Thai media wakes up to the fact of war in Europe - No Ukrainians, less Russians as tourism hit again

[webfact]

 

Thai media seems to have finally woken up to the fact that there is a serious war going on in Europe, notes ASEAN NOW. 

 

Especially now that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is affecting the Thai pocketbook.

 

In a feature article by the Thai Rath news team reporters noted that pump prices are affecting everyone, but especially the transport sector.

 

Tourism is being thoroughly affected despite it being low season. 

 

Ukrainians have stopped coming altogether and Russian tourists are considerably down, Sitthiwat Chiwaratanaporn of the Thai Tourism Business Association noted. 

 

In addition there are 1,000 Ukrainians stranded in Thailand with help underway to extend their visas. 

 

Sitthiwat noted that one in four tourists arriving in the country before the conflict were Russians. Now many are staying home.

 

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He noted that only the very rich ones are coming due to the devastating effect that sanctions have had on the value of the rouble. 

 

He said that in 2019 - pre-pandemic - Russians made up 1.5 million tourists or in excess of 100,000 a month. 

 

Last year they were in fourth place in the leading visitors to the country.

 

An infographic showed the figures for top five nationalities visiting Thailand in 2021:

 

 

1 Germans 45,874

2 British 38,663

3 Americans 37,880

4 Russians 30,759

5. French 23,461

 

Sitthiwat noted further that European tourism in general was down and that it is now the off-season. 

 

Meanwhile everyone in the industry has virtually stopped talking about the Chinese return to Thai shores.

 

Covid outbreaks there have resulted in implementation of the "zero tolerance" policy meaning that tens of millions are under lockdown.

 

Chinese tourism that accounted for around 25% of visitors to Thailand pre-pandemic still looks a long way off as the government there deters travel tours abroad. 

 

Generally speaking Sitthiwat said the pandemic was being well handled but he had little confidence of mass tourism returning any time soon, whether the government declares the disease endemic or not. 

 

That has been indicated as coming around June.

 

He pointed to many countries suffering with Covid and people not having money to travel and picked out South Korea as a case in point. 

 

Visitors from there have little appetite to go to Thailand when a 14 day quarantine awaits them on returning home. 

 

Ten million from China among the 39 million who previously visited and a million from Singapore have disappeared altogether he lamented. 

 

The only bright spot on the horizon was the potential for Saudi Arabian visitors to Thailand. 

 

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[gearbox]

They need to ditch the Thailand pass and all the testing.. except maybe ATK at the airport...then more people will start coming.

If the Chinese fail with their zero covid policy and open up it should be a big boost.

[RichardColeman]

No Russian coming due to the idiot warmongering Putin. 

No Ukranians - see above

No Yanks due to CDC telling them not to go. 

No Chinese for the next 2-3 years due to pathetic zero covid policies.

 

Seriously cannot see the Indians making a dent in the tourism hole - especially with the entry requirements. And then the fake documents will start showing up infection on testing.

 

Thailand tourism is seriously up the creek for the forseeable future, going to be 10 years before they get to where they were 3 years ago.

 

They should drop all requirements immediately to get something reasonable. Way it's going they wont get 3 million this year. Mind you, I fully expect the stranded lot to be counted as arrivals every month when renewing 'temporary refugee status' !

 

 

[Thailand]

Again, revert to pre-Covid restrictions and the bookings will come in again. Do it soon whilst people are still considering where to go for the upcoming high season, leave it as is and this year will  be another fail.

[internationalism]

russians and ukrainians were coming in large quantities because they wanted to escape war and conscription. 

It was obvious that this trend won't last.

But many would stay for longer, if they can get those promised visas. 

As to koreans - despite strong omicron there for the last few weeks (with over 400k infections daily over the last days), they are planning to lessen travel restrictions, same as thai are doing. So some part of those 2mln coming pre-covid would be returning later this year.

Also singaror is liberalising is just a short flight away. 

Malaysian land border opens in April.

There is a light at the end, not necessarily for tourists, but businessmen, traders and by thai people themselves starting to travel in for family reasons, holidays.

 

This month there were already 200k incomers, with removal of 5th day testing can get some 400k in the whole March.

Do blame stupid policy of 5th day testing, which lasted over 2 months and stopped high season tourism.

Edited March 16, 2022 by internationalism

[ukrules]

4 hours ago, gearbox said:

If the Chinese fail with their zero covid policy

Oh, they already failed, they just won't admit it.

[Cake Monster]

3 minutes ago, ukrules said:

Oh, they already failed, they just won't admit it.

As of Today, there are Millions of Chinese in lockdown situations, and many large manufacturers are closed due to Covid outbreaks.

No Chinese Tourists any time soon for Thailand.

[Isaan sailor]

3 minutes ago, ukrules said:

Oh, they already failed, they just won't admit it.

I guess those Chinese vaccines (Sinovac and SinoPharm) didn’t work so well.  They sure didn’t work so well here.

[Bkk Brian]

South Korea has now joined Hong Kong in massive Omicron outbreaks and higher deaths than ever before in the previous 2 years

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Thai media seems to have finally woken up to the fact that there is a serious war going on in Europe,

I guess Tangmo is getting old news?

 

[Bill B]

No thai pass..no testing and bingo..pointless policies when its endemic virtually everywhere

[stigar]

And i hope they wake and see that vietnam open today for tourists.15days visa-free travel for 13 countries.As well including european countries as follows..UK,germany,france,italy,spain,denamrk,sweden,norway and finland.No quarantene,but a negative RT-PCR test 72 hour before ur fligth.

