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

[ronster]

A coma ? More like it died already and has been cremated at this stage ! ????

[hotchilli]

1 hour ago, klauskunkel said:

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

The SHA hotels are the only real ones who made any money, nothing else much cascaded down to street level as promised by TAT

[Upnotover]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

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

Since records began?  When was that then, that they started measuring confidence on the well known 0-200 scale?

 

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Sopas

Can't spell Soapies.

[Snig27]

The whole convoluted COE entry process is braindead and seems to have been designed by someone being paid to sabotage Thai tourism, coupled with inane rules keeping alcohol free restaurants needlessly shut coupled with a holiday destroying curfew. 

I'm in Spain at the moment and the entry process is one form. The resorts are busy and the hotel we are at in Barcelona today is booked solid for a month. 
 

[HappyExpat57]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

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

Really?!? Just WHERE did they get THAT figure from? I'd venture to say it's closer to 75% CLOSED with little hope of them ever opening again.

 

Until those in charge get a strong dose of reality, Thailand ain't coming out of this coma. Seems more like a death knell until they open up the venues people truly come to Thailand for.

[Paul Henry]

The situation Thailand is in is a direct result of poor Government and corruption. They can make all the excuses they like but the BUCK stops at the top. Forget about dartboard numbers and ego and put capable people into the jobs given or bought through cronyism. 

[bradiston]

And it's not just Thai tourism.

 

https://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2021/10/tat-performs-annual-dg-reshuffle/

 

The Madhatter's tea party.

[raccos21]

Norway already dropped their C19 restrictions and return to normal.
 

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/norway-end-coronavirus-related-restrictions-saturday-2021-09-24/

[WinterGael]

5 hours ago, sirineou said:

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. 

  

That is exactly in line with the global tourism expectations.  The assumption is that people will stay close to home for the foreseeable future, or close to home.  Thus North Americans will travel in North America, Europeans in Europe, etc.  So Greece having 7 million and Mexico make sense as compared to Thailand having less than 300,000.  Mexico can open because the bulk of its tourists are coming from the US and Canada with a quasi joint idea of what's going on.  Greece and southern Europe will do well because there's all of northern Europe liking warm climates.  So nothing surprising there. Of my friends and family, all thought I was crazy to return to Thailand, but I'm not a tourist.  As for the rest of them, even the die hard travelers in the bunch are enjoying Canada with no plans for travel outside North America for at least 2 to 3 years, and then that will depend on airfare staying reasonable... so this isn't all about COEs, ASQs, and everything else... these past two years have bought about big changes to how people think about travel.  

 

For one, I have never travelled with travel insurance... After needing it this time, the cost is shocking... on par with my airfare. ????????????

[NorthernRyland]

5 hours ago, at15 said:

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!

Yeah but because of Mexico's greedy tourism sector some diabetic 85 year old died of COVID when he was in the prime of his life. 

[MrJ2U]

Even before the pandemic.

 

You've got a country being held hostage by this oppressive regime.

 

Wages are the same they were 10 years ago give or take a few baht.

  But prices have tripled.

 

Tourists came but never returned because duel pricing, high prices, and being ripped off.

 

There lucky to have us expats around picking up the slack.

[Fairynuff]

So when tourism is in a coma what’s the best thing to do.... let it be known that dual pricing or if you W wasn’t to call it what it really is, overcharging foreigners is official policy.

This isn’t just a Thai thing though when you see what Malaysia has done with its M2H, and Bali recently advertising that they don’t want backpackers. 
Surely when you have nobody coming in to spend money you gladly take it from anyone willing to spend? Or is that just my western mentality?

[Eric Loh]

Word for word description of global tourism. 

https://www.globaltourismforum.org/blog/2020/03/19/the-tourism-sector-in-a-coma-because-of-the-coronavirus/

[sirineou]

25 minutes ago, WinterGael said:

That is exactly in line with the global tourism expectations.  The assumption is that people will stay close to home for the foreseeable future, or close to home.  Thus North Americans will travel in North America, Europeans in Europe, etc.  So Greece having 7 million and Mexico make sense as compared to Thailand having less than 300,000.  Mexico can open because the bulk of its tourists are coming from the US and Canada with a quasi joint idea of what's going on.  Greece and southern Europe will do well because there's all of northern Europe liking warm climates.  So nothing surprising there. Of my friends and family, all thought I was crazy to return to Thailand, but I'm not a tourist.  As for the rest of them, even the die hard travelers in the bunch are enjoying Canada with no plans for travel outside North America for at least 2 to 3 years, and then that will depend on airfare staying reasonable... so this isn't all about COEs, ASQs, and everything else... these past two years have bought about big changes to how people think about travel.  

