Thai tourism in a "coma" - confidence at its worst level since records began, says academic

[webfact]

File photo: REUTERS

 

Pakakrong Thepparak an academic at the Mongkhol Sri Wichai technical institute announced the latest figures for confidence of operators in the tourism industry after work with the TAT and Tourism Council.

 

Pakakrong said that the stats were so bad that confidence was at 7 out of 200, the worst since records began.

 

This put Thailand into a "coma" category.

 

The media that carried her comments said this meant the Thai tourism industry in Quarter 3 was like someone sick in ICU.

 

So far this year just 280,447 foreign visitors had come to Thailand and had spent an estimated 16.8 billion.

 

Only 51% of businesses are open right now in the tourism sector. 44% have closed temporarily and 5% for good.

 

The great majority of businesses have less that 50% staff remaining after 77% of the tourism workforce or 3.05 million people just left the business and sought work elsewhere or became idle.

 

54% of tourism businesses have no income at all. Of these some are in the direst straits - Pubs and bars, mostly 100% loss of income, theme parks and water parks 94%, travel agents, 93%, Sopas and massage 86% and transport sector of tourism with losses of 68%.

 

Pakakrong said there was some improvement in confidence forecast for the fourth quarter (Oct to Dec). 

 

Confidence for operators rose then to 29 out of 200, but still way below the under 50 "coma" threshold.

 

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[Artisi]

Not  at all surprising, the parallel of ICU  and CV  is spot on. 

[Thaiwrath]

14 minutes ago, webfact said:

the Thai tourism industry in Quarter 3 was like someone sick in ICU.

I think the difference is that when someone is sick in ICU, they get help and assistance of the highest quality in their challenge to survive. 

[RotBenz8888]

23 minutes ago, webfact said:

Thai tourism industry in Quarter 3 was like someone sick in ICU.

And the post covid syndrome will last for many years. 

[sammieuk1]

And with that dire analysis up goes the Baht how mysterious ????

[Neilly]

48 minutes ago, webfact said:

Only 51% of businesses are open right now in the tourism sector. 44% have closed temporarily and 5% for good.

I have no idea where they pull these figures from...in Samui I'd say the figure was closer to 15% open, 50% closed temporarily and 35% gone to the wall

[at15]

No surprise , we need a KISS plan, Keep it Simple Stupid. Look at Mexico and some other countries. They are are actually OPEN, come on in and enjoy yourself. No checking for a vaccine, no COE, no ASQs, no PCR testing, no insurance requirements, no wondering what businesses will be open, etc... Just, you know, OPEN!

[mommysboy]

Assuming Thailand reopens countrywide and gets some sort of high season, come February the case load will rise to 50,000 per day imo, and deaths will be 200 plus even with 80% vaccination. UK might wear that but not Thailand. And what sort of normality will it be anyway?

[sirineou]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

This put Thailand into a "coma" category.

is it a surprise to anyone who went through the process of coming here? 

Those officials who come up with this schemes, need to go though it just once to know tourists would not go through all that trouble.

Greece  a country one sixth the size of Thailand engaged in an aggressive vaccination and tourism program, They had 7 million tourists this summer, and still have a lower per capita covid case load. 

  

Edited October 1, 2021 by sirineou

[Will B Good]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Pakakrong said that the stats were so bad that confidence was at 7 out of 200, the worst since records began.

I am guessing, by pure chance, they just happened to call 7 members of TAT.

[khunPer]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Only 51% of businesses are open right now in the tourism sector. 44% have closed temporarily and 5% for good.

5 percent permanently closed does not sound as bad as many posters, over the last year or so, have given impression of in this forum, wonder if 5 percent is based on facts...????

[khunPer]

1 hour ago, Neilly said:

I have no idea where they pull these figures from...in Samui I'd say the figure was closer to 15% open, 50% closed temporarily and 35% gone to the wall

Might be depending on where on the island you look, how do you get the impression that 33 percent have "gone to the wall"..?

[Neilly]

16 minutes ago, khunPer said:

Might be depending on where on the island you look, how do you get the impression that 33 percent have "gone to the wall"..?

The figures are for tourist related businesses, and from what I see driving around (I'm not including all the 7-11's and Family Marts that have shut) there are hardly any, no Safari Tours, bars, bike rentals...I live in the south of the island and you'd be hard pushed to find a restaurant that's open. 

