"Drastic" losses to Thai tourism with 1.57 TRILLION baht hit, admits tourism minister

[Ventenio]

I'm calling China right now...."Hey guys, can you pay 100000000 trillion dollars?" OK, great, I'll the guys on TV!!!"
 

Yea, they said no problem....the check's in the mail.

 

wow, who knew we could solve the world's problems on TV

[malthebluff]

20 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

You mean, they should not be buying Submarines or Jet's.  They should be helping those in need instead of stuffing there pockets first, do I have that right? 

It will never happen in Thailand the government army and people are controlled by the Deleted in a authoritarian regime the same way china is. Hence the fact of the  favoritism they dont ask questions like the un europe or the usa does so with china and the money they can continue to get rich while the poor get poorer

[Harveyboy]

21 hours ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

For some reason, I'm not feeling it for the Phuket tuk-tuk mafia and their families, you know the ones who want B200 to go a kilometer down the road...and if you have the temerity to negotiate tell you to get stuffed (at best). Sometimes karma can bite you in the behind sooner than expected.

yep   what goes around ..

[Thomas J]

Not a problem, I just see that 300 Chinese tourist arrived in Thailand

[spidermike007]

16 hours ago, Teee said:

The source of the declining tourist sector over the past 3 years before covid, easy to work out.

High Bht...made almost everything expensive. Yes could get a Hotel deal that seemed cheap and taxi rides (if you could get an honest driver) was ok, but shopping and eating out was so expensive.

Many expats i know are struggling big time and even the foreign business owners are in trouble.

 

Now the question is; Who will blink first? Thai Govt or the departure of the Expats and Foreign Business owners?

 

 

 

 

 

Definitely the latter. It is clear by now, that unless the youth are able to force out this stunningly toxic and incompetent administration, nothing will change here. They are as regressive as they come. Progress, learning, humility, improvement, and moving into the future is simply not in their playbook, nor is it something they are capable of. 

[DefaultName]

Where are all the people who kept telling us how unimportant tourism and expats were to the economy?   ????

[sandyf]

23 hours ago, Mung said:

People also forget how nonchalant Thailand and China were from January through February, and into March.

Your wrong, but you have said it so you think it must be fact.

[Mung]

23 minutes ago, sandyf said:

Your wrong, but you have said it so you think it must be fact.

You must have a short memory. How old are you? 
Thailand was stubborn to close its borders, they were allowing in Chinese tourists (80,000 from Wuhan alone though from Jan - Feb) while other SE Asian nations closed. Malaysia as example closed their schools and borders, Thailand remained open. Thais barely wore masks until late February. Again, I remember things crystal clear. In fact, you can even check this online, I quote: 
 

On 13 January, the Ministry of Public Health announced the first confirmed case, a 61-year-old Chinese woman who is a resident of Wuhan
Thailand's second case occurred in a 74-year-old woman who arrived in Bangkok on a flight from Wuhan on 17 January.

On 22 January, the MOPH announced two additional confirmed cases.

On 4 February, the Thai government dispatched a Thai AirAsia plane to retrieve 138 citizens who were trapped in Wuhan following the lockdown in Wuhan.
On 1 March, MOPH reported the first confirmed death in Thailand

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha declared a state of emergency, effective on 26 March (how many days and weeks after this thing started)?
Curfew went into effect on 3 April (again how late)? 
All commercial international flights were suspended from 4 April, and lockdown measures were implemented in varying degrees throughout the country

Thailand was the second country affected after China, and back then we had scary images coming out of China. This virus could have been far worse than we now know, yet they left everything open for weeks on end. They wanted tourism revenue, and even allowed in, like I said, tourists directly from Wuhan. I suggest start eating tuna, it's brain-food. 
 

Edited October 24, 2020 by Mung

[Anna Rak]

Let me think Now!!! let the tourists back without stupid restrictions. But I forgot who's in charge. ( STUPIDITY HAS NO BOUNDS) "Well not in LOS"

[sandyf]

9 minutes ago, Mung said:

You must have a short memory. How old are you? 
 

Nothing wrong with my memory.

You can read all the garbage you want but I did a border bounce on the train to PB on 5th Feb and I can assure you nobody was nonchalant about covid.

[cjinchiangrai]

It can't be that bad, Thai Air just refused to sell me a ticket, despite a referral from the consulate.

 

There is nothing like a plan, nothing at all like a plan.

