Thailand Says Its Tourism Sector May Not Recover Until 2026

[Paul Henry]

There wouldn't be an unemployment problem in Thailand if Thais were not afraid to work. Send home the millions of migrant workers and have Thais do the work. Problem solved.

[Bangkok Basha]

13 minutes ago, Poet said:

Every survey in the West shows that there is massive pent up demand for exotic foreign travel, and the savings to pay for it.

Thailand could starting ramping up back to mass tourism this summer if they simply announce that they will accept verifiably fully-innoculated visitors on the pre-pandemic visa terms (i.e. no tests, no quarantine, no paperwork, no special insurance etc). Each visitor would need to have credible verification that they received their final jab at least two weeks prior.

400 million people are fully-vaccinated, while another 400m have received a first jab and are waiting for their second. The supply is growing and we expect to have a billion fully-vaccinated humans by the end of June.

The current hold up is the official verification schemes. Israel launched theirs in February, the UK launched theirs earlier this month, and the EU are beta-testing theirs, individual governments will probably roll it out during July. All national schemes will provide the basic info that Thailand needs to know that the holder is not a biological threat to Thailand: date of shot(s) and type of vaccine(s).

To have any sort of high season this year, Thailand should announce during June that, from the second half of the year (July 1st), the doors are wide open to fully-vaccinated tourists who arrive on planes carrying only fully-vaccinated passengers and crew. They won't get anywhere near 2019 levels this year but it will be a start, will give them some sort of high season, will kickstart a complicated industry that has stalled badly, and will pre-empt local competitors eager to leapfrog them.

 

Absolute first rate common sense. Unfortunately that's a commodity in very short supply in official circles here. Bold, pro-active action would salvage something for the remainder of this year. 

[Desire2016]

About time they realised 

[MasterBaker]

by being slow with vaccines and non-consistent policy, Thailand gave other countries a chance to get tourism flow, and as we know, once charters leave the country, they will never come back

[rct99q]

28 minutes ago, WineOh said:

Plenty rice fields around my house. Get your boots on and get going ladies and gents!

Yes, but lying on ones back and getting seeded is much easier on ones back than seeding a field.

[PEE TEE]

Yes we know that, its wonderful having the beach to oneself 

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

● Slow revival to hurt 7 million workers in key travel sector

● Thailand’s unemployment rate reached 12-year high in March

 

It could take another five years before tourism revives fully in Thailand -- an ominous sign for one of the most travel-dependent economies in the world.

Some realism for a change... I wonder what brainwave plan the PM has about re-employing all those service girls?

Or are they the ones that want to leave Thailand for greener grass?

[chaihot]

I thinks statements like this are directed at OTHER people in government -- to "scare" them into being willing to change and open faster.  I think someone is using the media because they want change.

[A Los for words]

52 minutes ago, Destiny1990 said:

Curious how TAT is going to spin this into good news.

Great news! The future is bright! From Sandbox to Sandstorm!

Tourism in Thailand is going to reach its pre COVID levels within 5 years as it makes rapid progress with vaccinations and infrastructure projects. We can expect 5 million visitors by the end of 2021, 30 million by 2022, 35 million by 2023, 39.9 million by 2024 and tourism in Thailand will burst through the previous record in 2025.*

 

*subject to change.

[Millcx]

2 hours ago, smedly said:

Phuket back to normal in 5 weeks apparently lol

1st July 2026 now

[Freeduhdum]

48 minutes ago, Paul Henry said:

Thailand does not have to wait. What pandemic Donald 45 repeatedly said its only another flu and it will just go away. Why all the panic.?

If that's what he said... he was right. There is no true pandemic. This hyperactive response should have never happened. Numbers go up because of testing. "Cases" go up because of testing. Most of the deaths are due to co-morbidities as is the case with seasonal Influenza. Nothing new, except the strains that are being found. Influenza also has multiple strains, it's why the influenza vaccine only works about 1/3 of the time, they can only guess-timate about 33% of the time correctly. Keep in mind, a simple positive test without signs and symptoms never became a "case" until covid came along. The RT-PCR test can be used to create any number of pandemics if we wanted to. Influenza could easily be conflated into a pandemic... just start testing. Once you test enough people, you'll find pandemic levels of "cases". I don't think anyone can argue... if you test more, you get more. Test less you get less. That's just common sense. 

