Will Western tourists ever go off visiting Thailand?

[Dialemco]

I an sure once all restrictions lifted tourists will return to Thailand but it was very clear before the pandemic that tourist numbers were diminishing also not land of smiles for some time you realise this immediately you reach immigration no smiles and no welcome and heaven help you if you have not fiilled in your landing card correctly now officials lose their tempers quickly for every one to see before anger was controlled with patience and a helping hand. Thailand is also much more expensive with hotels charging very high rates and then adding service charges VAT and local room tax increasing prices by a hugh 19%. Not to mention the disgraceful way tourists presently being treated with scam Insurance polices suspicious Positive PCR tests enforced auarantine Baht 10,000 per day with cash payment in advance not recoverable from the insurance if no medical treatment required and increased airfares in particular to Samui where you are now charged extra for baggage seat allocation etc not small amounts exceeding Baht 1,000 for baggage each way, departure tax Baht 1,000 Samui/BKK airports and it goes on and on 

[Millcx]

4 hours ago, ukrules said:

When there's zero restrictions things will return to normal.

 

Until that day comes then it's not happening. I think it will happen sooner than most people think - as in this year.

Return to Normal .. Anutin will never allow it … Heavier restrictions will destroy Thailand as it was and slowly the expats will reduce .. Its already started …. The con with hospitals and fake positives are just another nail in its coffin … CON-ICRON

Edited February 10, 2022 by Millcx

[Gottfrid]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Let us know what you see as the future for Thailand?

Covid ends, bars open, girls work. business as usual.

[overherebc]

2 hours ago, ukrules said:

This is the bit that will change over the course of this year, some countries will lag by many months

 

In the UK we already see all restrictions being removed by the end of February which is just 3 weeks away.

 

For the more backward thinking countries it will take longer but they're not going to want to miss another high season - this is why it ends this year unless a new 'variant' which is measurably far worse.

 

 

For some countries I think 'scare-ient' rather than varient fits better.

[Millcx]

9 minutes ago, Dialemco said:

I an sure once all restrictions lifted tourists will return to Thailand but it was very clear before the pandemic that tourist numbers were diminishing also not land of smiles for some time you realise this immediately you reach immigration no smiles and no welcome and heaven help you if you have not fiilled in your landing card correctly now officials lose their tempers quickly for every one to see before anger was controlled with patience and a helping hand. Thailand is also much more expensive with hotels charging very high rates and then adding service charges VAT and local room tax increasing prices by a hugh 19%. Not to mention the disgraceful way tourists presently being treated with scam Insurance polices suspicious Positive PCR tests enforced auarantine Baht 10,000 per day with cash payment in advance not recoverable from the insurance if no medical treatment required and increased airfares in particular to Samui where you are now charged extra for baggage seat allocation etc not small amounts exceeding Baht 1,000 for baggage each way, departure tax Baht 1,000 Samui/BKK airports and it goes on and on 

Return to the new rip off the Falangs normal … Anutin needs to make money somehow as he’s paid a lot for his job 555555

[Millcx]

5 minutes ago, Gottfrid said:

Covid ends, bars open, girls work. business as usual.

55555555555555 Dreamland won’t happen

[leither69]

13 minutes ago, FarFlungFalang said:

Who are you?More and more of these anonymous opinion pieces popping up in the news section to generate discussions on popular topics.Is this an AI generated piece?

Who are you to ask that question? Do you assume that you're the only Thai expert on this forum ????????

[harada]

20 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Scratch under the surface... no.

IMO the real smiles faded out around the late 80’s since then it’s been the land of false smiles.

[WinterGael]

Of course they will...

 

By 2010, western tourism had stagnated at around 20 million per year. Many years leading up to 2012, Thailand was not even a top 10 destination. I've read demographics and studies that show even as late as 2018, the majority of tourists were males, most coming here for the sex.  I can believe that...

 

But things changed after 2010. Thailand went seeking tourists from China. Between 2012 and 2014, tourist numbers more than doubled, and the Chinese really have been the driving factor behind Thailands tourist economy.

 

From what I've seen and heard from friends and family, Thailand is great, buy it's a seen it once or twice, there's a hell of a lot more world to explore, and the majority have not come back. And to quote my niece and her husband who live for travel, Thailand is not cheap anymore.  

 

 

[pomchop]

There is a massive built up demand for all kinds of trips worldwide.  If and when covid is under control Thailand and hundreds of other destinations will be flooded with visitors.  Airlines, hotels, cruise ships will all experience business booms for several years until the next calamity hits.

[Stoker58]

  Two of my friends have just cancelled their planned holiday here in April. Who needs the risk? Thailand will learn that it’s a  lot easier to kill a tourism industry than to rebuild it.

[DUNROAMIN]

Thailand milked the tourist cows for too long, now their paying the price for having all their eggs in one basket.

[Mike Galley]

Declare Covid 19 to be endemic, lift all restrictions and result can be seen.

Make it also easier for expats to stay here and Thailand will be back on the top. 

[JimHuaHin]

My 2 cents worth, for what it is worth.

 

I first came to Thailand in December 1974, lived in Bangkok for 7 months during 1996-97, and have been living in Hua Hin for just over 8 years.

