Deserted Cha-Am beach: Hotels chief says foreigners will not return to Thailand until 2022

[Bangkok Barry]

21 minutes ago, terryofcrete said:

When the vaccinations are at a peak level everywhere and most Thais are vaccinated too there will be no quarantine and tourists will come again , as they will to most tourist destinations . the vaccinations go up, the covid cases go down.

 

Maybe, but it'll be a long, long wait. Yesterday the government said they hoped - hoped - to vaccinate 70% of the population by early 2022. No mention of when everyone will be vaccinated. So pencil in 2023 I suppose for all those visitors who have lost their job and have no money to waste on holidays to return..

[hobobo]

1 hour ago, ronaldo0 said:

Yeah they arrived , walked through the airport and got on their connecting flight ! ????

And probably counted as tourists twice! It's been happening for years.

[EricTh]

7 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Tourism is not returning to Thailand anytime soon. If you think about it, the group that comprised perhaps 60% of all arrivals (lower to middle income Chinese and Indians) will the rest of the world.

 

It's Chinese and Malaysians (not Indians) - 2019

Chinese 10 million

Malaysians 4 million

 

Indians are not even close.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_Thailand#Top_25_arrivals_by_nationality

[ronaldo0]

31 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

Very true. Over the period from around 2016 to early 2020, every time I flew to Thailand the plane was close to full. But when I was collecting my bag from the carousel there were rarely more than about 50 people doing so. And many of those looked like Thais and therefore not tourists.

They count transit passengers in the numbers , it’s why they spout of the high numbers . 

[Lacessit]

I can't see tourism coming back to pre-COVID levels for 2 - 3 years, if ever. It's not just Thailand, the days of inexpensive budget air travel are over. Not just the hurdles one has to negotiate getting into Thailand, also the ones getting in and out of one's own country.

The bulk tourists Thailand got from China and to a lesser extent India were not quality tourists, the average shopkeeper did not get any benefit from them. A couple of shop owners I know detested them.

Thailand could get more tourists and people settling here if it relaxed the property laws and visa requirements. That's not going to happen with the xenophobia of the ruling elite.

Offers of golf quarantine or long term visas for buying a condo aren't going to cut the mustard either. Rich people don't get to be rich by being stupid with their money.

I guess the average Thai with a stake in tourism is just going to have to suck it up, and hope a few crumbs come down from on high.

[tomauasia]

YES people with no time or money. People who love Thailand have money and time are going.. This guy like most foreigners want to walk straight in. LOL

We love it less people more fun. In fact I'm here now in ASQ ????????????

[Mai mee]

5 hours ago, TheFreqFlyer said:

In your dreams. 2019 was a record year for tourism; 40 million arrivals came. Go troll elsewhere. 

Sorry but 25 million 4 day package tour Chinese riding buses , or twin trolley locust-swarming at Big C does not represent healthy tourism... You must work for TAT...555

[Searat7]

The biggest roadblock to starting the flow of tourists is the quarantine and one of the secondary roadblocks would be the ability to visit neighboring countries during their stay in Thailand. I usually come for 7 months a year but stayed home in USA this year. By the end of this month I will have received both doses of Pfizer vaccine and hope to return in July. Hopefully the 15 day quarantine will be reduced or eliminated for those who have been vaccinated but I am not holding my breath. Will be interesting to see how fast Thailand can vaccinate people once the AstraZeneca vaccine is available in quantity.

[1FinickyOne]

5 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

The problem with tourism, is that it is more complication than plumbing.

and yet, each can end up going down the drain... so, there are things in common

[spidermike007]

1 hour ago, fakser said:

I share your attitude about Thai Visa members. Many of them are grumpy old farts, complaining about this "horrible" country but will never pack up their belongings and return to their homeland.

 

Wow. There goes again. 

Very lame. Nearly every time I see someone complaining, or observing a shortfall within Thailand, some lame guy, who has not taken the time to think things through, nor to devote any focus or effort to a reasonable reply, says something like "Perhaps Thailand is not for you", or maybe you should leave, or the top prize, "if you do not like it here, go back to your own country". Hard to even respond to such inane statements. Why? Because I have some issues with the place? Sorry to inform you, but the nature of a discerning mind, is to have issues.

 

Though absolute contentment must be a beautiful state of mind, it is not something most of us are blessed with, in case you have not noticed. The fact that I complain, does not mean I do not love Thailand, nor most of it's people. I do. 

 

I love my life here. I have a very good life here. But, I do have some complaints, and there are some things I would love to see improved. I should leave because of that? Please. Next time you make a post, try to devote at least two moments of thought to it. The intelligent and articulate people on this forum, are what makes it great. If you can't handle our options, well? 
 

