‘It’s like a graveyard’: Thailand’s famous Khaosan Road is struggling despite return of tourists

[Chad3000]

29 minutes ago, JensenZ said:

It might never come back - just like Walking Street in Pattaya. A relic of times past.

The current visa, logistics, covid issues seem like giving Thailand a complete miss would be best strategy.

 

For myself, I'd just head directly to the beach.

 

Many young people in this age group is imagine lost jobs and life savings in last year or two. Travel is just a total headache.

[JensenZ]

I know one way to make KSR busy. Open an official Apple Store there. Despite the poverty caused by the lockdowns, you can only buy the new iPhones by pre-ordering them. Phones costing 25K to 50K are selling like hotcakes. There's still money around, that's for sure.

[Chad3000]

3 minutes ago, cmsally said:

That is exactly what is happening. However I think there is a miscalculation on their part as to who the consumers might be. I think their "vision" is clouded by greed.

Greed knows no bounds. Decades ago I lived in Cambodia. There was this really decent guy (unlike us lol) Christian, money. He wanted to set up a free-school.

 

No NGO. Just a former teacher that found his way into money, went to Asia for a trip and fell in love with it as so many of us did.

 

The Khmer powers that be wanted huge bribes. Without the bribes nothing was going to happen. He refused to start the school on such a footing and felt they'd always be back for more.

 

No school

[JensenZ]

4 minutes ago, Chad3000 said:

The current visa, logistics, covid issues seem like giving Thailand a complete miss would be best strategy.

 

For myself, I'd just head directly to the beach.

 

Many young people in this age group is imagine lost jobs and life savings in last year or two. Travel is just a total headache.

There was a recent report from Australia about this. They just reopened international travel, but most people are putting off international travel and choosing to holiday domestically instead. It's going to take awhile and Thailand is not on every country's safe list yet.

[Cat Boy]

KSR was stripped by the junta long before the pandemic along with their war on the street vendors in the wake of the coup in '14. It will be never be what it was, nor will the efforts towards' Singapore-ization' succeed, they'll only result in erasing the unique character of Thailand much loved by Thai and Farang alike 

[redwood1]

15 minutes ago, Cat Boy said:

KSR was stripped by the junta long before the pandemic along with their war on the street vendors in the wake of the coup in '14. It will be never be what it was, nor will the efforts towards' Singapore-ization' succeed, they'll only result in erasing the unique character of Thailand much loved by Thai and Farang alike 

 

Erasing the character of KSR was the whole point of the forced remodel .... All the business on KSR fought hard to stop it but they were no match against the powers that be.......

 

My favorite part of the remodel was lining the street with posts to give the street a bit of a prison behind bars feel, and remind everyone the freewheeling days are over.......I do not know of anther street in Thailand lined with posts..

 

They wanted KSR dead very badly..

 

Edited November 13, 2021 by redwood1

[hotchilli]

Why the effigy of Prayut in the shop window?

[Elkski]

Why didn't the govt   halt postpone rent payments these small business people have had to pay?  Make the richer owners take the covid $ loss. 

[Chad3000]

1 hour ago, Lemsta69 said:

1997 and encountered said sterility

My first arrival Dec 92. I wasn't impressed it had already passed it's sell by date.

 

I continued to use it as a hub only bc of it's proximity to sai tai mai. I stayed in a short time hotel across from a sawasdee. I'd never seen any backpackers in there till year's later they hung a sign out. But it was too rustic, functional and charmless. Huge room. B400 a night forever ice cold AC and clean white sheets.

 

When the A busses stopped running there I gave it up. A friend told me I should just go to Pattaya bc it's only 90 mins from airport by bus. I did. It was totally cheap and I loved it bc I was treated well speaking some Thai and eating Thai food. Wow...adults lol

 

I'd long grown out of KSR really started disliking the place but during off months, rainy season coming thru...dead at 9pm. You, strangers swapping info pre internet over copious amounts of sang som and klosters.

 

Cambodia and Myanmar just opened 1992. Vietnam as well. Good memories.

[ChipButty]

10 minutes ago, Elkski said:

Why didn't the govt   halt postpone rent payments these small business people have had to pay?  Make the richer owners take the covid $ loss. 

