TAT: Thailand needs high earning, high quality tourists - "value over volume" to get 80% back by 2023

[Capt Rob]

9 hours ago, The Cipher said:

I'm in the bucket that TAT would probably classify as the high earning desirable foreigner.

 

And although I'm sad that there aren't more people like me in Thailand, I do have to admit that the put-down-roots type of foreigner (frequently found on this board) are, in some ways, better for the country than I am.

 

People like you guys are committed and invested in your communities for the long haul. Whereas I think that a lot of the people in my bucket remain flexible by design and are a lot more mercenary with capital allocation.

 

I'm in Thailand because it meets my needs at the current time. But if it ever stopped, I'd be gone tomorrow.

 

And I can understand why TAT targets wants to move upmarket, because honestly, there really is a lot of riffraff from Western countries that pools here (I don't mean anyone in particular here but also am not sorry if I trigger anyone with that statement). But I do wonder if TAT's aims are too upmarket. I think the country's ideal market to target would be nice middle class tourists and retirees.

I think the motives of TAT need to be amplified and or questioned. I would assume that if you can attract both the budget and middle income tourists, this will provide the budget for the provision and maintenance of a viable tourism investment. With repeat trade of this ' group ' the  yearned for high rollers/ luxury folk will follow in due course.

It is not a quick fix ( for any country ) but a ground up rebuild.

Retirees will also provide a steady inflow of cash, but they need to be accorded the status of welcome guests - a streamlined processing of visa bureaucracy is a must to retain their contentment level.

This contentment usually comes only with the services of a ' agent ' who are not cheap for 'reasons' quickly understood by most folk. 

[Blumpie]

Lost in the headline, seemingly, was 2023.  Sounds like someone is shooting for targets that aren't the outer reaches of the galaxy.  Still too far, but I digress, I do hope that your high quality tourists do enjoy the streets, rats, trash, and sewer stink.  ????  

[DogNo1]

Yes, you can get good health care in Thailand except if you need to be vaccinated or join a waiting queue at a hospital where you often won't be seen until all the Thais have been seen before you.   I didn't know that this discrimination still existed until I heard it in a conversation between nurses at a big-name hospital last week.   

[thailand49]

I wish that Thailand will one day have quality leaders with quality character?????

[The Cipher]

30 minutes ago, PB172111 said:

Forget Pattaya. It is not difficult to understand that they want a more high end tourist when you see some of the mongers that hang around the city.

It’s an embarrasing sight.

I've never been to Pattaya but in Bangkok at least, it's true that there are some uh, interesting looking characters that make up a noticeable amount of the Western foreigners here. And I'm in no position to judge people on their life choices, but as more middle and upper class Thais gain international experience I can certainly understand why the prevalence of this type of foreigner annoys/embarrasses them. Like, just honestly, it's true.

 

Quote

there is so much more to Thailand than bars and girls.

This is true. AseanNow forumers tend to be the demographic that's interested in the naughty nightlife, so they naturally assume that everyone else is too. Then they assume that the alternative to that is beaches/temples, which is slightly more true but still not what I, personally, think is most attractive about Thailand (Bangkok).

 

I'm attracted to the conventional entertainment and lifestyle opportunities here that I think are both diverse in scope and good value for money. That lifestyle isn't objectively 'cheap' for the people trying to survive on less than $1,000/mth, but it is cheaper than a comparable lifestyle in many other places and therefore what I consider to be good value within an amenity-rich and vibrant city setting.

[tomacht8]

In other words, the plan is to kill the hundreds of thousands of small businesses and millions of jobs that have traditionally served the low and middle class tourists.

[Phuket Pete]

Better smarten the old place up a bit then ! Your so called 'high quality' tourists will be wanting 2 weeks in Paradise and not the third world ! 

 

[Oblomov]

Simple fact missed as always - Tourist authorities do not get to pick who they'd like to visit their countries  -  Visitors choose where they want to go based on what they're looking for.

 

Thailand attracts a diverse range of visitors and has a bit of something that appeals to all of them presumably, so if I were them I'd take the loot on offer and use the income generated for improving  infrastructure and improving environmental initiatives on Thai islands that may one day attract more of the tourism they seem fixated upon.

 

In difficult times it would be madness to  turn away the very groups that spend money in the local bars and restaurants, often fund Thais in ventures or property acquisition. They want the wealthy as they are more likely to keep the money within the Asian upper end hotel groups and chain restaurants. Personally I'd rather have a good impact on the regular Thais that have really suffered. 

