TAT turning to the "super wealthy" to boost domestic tourism

[donnacha]

1 hour ago, Albert Zweistein said:

Only invest in Thailand what you can afford to loose, changing rules all the time, corruption and the need for a Thai partner owning 51 % of your busineness without investing a single baht doesn't make Thailand an investing paradise. So be wise, think twice !

I agree, but we have precedent for them changing the ownership rules for certain industries. If ever there was a time that they might be desperate enough to expand that more widely it is now.

 

[donnacha]

4 hours ago, garyk said:

The middle class is where the money is, not the rich. 

This is exactly right. Regardless of how they have tried to spin it in recent years, Thailand has always been about mass tourism, making money from tens of millions of 3-star tourists rather than the much-vaunted 5-star tourists.

Now the phrase "super wealthy" is being used as a mechanism to prepare the ultra-nationalists for the recasting of Thailand as a second-rate tax haven for middle class Westerners who cannot afford the Bahamas but who will be under increasing pressure to avoid rocketing taxes in their own countries.

 

[alyx]

12 hours ago, Lacessit said:

The super wealthy didn't get that way by being stupid. What is Thailand offering that they can't get anywhere else they want?

Maybe their siblings ? ????

[alyx]

10 hours ago, donnacha said:

To be fair to them, they have kept the Elite Visa terms fairly consistent and hassle free, pre-Covid at least.

Hum....There were some rough times a few years ago when the program was about to go down the drain...

[donnacha]

8 minutes ago, alyx said:

Hum....There were some rough times a few years ago when the program was about to go down the drain...

I never heard about that.

Do you mean that they announced plans to renege on the visas already sold, but backed out of actually doing it?

I feel something that important would have kept being mentioned in the many discussions we've had over the years about the Elite visa.

[torturedsole]

TAT needs to lure the likes of super wealthy Philip Green and his erm, wife and daughter, to anchor in Pattaya Bay.  

 

Phil probably brings all his own stores on his super yacht but at least TAT could make photo opportunities, assuming Phil doesn't punch any of the photographers, and Chloe Green would go down a storm with the ladyboys.

 

 

[Soikhaonoiken]

Good luck with that, total nonsense figures.... 

[Laughing Gravy]

11 hours ago, donnacha said:

I mean skilled people working professionally or running their own business. The sort of people earning enough that it makes sense to avoid taxes in Europe. Obviously, I'm not talking about online English teachers.

Even working for someone else, an experienced programmer, designer, or writer should be clearing a minimum of around $100 per hour and, unless you're just blowing your money on nonsense, you build up your nest egg over a few years. Most people have a house or apartment.

Working for yourself, you obviously earn a lot more, or you may as well just work for someone else. It has been relatively easy over the past decade for anyone focused to find a niche that pays a lot more than you could earn in a job, although people often have to try a few different things before they find one that works well. That's part of the point about being experienced. Making money gets easier over time.

I genuinely don't understand why more people don't give running their own business a shot, the Internet has made it so much easier. I think it might be a "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" problem. There seems to be hostility towards the idea that some ordinary guy in a hoody in a Chiang Mai Starbucks might have accumulated a thousand Bitcoin, but it happens a lot more than you might realize.

 

That explains things a bit more than most people.

[hotchilli]

18 hours ago, webfact said:

TAT governor Yuthasak Suphasorn said he was doing everything in his power to make the target of 80 million domestic tourist trips this calendar year a reality. 

Meanwhile in the real world my friends daughter who lives alone with her young son has had the electricity cut-off.

She owed 6 months payments since March... 6,532 baht.

She went to the electricity company to ask for help and a repayment plan, they said she had to pay 2,141 baht that day and the rest in 2 installments, if she didn't pay that day it would be cut-off.

She said she had no money to pay, her son has learning issues [a problem since birth] he cannot go to normal school because of this, he attends some kind of day care where she helps out, her money is very little as it subsidises his care.

Because she does this welfare/social services have said they cannot help her with subsistence.

The electricity company came round the next morning and cut off her power.

[madmen]

26 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Meanwhile in the real world my friends daughter who lives alone with her young son has had the electricity cut-off.

She owed 6 months payments since March... 6,532 baht.

She went to the electricity company to ask for help and a repayment plan, they said she had to pay 2,141 baht that day and the rest in 2 installments, if she didn't pay that day it would be cut-off.

She said she had no money to pay, her son has learning issues [a problem since birth] he cannot go to normal school because of this, he attends some kind of day care where she helps out, her money is very little as it subsidises his care.

Because she does this welfare/social services have said they cannot help her with subsistence.

The electricity company came round the next morning and cut off her power.

Could you not have helped them? A true friend would have. It's only 2k and it's an emergency situation. Telling us about it doesn't achieve anything 

[hotchilli]

57 minutes ago, madmen said:

Could you not have helped them? A true friend would have. It's only 2k and it's an emergency situation. Telling us about it doesn't achieve anything 

She has both parents, two brothers and a sister... why should I financially help, I'm not a bank?

If I helped her to pay it would only be a temporary reprieve as it would not change her circumstances, after the bill is settled she would go into debt again in the future.