Now they want to increase the rents

[newnative]

Another poorly written, misleading headline. The tourists have not returned.  

[KarenBravo]

2 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

It became a popular restaurant street, but yes sterile and boring, like the rest of the city.

Happy days there in the 70s when it rocked till after dawn ( didn't even really start till after midnight ).

I spent many a night there till the tables were removed and the cars started driving through. That toilet block should have been preserved for posterity, given what happened on its roof.

Yes, the Dance of the Flaming Ar*******.

Spent a lot of time at the tables outside Boons.

[scubascuba3]

2 hours ago, JensenZ said:

It might never come back - just like Walking Street in Pattaya. A relic of times past.

Walking St will be ok, it's a level above LK and other places, LK is for people too lazy to walk to Walking St

[JensenZ]

11 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Walking St will be ok, it's a level above LK and other places, LK is for people too lazy to walk to Walking St

Have you been for a walk down Walking Street recently? It's far from being ok. It looks like a bombsite. The reason they (council) haven't bothered to repave it or do anything to improve it may indicate they are going to pull it down soon. I super shopping mall on the beachfront is not a bad idea. It's had its moment - its time is over.

[redwood1]

11 minutes ago, JensenZ said:

Have you been for a walk down Walking Street recently? It's far from being ok. It looks like a bombsite. The reason they (council) haven't bothered to repave it or do anything to improve it may indicate they are going to pull it down soon. I super shopping mall on the beachfront is not a bad idea. It's had its moment - its time is over.

Good idea.....We sure would not want people to have to walk all the way from walking street to Royal Garden to find a mall...Another mall is desperately needed...

[scubascuba3]

25 minutes ago, JensenZ said:

Have you been for a walk down Walking Street recently? It's far from being ok. It looks like a bombsite. The reason they (council) haven't bothered to repave it or do anything to improve it may indicate they are going to pull it down soon. I super shopping mall on the beachfront is not a bad idea. It's had its moment - its time is over.

Not sure if you know but there's this thing called Covid 19 here and it's been mostly closed since. A number of the agogos are refurbishing for when it eventually reopens, yes authorities have been rubbish at completing the road surface that's just typical though. Lots of YouTube videos on the subject, of course the negative doomsters just say it's dead but often they are always negative, a sad way to live

[BritManToo]

KSR was the first place I went on my first arrival in Thailand.

Got off the plane, and knew nothing.

Talked to some backpackers while passing through immigration, they took me to the bus.

When I got off the bus, followed them along some dingy narrow soi's and arrived in KSR.

Found a hotel, has some Pad Thai, watched all the guys/girls with dreadlocks.

Wasn't really impressed, never went back.

[LittleBear57]

It used to be a little gem of a place, loved it. My favourite place in Bangkok for a few hours in the evening nice buzz, people from everywhere. I'm sure it will never be the same sadly.

[DaLa]

Paid a visit to Khaosan road last night. Not every bar was busy, but it was reasonably lively. Obviously only a few falang, the rest were young Thai.  They have cleaned the place up and re-modelled the area and overall it made for a good night out. Take proof of your vaccinations if you plan a visit.

 

Only down side was having to swap to paper cups for your drinks at some point. 

[khunPer]

3 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

KSR had morphed into a Thai trendy place that was too expensive for most real bagpackers. The area around KSR was the bagpacker ghetto, no longer the road itself.

Happened many years ago when I couldn't find a cheap hotel on the road itself, and ended up staying in some place down a little lane.

Yes, probably too much trendy progress during the later years for typically backpackers, but not trendy enough for quality tourists, and those travellers in between rather prefers something different, there are multiple other great options available...????

[dunroaming]

4 hours ago, khunPer said:

Quality turists don't hang out in places like Khaosan Road...
The kind of Khao San Road-visitors won't come back as long as it's complicated and costly to enter Land Of Smiles, and they might in my modest opinion never come back in big lots if the tourism-recovery is based on mainly wealthy quality tourists...????

The world has changed from my gap year days.  Next year my son becomes eligible for his gap year adventure and is looking (with a couple of friends) at places to go.  I assumed Thailand would be high on the list given his heritage but no, apparently all of his friends are of the same view. I mentioned the usual Full Moon Parties and Khao San Road but just got laughed at.  I was told that those were for middle aged losers trying to re-live their youth and that they would be too likely to bump into their friends parents.  Certainly put me in my place!

