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

[meechai]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The chief of Thailand's tourism authority, Yutthasak Suphasorn of the TAT, spoke to a seminar on the economic recovery after the reopening of the nation.

 

He stressed that Thailand needs high quality tourists who are high earners and big spenders.

TAT need to understand something.......... A high quality country would never print something like this...It is distasteful & wreaks of low quality

 

It is all fine & well for TAT to sit around a table & say we need this & that or would prefer this & that but to print it?

 

This is like Ronald McDonald standing at the door & saying sorry we want high quality burger eaters & Big burger spenders...sheesh

This is the Chief of TAT speaking out like this to be published?

 

Tell you what...if it weren't for family & our house in Thailand...reading something like this would put me right off visiting anytime soon

[Willy Wombat]

Please make them stop ????

[Enzian]

I'm back after 5 months in CA, again living in the Nana station area of Sukhumvit, and the whole central Sukhumvit stretch is far more lively with more (but not a lot of) foreigners than 6-12 months ago. I'm technically high net worth but don't spend a lot. And what do I see? Half the other white guys are... I can't say what I think of them, how they look, but it's bad. And they are a good slice of what Thailand attracts, they are the reality. And going to eat last night I see the Nigerians are gathering in numbers, loitering on the sidewalks. Why does Thailand even let them in? Are any of them not de facto criminals? Sorry, not sorry, if that is racist (talk to my African American blood relatives about it). Another: Thermae seems closed, and at 9 pm I counted just under 100 ladies (some visually striking) on the street between soi 13 and soi 17. They've always been there to some extent, standing just a few feet away from the RTP in a global pandemic. Myself I love vicarious sleaze, it's art, it's not America, it's part of why I'm here.  May it never depart, even those dudes. TAT is in the clouds.

 

[AussieBob9999]

4 minutes ago, Kenny202 said:

I think you are right re Vietnam and they completely by passed the sex tourist route and went straight for the middle class market and have done exceedingly well. They were having issues with their taxi driver scams etc and cleaned it all up. Vietnam is quirky, interesting, old school and lots to see. A very charming place. I love living in Thailand for other reasons but as for a holiday destination I would rather go to Vietnam any day of the week. Some of the nicest, smartest most genuine, welcoming and motivated peoples I have ever met, even in the face of so much adversity in the past. And its not for the high end hotels or resorts. It's for all the things I would not have or see in my own country. Apart from the handful of generic overcrowded landmark sites in Bangkok, and millions of temples of every size and type, there is very little Thai culture, heritage, architecture etc to be found here. And they must have a rich history. Vietnam do very well with village tours. I don't think I have ever seen anything like that in Thailand and Western people love that stuff.   

 

I doubt Thailand has ever done any real research re demographics, target markets or customers needs. The first negative or constructive criticism they got they would have got defensive, started finger pointing and made excuses. And lets face it. it was all so easy for them back in the 80s, 90s. It just all fell in their lap. 

 

As an Australian, we already have resorts and beautiful beaches, with decent food of all cultures. Coming to Thailand with a family to second rate beaches, resorts with average at best food and service, unsafe transport.....that lets face it are not much cheaper than back home these days ain't going to cut it. I am sure the Thai smile and welcoming attitude of the people that used to be in these tourist areas has long gone. Middle class Europeans / Eastern Europeans as well as the Chinese should be Thailand's target market. But then again how does Spain / Portugal /  Yugoslavia etc compare in Europe value wise and quality of service.

Yes mate - I have heard the same sort of stuff about Vietnam - thanks for sharing that info. In 2020 there were 4 times the number of TripAdvisor and Expedia searches for Vietnam than for Thailand - that had never happened before - Thailand was always number 1.  When you now do a web search of best places to retire - Thailand is no longer on many of the lists - back in 2009 Thailand was always 1 or 2.  And when it comes to tourist destinations searches - Vietnam (Ha Long Bay) is always listed ahead of anywhere in Thailand - and so is Cambodia (Anghor Wat).  Things have changed - Thailand has competition for all segments of the market and if they think wealthy tourists going to Phuket and Samui are going to 'save' Thailand tourism, they are very much mistaken. 

