9 hours ago, webfact said:

the country should aim to become a “premium travel destination”.

Oh really!!

Thailand now open to, and ideal for, the backpack pot head junkies and the sex tourists heading for the go-go bars and their prostitutes! 

5 minutes ago, stoner said:

come to my home town lol

Actually thinking about it , here in the UK a friend was telling me that a worse for wear woman was standing outside a supermarket offering to single men to "do anything " for ten quid (400 Baht)

"Honey, we did so well during the pandemic, let's go somewhere really, really expensive this year!"

 

"How about Thailand, Sweetie?"

Take it easy folks , its just the ferret faced clown spewing his usual nonsense.

   Totally, shockingly, clueless.  Not that it will ever happen but he has obviously not given a thought to all the tourist businesses that cater to non-premium tourists.  

5 hours ago, scorecard said:

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." 

 

 

- I kid you not.

 

- Another gem - my Thai daughter in laws family insist it's the law that when a Thai lady gets married any property already owned by her husband is automatically now owned jointly/equally by the Thai wife's parents and all her siblings. 

 

- Another - My Thai daughter in laws loud full on middle aged lady boy is insistent that all Australian citizens (incl. all kids - all ages) receive a salary from the Australian government every month of about 50,000Baht, on top of any salary etc., they already receive.

 

Plus, if A Thai lady marries an Australian man she and all of her relatives (mother/father/aunts/uncles and all kids) are entitled to receive the same 50,000Baht per month from the Aust. Gov't.

 

But he's still searching for the documents to make this happen. He claimed years back that he went to the Aust. Embassy (then on Sth Sathorn) and asked for the documents but they were rude to him and told him to go away and don't come back. 

9 hours ago, Laughing Gravy said:

More delusional grandeur and belief that Thailand is the centre of the universe. I call it home but I am in no way do I take Thailand for what it is.

 

Firstly the infrastructure needs to be updated. Get rid of electricity above  the ground. That will take 40 years at least. Have a functionally political system that is a true democracy and not one that really is another name for dictatorship. That will take at least 2 generations or even more.

 

I could go on and on but I have made my point. Keep Thailand for what it is and what it has always been.

Footpaths not exisiting or in a horrible state;
Every footpath occupied directly by street sellers;
Cyclists are killed like birds;
Tourists are stolen by Ladyboys everywhere;

Keep dreaming atta boy...

 

17 minutes ago, robertson468 said:

Also "respect" needs to be earned and Thailand is not quite there yet with all the infrastructure issues that need to be addressed.

There are many issues that prevent Thailand from being considered upmarket/respected beyond infrastructure.

 

For people that don't have to worry about money, things like cops and tourism operatives targeting and ripping off tourists, with no chance of ever getting justice and everyone siding with the locals are very off-putting.

 

If Thailand wants to be respected and viewed as upmarket, tourists/foreigners need to be at least equal and preferably prioritised over locals, especially when it comes to legal matters, and that just isn't going to happen.

 

No wealthy person wants to travel to somewhere were they are viewed as being a second class citizen.  Average and poor people tolerate it because there are obvious benefits.

Most men will lose that "cheap" illusion once they fall in love with their first Teerak..

Get out to a bar and buy a beer. You immediately recognize that Thailand already now is anything but cheap. No need to make changes and to have a nut in Thailand,

Thailand ... aims to become premium travel destination

 

So, what does this really mean?

 

Me love you short time, ten thousand baht!

More and more peoples are starting to questions why a long stay visa with 90 days compulsory reporting to immigration officer required 800 thousands bahts deposit in Thai bank's. Why not in retiree's home country..??

Apparently Cambodia one year long stay visa only cost US$280 -300 only without 90 days mandatory reporting to immigration office or any condition.  

 

56 minutes ago, asean said:

Most men will lose that "cheap" illusion once they fall in love with their first Teerak..

Man, how I hate that word.

 

Spanish: mi amor

 

French: mon amour

 

Italian: Amore mio

 

Thai: teerak

 

Sounds like some flesh-eating dinosaur

 

 

2 hours ago, Burma Bill said:

Oh really!!

Thailand now open to, and ideal for, the backpack pot head junkies and the sex tourists heading for the go-go bars and their prostitutes! 

You say that like it is a bad thing 

You would think a journalist would know the difference between "cheap" and "inexpensive".  ????

This is explains why the Thai baht is still expensive especially against Euro and British Pound

Let's see how trying to sell a fake low quality louis vuitton handbag at full retail goes for you Anutin

Really? He has just open up for smoking pot legally... That will for sure attract the hi so people.