Having her electricity cut-off may force the issue with welfare to sort something more permanent out.

 

[donnacha]

1 hour ago, madmen said:

Could you not have helped them? A true friend would have. It's only 2k and it's an emergency situation. Telling us about it doesn't achieve anything 

Truly naive.

Most Thai people are about to go through the worst financial squeeze of their lives. If the word gets out that you, the "rich farang", are happy to hand out $70 just like that, you will spend the next few years inundated with equally valid and desperate cries for help.

At some point, you will have to say No and people will take it far worse than if you had just kept out of it in the first place.

Don't worry, if Hotchilli has any spare cash to throw around, his own family will find plenty of good uses for it.

 

Edited September 25, 2020 by donnacha

[owl sees all]

22 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

She has both parents, two brothers and a sister... why should I financially help, I'm not a bank?

If I helped her to pay it would only be a temporary reprieve as it would not change her circumstances, after the bill is settled she would go into debt again in the future.

Having her electricity cut-off may force the issue with welfare to sort something more permanent out.

 

Two options:

 

Pay her bill anonymously.

 

Buy her a sack of charcoal.

 

Sad, but real story.

 

 

[donnacha]

I would try to think of some way she could work off the loan.

 

[hotchilli]

29 minutes ago, donnacha said:

Truly naive.

Most Thai people are about to go through the worst financial squeeze of their lives. If the word gets out that you, the "rich farang", are happy to hand out $70 just like that, you will spend the next few years inundated with equally valid and desperate cries for help.

Thank you... 

The truth is she is one of many thousands who are going to find trouble paying bills... or any repayments.

Bailing them out is not the answer..

The government and local utilities have to work something more permanent out, but they seem more occupied in getting the wealthy to travel then help the poor pay bills.

Edited September 25, 2020 by hotchilli

[alyx]

4 hours ago, donnacha said:

I never heard about that.

Do you mean that they announced plans to renege on the visas already sold, but backed out of actually doing it?

I feel something that important would have kept being mentioned in the many discussions we've had over the years about the Elite visa.

Maybe you have not been here long enough ????

[actonion]

If T.A.T = Tourist Authority of Thailand   and there are no tourists to speak of in Thailand  then why do  the people need T.A.T...... they should be the first ones out of work

[madmen]

1 hour ago, donnacha said:

Truly naive.

Most Thai people are about to go through the worst financial squeeze of their lives. If the word gets out that you, the "rich farang", are happy to hand out $70 just like that, you will spend the next few years inundated with equally valid and desperate cries for help.

At some point, you will have to say No and people will take it far worse than if you had just kept out of it in the first place.

Don't worry, if Hotchilli has any spare cash to throw around, his own family will find plenty of good uses for it.

 

What a drama queen. OP said friend and there is a child involved 

Nobody suggested bailing out the whole village. I'm guessing either you or him don't have the 2k spare. No biggy when your supporting a whole family on a pension but let's not pretend it's something. 

[madmen]

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

She has both parents, two brothers and a sister... why should I financially help, I'm not a bank?

If I helped her to pay it would only be a temporary reprieve as it would not change her circumstances, after the bill is settled she would go into debt again in the future.

Having her electricity cut-off may force the issue with welfare to sort something more permanent out.

 

"A friends daughter" they are your words. Why would you befriend a low life that would intentionally let his daughter and grandchildren live in the dark? 

You are ultimately judged by the friends you keep. 

[BigStar]

11 hours ago, garyk said:

The middle class is where the money is, not the rich.

They've been targeting the middle class w/ various promotions and will continue doing so. What's your objection to their trying to shake out some cash from the rich as well? Just the usual binary thinking?

[hotchilli]

13 minutes ago, madmen said:

"A friends daughter" they are your words. Why would you befriend a low life that would intentionally let his daughter and grandchildren live in the dark? 

You are ultimately judged by the friends you keep. 

WOW such a rude comment when you know nothing of them or my choice of friends.

So DON'T JUDGE ME OR THEM!

 Her parents & siblings are all good people who like her are out of work, all have their own families and finances to contend with, they share food and what they can so they can all eat but financially cannot help her.
THEY ARE CERTAINLY NOT LOW LIFES  

[anchadian]

Comments from another news media:

 

Jonathan Head

 

@pakhead

·

49m

 

And as for 60 million visitors by 2023 - where on earth did they pluck that figure from? Not only is it hopelessly unrealistic, given the slow recovery of tourism, but the TAT has already said Thailand will never go back to the 40 million of 2019 - wants a more sustainable model.

[ChipButty]

I would have paid it for her for the sake of the kid then maybe got her to do some jobs around the house let her work it off, but this situation is about to get worse where people upto now have been able to just about survive this is exactly the area where the government need to step in not TAT spending millions on hair brain schemes just to benefit the wealthy they dont have a problem paying their bills, Bigger problems to come next month where people with finance on cars will have to start paying again having had 6 months grace period I've already had a word with her indoors about people calling to borrow money I think we have had a few already I can tell by the conversations on the phone when she moves away from me

[donnacha]

1 hour ago, alyx said:

Maybe you have not been here long enough ????