[rickudon]

1.57 trillion baht is about 9% of Thailand's 2019 GDP, and still 3 months of losses to add. Hard to see that Thailand will only lose 7% of GDP this year .......

[johnarth]

well the general has been given a dead line, the world of tourists are waiting

[OumarhindaOunsingha]

This loss is no problem, of course. The tourism minister will just invite 200 Chinese on a special visa, that will each spend 20 billion baht over 6 months. The news will be out tomorrow - wait and see! Because in Thailand, they have some really razor-sharp thinking politicians... ???????? 

[daveAustin]

On 10/23/2020 at 9:03 AM, Baerboxer said:

 

Yes right. Meanwhile in the real world, WHO recognizes that Thailand has handled the pandemic brilliantly compared to all those wonderful "first world" nations in Europe, the US, Aussie etc. They all put money before people and are now enjoying their second lockdowns, curbs and curfews. 

 

Dumb idea not to close the borders and have millions affected.

In the real world? WHO? Lol. That brilliant organisation that A, didn't recognise this thing was a thing, and B, was against masks one minute then totally for it the next? Do me a favour!

 

But you're right. The first world nations have put in and saved millions of jobs, while Thailand has done practically nothing and put MILLIONS out of work, all the while not testing to sustain low figures.

 

Dumb idea to not close borders and have millions 'affected' (even after the horse had bolted?), or dumb idea to close borders, declare no virus and continue to wreck millions of lives?

[OumarhindaOunsingha]

On 10/23/2020 at 9:59 AM, JusticeGB said:

That amounts to 22,000 baht for every man, woman and child in Thailand. Pretty catastrophic when seen in those terms. 

Yes, and before the year is over, probably it will be around 40,000. So, for adults, maybe 60,000, 5000 baht per month. This is not an insignificant loss...

[kiwikeith]

On 10/23/2020 at 5:02 PM, Grumpy John said:

Send the bill to your mates in Beijing.  They let the Wuhan China virus out so they can make restitution to every country effected.

 

Did you not know, filthy falangs brought the virus, so they all got sent to Pattaya then the borders stayed open to make sure they were all rounded up then when they finished their holiday were sent home to Europe, After this massive exodus Thailand was cleansed. 

It is now apparent that small businesses have been crucified and families can't pay the never, never installments for the pickups, so domestic tourism is not affordable. 

They are just waking up that the trickle down theory has and is dried out. 

My relatives tell me they're putting up barbed wire on the top of the walls

now as crime is on the up. 

Do not fear the compulsory Jabber is near. 

[spidermike007]

19 hours ago, Mung said:

You must have a short memory. How old are you? 
Thailand was stubborn to close its borders, they were allowing in Chinese tourists (80,000 from Wuhan alone though from Jan - Feb) while other SE Asian nations closed. Malaysia as example closed their schools and borders, Thailand remained open. Thais barely wore masks until late February. Again, I remember things crystal clear. In fact, you can even check this online, I quote: 
 

On 13 January, the Ministry of Public Health announced the first confirmed case, a 61-year-old Chinese woman who is a resident of Wuhan
Thailand's second case occurred in a 74-year-old woman who arrived in Bangkok on a flight from Wuhan on 17 January.

On 22 January, the MOPH announced two additional confirmed cases.

On 4 February, the Thai government dispatched a Thai AirAsia plane to retrieve 138 citizens who were trapped in Wuhan following the lockdown in Wuhan.
On 1 March, MOPH reported the first confirmed death in Thailand

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha declared a state of emergency, effective on 26 March (how many days and weeks after this thing started)?
Curfew went into effect on 3 April (again how late)? 
All commercial international flights were suspended from 4 April, and lockdown measures were implemented in varying degrees throughout the country

Thailand was the second country affected after China, and back then we had scary images coming out of China. This virus could have been far worse than we now know, yet they left everything open for weeks on end. They wanted tourism revenue, and even allowed in, like I said, tourists directly from Wuhan. I suggest start eating tuna, it's brain-food. 
 

 

And all of that established what facts? The only set of facts I see, is that the Thai people have stunningly good immune systems, considering that they were exposed to how many millions of tourists between November and February? Many of whom were from China and Europe, and tens of thousands of which were likely infected already. Yet, what happened? 3600 cases total. 58 deaths. Like a common cold, or a pimple on the face of a teenager, to the Thai nation, it would appear. Compared to Americans, who have one of the worst diets on the planet, and are falling like WWI soldiers in the trenches. 