 

Take a good look around the golf courses of Hua Hin - they are a disaster overall.  Except for Banyan and Black Mountain and the military course, they are all run down and very shabby. Most places that look OK (we visited them all) are just keeping up appearances - they are struggling and have been since 2017.  What was once the premier location for golf tourists in SEAsia and won many of the awards - is a crumbling ruin of what it once was.  Greg Norman is building lots of golf courses in Vietnam - I believe that he aint built one in Thailand for over 20 years and that says something (and no one else has much either - just a few -makeovers and renames).  That same thing has been happening all over Thailand in all market segments - what was once the best and most popular place in SEAsia has been in decline since 2016. Sure there are still the few gems in places like Phuket and Samui and Bangkok and Chiang Mai (and many of the past Pattaya still exists) - but overall things have been declining for Thailand in the tourist market.  But unlike the Vietnam tourism industry, they aint listening to customer feedback - they just cannot accept criticism - positive or not.    

[poskat]

"Noteworthy in the Phuket Sandbox revival this year was the fact that each tourist spent 70,000 baht, he said. "

 

also noteworthy was the fact that they had to stay in higher cost approved hotels and pay for a few covid tests.

[mtls2005]

The thai tourism model is based on high-volume, low-price.

 

Changing that will take years, and a concerted effort, neither of which are thai attributes.

 

When the 10 mm zero-dollar chinese tourists come a knockin' what will they do? Turn them away or load up the shrimp buffet.

 

 

[connda]

13 minutes ago, meechai said:

TAT need to understand something.......... A high quality country would never print something like this...It is distasteful & wreaks of low quality

 

It is all fine & well for TAT to sit around a table & say we need this & that or would prefer this & that but to print it?

 

This is like Ronald McDonald standing at the door & saying sorry we want high quality burger eaters & Big burger spenders...sheesh

This is the Chief of TAT speaking out like this to be published?

 

Tell you what...if it weren't for family & our house in Thailand...reading something like this would put me right off visiting anytime soon

You're on to something.  This is akin to McDonald's attempting to market its outlets as Michelin Class 5 Star Restaurants.

[Geoffggi]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

He stressed that Thailand needs high quality tourists who are high earners and big spenders.

Please remember, high earners are not always big spenders ........................LOL

[AussieBob9999]

2 minutes ago, poskat said:

"Noteworthy in the Phuket Sandbox revival this year was the fact that each tourist spent 70,000 baht, he said. "

 

also noteworthy was the fact that they had to stay in higher cost approved hotels and pay for a few covid tests.

Very true. 

 

And my question is how do they know that amount - what methods do they use to count tourist expenditures while they are in the country.  I guarantee they are not counting how much they spend with street vendors or local malls and markets or restaurants and bars etc. because there is no way they can count that.  So what are they counting.  TAT reckons Chinese tourists spend more than any other tourists - how do they know that. I reckon their spending numbers are as valid as their arrivals numbers - fantasies created to suit their narrative. 

 

[yogi yogi]

how can that be policed. looking at your bank acct before u enter?

[The Hammer2021]

Big earners and big spenders- The Russian Mafia

[Kenny202]

24 minutes ago, meechai said:

TAT need to understand something.......... A high quality country would never print something like this...It is distasteful & wreaks of low quality

 

It is all fine & well for TAT to sit around a table & say we need this & that or would prefer this & that but to print it?

 

This is like Ronald McDonald standing at the door & saying sorry we want high quality burger eaters & Big burger spenders...sheesh

This is the Chief of TAT speaking out like this to be published?

 

Tell you what...if it weren't for family & our house in Thailand...reading something like this would put me right off visiting anytime soon

Nailed it! 

[BostonRob2]

2 hours ago, RandolphGB said:

Keep dreaming. High value tourists have other destinations in mind. You know, places where they fix the pavements, taxi drivers don’t scam them, police follow the rule of law, bars don’t rip them off, and they’re generally appreciated.

Where is this horrible place so I can avoid it.

[Banana7]

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.

