Thailand wants to lose its reputation for being ‘cheap’, aims to become premium travel destination

[scorecard]

6 hours ago, 86Tiger said:

 

 

 

Boom.  Truth hurts.

 

Let's add streets flooding every time it rains.  The warm smell of sewage from storm drains as one walks a street with blocked, uneven sidewalks.  Black nasty on bottom of shoes every time you walk down a street.

 

 

You want to be a premium destination?  You gotta look (and smell) the part first.

 

Which also means paying a lot of attention to getting the foundation right.

E.g: A house built on weak/poor foundation will probably fall over, same for anything.

[Chosenfew]

Thailand is not Hawaii and never will be…

[SymS]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

private hospitals (that they) should no longer offer big discounts

Wait. Did that ever happen?

[moogradod]

38 minutes ago, overherebc said:

I've been in the sea once in 30 plus years and that was in phuket. 

So you dont like swimming in the sea, then. Scared of yellyfish  or sharks ? You should visit Boracay (Philippines) once. Then you get the best sunset ever as a free bonus. Phuket was indeed quite nice in the past.

 

Any suggestions for NOW ? Nobody has given me any recommendation of a premium location. Maybe there are none ? Or they just dont want to tell.

[Chongalulu]

2 hours ago, scorecard said:

Here we go again... yawn.

Yes,today’s mindless,unthinking mission statement to remain relevant is…… rinse and repeat. ???? 

[Surasak]

Anutin proves time and time a gain, empty vessels make the most noise.

[Bim Smith]

Isn't that the reason for duel pricing? 

[Padthaigoong]

Ok have it their way

 

Hey everyone I just came back from my Thailand holiday !

How did it go ?

It was very expensive

Oh good

Yes and it stank of deleted

great

I was almost killed by faulty electrical wiring

Nice

I had to walk in the road and was almost killed by a drunk driver

Sounds fantastic

And I had a course of rabies injections after being attacked by a pack of stray dogs

 

But I don't mind because it's a high quality destination for premium tourists.

[Guderian]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

We cannot let people come to Thailand and stay because it’s cheap

Does this signal the end of the 1,900 Baht annual retirement visa extensions?

I'll bet, if you asked a reasonable cross-section of retired expats living here, that quite a large percentage would say the relatively low cost of living is a factor or even an important factor in their decision to live in Thailand.

[Boomer6969]

Seriously? Thailand IS cheap, so even if they overcharge even more it will still look cheap.

 

But now we got an explanation on why their National parks' entrance fees are up to ten times that of Thais: they want to make us believe their little waterfalls are "uncheap".

[SmartyMarty]

Maybe improve your global corruption ranking first?

[AnotherFarang8]

When economic shtf this coming fall and the forecast numbers of tourists ain’t coming, it will be back to pre covid normal, scrambling for whoever can afford to come. Indeed only rich tourists will be able to afford holidays, all three of them. It’s only summer now but the first six months of economic stats already look horrible.

[madmitch]

I'd like to know what this has to do with the Minister of Health!

 

He has of course recently visited Europe, probably looked at the prices there and decided that all Europeans are filthy rich!

 

Very doubtful he'd have spent one baht of his own billions, though!

[mikeymike100]

Most people go to Thailand because its Thailand, meaning they don't want Singapore, where everything works, where the infrastructure is good and taxis don't rip you off.

Thailand has its own flavor and many people go for that reason. They know what to expect, usually?

[overherebc]

20 minutes ago, moogradod said:

So you dont like swimming in the sea, then. Scared of yellyfish  or sharks ? You should visit Boracay (Philippines) once. Then you get the best sunset ever as a free bonus. Phuket was indeed quite nice in the past.

 

Any suggestions for NOW ? Nobody has given me any recommendation of a premium location. Maybe there are none ? Or they just dont want to tell.

Koh Chang?

[moogradod]

1 minute ago, mikeymike100 said:

Most people go to Thailand because its Thailand, meaning they don't want Singapore, where everything works, where the infrastructure is good and taxis don't rip you off.

Thailand has its own flavor and many people go for that reason. They know what to expect, usually?

