​​​​​​​Thai tourism industry will never be allowed to recover to pre-COVID levels

[katatonic]

5 hours ago, Liverpoolfan said:

This is very true.

the big difference between people in thailand and people in the west is that the vast majority of westerners can afford at least 1 holiday a year, be it domestic or international.

 

in thailand the opposite is true, the vast majority can just about make ends meet never mind a holiday in a luxury hotel on the beach. The vast majority of Thais are still rural country folk who have probably never been inside a modern hotel, let alone spend a week in one. 

Thailand's population is actually predominantly urban nowadays (51% living in towns & cities) and not as badly off as people take for granted. They just don't really care about travelling much. Not typical, but my wife owned a house, paid for, plus car, businesses etc, from leaving university and had only left Bangkok once in her life, for a family holiday in Hua Hin as a child. We met on her second ever holiday..

[katatonic]

3 hours ago, John Drake said:

How would you like to be a Thai graduate from one of these Tourism and Hospitality Management programs that are highlighted at Thai universities?  You've just been torpedoed. 

Should have chosen something a little less mickey-mouse then.. Hospitality management degree!! ????

[pookett]

Is it possible that a light has come on in the ivory towers.

Have they actually recognised that tourism for Thailand was already ill and are creating a new waffle to claim it's by design? 

[miamiman123]

The vaccine requirement to travel will be the final nail in the coffin for Thailand.

Many many will refuse to take this vaccine and this mandate that a vaccine is required to travel will show its head this year.

Thailand has recognized that tourism in the future is over and must look to other avenues

I do not think that Thailand will ever be the same again.

Thailand must now be concerned about those Thais that are now really struggling with survival...I hope they will.

 

[katatonic]

2 hours ago, John Drake said:

 

And so your answer is to send people back to huts and shacks (or, rather, even more huts and shacks), let'em eat rice, pick a few mangoes off their trees, and enjoy the "sustainability." Exactly how and where do you intend to live while this is going on?

The country was a lot more pleasant 2/3 decades ago, yes.  The people still live in the same houses, on the land they have owned for generations, just they didn't employ a load of Burmese labourers.

[dave moir]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

Thai tourism industry will never be allowed to recover to pre-COVID levels

by Andrew J Wood

 

 

BANGKOK: Last week the Thai government Minister’s speech shows me that tourism will never be allowed to recover to previous levels. The writing is definitely on the wall, windows and front door, that there has been a major policy shift in government thinking by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s cabinet. 

 

In a deeply worrying development for Thailand’s massive Travel & Tourism industry, which last year generated a huge Bt 2.2 trillion of income (US$ 55.2 billion), and accounted for 20 per cent of GNP and 10 per cent of all jobs in Thailand, the deputy PM Supattanapong Punmeechaow said that the country relied too much on tourism and that this was unacceptable. 

 

This must be as worrying for property developers as well as investors. If the 39 million tourists that Thailand received last year in 2019, is never to be repeated, why do we need to continue building and investing in new hotels?

 

According to Thailand’s Nation newspaper, deputy PM Supattanapong Punmeechaow admitted that the Covid-19 outbreak had exposed cracks and faults in the Thai economy. 

 

“The Covid-19 outbreak that hit Thailand since April has exposed the fragility of the economy and shed light on the fact that we rely too much on export and tourism,” the Minister said. 

 

This is certainly a departure from what the Minister was saying back in August. The deputy PM, who also holds the Energy portfolio, announced then the formation of a new economic panel, and boasted that the new economic committee will boost tourism and employment. He said the panel agreed to increase subsidies for local tourists and create 1 million jobs in the near future to combat growing unemployment.

 

Supattanapong Punmeechaow the deputy PM is cleary worried about putting too many eggs in one basket and spreading the risk. However it maybe too early to start walking away from tourism when other industries are simple not ready to take up the slack. Infrastructure improvements; legal reforms, changes in corporate ownership regulations and reduced bureaucracy are just a few of the changes the chambers of commerce have been asking for and must be in place BEFORE we start to cook the goose that lays gold bullion on the floor of the vault in the bank.  

 

The deputy PM who was speaking last week at the “Restart Thailand 2021” dinner talk held at Siam Paragon shopping complex in Bangkok said,  “The outbreak has had an especially heavy impact on small and medium businesses, prompting the government to spend over Bt 800 billion on SME aid measures including postponing debt repayment worth over Bt 6.8 trillion for 12 million SMEs,” he said. “However, from July onwards, economic indicators have been pointing toward an improving trend thanks to cooperation from all parties in outbreak prevention, despite some minor impact from the political situations.