 

 

 

Edited December 15, 2021 by Banana7

[Kenny202]

17 minutes ago, AussieBob9999 said:

Yes mate - I have heard the same sort of stuff about Vietnam - thanks for sharing that info. In 2020 there were 4 times the number of TripAdvisor and Expedia searches for Vietnam than for Thailand - that had never happened before - Thailand was always number 1.  When you now do a web search of best places to retire - Thailand is no longer on many of the lists - back in 2009 Thailand was always 1 or 2.  And when it comes to tourist destinations searches - Vietnam (Ha Long Bay) is always listed ahead of anywhere in Thailand - and so is Cambodia (Anghor Wat).  Things have changed - Thailand has competition for all segments of the market and if they think wealthy tourists going to Phuket and Samui are going to 'save' Thailand tourism, they are very much mistaken. 

 

Take a good look around the golf courses of Hua Hin - they are a disaster overall.  Except for Banyan and Black Mountain and the military course, they are all run down and very shabby. Most places that look OK (we visited them all) are just keeping up appearances - they are struggling and have been since 2017.  What was once the premier location for golf tourists in SEAsia and won many of the awards - is a crumbling ruin of what it once was.  Greg Norman is building lots of golf courses in Vietnam - I believe that he aint built one in Thailand for over 20 years and that says something (and no one else has much either - just a few -makeovers and renames).  That same thing has been happening all over Thailand in all market segments - what was once the best and most popular place in SEAsia has been in decline since 2016. Sure there are still the few gems in places like Phuket and Samui and Bangkok and Chiang Mai (and many of the past Pattaya still exists) - but overall things have been declining for Thailand in the tourist market.  But unlike the Vietnam tourism industry, they aint listening to customer feedback - they just cannot accept criticism - positive or not.    

Once again have to agree. First came here 2012 and it was amazing. I would say the rot set in about 2015. Also the start of a very sharp decline in the service industry (Tourist, sex, and otherwise). I often wonder if its me getting jaded living here so long but for me some of the magic has definitely gone out of the place and I don't think it is just me. We went away a few times every years the 2 years just before covid. Islands, Chiang Rai...few other places. The accommodation was ridiculously cheap and they had very few customers, and both times right in the middle of high season. No advertised buffet breakfast at most places....which I kinda get with so few bookings but I doubt someone who flew 2000km is going to be so understanding. Worst thing was they had a set menu, which showed a photo of eggs, hot dog things, ham...cheese and toast. Was no ham or cheese (Finish...7am in the morning finished?) and we had to ask for the toast. 

 

Stuff like that costs little but does immense harm with online reviews, social media etc these days. I have had several family members and friends visit me over the last 5 years and opinions of Thailand were so so at best and no they wont be coming back anytime soon.

 

What has happened now, based on a recent stay to Koh Chang and other places is that many places even before Covid were already suffering from a lack of any real maintenance and looking tired. 2 years on with no bookings and no income things have become really bad, understandably of course but we all know Thais and there is no forward planning or contingency for bad times. So even if things do spring back and the tourists arrive in numbers. What happens when they get to these tatty hotels with several issues in the room, lack of staff and service etc. Unsafe conditions. People aren't going to spend their hard earned and sympathize with these places trying to get back on their feet. they are going to be bitter and resentful for wasting their once a year vacation and money and wrote reviews that will reflect that 

[Denim]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

The chief of Thailand's tourism authority, Yutthasak Suphasorn of the TAT,

......went on to clarify his comments that in the event that they can't get 50 percent of tourists back,

just one very very very top class tourist spending one trillion baht on a two week holiday would be even better.

[Eric Loh]

1 hour ago, mtls2005 said:

The thai tourism model is based on high-volume, low-price.

 

Changing that will take years, and a concerted effort, neither of which are thai attributes.

 

When the 10 mm zero-dollar chinese tourists come a knockin' what will they do? Turn them away or load up the shrimp buffet.

 

 

The Thai government clamped down on zero-dollar tourism back in 2016. They shut down companies and confiscated tour buses. Even the Chinese government banned zero-tourism in Hong Kong and Macao. Chinese tourists are becoming more sophisticated and preferring to travel independently. More are making their own bookings online and traveling alone and not dependent on travel agencies. 

Edited December 15, 2021 by Eric Loh
Wrong word

[Andrew65]

I remember about 15 years ago they reckoned they were going to make Koh Chang a high-end kind of place, never happened.