Indeed Singapore seems not to be a good comparison or does anybody know someone who has been on a 4 week holiday there ? I have visited Singapore several times (mostly due to stopovers of flights) but the longest period I stayed ever was 3 days.

[moogradod]

2 minutes ago, overherebc said:

Koh Chang?

Yes, thanks - I mentioned that one already. Its just a little bit far by car (and ferry then). However they have the best Pizzeria on the island I know in Thailand. This motivates.

[racket]

Right.. a ping pong show is now going to cost you a tad extra. Do these peeps even know what premium means? 

[Aussieroaming]

Thailand does have some nice high end resorts, that's a fact. However the high end experience ends the second that the tourist steps beyond the resort bubble and into the real Thailand. So Anutin either needs to hold his high end tourists under house arrest in order to hide the real Thailand or Anutin needs to raise all local standards and enforcement of laws inThailand, until he can actuually guarrantee the high end tourism experience that he currently fantasizes about. Walking past piles of stinking rubbish with rats scurrying over them is hardly high end, neither is stepping over the filthy grease spots all around the street carts. Then catch local transport to the beach via the polluted traffic jams, that's a nice way to spend time. 

 

 

[scorecard]

25 minutes ago, Boomer6969 said:

Seriously? Thailand IS cheap, so even if they overcharge even more it will still look cheap.

 

But now we got an explanation on why their National parks' entrance fees are up to ten times that of Thais: they want to make us believe their little waterfalls are "uncheap".

Have tried to convince some in our Thai family that other countries also have waterfalls.

 

"Not possible, other countries are not allowed to have waterfalls." 

 

 

[Boomer6969]

11 minutes ago, scorecard said:

"Not possible, other countries are not allowed to have waterfalls." 

Tis in gross Thigh land?

[Mark Nothing]

From my experience the people who can't afford it stay in high end resorts and use a credit card to finance it.

 

As for the high end tourists in my group you need a crowbar to pry open their wallet. They live under their means and always get value for money.  Most have given up Thailand permanently after visiting for decades.

[rohitsuk]

3 hours ago, Gold Star said:

That is a huge chasm to leap.

 

Great dreams and aspirations.

 

On the surface, it looks nice, but they haven't discovered how to use the smell preventing P-traps in plumbing, ground or earth wiring, safety, and quality yet. It gets even worse when a tourist steps foot off the resort.

 

It will still be a third world country for a long time, and that is why I like it here.

 

Just so and Third World is not a geographical location or an economic status, it is a state of mind that Thailand exemplifies. 

[swm59nj]

I don’t think cutting back discounts in places such as hospitals will improve anything. 
I’m afraid the main attraction  still is going to be for tourists that don’t have a lot of money to spend.  Mostly on cheap booze and partying. 
 

[ThailandRyan]

1 hour ago, Mavideol said:

definitely not Thailand would be it's Algarve  555

It's not where I am now in Thailand that's for sure. Premium destination near Pranburi.

[dadadede]

then improve road, infrastructures and service quality cause they all fall in the 'cheap' category.

you cannot become premium just increasing the price; people would just not come.

[Robert Tyrrell]

Hello ,

 

Thailand,  Then kiss a large percentage of your Tourism Industry GOODBYE !! 
This was one of the attractions and mainstay of Thailand cheap Holidays. !! Especially now with inflation EVERYONE WANTS CHEAP HOLIDAYS  !! ???? 

[Boomer6969]

Thailand attraction is mostly sex with exoticism. Make the sex bit expensive, which is more a more the case, and you'll see what happens. Because what's will be left will be worth one or two weeks of a not too exciting holiday.

[Moo 2]

Well, Thailand is sure on the right track, with prices of about everything, including petrol, in the past 5/6 months has jump to 20/30%. 

[ThailandRyan]

1 minute ago, Boomer6969 said:

Thailand attraction is mostly sex with exoticism. Make the sex bit expensive, which is more a more the case, and you'll see what happens. Because what's will be left will be worth one or two weeks of a not too exciting holiday.

So it's all about sex tourism in your book....let me think about that...nope, as that would defeat the family fun destination Pattaya has becum ????