[spidermike007]

1 hour ago, EricTh said:

 

It's Chinese and Malaysians (not Indians) - 2019

Chinese 10 million

Malaysians 4 million

 

Indians are not even close.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_Thailand#Top_25_arrivals_by_nationality

Well at nearly 2 million, it is significant. But, your clarification is good info and appreciated. 

Edited January 15, 2021 by spidermike007

[Howiehotspur]

I don’t get this , tourists escaping paying their hospital bills , firstly don’t let them leave to hospital until someone has paid and or when they leave country , they have passport details on record <deleted> .. which tells me it’s not the issue at all , I’ve never heard of anyone absconding without paying .. I think it’s actually lack of farang in hospitals... is giving them grief .. 

although I won’t be going anywhere, 500 bht seems ok to me , I’d pay it . 

[soi3eddie]

6 hours ago, TheFreqFlyer said:

Mae Hong Son never really had any foreign visitors to begin with. Last time I was there in early 2019, I hardly saw another westerner.

 

Really? Maybe in 2019. The previous (and first time) I went to Mae Hong Son was in 2002 and it was packed with foreigners - mostly Europeans. Flew in and out with Thai airways from Chiang Mai on a B737 and it was full. Many French and Germans. The hotel was full too. Again, westerners. Not Chinese tourists. Not Thai tourists. So different now. A few Thai tourists and some bikers (us included) but otherwise the town was dead.

 

[curlylekan]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

He couldn't see foreign tourists returning until 2022 and that would depend on the airlines. 

Do these people not think that it is due to the government restrictions way more than the airlines. Getting a plane to Thailand right now is actually easy. Way too many other hoops to jump through

[curlylekan]

3 hours ago, m Stender said:

And some countries will not issue that letter (impossible to get in the US)

Not sure what you're talking about. It was very easy for me to get. I got a free test (I don't have insurance) each of the 4 weeks I was in the usa. I could print all of them. The last one I used to get back in NL. There was no problem whatsoever. I made an appointment online, next day I went to the testing location, waited in no line, next day got my result, printed it, and the following day, gave it at the airport. 12 hours later I was home in Rotterdam

[Bangkok Barry]

1 hour ago, Searat7 said:

Will be interesting to see how fast Thailand can vaccinate people once the AstraZeneca vaccine is available in quantity.

 

Slowly. They announced yesterday that they hope to vaccinate 70% of the population by early next year. Who knows when they'll get around to the final 30%.

[Madeline Thompson]

They can come back in 2021 - not to the same degree as in past

years but will steadily increase as more and more people take

advantage of what is the natural generosity of spirit of Thai people.

Thailand must first stop threatening - or actively engaging in - shutting

everything down. That creates a lifeless experience for the inhabitants

and the tourists, and no one wants that. That includes shutting down bars,

refusing to allow restaurants to serve alcohol, creating curfews that don't

make sense... in other words, maintain calm law and order without the

harshness of draconian measures. 

[Trujillo]

"He couldn't see foreign tourists returning until 2022 and that would depend on the airlines."

 

No, that would depend on the government not having zero covid "cases" as a goal. This is their current and past fixation, and with this as a goal -- which is impossible and unsustainable -- we will never have tourists (other than token visitors "who can spend 14 days in quarantine of their two-week vacation" here). 

[bangon04]

11 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

What sacrifices are the authorities willing to make? I do not see any discussion of this, but rather the vapid "TCOKU" (Thailand is the center of the known universe) drivel. They will return, simply because we open back up. No. Not the case. You need to do alot more than that. Thailand will be forgotten over time. Thailand needs the world, 20x more than the world needs Thailand. Are they addressing critical issues, like the air and water quality, traffic safety, public transportation on the southern islands, rapid rail transport, and the lack of law enforcement? No. Nothing, and I mean less than zero is being done.

 

 
 

I think a lot will still depend on how cheap it is. A lot will depend on the return to visa-free access. A lot will depend on political stability/indifference  - Thailand still has tourist infrastructure - airports, resorts, which neighbors do not yet have. If Gambling infrastructure is added the Chinese will come. Bilingual signs everywhere in Chinese instead of English?

[soalbundy]

Times are tough in farangland, Thailand's customers don't have the disposable income that they used to have. They will have to rebuild their savings while probably paying higher taxes due the governments covid debts. Everything is in flux at the moment.

 

People may get used to holidaying in their own country and finding once you cut out the airfare to Thailand your own or neighbouring country isn't so expensive after all.

 

What are the air companies going to do with air fares, will the covid vaccine need to be renewed each year, another outbreak somewhere will put everyone in panic mode again, small outbreaks here and there are bound to happen after the all clear has been given. IMO 2022 will see a small recovery but it will take many more years before long haul mass tourism starts up again, Americans have a huge country of their own to explore and Europe may rediscover itself.