I had a very wealthy (probably $10 million+) Swedish friend who spent many years living in Thailand. His thoughts were that Thailand was not developed enough or 'clean' enough for him. For some years he had talked of going to live in Spain.

Edited December 15, 2021 by Andrew65

[mokwit]

3 hours ago, AussieBob9999 said:

and the other is at the big malls/duty free.

I think you might have nailed what is driving them to pursue the strategy they have.

[RichardColeman]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

This means the target is 20 million for next year and 32 million for 2023.

OK now look, with the Thai farce pass still in place next year they will be lucky to get 2 million, They predicted only 300,000 in Jan to March every month next year a while back. so now they are saying 19 million in the last nine months of the year ? 2.25 million ish a month from 300,000 ? 

 

Guys insane.

 

The only way that this can happen is by the immediate dropping of the thai pass - or at least in early January. 

 

As for them attracting richer people, I think that is wishful thinking. I consider rich people more picky than us norms and if they see nonsense they will simply say i'll not bother

 

 

[aussiexpat]

Last time I checked I retired at 52 and am worth about 3 million in Australia and about US$1 mill in Thailand...so target for Thai scam

 

But I'm not coming as long as they can 40 cycle me a positive PCR on arrival and lock me up for 14 days

Edited December 15, 2021 by aussiexpat

[The Hammer2021]

9 minutes ago, aussiexpat said:

Last time I checked I retired at 52 and am worth about 3 million in Australia and about US$1 mill in Thailand...so target for Thai scam

 

But I'm not coming as long as they can 40 cycle me a positive PCR on arrival and lock me up for 14 days

You enjoy a rich fantasy life!

[khunPer]

When it comes to wealthy and more up-class turists, Thailand might be in competition with numerous attractive destinations around the World. So what will make Thailand a first choice for these potential visitors to come and spend their money here...????

[Kwaibill]

"High earning high  quality". Qualities not neccesarily to be found in the same creature.

I note with amusement the self congratulations about the "Sandbox" caper. $2,500 spent on holiday is not exactly the goldmine. How much of that spending was for extra Covid tests, etc.?

If not for family I'd be headed elsewhere, maybe Costa Rica, or Portugal, and take my million or so baht with me.

[wensiensheng]

How many times have we heard this and over how many years? I’ve lost count in both respects.

it’s always say one thing and do another, or, do nothing. Mostly nothing.
 

Attracting a particular target market, particularly a high end one, is not just about advertising and advertising slogans. You have to have the right product to sell. And everyone knows that once you set foot outside of your resort, Thailand is the land of scams, dangerous roads and poor quality infrastructure. High end quality tourists don’t like that one little bit.

[Thunglom]

Sounds like a dictum from a nabob rather than a result of market research.

[mokwit]

You know, one of the things I have noticed over the years talking to visitors is how much resentment the bad half of taxi drivers causes. I and nobody I know knows of any country that has taxi divers with attitudes like this. Nothing is ever really done about it. In fairness I am not sure I know of many/any? countries that have taxi drivers as good as the "salt of the earth" good half of Thailand's taxi divers. Maybe Singapore.

[Mickmouse1]

High quality Tourists/ Top Earners etc etc DO EXPECT HIGH QUALITY SERVICES in return. No need to elaborate more.????

[Kaopad999]

2 hours ago, Kenny202 said:

Once again have to agree. First came here 2012 and it was amazing. I would say the rot set in about 2015. Also the start of a very sharp decline in the service industry (Tourist, sex, and otherwise). I often wonder if its me getting jaded living here so long but for me some of the magic has definitely gone out of the place and I don't think it is just me.

Yes, my story is similar to yours. My first time in Thailand was the year 2011 for a 2 month stay, i liked it so much at the time, I deiced moved here 2012 (been here ever sine) . 

My feelings are exactly the same as yours. i have also often wondered if it's just me becoming more cynical with older age, but after hearing many other people say the same thing, i'm starting to think that there must be some truth in it. 
I also feel that the people are not as open and friendly as they were back then, which would make sense given that the country is being run by a xenophobic government.

Edited December 15, 2021 by Kaopad999

[Moon6966]

I also need at least 1 million euros right now.... ????‍♂️????