 

I enjoyed my time travelling around most of Thailand - backpacking and by inter provincial/city buses - in the 1970s and 1980s  Met many wonderful friendly helpful Thai people (with the help of numerous Thai-English phrase books and my basic Thai), and only encounted the rare scam artists.

 

But now, many of my farang friends who travelled to Thailand during the 11970s-1990s are avoiding Thailand.  Too polluted, too many scams, too commercial, too many rip-offs, too fake, etc.  Basically, unwelcoming and undesireable.

 

Thailand will continue to attract some international tourists, some first time visitors to Thailand, an assortment of sex tourists and sexpats, etc.

[swm59nj]

I’m sure the usual Cheap Charlie’s will still take the risk to move or visit.
 

[Dialemco]

2 hours ago, Andylongtime said:

As Thailand is the worlds largest and cheapest sex tourist destination it will always be busy. 

If you want sex tourism go to Philippines much cheaper. Good Luck.

[plus7]

Hi,

I think all will be normal soon and even forgotten. Its a kind of humans psychology.

How many of you, Englishmen, still remember these 1665-1666 ?

[pizzachang]

Travel restrictions = less tourists.  The largest tourist years were Visa on Arrival and that equaled more cash for Thai businesses.  The more meaningless the restrictions may also mean,  ' it's not worth the hassle'. 

[jethro69]

I try to make it simple.

I brought up two girls here through the university.

Still send over my 3000Bth/month for keeping my house.

 

Well, to answer the question, I domnfdagvSDGwedg

 

[Enzian]

4 hours ago, Isaanlife said:

If you are not after cheap sex, what is the point in going to Thailand?

Cheap is important up to a point, but it is the enthusiasm and naturalness of many of those offering that is the kicker. Yes, more than half are jaded, but the ones who aren't more than make up for it. This is not as easy as one might think to find in other countries. 

I'm not a beach person, and my view is distorted by living in central Sukhumvit, but I still believe Isaanlife's point is the chang in the room. And that elephant will never go out of style, or go away here.

[JackGats]

As much as I'd like Thailand to drop restrictions, I do not want the whole world to come to Thailand again. I am not very consistent, I know.

[thaimacky]

I already know of more than 20 people who either cancelled their holidays in Thailand and/or booked a trip to another country - only in February and March. 

Edited February 10, 2022 by thaimacky

[Brian Hull]

For a number of years Thai Immigration has done its best to make travel to Thailand difficult, if not incompehensible. How hard can it be to come up with sensible unambiguus requirements that are followed by all immigration offices, Embassies, and Consulates, and understood by intending visitors? This 'Alice In Wonderland' stuff goes on year after year - it's not rocket science.

[Waynou]

What happened to their idea of adding another tax to entry to cover Insurance.

It would reap them Billions and I am sure most tourist would be happy to pay that rather than the rip off Insurance offered by companies... Just a little more enticement to come

[Cake Monster]

Will Western Tourists ever stop coming to Thailand ?

No !

I believe the answer is, that in the short term there will be a significant reduction in Western Tourists due to Thailands restrictions on entry at the moment, expensive flights, and the prospect of enforced quarantine if tested positive for Covid.

However, there is potential for numbers to increase after all the confinements of the present time are removed.

The main issue, is whether the Thai Government has done enough to attract these Tourists back, when other Countries seem to be doing so much more in terms of tourism

[lujanit]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

the smile disappeared from the country known as simply the “Land of Smiles Scams.”

 

 

[tomazbodner]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

I am sure many retirees will think twice before settling here in the future as visa and insurance regulations are making it harder to make ends meet.

At least enjoying a cannabis cup of tea might put a smile back on their faces!!! 

That's who Thailand aims for? Super wealthy, retired drug junkies? Amazing Thailand indeed...

[Eric Loh]

5 hours ago, Isaanlife said:

If you are not after cheap sex, what is the point in going to Thailand?

Couldn't find cheap sex as a reason why Thailand is so popular. 

https://www.asiahighlights.com/thailand/why-thailand-is-so-popular

[newnative]

2 hours ago, Dialemco said:

I an sure once all restrictions lifted tourists will return to Thailand but it was very clear before the pandemic that tourist numbers were diminishing also not land of smiles for some time you realise this immediately you reach immigration no smiles and no welcome and heaven help you if you have not fiilled in your landing card correctly now officials lose their tempers quickly for every one to see before anger was controlled with patience and a helping hand. Thailand is also much more expensive with hotels charging very high rates and then adding service charges VAT and local room tax increasing prices by a hugh 19%. Not to mention the disgraceful way tourists presently being treated with scam Insurance polices suspicious Positive PCR tests enforced auarantine Baht 10,000 per day with cash payment in advance not recoverable from the insurance if no medical treatment required and increased airfares in particular to Samui where you are now charged extra for baggage seat allocation etc not small amounts exceeding Baht 1,000 for baggage each way, departure tax Baht 1,000 Samui/BKK airports and it goes on and on 

     It's incorrect to state that tourist numbers were 'diminishing' before the pandemic.  Of the countries tracked, only Singapore and Australia had slightly diminished numbers.  All the other countries were up--some just slightly and others, such as China and India, by large numbers.  

[cyril sneer]

depends how the bar girl scene will be rebuilt

 

men will always come here for pussy