[Mung]

23 hours ago, sandyf said:

Nothing wrong with my memory.

You can read all the garbage you want but I did a border bounce on the train to PB on 5th Feb and I can assure you nobody was nonchalant about covid.

Please, do tell of your experience crossing the border. The fact that you were able to cross a land border in early February proves my point. Thailand saw it's first case on January 13th, the world knew almost nothing about this highly infectious virus, and death rates were initially pegged at 6-10%. Yet, Thailand let it borders remain open until April 4th, almost 4 months after their initial infection.

I heard about COVID way back at the start of January and watched videos and content coming out of China. People were fainting on the streets, hospitals were rammed, and the world only knew that a pandemic was possible. We did not know that the virus realistically had an IFR of 0.3% - like I said, it was estimated at around 6-10% early on. And so I started wearing a mask (In Thailand) from early January. My Thai gf thought I was crazy. When I ventured out, no Thais were wearing masks, barely. No social distancing, no nothing. 

 

When I eventually left Thailand it was February the 3rd. I saw how neighbouring countries were closing their borders, closing schools and social events - yet Thailand was seemingly carrying on life as normal (and this pushed me to leave, Thailand seemed more concerned about tourist revenue). I lived in Hua Hin, and in Hua Hin there is something known as 'Baan Khun Por' (Dad's House). It's a huge giant food court that plays live music, and it caters to literally thousands of people. Even with the news that the virus has spread to Thailand and then other countries, this event was in full swing the week that I left. But when I did leave via Suwanaphum Airport on February the 3rd, it was difficult to find people wearing masks in the airport or on the streets of Bangkok. Yes few were, but it seemed like an alien concept to most. I did not have my temperature taken, there was no social distancing, no questions asked, nothing at all. 

So please tell me how Thailand reacted so fast and so efficiently in this pandemic? The world is in this situation because the WHO was too blasè, a potentially lethal and infectious virus was ripping through China, and Chinese scientists warned the WHO, yet they allowed for travel to continue. Thailand and China allowed tourists to travel between their borders and between Wuhan up until April. So again, why is the world now crippled financially? I wonder.  

[Mung]

5 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

 

And all of that established what facts? The only set of facts I see, is that the Thai people have stunningly good immune systems, considering that they were exposed to how many millions of tourists between November and February? 

Might be true, it might be due to vitamin D via the sun, it might be due to multiple factors. However that is not the point. The point is that the virus was allowed to have the chance to enter, a virus that scientists and the world knew barely anything about. Initially CFR's were between 6%-10%, and all we had were scary images and footage coming out of China. But, the Thai government didn't do anything within those 2 months to prevent the spread. In fact, they were clinging onto Chinese tourist capital, they were begging them to enter. Thailand got lucky, extremely lucky. If this was virus was more akin to the initial SARS virus from nearly 2 decades ago, things would have turned out very differently indeed. The powers that rule Thailand did not know that COVID-19 would prove to be somewhat benign in the grand scheme of things, they rolled the dice recklessly so. Funnily enough though, after we knew that the CFR is around 0.3% they go insane and lockdown the entire nation lol.. go figure 

Edited October 25, 2020 by Mung

[CorpusChristie]

4 minutes ago, Mung said:

Please, do tell of your experience crossing the border. The fact that you were able to cross a land border in early February proves my point. Thailand saw it's first case on January 13th, the world knew almost nothing about this highly infectious virus, and death rates were initially pegged at 6-10%. Yet, Thailand let it borders remain open until April 4th, almost 4 months after their initial infection.

I heard about COVID way back at the start of January and watched videos and content coming out of China. People were fainting on the streets, hospitals were rammed, and the world only knew that a pandemic was possible. We did not know that the virus realistically had an IFR of 0.3% - like I said, it was estimated at around 6-10% early on. And so I started wearing a mask (In Thailand) from early January. My Thai gf thought I was crazy. When I ventured out, no Thais were wearing masks, barely. No social distancing, no nothing. 

 

When I eventually left Thailand it was February the 3rd. I saw how neighbouring countries were closing their borders, closing schools and social events - yet Thailand was seemingly carrying on life as normal (and this pushed me to leave, Thailand seemed more concerned about tourist revenue). I lived in Hua Hin, and in Hua Hin there is something known as 'Baan Khun Por' (Dad's House). It's a huge giant food court that plays live music, and it caters to literally thousands of people. Even with the news that the virus has spread to Thailand and then other countries, this event was in full swing the week that I left. But when I did leave via Suwanaphum Airport on February the 3rd, it was difficult to find people wearing masks in the airport or on the streets of Bangkok. Yes few were, but it seemed like an alien concept to most. I did not have my temperature taken, there was no social distancing, no questions asked, nothing at all. 