[Siamwhiteelephant]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

high quality tourists

That's 'charming'., implying that every tourist who isn't a high earner and big spender is low "quality" and condescendingly discarded as a bottom of the barrel commodity.  Excuse me a moment while I throw up. It abrogates this tourist from a person, a person potentially of better character than one "high quality" tourist.

[kimamey]

When I finally get to return to Thailand I won't be a tourist as I live there but my wife and I and on some occasions the rest of the family will visit other parts of Thailand. In that respect we are the same as international tourists albeit that other than myself they may pay less to enter parks ect. I'm not high earning and neither is my wife but certainly not too badly off.

 

Whilst on these visits one thing I will try to do as always is help provide employment for Thai workers. I will also probably give bigger tips as I did before I left last year. As in the case of the taxi driver from the airport who'd been waiting for many hours for a fare.  I won't be too worried about what overpaid government officials think.

[kimamey]

28 minutes ago, Phuket Pete said:

Better smarten the old place up a bit then ! Your so called 'high quality' tourists will be wanting 2 weeks in Paradise and not the third world ! 

 

I thought that was one of the attractions. UNESCO World Heritage Status applied for.

 

The Hanging Cables of Bangkok.

 

If they use that I'm claiming commission.

Edited December 15, 2021 by kimamey

[Sydebolle]

Very, very simple; get rid of the ridiculous bureaucracy serving nothing but employing thousands of officers with zero skills on a patronizing level.
Your entire visa system is absolute madness. 
Get rid of the two-tier pricing policy by allowing Thai people free of charge access.
Facilitate bank accounts for tourists (as in the past) as nobody is carrying around thousands of dollars in cash nor is willing to accept juicy withdrawal fees on foreign credit cards only. 
Tell your people that non-Thais are not aliens - it alienates the idea of "welcome" in the word already. 
Stop lying 24/7, the figures and news releases by the various government agencies are nothing short of an absolute idiotic compilation of lies. 

[cheapcanuck]

 The way Thailand flip flops on immigration issues  there is no way Thailand will get deep pockets coming to the country.

[BritManToo]

59 minutes ago, DogNo1 said:

Yes, you can get good health care in Thailand except if you need to be vaccinated or join a waiting queue at a hospital where you often won't be seen until all the Thais have been seen before you.   I didn't know that this discrimination still existed until I heard it in a conversation between nurses at a big-name hospital last week.   

When I go to the government hospital, I'm given the next ticket number at the front desk.

And I get seen when they've seen all the earlier ticket numbers.

The Thais that come after me, get seen after me.

I sit and wait with the Thais, and we look at each others ticket numbers to see how long before we are seen.

All very fair IMHO.

 

Unless you're bleeding, then you go straight to the emergency room.

Edited December 15, 2021 by BritManToo

[3NUMBAS]

tourism anywhere has become seriously disturbed for  years ahead  ,its gonna  take time more time than he thinks

[Sydebolle]

14 minutes ago, Sydebolle said:

Very, very simple; get rid of the ridiculous bureaucracy serving nothing but employing thousands of officers with zero skills on a patronizing level.
Your entire visa system is absolute madness. 
Get rid of the two-tier pricing policy by allowing Thai people free of charge access.
Facilitate bank accounts for tourists (as in the past) as nobody is carrying around thousands of dollars in cash nor is willing to accept juicy withdrawal fees on foreign credit cards only. 
Tell your people that non-Thais are not aliens - it alienates the idea of "welcome" in the word already. 
Stop lying 24/7, the figures and news releases by the various government agencies are nothing short of an absolute idiotic compilation of lies. 

Just to underline my comment - here some photos from this very website, apparently taken yesterday at Pattaya's immigration office (or rather outside for hundreds of metres) ????

 

[kimamey]

8 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

When I go to the government hospital, I'm given the next ticket number at the front desk.

And I get seen when they've seen all the earlier ticket numbers.

The Thais that come after me, get seen after me.

I sit and wait with the Thais, and we look at eaach others ticket numbers to see how long before we are seen.

All very fair IMHO.

 

Unless you're bleeding, then you go straight to the emergency room.

I have to say I've never experienced discrimination either. I think the only thing that is different is that they try to put me with a doctor that speaks English which might slow things a little. If not then my wife translates although medication is in English anyway and I can cope with dosage in Thai anyway.

It may depend on the location or hospital. I use the ones in  Mahasarakham

Edited December 15, 2021 by kimamey

[kimamey]

5 minutes ago, Sydebolle said:

Just to underline my comment - here some photos from this very website, apparently taken yesterday at Pattaya's immigration office (or rather outside for hundreds of metres) ????

 

Thanks for the pictures.

 

Is it possible to tell who are the high earning ones? ????

