the internet have completely ruined the place since. An opportunity to build a real paradise island squandered for greed, IMO.

For such reasons, I never went back again, and even if I did I doubt I'd get a great hotel deal.

[BKKTRAVELER]

30 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

You think that isn't happening everywhere in other countries? Why should Thailand be exempt?

I never said it wasn't happening to other countries. I feel for everyone in the same situation. I have relative in my home country whose business is very hurt as well due to covid restrictions.

Because it is happening pretty much everywhere will not make me feel that it's ok then. I honestly don't see your point...

[jacko45k]

12 hours ago, Leaver said:

Not long after the tsunami, the Thai's in Phuket begged the world's tourists to come come back.  

I recall I took a trip there about then, tempted by a good flight deal. Unfortunately I stayed over the hill in the scenic but quiet Karon. I soon learned how desperate they were not when I wanted to get a Song Taew back to the hotel from Pa Tong!

[Yellowtail]

13 hours ago, Leaver said:

Not long after the tsunami, the Thai's in Phuket begged the world's tourists to come come back.  

Many tourists were reluctant to go back, for fear of being seen to take advantage of Thai's in Phuket when they were distressed.

As soon as the tourists started to come back, in support of the Phuket Thai's, they cheated them, overcharged them, robbed them, assaulted them etc.  

Don't hold your breath for any appreciation here.  

 

 

I agree. All those greedy Thais are finally getting what they deserve!

[spidermike007]

Same applies to Samui, and Phuket. Utterly devastated by the nonsensical paranoia and pathological fear. Between the sniffer dogs, and vaccines that are 95% effective, time to completely scrap the quarantine program. Now. Today. Bring tourism back to Thailand, allow the investors who have put well over a trillion dollars into tourism infrastructure to operate again, allow people to go back to work, and end the extreme, pathological fear and paranoia, now. We are witnessing sheer insanity. End the quarantine now. No program requiring even a week of quarantine will succeed. A vaccination letter, a covid free letter, and a test upon arrival. Boom. Done. Enjoy your vacation, we are eternally grateful that you chose to come back, and spend money here. We need you. And we acknowledge that Thailand needs you 20X more than you need Thailand. We humbly accept your patronage. You will be treated like guests of honor.

 

Let us never forget. It was this administration that allowed the second wave to happen, and allowed domestic tourism to be utterly wrecked and decimated. Prayuth is largely to blame for this, as he was obsessed with the optics of a lockdown, even if it was only one small section, of one province. This has led to thousands of cases, the loss of millions more jobs, and an utter demolition of the domestic tourism industry. It was likely due to the influence of wealthy friends in the seafood industry, that led to this completely unnecessary second wave. 

 

As far as international tourism goes, it is anyone's guess when that will start to revive, and how many years it will take to even get back to 20% of the former levels. I am guessing no more than 5 to 8 million tourists annually, even four or five years from now. 

Major changes need to be made, if Thailand wants to continue to enjoy the cash cow of tourism. Travelers these days simply have too many choices. Creativity is required. Progress needs to be made. Thailand cannot continue to be one of the least progressive nations on earth, and expect foreigners to tolerate that degree of ignorance. These seeds were planted over a decade ago. The hapless army has accelerated the process dramatically. If Thailand had a qualified health minister, and a slightly intelligent tourism minister, they would stop this nonsense, and realize no tourism program requiring quarantine will ever work. Period. 
 
The Thai army. Moving Thailand backwards, and inflicting untold pain on it's people. Time to go, guys. The people need competency, and they are speaking loudly now. 

 

 

 

Edited March 18, 2021 by spidermike007

[Leaver]

8 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I visited Patong after the tsunami, and got a great deal on an hotel.

I took the opportunity to visit Phi Phi and was shocked at the destruction. I couldn't even find the places I stayed at. What saddened me though, was that far from building back better, they were rebuilding the same <deleted> hole it was pre tsunami, and from photos on the internet have completely ruined the place since. An opportunity to build a real paradise island squandered for greed, IMO.

For such reasons, I never went back again, and even if I did I doubt I'd get a great hotel deal.

That greed permeates throughout the whole island.  