[jacko45k]

48 minutes ago, Cake Monster said:

As of Today, there are Millions of Chinese in lockdown situations, and many large manufacturers are closed due to Covid outbreaks.

No Chinese Tourists any time soon for Thailand.

For each and every cloud.......

[sawadee1947]

50 minutes ago, Isaan sailor said:

I guess those Chinese vaccines (Sinovac and SinoPharm) didn’t work so well.  They sure didn’t work so well here.

No guess..... it's a fact

[kingstonkid]

5 hours ago, Thailand said:

Again, revert to pre-Covid restrictions and the bookings will come in again. Do it soon whilst people are still considering where to go for the upcoming high season, leave it as is and this year will  be another fail.

Even if they open up the borders to the west people are not going to come in the  numbers they were their own countries as well as the world outlook will hurt tourism around the world.

 

Smart tourism people here should be gearing tourism towards Thais and families.

[ukrules]

 Remember folks, you need to go through a 3 week quarantine to get into China where the current outbreaks are happening

 

It's all about keeping the virus out of the country ????????????

 

[Misterwhisper]

1 hour ago, Cake Monster said:

No Chinese Tourists any time soon for Thailand.

Maya Bay and other natural attractions are dancing with joy!

[Oracle2022]

The Chinese zero covid policy is all about keeping tight control on people, stopping people travelling and boosting domestic tourism and domestic spending to support the economy.

 

China will not open up for a couple of years at least.

[GrandPapillon]

1 hour ago, ukrules said:

Oh, they already failed, they just won't admit it.

it was never going to work, it was clear from day 1 of COVID, but somehow, in typical Asian stubbornness, they had to try ????

 

like Singapore, and Australia ????

[jacko45k]

Just now, GrandPapillon said:

it was never going to work, it was clear from day 1 of COVID, but somehow, in typical Asian stubbornness, they had to try ????

 

like Singapore, and Australia ????

I disagree a little..... strict measures were beneficial in the early epidemic days, and I believe the efforts of say Oz saved lives from Delta, It is nigh on impossible to hold back Omicron, and better to let it happen and supply the herd immunity their poor vaccines cannot. 

[GrandPapillon]

1 hour ago, Bkk Brian said:

South Korea has now joined Hong Kong in massive Omicron outbreaks and higher deaths than ever before in the previous 2 years

that's the problem with those countries that were overzealous with lockdowns and COVID protocols, it created a pockets of "contamination" just waiting to spread

 

there is also the possibility that a circulating virus gave "immunity" to a large population, and die naturally

[GrandPapillon]

Just now, jacko45k said:

I disagree a little..... strict measures were beneficial in the early epidemic days, and I believe the efforts of say Oz saved lives from Delta, It is nigh on impossible to hold back Omicron, and better to let it happen and supply the herd immunity their poor vaccines cannot. 

they might have saved a few lives but at what costs? countries do not have problem to send their people to war and die, or let them die with poverty or lack of healthcare, and somehow, they worry about a few thousands more?

 

no, the real reason was that COVID was regarded as a "biological war" and that's how government leaders sold it to each other for going to extreme measures. They thought they were under attack. And maybe they were right.

[Bkk Brian]

8 minutes ago, GrandPapillon said:

that's the problem with those countries that were overzealous with lockdowns and COVID protocols, it created a pockets of "contamination" just waiting to spread

 

there is also the possibility that a circulating virus gave "immunity" to a large population, and die naturally

South Korea never had lockdowns, also not aware of lockdowns in HK

Edited March 16, 2022 by Bkk Brian

[GrandPapillon]

3 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

South Korea never had lockdowns

I wouldn't believe any numbers coming out of any Asian nation though. They just love to lie and save face to show how strong they are to the world, because of their thin egos.

Edited March 16, 2022 by GrandPapillon

[LivingNThailand]

Stop talking about tourism promotions, schemes and how much baht they will bring in.  Start talking about other ways for people to make money.  Tourism is an easy way for the government to make money.  They don’t have to invest in anything. private industry puts up most of the money.    The government needs to invest in the Thai future and not rely on schemes.  The world has changed and it’s time for the government to finally realize it.  And I repeat myself.   ????

[Bkk Brian]

2 minutes ago, GrandPapillon said:

I wouldn't believe any numbers coming out of any Asian nation though. They just love to lie and save face to show how strong they are to the world, because of their thin egos.

Why would SK lie about its huge case numbers and deaths. Surely if they were going to lie it would be to hide them

[Phil1964]

1 hour ago, jacko45k said:

For each and every cloud.......

No Chinese and no Russian tourists.

Bliss! Might actually be able to enjoy the sights again without hordes of tour guides waving their umbrellas in your face, pushing in etc... as they try to guide their sheep, sorry clients from a/c tour coach to sightseeing and back to a/c tour coach!! ????

Could be like tourism in the 1980's and 90's before everything got swamped by greed for thevtourist 'dollar'!!

 

Edited March 16, 2022 by Phil1964

[CartagenaWarlock]

8 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

No Yanks due to CDC telling them not to go. 

I don't think Americans care about what CDC tells them except business travel by large corporations. Most of the countrie in the World are level 4 now according to CDC.

Edited March 16, 2022 by CartagenaWarlock

[Isaan sailor]

2 hours ago, kingstonkid said:

 

 

Smart tourism people here should be gearing tourism towards Thais and families.

And expats, many with families.

Edited March 16, 2022 by Isaan sailor

[Dumbfounded]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

The only bright spot on the horizon was the potential for Saudi Arabian visitors to Thailand. 

They'll beheading this way ????

Edited March 16, 2022 by Dumbfounded