Edited May 25, 2021 by Freeduhdum
Grammar correction

[globalspark]

I personal think tourist number were dropping before the Covid. I(t was the Chinese market that was propping it up and the Government did not really care about us  Farangs. The Government made it were clear that the  cheap Charlie Farang was not really welcomed in Thailand.

Frankly I do not blame the Government   for trying to lift the tone of the place  but not all Farangs  are Cheap Charlies.Price have been going up at a great  rate of knots weather it was hotel rooms, food, tours . The retirement visa is constantly changing  the rules and making it difficult for a majority of the retirees living there.

 A few years I worked it out it is cheaper living in Europe  and my Thailand trips  had become shorter and shorter.  The main reason for my recent visits was  my nice Dentist but  their prices are hardly that cheap these days.It it  was not that my treatment is half complete I very doubt I would bother to come back.

 It is no longer  the Land Of Smiles  well sorry it is  as long as you keep throwing money around.Giving the Porter 20 baht to wheel your bag to your room or the house maid 20 baht as a tip is now an insult.

 last year a friend of mind left Pattaya  for various reason  and gave all is furniture to a young lady for free.He called her prior to leaving but she was sad. Why was she sad?  Because he did not give her money for taxi to  remove furniture.

Now I think it will be hard to turn around their tourist issues because  the Government is going down the bulk Chinese and Indian  tours  who do spend money in different ways  but most pre pay before arriving. Looks good on paper but the local store makes no money.

[iamariva1957]

1 hour ago, Jeffr2 said:

Domestic tourism in the US is red hot.  Hotels selling out, can't get rental cars, etc.  Vaccines are the way to go.  Sad Thailand put all it's eggs in one basket.  They're going to pay the price for this....

 

Hopefully, but I doubt it, they'll back away from mass tourism. 

No idea where you get that about US travel. Yes it is soon Memorial Day weekend and that makes it a special national holiday. The next is July 4... again a special holiday. But to say the domestic tourism is hot... nope... it is just right now with the national holiday. 

[riverhigh]

2 hours ago, welshguy said:

At last...some realism is hitting them.

I think once the population has been vaccinted and reached herd immunity, there will be a "V" shape recovery in the economy. The pent up demand for travel will be phenomenal. My prediction is 18 months tops, not 5 years, before a full recovery and then some. I think the article is overly pessimistic and not forward looking. Open the gates (international borders) and there will be stampede. I can see hotels being overwhelmed with tourists. In 18 moths time we will be seeing the sign "no rooms availalble" causing panic in the hesitant traveller. Call it wishful thinking (smile) but those are my thoughts.

[Gecko123]

I seriously doubt whether tourism from Western European and North American will ever recover back to 2019 levels.

 

China's growing influence, killjoy regional military governments, and accelerating cultural homogeneity are making SE Asia a less and less attractive travel destination for Western Europeans and North Americans. You can get a better appreciation of the splendors of the temple of the Emerald Buddha by going on the internet in the comfort of your study than you can being squeezed in like sardines and jostled in a crowd at the real location.

 

The hidden costs of pollution, environmental degradation, and climate change which tourism generates will also become increasingly difficult to ignore as people recognize that mass tourism is simply not environmentally sustainable.

 

Stay vacations will become the new cool. Finding entertainment and recreational opportunities near where you live will become the new normal. Meaningful travel on special occasions will replace mindless travel-for-the-sake of-having-something to-post-on-your-Facebook-page or to give you something to talk about with co-workers and friends.

 

Modest travel, staying put, and living in sustainable harmony with the environment, which worked just fine for humanity for most of our existence, is hopefully about to make a big comeback.

 

Edited May 25, 2021 by Gecko123

[LivinLOS]

3 hours ago, welshguy said:

At last...some realism is hitting them.

Bloomberg... Not 'The Nation' etc.. 

 

[LivinLOS]

48 minutes ago, Paul Henry said:

There wouldn't be an unemployment problem in Thailand if Thais were not afraid to work. Send home the millions of migrant workers and have Thais do the work. Problem solved.

And the rampant price inflation that would cause making the Thai export market priced unattractively and lose the few remaining export dominated industries they have left.. 

[Jeffr2]

59 minutes ago, simple1 said:

Covid related deaths in USA currently 590,000, heading towards 600,000 with further deaths every day. Regards Thailand tourism sector recovery obviously in dependent on source countries. Here in Oz outbound tourism not expected to commence in volume until mid 2022 - previously approx one million Australians p.a. I have noticed on the likes of Agoda, hotel prices in Thailand have risen significantly for 2022.