 

He favours South America or possibly Africa, well away from the usual gap year travelers.  There is no Kudos in going to the old haunts like Thailand and India.

[khunPer]

5 minutes ago, dunroaming said:

The world has changed from my gap year days.  Next year my son becomes eligible for his gap year adventure and is looking (with a couple of friends) at places to go.  I assumed Thailand would be high on the list given his heritage but no, apparently all of his friends are of the same view. I mentioned the usual Full Moon Parties and Khao San Road but just got laughed at.  I was told that those were for middle aged losers trying to re-live their youth and that they would be too likely to bump into their friends parents.  Certainly put me in my place!

 

He favours South America or possibly Africa, well away from the usual gap year travelers.  There is no Kudos in going to the old haunts like Thailand and India.

Yes both time and progress change things. When you were doing your gap years adventure, Thailand and Asia were probably different destinations from what you parent were dreaming about. I believe the Orient - including India - were pretty much something that became trendy with the hippies, and partying were first in Goa, and later on Phangan with it's Full Moon Party. The latter grew up from hippies sailing over from Samui in long tail boats to the uninhabited Haad Rin's Sunrise Beach to see the full Moon rise over the horizon while making bonfire and playing guitars; probably mainly because the police in Lamai begin to get too interested in their mushroom shakes...????

[FritsSikkink]

3 hours ago, Chad3000 said:

I'd rather have another two days on the road than a night out at the pub with a bunch of strangers.

I rather have a night out in the pub with my friends and make some new ones.

Edited November 13, 2021 by FritsSikkink

[john daniel]

6 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

The area more popular with ‘budget’ tourists (back-packers) is hardly going to get busy over night as most of those who would usually stay in the area are ‘transient’ tourists who may be visiting Thailand in addition to many other countries.

 

These ‘type’ of tourists are simply not travelling at the moment due to the difficult and costly entry requirements of many countries combined with prevalence of local restrictions and then of course the actual health risks.

I've no idea why you put the word 'type' in quotes, well I do. But from recollection, KS started going down hill when certain of the wealthy 'locals' started taking it over and prices shifted upwards. It lost it's charm very quickly after. There ARE places for everyone here, one word - 'Pattaya'.

[PETERTHEEATER]

‘It’s like a graveyard’

Yes; its' operating with a skeleton staff...

[Lemsta69]

2 hours ago, DaLa said:

Paid a visit to Khaosan road last night. Not every bar was busy, but it was reasonably lively. Obviously only a few falang, the rest were young Thai.  They have cleaned the place up and re-modelled the area and overall it made for a good night out. Take proof of your vaccinations if you plan a visit.

 

Only down side was having to swap to paper cups for your drinks at some point. 

is Suzy Pub still alive and kicking? I miss that place ????

[GrandPapillon]

Just saw a video on TikTok where you can see the current situation with Phuket Bangla road, and it seems like business as usual, busy streets, lot of women dancing, music and drinks

 

let's hope they keep it that way ????

[AllanA]

It’s pretty much over since the street markets etc were taken away and now with the current government it will never be a thriving area of Bangkok. It’s over ! completely over.

Backpackers from all over the world came here and did spend money here and travelled the islands of Thailand but with this current paperwork to actually get into the country they will never return as to much red tape plus the government is pretty much set on destroying all nightlife in Thailand and younger people love nightlife. Most hospitality businesses are going broke fast with no traveler's so I’m no afraid it’s a sad situation for hospitality bussiness in Thailand. Very sad for Thailand to loose its appeal but I’m pretty confident other neighbouring countries will jump at the chance of taking the popular tourists market and making them feel very welcome. 
Times have changed, Thailands government wants to cater only for the Chinese and Indians and westerners will just have to find a new destination. . it’s happening . . words out ! 

[billd766]

3 hours ago, Elkski said:

Why didn't the govt   halt postpone rent payments these small business people have had to pay?  Make the richer owners take the covid $ loss. 

Could it be that some of the richer owners are part of the government, or very close to the government?

[Ralf001]

Why's it open 24hrs if there is no customers ?