[Misterwhisper]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

So far this year just 280,447 foreign visitors had come to Thailand and had spent an estimated 16.8 billion.

I am actually surprised that there even were that many.

 

On the other hand this figure is a double slap in the face for these various idiots with their big mouths and super egos (you all know who I mean) who promised - nay, guaranteed! - that MILLIONS of foreign visitors would stampede into the country thanks to ill-conceived, unviable schemes like the "Special Tourist Visa" and the "Phuket Sandbox".

 

Pretty much everybody with a modicum of intelligence and rational thinking ability KNEW that those schemes wouldn't work. EVERYBODY... except that small handful of self-absorbed, incompetent twits in their Cloud Coocoo Land ivory towers.   

Edited October 1, 2021 by Misterwhisper

[khunPer]

20 minutes ago, Neilly said:

The figures are for tourist related businesses, and from what I see driving around (I'm not including all the 7-11's and Family Marts that have shut) there are hardly any, no Safari Tours, bars, bike rentals...I live in the south of the island and you'd be hard pushed to find a restaurant that's open. 

There are no tourists - the so far hardly 1,000 Samui+ won't count anything that matters - so of course most tourists businesses are closed at the moment; but how do you know that "35% gone to the wall"..?

The 7-Elevens and Family Marts with blocked window seems more like temporary closed, until the situation change; a permanently closed convenient store from those chains will normally be totally dismantled within a week.

[Rampant Rabbit]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

was at 7 out of 200,

why not 1  out  of 28

[connda]

The government put the tourism industry on a 5ml midazolam/5ml morphine drip since last April.  What do they expect?  You gotta allow the patient to get up and walk or else you'll lose them completely. 

[RichardColeman]

The most ridiculous thing is they could solve this tomorrow by allowing in all foreigners that are jabbed without daft regulations. You have to open up without hoops sometime, it may as well be now

[kcpattaya]

 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Only 51% of businesses are open right now in the tourism sector.

Clearly lost all contact with reality.

[klauskunkel]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

So far this year just 280,447 foreign visitors had come to Thailand and had spent an estimated 16.8 billion.

that's 60,000 baht per person..., most of that must have gone into quarantine hotels

[madmitch]

2 hours ago, khunPer said:

5 percent permanently closed does not sound as bad as many posters, over the last year or so, have given impression of in this forum, wonder if 5 percent is based on facts...????

Nobody will know how many tourism businesses have permanently closed until tourists start to arrive again. Only then will we see how many don't open their doors.

[Tarteso]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Thai tourism industry in Quarter 3 was like someone sick in ICU.

Is’t meaning we must to pay double price in hospital the time we are in coma? ????

[mjakob007]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Only 51% of businesses are open right now in the tourism sector. 44% have closed temporarily and 5% for good.

Errata:

Only 51 business are open right now. rest are closed.

The % was a typo..

[Nabby]

Quarantine has to go, booze bans have to go, and the Thai gov needs to realize that their people are a greater threat to visiting farangs (re Covid transmission), than the other way around. But they're just too ____ing stupid. 

[Felt 35]

Quote

Only the turism

Tourism in a "coma"

[Destiny1990]

They are fixated with the few superrich tourist however these rich folks also only need just one taxi to the airport so how is one superrich tourist helping these other taxi drivers?  They also only need 3 meals a day so how will one superrich tourist help these other restaurants?  Ect ect ????

[TKDfella]

Fantastic cue for TAT, 10..9..8..7..

[Isaan sailor]

Expat recommendations go a long way in helping foreign tourism numbers.  When things get hard for us—we’re less likely to recommend visits from friends and family in our respective home countries. The huge currency swings (1% in 36 hours) give us pause, and reduce our purchasing power.  Good luck with high season, Thailand—you’ll need it.

[hotchilli]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

his put Thailand into a "coma" category.

Thailands been in a coma for 6 years while it's been systematically dismantled by the present incumbents playing at being politicians.

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, Neilly said:

I have no idea where they pull these figures from...in Samui I'd say the figure was closer to 15% open, 50% closed temporarily and 35% gone to the wall

That's just Samui, every province has different issues.