Is there light at the end of the tunnel for Thailand?

[webfact]

 

ANALYSIS | by ASEAN NOW

We all know that government departments like to announce predictions, however last week’s announcement that the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has decided to readjust its figures for an estimate for foreign arrivals this year could be achievable.

The official number of tourists visiting Thailand had reached 1,016,103 people from January to May 2022.

TAT said that June bookings had already reached one million by mid-May, attributed to the end of compulsory RT-PCR testing announced on May 1.

Having originally hoped that Thailand would have one million travellers per month from October to December this year, these latest results have been encouraging. 

TAT is now hopeful that the overall number of international tourists this year could surpass at least eight million. Who knows but it would be good for the battered hospitality industry for sure?

 

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Where are they coming from?

By mid-May the country had seen 1.1 million tourists.

The most travellers, 86,420 came from India.

This was followed by the UK (85,926), Germany (71,173), the US (61,788) and surprisingly Russia (59,591). 
Currently, the number of Thailand Pass registrations stood at 2.75 million.

Pattaya is busier

Living in Pattaya it is plain to see many Indian tourists wandering around town and even the buses are starting to return as well.

That said it would seem that many of these tourists are staying in 2–3-star hotels and maybe on limited budgets, so not sure if the town’s nightlife establishments will benefit.

Busy Weekends

With many Thais still reluctant to wade through paperwork to travel overseas, the domestic travel market has increased especially at weekends when Thais leave Bangkok for some r&r.

The number of domestic Thai tourists taking at least one trip had also increased to as high as 71,210,525 people during January-May, accountable for a 69 percent increase, stimulating income for the tourism industry. 

The government expected that domestic tourists will be encouraged to travel within the country by at least 160 million people (trips) by 2022, generating an income of at least 656 billion baht.

Back in 2012 China had been taking the top spot as far as providing tourists to Thailand, ahead of Malaysia in second place. 

By 2019 over eleven million Chinese visitors arrived in the country, which amounted to 27.6 % of the total visitors.

Then Covid struck and all predictions went out of the window.

Therefore, estimating eight million total visitors in 2022 may not seem a lot, but it is a significant improvement on the past couple of years.

The TAT thinks the Land of the Smiles will bounce back, meanwhile, it is down to domestic tourism to help take up some of the slack.

 

-- © Copyright  ASEAN NOW 2022-06-01

 

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[RandiRona]

No registrations+ no scam Insurance===More Tourists.

 

 

 

[Geoffggi]

Is there light at the end of the tunnel for Thailand?

 

Or is it possibly another train coming ......................LOL

[RichardColeman]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

TAT is now hopeful that the overall number of international tourists this year could surpass at least eight million.

These clowns should lose their jobs every year their predictions as proven to be yet more bull. Thailand will be lucky to get 3 million. Nobody id booking to come here now, its far too late to plan a holiday to Thailand  -especially with the willy wonka golden ticket and insurance pass fiasco not going away 

[wombat]

32 minutes ago, Geoffggi said:

Is there light at the end of the tunnel 

Who's tunnel?

Not the tunnel of love ???? that's for sure 

[Homburg]

 

39 minutes ago, Geoffggi said:

Is there light at the end of the tunnel for Thailand?

 

Or is it possibly another train coming ......................LOL

I can only speak for myself.  I was planning to return to Thailand this month, but the recent imprisonment of 12 people (possibly 7 days quarantine AND 21 days isolation - the article was not 100% clear) because a guy on their flight tested positive for ????pox in Oz shows that the HospiPrison game is potentially still in full swing and I have booked to Cambodia instead.

[Sydebolle]

Do away with Thailand Pass and the insurance fart and you will see wonders happening ........... 

[klauskunkel]

Quote

Is there light at the end of the tunnel for Thailand?

Huh? I did not realize they were in a tunnel, I thought they were in a hole of their own digging...

[spidermike007]

2 to 4 million this year, if they muster up the courage to scrap the pass and insurance, allow nightlife to reopen fully, and get rid of the silly, juvenile, draconian mask mandate, which we will soon begin ignoring hopefully. Death to the mask! Covid is gone. Get a grip on reality. 

Edited June 1, 2022 by spidermike007

[ikke1959]

Thailand is out at this moment.. too many uncertainties for travellers to come.. Quarantaine, insurance, changing rules, political unrest, expensive THB, discrimination or double pricing and more have done the harm....Better and cheaper and more trustful destinations will be more interesting for the tourists... 

[hotchilli]

Light at the end of the tunnel?

Nah, just a bloke with a torch trying to find a way out. 

[hotchilli]

22 minutes ago, klauskunkel said:

Huh? I did not realize they were in a tunnel, I thought they were in a hole of their own digging...

And still digging, my old man said when in deep stop shoveling.

[Walker88]

I don't think 8 million has a high degree of probability, but I do think 5 million is possible.

 

In the last few weeks I've noticed a change in the demographics. What was once primarily single Western males (one gets only one guess as to why they would visit), has become more Western couples, families, and many Indians.