 

“The tourism industry has shown improvement, with about 30 per cent occupation, jumping from just 6 per cent in April, thanks to the government’s economic stimulus campaigns such as the ‘Let’s Go Halves’ shopping subsidy,” he added.

 

“Through the Thai Credit Guarantee Corporation, the government is also planning to provide an additional Bt 150 billion in loans to help small and medium businesses.

 

“The battle against Covid-19 is not over yet. The government still has many projects in the coming year to boost the economy, attract foreign investors and build infrastructure for future expansion,” the minister added.

 

“These projects include the construction of 14 Skytrain lines in Bangkok covering 500 kilometres in the next four to five years, larger than London’s Underground, and the infrastructure projects in the Eastern Economic Corridor to support digital technology, 5G and robotics industry.

 

“It is unacceptable to let Thailand slide back to the period before Covid-19. Since the global economy is changing we must be more proactive in attracting foreign investors, and the agencies responsible for this are the Board of Investment Office and Eastern Economic Corridor Office,” Supattanapong said.

 

“The next step will be to put Thailand on the list of top 10 countries with ease of doing business, which is a goal proposed by five countries who are our major trade partners.”

 

2021 will be the year of investment. 

 

The deputy PM further explained that next year the government will focus on investing in new industries that will help reduce reliance on export and tourism. “Bangkok will be the centre of regional offices of multinational companies, while Thailand’s automotive industry will focus on the manufacturing of electric vehicles (EVs), ” he said. “EVs will create other related industries such as smart equipment manufacturing and electricity generating from renewable energy. This will create a great opportunity for Thailand to further invest in community power plants, as well as biomass and solar power plants in Laos,” he concluded. 

 

-- Andrew J Wood 2020-12-21

How many deputy PM's are there? Prawit Anutin and now this guy!????

[agood1963]

With new people in power it could easily return to what it use to be before the present leaders came to power.

[katatonic]

4 minutes ago, miamiman123 said:

The vaccine requirement to travel will be the final nail in the coffin for Thailand.

Many many will refuse to take this vaccine and this mandate that a vaccine is required to travel will show its head this year.

Thailand has recognized that tourism in the future is over and must look to other avenues

I do not think that Thailand will ever be the same again.

Thailand must now be concerned about those Thais that are now really struggling with survival...I hope they will.

 

What sort of idiot won't take the vaccine? Surely there aren't that many people out there with that sort of ignorance? Up to them anyway. Hardly going to have an effect on a macro scale. And here in Phuket for a start, the vast majority of people affected are foreign workers from Burma or Cambodia, who aren't here any more. Meanwhile the beaches are fairly busy with local folk having a great time without the farang hordes: quite uplifting to see lots of them on paddleboards and surfing etc which didn't happen before. I'm liking the change to be honest, and who cares a damn about property developers or estate agents?

[WineOh]

34 minutes ago, patsfangr said:

I truly believe that it is safe to say that the world will never be the same again in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Big business and the mega rich will survive. But medium sized and small businesses, which account for most of the employment in the world, will shrivel to something less than 60% of their pre-COVID levels. As a result; the number of poor and homeless will greatly increase; as will drug abuse, crime, and suicide. At least the next several decades will be as dark a period as humanity has seen in centuries.

Completely agree.

[mjakob007]

8 hours ago, mr mr said:

 

so domestic tourism is up 25 % since april ? ahhhhhhhhh we really sure about that one ? 

Easy to discuss % s

 

25% on what? What was the base number for 2019? Ie 39mill foreigners in 2019. What was the equivalent for domestic tourists in 2019?

 

how much did the govt spend to stimulate 25% growth?

 

 

[mikosan]

8 hours ago, mr mr said:

 

so domestic tourism is up 25 % since april ? ahhhhhhhhh we really sure about that one ? 

25% of practically nothing, is still practically nothing.  It does show a healthy imagination though, or should that be an unhealthy massaging of figures?  I think I'll go for the massage, it might have a happy ending. 

[natway09]

NZ had this at one stage where there  were  literally  thousands of tour coaches 

& hotels specifically designed for the 1 & 2 day stays.

They realized the folly of their ways & went for the more affluent traveller.

It worked with a 30% reduction in pollution, less crowded & generally a better atmosphere in the

tourist places

[FritsSikkink]

9 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Wow what a scathing written report. Thailand has just been fried at the Altar and more cracks exposed.  I guess tourism really will die at the hands of this government.

Where will this come from and why here. Who would invest here with this government in power as corrupt as they are.

Loads of people invest here, that is why the THB is so high.