They admit this is an under count.  Potentially by a lot.  Pretty much every country is doing the same thing with regards to covid cases and deaths.

 

I think next year will be fair for Thailand.  Huge demand to come here, and by December, most of Europe and the US will have been jabbed.  Fingers crossed!!!!

[Jeffr2]

18 minutes ago, Freeduhdum said:

If that's what he said... he was right. There is no true pandemic. This hyperactive response should have never happened. Numbers go up because of testing. "Cases" go up because of testing. Most of the deaths are due to co-morbidities as is the case with seasonal Influenza. Nothing new, except the strains that are being found. Influenza also has multiple strains, it's why the influenza vaccine only works about 1/3 of the time, they can only guess-timate about 33% of the time correctly. Keep in mind, a simple positive test without signs and symptoms never became a "case" until covid came along. The RT-PCR test can be used to create any number of pandemics if we wanted to. Influenza could easily be conflated into a pandemic... just start testing. Once you test enough people, you'll find pandemic levels of "cases". I don't think anyone can argue... if you test more, you get more. Test less you get less. That's just common sense. 

What?  you really need a better source for your news.  Ignore the covid denying ones...please.

[Jeffr2]

17 minutes ago, iamariva1957 said:

No idea where you get that about US travel. Yes it is soon Memorial Day weekend and that makes it a special national holiday. The next is July 4... again a special holiday. But to say the domestic tourism is hot... nope... it is just right now with the national holiday. 

One of dozens of articles about the domestic tourism boom going on in the US.  Rental cars are scarce, AirBnB's are hard to find, hotel prices are skyrocketing....yup...it's hot right now.

 

Here's but one article about this I just read:

https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Hotel-News/Southeast-resorts-are-booming-as-vacationers-drive-in?utm_source=eNewsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=eltrdb&oly_enc_id=1305B1422478I9F

 

'Record demand': Southeast resorts are booming as vacationers drive in

[Freeduhdum]

4 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

What?  you really need a better source for your news.  Ignore the covid denying ones...please.

I don't need sources friend. I am a 30 year licensed so called frontline healthcare worker working in the emergency department right now in the U.S. There's no true pandemic going on... and my colleagues from across the nation tell me the same. 

[mrfill]

1 hour ago, Paul Henry said:

There wouldn't be an unemployment problem in Thailand if Thais were not afraid to work. Send home the millions of migrant workers and have Thais do the work. Problem solved.

What unemployment problem? 1.96% ???

 

[Jeffr2]

1 minute ago, Freeduhdum said:

I don't need sources friend. I am a 30 year licensed so called frontline healthcare worker working in the emergency department right now in the U.S. There's no true pandemic going on... and my colleagues from across the nation tell me the same. 

Right.  I'm suppose to believe an anonymous member with a name like yours?  I call B...S...

 

I've got friends who are front line workers in the US.  They tell me a different story.  Sad some try to deny the severity of this pandemic.

[Benmart]

1 hour ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

All thanks to President Trump and his Operation Warp Speed.

A tired reference to a has been President.

[malibukid]

3 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

There is definitely pent up demand out there.  First thing most people say in recovering countries when things get better is they want to travel.  But, sure getting back to 40 million here could take 10 years.

One problem they may run into is when people do start coming back is a big raise in prices.  Airfare, hotels, food, entertainment raising prices to make up for the current deficit.  Could push some away from here with the reputation of this place being a cheap travel destination.

yes Thai think

[actonion]

5 years?,    Im not surprised, it could be a lot sooner if they would get their "finger out" and get a move on with vaccinations,  and stop  changing plans everyday..

[bluesea]

Such a pleasure to read an honest story.. with no Bla Bla Bla Thai B.S

[NotYourBusiness]

What happened to "Two weeks to flatten the curve."?

[Freeduhdum]

22 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

Right.  I'm suppose to believe an anonymous member with a name like yours?  I call B...S...

 

I've got friends who are front line workers in the US.  They tell me a different story.  Sad some try to deny the severity of this pandemic.

Same response I got the other day when I mentioned I have worked in the ICU setting in the past. Believe what ever you want to believe... 

[Jeffr2]

6 minutes ago, Freeduhdum said:

Same response I got the other day when I mentioned I have worked in the ICU setting in the past. Believe what ever you want to believe... 

Perhaps if you weren't a covid denier, and had a different nic name, you'd have more credibility. LOL