 

With China seemingly giving up the ghost on Covid, and Chinese likely full of pent up demand to get out of their own country, there could be a major inflow of tourists from the 'middle kingdom'. Also, used to being ordered around, the mask mandate won't bother the Chinese the way it does Westerners. Similarly, the mask mandate won't bother Japanese nor Koreans, lands where wearing masks has always been quite common.

 

So I think the mix of tourists will change, but the numbers might be pretty good. Fewer Westerners, perhaps, but lots more Asians. The question that remains is will the Chinese spend in ways that benefit the local economy?

 

It may only be a 15w bulb, but there does seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel.

 

Come December we'll see who was right.

[Willy Wombat]

So many tourists can’t wait to go from not wearing  masks in their home countries to having to wear a mask on holiday in hot and sweaty Thailand.

[jcmj]

Not with the mandate to wear masks in today’s headlines. Sure many will postpone or cancel til Thailand quits flip flopping every day. Too risky for many. 

[HappyExpat57]

The good news: LOTS more tourists!

 

The bad news: most are from India.

[mikebell]

2 hours ago, Willy Wombat said:

So many tourists can’t wait to go from not wearing  masks in their home countries to having to wear a mask on holiday in hot and sweaty Thailand.

Surrounded by rabid dogs and predatory police.

[JimTripper]

What do tourists from india do in Pattaya? Where do they go when they are not walking or standing around?

 

I see them standing in front of 7-11's and walking on beach road and walking st and kind of just hanging around in small groups, but never at bars or restaurants or established places off the street.

 

Do they only goto the restaurants in the little india area just behind walking st?

Edited June 1, 2022 by JimTripper

[bkk6060]

Not sure about this year, but 11 million Chinese visited in 2019.  Just wait until they are released I guarantee they will be flooding in here in numbers greater then ever.  

[bkk6060]

2 hours ago, JimTripper said:

What do tourists from india do in Pattaya? Where do they go when they are not walking or standing around?

In an hour or so on Soi Honey the other day, I saw probably 100 total in groups walking in the afternoon many going into the shops.  A couple of the shops seem to have a set up with their hotels 4 or 5 puling up in taxis picking girls and entering the shop.  

They love Thai girls so much.

[Jay39]

From Canada, I'm in pattaya and went also to phuket. You dont have to wear masks outside. Tourist is slowly coming back, prices are very low, which was already if you ever been in Thailand before. Waterpark (no waiting for slides), renting motorbike, hotels half price. Personal at airport didn't ask any questions except for hotel stay. Took 15 minutes. Really glad to be here at the moment and live a Thailand experience that will never happen again :)

[starky]

Little bit off topic and I also think it should be scrapped but the Thai pass is ridiculously easy to get now. I just applied for my 5th one this year (yes I come and go a lot) it took me literally 3 minutes to apply and I got my approval in under 15 minutes.

  They also seem to have pushed out the window a bit. As in you can arrive anytime up to 3 days after your stated date of entry. It wasn't like that when I applied last month.

 I would say as someone who has been through the process a lot, even though I don't necessarily agree with it, I would say like most things in life, the people complaining the most about the Thai pass have zero experience in applying for or obtaining one.

[mikeymike100]

3 hours ago, JimTripper said:

What do tourists from india do in Pattaya? Where do they go when they are not walking or standing around?

 

I see them standing in front of 7-11's and walking on beach road and walking st and kind of just hanging around in small groups, but never at bars or restaurants or established places off the street.

 

Do they only goto the restaurants in the little india area just behind walking st?

Agree, maybe they are waiting to get their "gold chain necklaces" stolen by ladyboys?

[GaWalker]

10 hours ago, RandiRona said:

No registrations+ no scam Insurance===More Tourists.

 

 

 

Exactly 

[The Hammer2021]

Yes- but real light would really shine on Thailand when the military  are banished from politics and kept in the barracks

[metisdead]

A troll post has been removed.

[Andycoops]

Unfortunately with the Muppets in charge it's rather like trying to stop a mega oil tanker from crashing into the pier when it's a mile offshore because because they don't give a fig, the inertia in Thai government is plain for all to see.

Vision and speed are not things they are renowned for, except when behind the wheel of a vehicle.

[Jumbo1968]

Judging by the investment in new bars and restaurants opening in Pattaya the business people are hoping for an upturn. My opinion, pre Covid there already was an over supply of bars in Pattaya, do the business people know some thing I don’t ?

[John Drake]

2 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

Not sure about this year, but 11 million Chinese visited in 2019.  Just wait until they are released I guarantee they will be flooding in here in numbers greater then ever.  

Will they ever be "released?" Could be Xi is locking them all up permanently, going full Mao.

[John Drake]

1 hour ago, starky said:

I would say like most things in life, the people complaining the most about the Thai pass have zero experience in applying for or obtaining one.

Which is the point, isn't it? Most tourists coming to Thailand will never have applied for a pass five or six times like you have. They'll probably just see Thailand flagged as needing additional requirements for entry and pass on to the next country that doesn't. Unlike you, they would need to look into just what  insurance, how much, which companies, how long and then search around for instructions for the pass and the uploads, and wondering if it will all work out okay. Why not just avoid all that? Go down on the list to Mexico and Malaysia and they can avoid it.

Edited June 1, 2022 by John Drake