 

For one, I have never travelled with travel insurance... After needing it this time, the cost is shocking... on par with my airfare. ????????????

Same with us and our CoE , ASQ, and all the nonsense, when we came back last May. But we had to do it, many of us had no choice, Most Tourists have a limited time from work and want easy. That's why they call it a vacation, Getting here and jumping through all the hoops was certainly not easy. 

Edited October 1, 2021 by sirineou

[Bangkok Barry]

1 hour ago, Isaan sailor said:

The huge currency swings (1% in 36 hours) give us pause,

I saw that, and was surprised that yesterday I got a rate of 45.63 from Wise (Transferwise).

[Chongalulu]

THAT was the slogan they should have used " Thailand - Tourism in a coma !" ???? 

[Isaan sailor]

13 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

I saw that, and was surprised that yesterday I got a rate of 45.63 from Wise (Transferwise).

Lucky Brits.  USD down from 33.94 to 33.62 in 36 hours.  Our day will come…

[Artisi]

4 hours ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

why not 1  out  of 28

The maths was far too difficult, the calculater battery was flat and they couldn't round off the answer. 

[bristolgeoff]

Another high season and it will be in trouble if the gates are still closed

[thailand49]

"COMA"  THEY GETTING CLOSE?????

[zzaa09]

6 hours ago, sirineou said:

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. 

  

And even with the current and modified "reopening" policies in place, they're still not getting it. 

Tourists aren't coming if they still find they have to proceed with these continuing schemes. 

 

I'm sure Thai officialdom is expecting the hordes to eagerly break down the gates. That's not gonna happen. 

I can't imagine what October through January is gonna look like when they tally the results. 

[Rampant Rabbit]

32 minutes ago, sirineou said:

Same with us and our CoE , ASQ, and all the nonsense, when we came back last May. But we had to do it, many of us had no choice, Most Tourists have a limited time from work and want easy. That's why they call it a vacation, Getting here and jumping through all the hoops was certainly not easy. 

its quite  apparent no tourist in their right  mind would do all that <deleted>, they want a relaxing time for two weeks not a 2  month nightmare. The  only people who have really been coming are poeple  like you who have no choice

[Rampant Rabbit]

Just now, zzaa09 said:

I can't imagine what October through January is gonna look like when they tally the results. 

Thai tourism ----0 rest of the  world 1         

 

[Zack61]

Don't despair the new slogan will lift it from the mire

[sirineou]

1 minute ago, zzaa09 said:

And even with the current and modified "reopening" policies in place, they're still not getting it. 

Tourists aren't coming if they still find they have to proceed with these continuing schemes. 

 

I'm sure Thai officialdom is expecting the hordes to eagerly break down the gates. That's not gonna happen. 

I can't imagine what October through January is gonna look like when they tally the results. 

They are certainly not getting it.

Greece only required a PCT from fully vaccinated tourists test from several,  countries, They had a very successful tourist season  considering the pandemic, and very few cases of covid from tourists. Their covid  infection cases per capita are not higher than Thailand's with their draconian policies and abysmal tourist numbers.  

Why couldn't Thailand do the same?  Why this one shoe fits all covid policy?

[Blumpie]

Even if they did open the headlines around the world was Thailand's health care was crumbling.  They could have flung the doors open it would not have worked.  

I agree with nearly everyone here - these businesses will have a tremendously difficult time opening up.  And so many will simply never open again.  It wouldn't surprise me if nearly all of Thailand's english went down by 50 percent with the lack of english people to practice with.

This year will be a complete and utter write-off, as it has been till this point.  This isn't anything that everyone doesn't already know.  

[moe666]

2 hours ago, Isaan sailor said:

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.

Do not kid yourself already several friends in the states asking about reopening and what will the rules be.

[sirineou]

11 minutes ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

its quite  apparent no tourist in their right  mind would do all that <deleted>, they want a relaxing time for two weeks not a 2  month nightmare. The  only people who have really been coming are poeple  like you who have no choice

Exactly. If I only have tree weeks off from work and then I have to wait another year for my next vacation, I would want to unwind, not jump trough hoops. 

[robsamui]

Right away the statistics (as ever) are wrong.

16.8 billion baht divided by 280,000 tourists = 57,000 baht each, which barely (if at all) covers the ASQ hotel costs, particularly back at the start of the schemes when 14 days were needed.

 

It's not only the tourism industry that's comatose.

[Tom Parkinson]

The policies are simply irrational. The only possible rationale is that they are deliberately designed to fail. 
 

Thailand has 50 million unvaccinated Thais. Let’s imagine that we let loose a million fully vaccinated tourists. What’s the likely incremental impact on the Covid situation? 
 

it’s probably on par with round off error.