Maybe, I've only been a member here for 7 years.

That does not, however, negate my point. If what you allege, that "the program was about to go down the drain", happened at any point before 2013, it would be something that at least one person would delight in bringing up in every one of the many, many threads about the Elite Visa.

Instead, you the only person to have ever mentioned it. Frankly, it is impossible that something so significant, if true, would be known by only one person.

When I queried it, instead of providing any further details, you told me that have I have not been here long enough.

Okay. Clearly, you are either getting it mixed up with something else, or you simply decided that it would be a good idea to make things up. I cannot imagine why, but that's your call, that's the type of man you are. Well done.

 

Edited September 25, 2020 by donnacha

[donnacha]

16 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

I would have paid it for her for the sake of the kid then maybe got her to do some jobs around the house let her work it off, but this situation is about to get worse where people upto now have been able to just about survive ... Bigger problems to come next month where people with finance on cars will have to start paying again having had 6 months grace period I've already had a word with her indoors about people calling to borrow money I think we have had a few already I can tell by the conversations on the phone when she moves away from me

You would have paid it but also acknowledge that this is going to get far worse.

Don't you see how him giving a $70 donation to his daughter's schoolfriend's mother would have sent a pretty strong signal out into the general community, creating endless problems for him and, in particular, his wife over the coming year?

I would go so far as to say that it can actually be dangerous, in the physical sense, to become the focus of the final hopes of desperate people.

 

Edited September 25, 2020 by donnacha

[Brunolem]

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

 

The government and local utilities have to work something more permanent out, but they seem more occupied in getting the wealthy to travel then help the poor pay bills.

They actually cut the electricity bills by 50%, if I remember correctly, during 3 months.

 

But still it is obviously not enough, no more than the extra couple hundred baht the poor will receive for 3 months, starting in October.

 

On the other hand, focusing on pushing people to travel once a month is not really helping.

 

Hotels and restaurants are not going to reopen and bring back all their former employees, because of a 4 day business opportunity.

 

The only ones who benefit are the gas stations that serve thousands of cars moving in and out of Bangkok, in a bid to try and restore the usual levels of pollution...

 

[donnacha]

33 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

WOW such a rude comment when you know nothing of them or my choice of friends.

So DON'T JUDGE ME OR THEM!

He is just trolling you.

Have you ever seen that guy post anything that indicated any generosity of spirit or compassion for other people?

Not only would he have given nothing in the same situation, as a lonesome troll he will most likely never be in that sort of family situation.

 

Edited September 25, 2020 by donnacha

[alyx]

24 minutes ago, donnacha said:

Clearly, you are either getting it mixed up with something else, or you simply decided that it would be a good idea to make things up. I cannot imagine why, but that's your call, that's the type of man you are. Well done.

Either way

[BigStar]

14 hours ago, Puchaiyank said:

I feel certain that the "super rich" are excited to hear TAT is looking for them to rescue Thai tourism...????

Inevitable silly exaggeration used to denigrate any form of Thai domestic tourism. But it merely raises a staw man for fallacious argument.

 

Nobody said or even so much as implied, at any time, that any form of domestic tourism is going to "rescue" or, "save" (our preferred term)" the entire tourist industry of Thailand and return prosperity to all.

 

We keep making up that straw man to assure ourselves only the great Golden Egg Layers have money; Thais just live in the jungle and eat som tum and drink Sangsom. They can't travel, buy in shopping malls, eat in restos, and rent hotel rooms. Impossible.

 

And by "saving," we mean of course a return to the fabulous wealth enjoyed by Thais in 1995 during the heyday of the Golden Egg Layers, when the real economic engine of Thailand--beer bars--were workin' overtime and nothing costs more than B100.

 

But it ain't happenin'! Poor Thais. We never tire of repeating that the old prosperity, before all the empty Siam Paragons, ain't gon' happen until The Authorities get the Golden Egg Layers back. We've howled out our solutions in the wilderness since 2003 when The Authorities implemented that INSANE increase in visa fees and so started driving Thailand back to the Stone Age!

 

So, to pretend that this thread isn't about domestic tourism and enjoy repeating our REAL SOLUTIONS, we all know that Thailand needs to end the lockdown & all quarantines immediately, stop the mask wearing (violation of Farang Sovereignty, completely superfluous according to TVF Virologists), fix the exchange rate at 100 baht/GBPeso, and offer free perpetual tourist visas and beer for all.

 

Only this can lure the Big Spending Golden Egg Layers back to the now-empty luxurious fan rooms on Soi Buakhao and restore prosperity for all.

 

[BigStar]

37 minutes ago, Brunolem said:

Hotels and restaurants are not going to reopen and bring back all their former employees, because of a 4 day business opportunity.

 

The only ones who benefit are the gas stations that serve thousands of cars moving in and out of Bangkok, in a bid to try and restore the usual levels of pollution...

 

No. Please stop spreading the "wise" nonsense, silliness like only "moving cars," and making it depend on exaggerations like ALL. Domestic tourism is helping, same as helps in other countries, and is rightly encouraged as many businesses (those that appeal to Thais and farang as well as Thais) that depend on it do have some chance of surviving the crisis.