As with the tsunami, I don't expect anything different after covid.  

[Leaver]

8 hours ago, jacko45k said:

I recall I took a trip there about then, tempted by a good flight deal. Unfortunately I stayed over the hill in the scenic but quiet Karon. I soon learned how desperate they were not when I wanted to get a Song Taew back to the hotel from Pa Tong!

Many people have died riding a motorbike on that journey, most likely drunk. 

Last time I was there, they wanted 400 baht by day, and 800 baht by night, for about a 5km journey, and in a tuktuk, not an air conditioned taxi.  

No sympathy from me if those drivers lose their shirt.  

[Leaver]

7 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

 

I agree. All those greedy Thais are finally getting what they deserve!

The many minimum wage Thai's on the island don't deserve covid.  It's those that exploit them, and tourists, that deserve to lose every baht they have.    

[Pattaya Spotter]

Soi Bangla, Phuket

 

I wonder if they meant 2020 or 2021?

[Yellowtail]

14 hours ago, Leaver said:

The many minimum wage Thai's on the island don't deserve covid.  It's those that exploit them, and tourists, that deserve to lose every baht they have.    

I agree. Only the greedy Thais NOT working for minimum wage should be exempt. Everyone else is just getting what they deserve.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 3/18/2021 at 5:41 PM, spidermike007 said:

The Thai army. Moving Thailand backwards, and inflicting untold pain on it's people. Time to go, guys. The people need competency, and they are speaking loudly now. 

From your many posts you obviously have a problem with the military, but western tourism was already decreasing before corona, and nothing to do with the military, IMO.

Thais themselves made LOS a less desirable destination by an overabundance of scams and a lack of value. IMO LOS just wasn't sanuk any more.

Remember that most visitors arrived on visa exempt, so immigration was nothing to do with attitudes, though it certainly impacted expats.

Edited March 19, 2021 by thaibeachlovers

[newnative]

1 minute ago, thaibeachlovers said:

From your many posts you obviously have a problem with the military, but western tourism was already decreasing before corona, and nothing to do with the military, IMO.

Thais themselves made LOS a less desirable destination by an overabundance of scams and and lack of value. IMO LOS just wasn't sanuk any more.

Remember that most visitors arrived on visa exempt, so immigration was nothing to do with attitudes, though it certainly impacted expats.

    Western tourism was not declining pre-covid.  Of the countries with large enough tourist numbers to be tracked, only Australia declined very slightly in the last few years.  

[Pattaya Spotter]

3 minutes ago, newnative said:

    Western tourism was not declining pre-covid.  Of the countries with large enough tourist numbers to be tracked, only Australia declined very slightly in the last few years.  

It's the poor Westerners and their flimsy currencies who may have backed off a bit...but easily replaced by 500M middle-income Chinese visitors.

[thaibeachlovers]

Just now, newnative said:

    Western tourism was not declining pre-covid.  Of the countries with large enough tourist numbers to be tracked, only Australia declined very slightly in the last few years.  

I won't dispute your opinion as regards LOS as a whole, but Pattaya certainly had less western bottoms on bar stools compared to previous decades. Also the night market area in Chiang Mai seemed pretty devoid of western tourists. Perhaps the loss of westerners in those areas were compensated for by an increase in areas I never visited.

[spidermike007]

44 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

From your many posts you obviously have a problem with the military, but western tourism was already decreasing before corona, and nothing to do with the military, IMO.

Thais themselves made LOS a less desirable destination by an overabundance of scams and a lack of value. IMO LOS just wasn't sanuk any more.

Remember that most visitors arrived on visa exempt, so immigration was nothing to do with attitudes, though it certainly impacted expats.

I, like most Thais utterly despise the army, at this stage. From my point of view, the army has infected all areas of government, from top to bottom, with copious amounts of xenophobia and racism. It has had a negative effect on the tourism experience. From immigration to virtually anything to do with local, state and federal government. Plus, the highly toxic and regressive army is doing nothing to improve the quality of life here. And I do mean nothing. They are the nothing men. 

 

I do agree the quality of tourists coming here was declining prior to the army seizing power. 

Edited March 19, 2021 by spidermike007