39 minutes ago, blazes said:

See also:

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Thailand.html

 

and virtually every other country in the world.

 

One thing your govt does not warn you about re LoS is:

the extreme danger of fatality on the roads, especially (but not limited to)

at night.

Yeh they are  a little overprotective with  warnings but  my time here  has  educated me on the danger of Thai roads (accidents)   But the danger  of actual crimes from drug cartels, criminal gangs, and violence against women puts me off from Mexico. Even resorts  have armed security and advise  guests not to go outside those areas.

 

The big difference between Thailand and France as far as tourism goes, is the quality you get. About the same size as Thailand , it attracts world travelers, and lots of them are big spenders. The five star palaces on the Cote d Azur and Var , St Tropez etc draw in buyers of 5000 to 15000 € rooms, and 10:times more for villas and 10:times that for yacht locations. Those people spend on restaurants, nightclubs with huge bills for champagne, flower arrangements, private chefs, staff, chauffeur driven cars for those that don’t fly in their own . Yes, when the Emirates arrive July to middle August the airport is crammed with huge private jets, and truck loads of suitcases !  Chanel , Vuitton , Dior etc work non stop and body guards à gogo everywhere. Paris is the same, Deauville , Biarritz to a lesser extent. Normal 3/4 star hotels are fully booked by March or Easter, yes , some families stay only a few days, but often come back 2 / 3 times a year. Repeat guests from EU and Uk are very present. 
You do not see this in Thailand ! You will not get this anywhere apart from Bangkok maybe. And even then,  even I can afford a 5 star. They’re not the same standard. Some good restaurants yes, very little catering to the rich foreigners.

Backpackers, I know a few, most say Thailand ? Been there done that. They move around to see the world. Thailand missed its opportunity to attract well off repeat guests. The infra structure is a sham, and the whole place ( except Bangkok center) looks as if it’s a shanty town. Not exotic.

Plenty choice for everyone unfortunately for Thailand. 

 

7 hours ago, Dexxter said:

Too far from Australia

Too near!

 

7 hours ago, MrJ2U said:

I find Mexico even more corrupt and the women there usually bordering on obese.

I lived in Mexico for 5 years, those are called curves and fun to navigate. The only curves in Thailand ore made of asphalt.

How's this help the average 7-11 worker? 

5 hours ago, superal said:

You could be laying your figures ish on most countries because of the covid pandemic . One part you did not mention was the concerning  national household debt that is forecast to hit 95% of gdp this year . Any rise in interest rates will have a devastating effect on many families who must be living week to week .

They will default and lose the motorbike, car ..... land. Kai faak will rise and that will bring more despair,

17 hours ago, jwdub12 said:

With the way the federal reserve is aggressively planning on hiking up interest rates in the short term It wouldn't surprise me to see it reach 37 at some point this year. 

I think we saw some Thai intervention recently but you are likely right, like holding back the tide. 

Well Kasikorn bank, if you think so many Tourists are going to come, a lot will stay for a couple of months, so why don't you have an easy Tourist bank account available, for those wanting one ? 

27 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

Well Kasikorn bank, if you think so many Tourists are going to come, a lot will stay for a couple of months, so why don't you have an easy Tourist bank account available, for those wanting one ? 

Do tourists who go to other countries for a holiday open bank accounts there? I don't believe my sister has one in Greece where she visits.... 

Banks allowing accounts, which very likely will fall into disuse, seems very inefficient. It also seems counterproductive for Thailand to be giving tourist a means to avoid the very lucrative foreign ATM charges. 

On 6/30/2022 at 6:43 AM, blazes said:

All well, until inflation catches up with tourists all over the world and airfares become unaffordable.

 

If I have to choose between Thailand (and all its remaining obstacles regarding visas) and Mexico, which has practically nothing obstructing the way of tourists for six whole months, which country am I going to visit when the rain and snow come along?

The majority of tourists who visit Thailand do not need a visa and I haven’t met too many who come for six months.

 Very easy to live in Thailand indefinitely if you follow the rules.