So please tell me how Thailand reacted so fast and so efficiently in this pandemic? The world is in this situation because the WHO was too blasè, a potentially lethal and infectious virus was ripping through China, and Chinese scientists warned the WHO, yet they allowed for travel to continue. Thailand and China allowed tourists to travel between their borders and between Wuhan up until April. So again, why is the world now crippled financially? I wonder.  

Thailand did heat test all arrivals from China by the end of January 

[Mung]

Just now, CorpusChristie said:

Thailand did heat test all arrivals from China by the end of January 

Yes, with a virus that has an incubation period of up to 14 days. Great methodology 

[spidermike007]

37 minutes ago, Mung said:

Might be true, it might be due to vitamin D via the sun, it might be due to multiple factors. However that is not the point. The point is that the virus was allowed to have the chance to enter, a virus that scientists and the world knew barely anything about. Initially CFR's were between 6%-10%, and all we had were scary images and footage coming out of China. But, the Thai government didn't do anything within those 2 months to prevent the spread. In fact, they were clinging onto Chinese tourist capital, they were begging them to enter. Thailand got lucky, extremely lucky. If this was virus was more akin to the initial SARS virus from nearly 2 decades ago, things would have turned out very differently indeed. The powers that rule Thailand did not know that COVID-19 would prove to be somewhat benign in the grand scheme of things, they rolled the dice recklessly so. Funnily enough though, after we knew that the CFR is around 0.3% they go insane and lockdown the entire nation lol.. go figure 

 

A bizarre contradiction indeed. Expect that from the hapless and ineffective army. What they do best is to manifest incompetence and always selecting those who are the least qualified. Like Prayuth, Pipat, Anutin. And so many more. 

[Mr Meeseeks]

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

 

A bizarre contradiction indeed. Expect that from the hapless and ineffective army. What they do best is to manifest incompetence and always selecting those who are the least qualified. Like Prayuth, Pipat, Anutin. And so many more. 

One thing Army governments are good at is control, hence the success of controlling the COVID-19 outbreak.

 

Look to the UK and US to see the opposite in action.

[Orton Rd]

7 minutes ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

One thing Army governments are good at is control, hence the success of controlling the COVID-19 outbreak.

 

Look to the UK and US to see the opposite in action.

Yes, just a pity they are totally <deleted> at getting them to obey any traffic laws, funny when you see bike riders wearing a mask, but no helmet

[nausea]

Well at least we'll see the true impact tourism has on the Thai economy, I've always thought it was vastly underrated given the money being spent in the black economy, not to mention the guys bringing their money here, I've personally brought in about 5 million baht over the years. That income stream is now totally stymied.

[Mr Meeseeks]

1 hour ago, Orton Rd said:

Yes, just a pity they are totally <deleted> at getting them to obey any traffic laws, funny when you see bike riders wearing a mask, but no helmet

The main reason for that is it would may decrease the profits made from the domestic vehicle manufacturers if they do anything serious about it.

 

Also, when it comes to actually obeying laws Thais are notoriously selfish. It simply does not suit them personally to obey traffic laws hence they are ignored. 

 

The only reason they have been obeying the edicts on masks, temperature checks and the other COVID-19 nonsense is they are scared.

[Nsp64]

To believe this loss number we must first believe the income number.

I dont believe the income was so great before.

Therefore,  the loss versus income is inaccurate. 

They manipulated the income figures so now the loss appears greater.

Thai lies at it most destructive.

[spidermike007]

2 hours ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

One thing Army governments are good at is control, hence the success of controlling the COVID-19 outbreak.

 

Look to the UK and US to see the opposite in action.

It was a tiny factor. They continued to let the Chinese flood into Thailand, long after the virus was known. That was NOT discipline. It was sheer greed. 

 

There is something else at work here. Thais have a significant natural immunity, it appears. Millions were here during November to February. It is likely tens of thousands of travelers had Covid. Yet? The army is a small factor. They got alot of credit. Was it deserved? And now? 

[teacherclaire]

There'll be the time when they wish the backpackers will come back.