[ericbj]

The TAT predicts what will happen and their goal.
Where do they state how they will achieve their goal ?
I.e. their business plan ?

 

There is a minimal degree of certainty in any predictions at present.
For we are living in the biggest global "bubble economy" of all time, and no-one can predict when the bubble will burst.
All one can do is try to prepare, by "thinking outside the box" and keeping options open.

[thaivisareader]

This TAT dreamer and the entire lot of his cronies need and promote a lot of things. But it's not gonna happen. I'm retired and like living here. But Thailand as a tourist destination for the wealthy? It never was and never will be. This country will be very lucky if even 20% of the former average spending tourists return in the next five years. Just too hard compared to other places in the region. It's just never been a top shelf kind of place. It's always been great for the middle class to escape winters for a few weeks, package tourists for a few days, youngish backpackers to roam around on the cheap. That's it. Face the facts.

[wombat]

High earning does not mean high spending 

[wombat]

30 minutes ago, Sydebolle said:

here some photos from this very website, apparently taken yesterday at Pattaya's immigration office (or rather outside for hundreds of metres) ????

Mad dogs and Englishmen in the heat of the midday sun. 

The natives don't  grieve when the white men leave their huts,
Because they are, definitely nuts!

 

[moskito]

5 hours ago, terryofcrete said:

Do they ever take into account the Billions of Baht handed over to Ladies and spent somewhere in Thailand ... even the money that's sent to Isaan ...it's all foreign spending and going into the Thai economy 

are you dreaming??? NEVER!!!  I am saying this since years, Thailand would be still a desert and farmland up north if WE FOREIGNERS have not supported this hard working Barladies. THEY are the real income creators in Thailand and without many of us financing familys up north there would be still nothing. ????

The Thaigirls deserve a HUGE Monument in Bangkok I would build them a 20m high golden Vagina to remind all the lazy Thaimen where the wealth is coming from... and to be honest, EVERY shop in Phuket, making money because there are people like us here. I rememer Phuket and Phuket town from 1988 it was a nice little village with not many businesses and look at it today. ALL Thais won because even ppl working in Hotels, working there because WE are here. Without us, no Hotels, no nothing

[PEE TEE]

So The expat retirees who have live here for years spending their hard earned pensions month after month ,year after year don't count to the Thai economy. they would rather have a 2 week tourist spending his /her money on What? i would think the latter is worth more   

[PEE TEE]

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Presumably if they want 'Value over volume' they won't be inviting the Chinese back.

NAA he means high quality tourist not the one who do their toilet functions in public 

[billd766]

9 hours ago, Banana7 said:

Here is what sidewalks look like on Pattaya Klang, a major street in Pattaya. Pattaya is one of the major top 4 international tourist destinations in Thailand. Sidewalks, pedestrian walkways are in pathetic shape. Pattaya Tai sidewalk has been under construction for more than a year and still not finished and parts of the new sidewalk are already breaking.

 

Tourists, whether local or international, don't want to come to places with infrastructure that is falling apart.

 

Quality tourists want to come to high quality destinations, not places as shown in the below photos.

 

 

 

So sad to see the streets like that.

[sekmet]

Seems like that was over a couple of years ago when TAT started courting cheap horde of Russians, Chinese and Indians.

[Sticky Rice Balls]

12 hours ago, Kenny202 said:

Typical Thailand. First rate high spending tourists but 3rd rate accommodation, service, safety and scammers

Agreed --always feel one sided in many of my exps with thais....

So what are they offering to LURE these high quality tourists?.....what a imagination thais have as they live in this perfect little bubble world they all think the outside world is begging to get inside of.....smh

[The Cipher]

Quote

are you dreaming??? NEVER!!!  I am saying this since years, Thailand would be still a desert and farmland up north if WE FOREIGNERS have not supported this hard working Barladies. THEY are the real income creators in Thailand and without many of us financing familys up north there would be still nothing. ????

The Thaigirls deserve a HUGE Monument in Bangkok I would build them a 20m high golden Vagina to remind all the lazy Thaimen where the wealth is coming from... and to be honest, EVERY shop in Phuket, making money because there are people like us here. I rememer Phuket and Phuket town from 1988 it was a nice little village with not many businesses and look at it today. ALL Thais won because even ppl working in Hotels, working there because WE are here. Without us, no Hotels, no nothing

Damn, the level of self-importance mixed with butthurt in this post is next level.

[moskito]

2 minutes ago, The Cipher said:

Damn, the level of self-importance mixed with butthurt in this post is next level.

why? are u having a problem with the truth? or are u just another tourist and Thailand fancier. I know a lot of you guys, explaining me the country after 2 weeks in their first holiday ????