[FritsSikkink]

9 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

 

Unfortunately, Thailand does not seem to have the overall intellect to pull any of this off.

 

You don't know what you are talking about.

Edited December 21, 2020 by FritsSikkink

[FritsSikkink]

8 hours ago, exparte said:

Thailand’s tourist industry was suffering before COVID. 

No, it wasn't

[FritsSikkink]

7 hours ago, PingRoundTheWorld said:

Not sure why any business would want to invest in Thailand 

That is because you don't know anything about doing business in Thailand

[Kelsall]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

Thai tourism industry will never be allowed to recover to pre-COVID levels

by Andrew J Wood

You just figured that out?

[RichardL]

Either the writer of this article has completely misunderstood the speech, or the government's plans truly are mental.

 

You do not cure an over-reliance on one sector of the economy by suppressing that sector. You do it by encouraging growth in other areas. Unless it's specifically been stated they are planning to prevent tourism reaching previous numbers, it would seem they are going down the alternative investment route, not stifling tourism.

[John Drake]

1 hour ago, katatonic said:

The country was a lot more pleasant 2/3 decades ago, yes.  The people still live in the same houses, on the land they have owned for generations, just they didn't employ a load of Burmese labourers.

 

And how are you living these days? Just how sustainable is your lifestyle, Bwana?

[Chongalulu]

9 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

This gentleman sounds like an intellectual.

Unfortunately, Thailand does not seem to have the overall intellect to pull any of this off.

They will figure out making big money off tourism is actually easy and will revert back to that concept if and when the opportunity arises.

He’s not an intellectual to the point beyond which he can do other than make nebulous mission statements. He simply will not have addressed the issues of Thailand’s very poor educational standard (PISA tables) and largely unskilled workforce which is fine for tourism and agricultural exports but leaves them ill equipped to move into the higher tech and skilled industries which he’s probably thinking of. It’s just unsubstantiated,bloviating posturing.

[Paul Henry]

Many condos are now rented out for foreign tourist accommodation even though it bends the law. I can remember waiting out side of a large condo in Pattaya and was blown away with the number of tourists pulling up and being directed to which tower and how to get the keys. The investors who purchased these condos bought them with the sole purpose of renting them out to international travellers. I can see the condo market crashing from here on in as the investors who have probably mortgaged them selves to the hilt start having to pay the mortgage out of their own income along with all the other associated cost of owning a property.

Can Thailand not foster the tourist industry with out strong political and economic blow back?

[Chongalulu]

27 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

You don't know what you are talking about.

You certainly don’t know how to construct a coherent counter argument.

[Suradit69]

9 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

This gentleman sounds like an intellectual.

Based on your analysis, one assumes you’d rank Trump and Boris Johnson , for example, as real Mensa top-liners. 
 

just because some farang suffers from verbal diarrhea, it seems, a cabal of the weak minded immediately fall under his messianic thrall. 

[Locked in Ozzie]

Everyday some person has something different to say.  Each statement more damaging than the previous.  No cohesion no consultation and always apocryphal.  Just so long as the Hi-sos have what they need the rest of the Thais can just "suck it up".

[FritsSikkink]

15 minutes ago, nchuckle said:

You certainly don’t know how to construct a coherent counter argument.

I could but you wouldn't understand it.

[ThaiFelix]

We have heard this all before.  Back when that Bhutan dignitary visited here and news got out about their strict restrictions on tourist numbers and making those allowed to visit pay through the nose, some here in govt started to want the same.  Their catch cry was 'quality over quantity'.  But, as per usual,  that;s all it was, a cry.  Talk all you want about what should be done but at the end of the day if there is a baht in it then it will be business as usual.  Until of course until it is sucked dry, destroyed, and no-one will want to come here anymore.

[Artisi]

9 hours ago, Liverpoolfan said:

See. 

I was right.

The glory days are well and truly over.

Akin to the birth of the package holiday in the 60's and the death of the British sea side resorts in the 70's and 80's.

 

Thailand will never be the same again.

And would that be any great loss, but it won't happen as Thailand doesn't have the leaders with enough smarts to do anything other than chase the quick money. 

[Kaopad999]

Well, if anyone was at all surprised by this, then I'd like to ask,  where have you been for the past 5 years? Hiding under a rock? 

 

Anyway, nothing we can do. It's their country. People can always holiday or  move to neighboring countries, such as cambodia, vietnam etc. 

Their loss at the end of the day...

[spidermike007]

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. 

[tribalfusion001]

I smell green agenda and sustainablility, in practice it means green austerity for the poorest.