[SupermarineS6B]

6 hours ago, phantomfiddler said:

Going down since a certain group took over the helm ????

100% and everyone that lives in Thailand knows that.......and those that are believing figures given out by the Government or TAT should go for a check up from the neck up.....

[Scouse123]

Everybody accepts mostly that there has been a shift in the type and numbers of tourists arriving in Thailand. This, in no small part has occurred by Thailand being proactive and favouring certain groups of tourists believing them to be the future of tourism in the country. The Chinese had already started to explore destinations further afield before the pandemic.

 

The Chinese as tourists, have no particular loyalty to this country and are keen to expand their horizons. I will not comment on the quality of these tourists as that opens the door as to the quality of many western tourists as well. The Chinese government only has loyalty for economic reasons and to expand its tentacles and influence. It will not be a ' good friend '  once it achieves its objectives, which are firstly regional domination and and secondly, world domination.

 

The West has introduced measures to save their economies which are going to cost trillions of dollars and affect the travel and movement of the entire western world. Certain countries such as Australia and New Zealand may bounce back quicker, but USA, Europe and the UK are in "dire straits!." I think people will start holidaying at home or closer to it, those that have jobs at the end of this nightmare, and who can afford it. It is an obvious choice. Cheap air travel could be about to get expensive when this is over.

 

Thailand has become expensive. The fun days and its glory years are over. The likes of Pattaya, Phuket and Samui have survived in a ' time warp ' of their own making for too long, with an appeal to a narrow tourist market share and target audience and greedy and cheating practices being pursued by the natives. The attraction of bar girls has been on the wane for a long time and any of those in that industry worth their salt are online and don't even frequent the bars, leaving that ' niche market ' to women well past their sell by date.I have seen women back in bars, who were in them thirty years ago.

 

Finally, the government. A bunch of prehistoric, out of touch, self enriching, misfits with an archaic approach to modern day problems which is no longer acceptable to an up and coming.better educated as well as better informed, younger Thai population. This large group of people, namely the future of Thailand, just won't accept anymore what is going on and are rebelling against the old guard.

 

What has the Thai government think tank come up with to encourage tourism as a way to propel the economy and the country forward?

 

Poor deals on certain visas if you invest 5 or 10 million in a condo project, Golfing specialized vacations, STV visas which haven't even broke into a stride, and 14 day ASQ hotels, Health tourism and wellness packages,  whilst referring to us in the media as ' foreigners ' even ' dirty foreigners ' by certain members of government, as opposed to tourists or customers. They only relaxed and relented on allowing the Non O visa holders and OA visas and those with extensions of stay back in after the STV project flopped.

 

The xenophobic attitudes have been blatant, except when they asked long term foreigners to get out and help ' domestic tourism ' and then to cap it off, they say they are going to charge an extra 300 baht entry for the purpose of funding the hospitals for foreigners who can't pay and to upgrade tourist sites. What have they done with all the trillions and trillions of baht that has been brought to the country by tourism over the years? They certainly have not spent it on beach upgrades, pavements and walkways or facilities to make the foreign guest want to return.

 

I have never left a hospital without paying a bill in OPD and I am insured for in patient. I don't know anybody who has, except for cases that have popped up on TVF regarding ' freak accidents ' or stories where insurance companies have wriggled out due to small print or the tourist participating in dangerous sports and these cases amongst 30 to 40 million tourists are a ' drop in the bucket ' and certainly do not justify a 300 baht charge per person, it's just plain and simple ' gouging the tourist ' 

 

It wasn't long ago they filtered in a charge to the ticket price for the new sophisticated face and fingerprint scanners at the airports, was it?

 

Speaking of which and back on subject, I wonder if the beaches and seas of Cha Am are now worth visiting, with it being quieter?

 

Hopefully no fighting to get a deckchair and maybe some reasonably priced seafood.

[hotchilli]

18 hours ago, webfact said:

Deserted Cha-Am beach: Hotels chief says foreigners will not return to Thailand until 2022

Give them time to replant the trees then.

[Chao Lao Beach]

Must be time to raise the prices then, Thai style

[newnative]

18 hours ago, TheFreqFlyer said:

I rarely come onto Thaivisa anymore and only even bother when I'm browsing my Facebook profile and an interesting story comes my way.

 

I then click on the link and even if it's been a month or two, or 6, your comments stand out because they're the same claptrap every time. You're like a wind up doll. 

 

You keep making ridiculous predictions about how no one wants to come here anymore, that the world will forget the country, there will only be 1 million visitors next year blah blah blah when the only thing keeping visitors away from the country are the current ridiculous travel restrictions.

 

Visitors will return tomorrow and in big numbers once travel restrictions are lifted, including border crossings re-opened and flights resuming normal service.

 

There will be 20-30 million annual visitors in no time, once the global economy recovers. 

     I agree.  And, even with covid hurting economies, there are still millions of people with money who can't wait to travel once they are allowed to.  Not everyone has lost their job.  Many retirees--a big travel group--have secure pensions and haven't lost a penny in income with covid.

     I think many feel like me, that I lost a year of travel opportunities in 2020 and I want to make up for it.  When international travel is allowed, all that pent-up demand will take off.  (Tiny pun.)  I talked to my retired sister in America recently and she said she and her husband will be first in line for the vaccine when it is available.  She can't wait to get traveling again.  Me, too.  Life is short and there are still many places in the World I'd like to visit.

[jomtienisgood]

22 hours ago, Wildliferescue said:

Business was bad, but many were in survival mode until some government officials allowed migrant workers to cross the borders in exchange for bribes. With the current closure most hotels and restaurants are now without any income and the gov isn't interested in helping out in any way at all. Wanting to build bridges, buy submarines and so much more things Thailand DOES NOT NEED NOW for billions of dollars... while claiming there is not enough money to help the people.

 

In the meantime these same officials and politicians get paid as usual and find more rules and regulation to squeeze out more money from normal citizen.

 

 

They probably invest in infrastructure ( except for the subs), etc; Possibly because there will be a post-covid era, and Th nationals will still have to live here. With or without tourists....

[Patong2021]

22 hours ago, ChipButty said:

Tourism was going down before Covid came along

What? Tourism visitors have increased since 2010. In  2014 it had small decrease 7% because of  troubles but bounced back 20%+ in 2015.

 

18 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

 

It was a focus on quantity over quality, which eroded the nation on countless levels. More is rarely better. It just lowers the quality of life for nearly everyone, creates more congestion, more smog, more traffic, longer lines at immigration, and makes life difficult, especially in the big cities. There are countless things the government could be doing, if they wanted to attract the high quality tourists, and go for quality over quantity.

Quantity over quality is never a good thing, unless you are selling one dollar items at a swap meet. It just lowers the quality of the experience for all.

 

Everyone I spoke to who worked in the industry said the same thing. Income was way down. Business was down. Sure, the hotels that offered 50% off their rates, to attract the Chinese and Indian tours were usually full. But, what did that really mean to the nation?

Maybe you don't speak to people in the quality hotels? Big brands were investing heavily.  I keep asking how they do it, but Patong was adding high end hotels for the past 10 years and doing just fine. Bangkok always have  new hotel going up and old hotel under refit. If so bad, how does Centara get the high room rates it asks? We had  holiday in Hua Hin - Marriot and Intercontinental always booked tight and they charge 6000+baht a night. Maybe you know only dirty old hotel with no upgrade for 20 years and they have problem.

 

16 hours ago, m Stender said:

well written

If one likes fantasy fiction.

 

14 hours ago, ronaldo0 said:

They count transit passengers in the numbers , it’s why they spout of the high numbers . 

 

I see this many times in forum and it just is not true. Data comes from Tourism visa coding.  Transit visa is not counted.  Please if I have this wrong, you tell me, ok?

13 hours ago, Howiehotspur said:

I don’t get this , tourists escaping paying their hospital bills , firstly don’t let them leave to hospital until someone has paid and or when they leave country , they have passport details on record <deleted> .. which tells me it’s not the issue at all , I’ve never heard of anyone absconding without paying .. I think it’s actually lack of farang in hospitals... is giving them grief .. 

although I won’t be going anywhere, 500 bht seems ok to me , I’d pay it . 

 

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Asia-Insight/Tourism-proves-hazardous-to-Thai-hospitals-financial-health   "Chalermpong recalled one recent case in which a young American suffered a serious head injury in a motorcycle accident. He stayed in intensive care at first, and then a regular room for a few months. He did not have travel insurance, and by the time he was discharged, he owed the hospital 800,000 baht ($26,400).   The hospital is still waiting for the money."

 

Looks like whoever is telling you there is no issue, is not correct.

Edited January 16, 2021 by Patong2021

[jomtienisgood]

12 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

Slowly. They announced yesterday that they hope to vaccinate 70% of the population by early next year. Who knows when they'll get around to the final 30%.

Yes, maybe so, then again the rest of the world is not doing much better if not worse.....

[elgenon]

Is that horse poo on the beach?

[newnative]

15 hours ago, hobobo said:

And probably counted as tourists twice! It's been happening for years.

      So, if it's 'been happening for years', as you say, you nicely prove the point that tourist numbers were up, rather than down, pre-covid.  If the same counting system has been used 'for years', you can look at the counted tourist numbers and see that every single year since 2010 the tourist numbers are up, except for 2014, the year of the coup.  2010 was 15.9 million and 2019 39 million.