Yeah sure.

Premium family destination with weed and freelancers everywhere.

What a joke...

4 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Compared to Australia, Thailand is a dead-set bargain.

 

Pensioners in Australia who do not own the roof over their head have to shell out 50-60% in rent. Unfurnished. Here, I am paying 15% of my pension for a fully furnished condo with a swimming pool. I could buy the apartment for 1 million baht, there are mid-market cars more expensive here. Impossible in Australia.

 

I live as well as I want to here, Thailand is still very cheap.

It is cheap for people who compare apple to oranges.

4 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Compared to Australia, Thailand is a dead-set bargain.

 

Pensioners in Australia who do not own the roof over their head have to shell out 50-60% in rent. Unfurnished. Here, I am paying 15% of my pension for a fully furnished condo with a swimming pool. I could buy the apartment for 1 million baht, there are mid-market cars more expensive here. Impossible in Australia.

 

I live as well as I want to here, Thailand is still very cheap.

What would be the cost difference between Thailand and Australia if you owned your own property in Australia and thus had no rent to pay ? ?

Cambodia not too far away  ..?

 

 

I believe he may be smoking some of the really good ganja but has failed to grasp the concept of "pipe dream".

There are already a lot of places that are cheaper, and Thailand can be very expensive if you want it to be. Lots of expensive high end hotels and restaurants if that’s what floats your boat.

How about a mix of cheap, moderate and expensive or is that idea too much for him to grasp? How about reducing poverty among the Thai population or is that not his concern?

We may be about to enter a worldwide recession or are already there and this genius wants to make things more expensive?

Thailand isn't Cheap it costs a fortune to travel by air from the UK. Good hotels are the same price as good hotels in all other tourist destinations. Taxi drivers rip off tourists. It is cheaper to go on an all inclusive package holiday to the Canary Islands or other  civilised destinations (Warm, with accomodattion, food and drink included ). I can get a cheap return flight to Spain for £99 and an all in package  to European destinations cost less than £1500 for 2 weeks they have no idea what they are talking about

I think I know now where Mr Anutin is making the error of reasoning.

 

There are indeed products that behave against the established model of supply and demand and sell better if they are more expensive. In this regard he is correct. That is why the example of Louis Vuiton is cited here. Think of a Louis Voitton Bag selling at THB 300. It would not be attractive anymore. A Ferrari would be very much less desirable if it would sell at the price of a Toyota Corolla, although actually the Corolla is a better car in many ways.

 

Khun Anutin makes now the mistake to apply this scheme to products of tourism. But these products are not in that category regardless of how much you would like them to be. It is not a question of arbitrary pricing - the product must fit to the market it is aimed at. And tourism is not something aimed at an exclusive wealthy few - especially not the tourism that is present in Thailand right now and this cannot be changed "overnight".

 

7 hours ago, KIngsofisaan said:

No country can stay cheap forever.

 

30 years ago Thailand was cheap, not so much anymore unless you want to live like a pauper.

 

No sure how many people lived in a single room with a fan in their home country before moving to Thailand full-time? Then use that as excuse that Thailand is cheap?

 

Compare apples to apples. If you owned a decent home, cars, your own western food, in your home country and tried to replace that lifestyle in Thailand, it would not be so cheap. However, when you sell up in your home country to come spend your golden years in a 1 room flat with just a fan, no car and eat off the street every meal, that is the reason people think it is cheap.

 

Thailand is not cheap, however, people can SURVIVE cheaply. Same as you could SURVIVE cheaply in any other country if you had to.

 

Lots of folks stay in Thailand because they are financially trapped by the initial cheapness when they first moved here.

 

Some pensions do not keep up with inflation and now there are some folks with no money and no where to move home to.

 

What I would predict, if I could, is that cities and tourist areas WILL get expensive.

 

Getting to Thailand via air will get expensive due to rising cost associated with fuel.

 

Is the Thailand experience of increased air-fare and 4/5 star resorts going to be worth it?

 

Tourist might come and be a one and done due to the cost and the experience not living up to the price due to all the reasons mentioned in this post?

 

The only place I do not see increasing much is rural, backwards Isaan. Hard to raise prices when there are no jobs, no tourists and villages have people still working manual labor in the fields as their only source of income.

 

PS Don't get rural Isaan confused with Khon Kaen or Udon Thani. 

 

 

When it comes to Isaan i get my 411 from the wife.She's from Bangkok area and worked in the business district with her degree.From what iv'e learned from her your description is pretty much confirms it.I'm curious about Udon Thani never been there what's makes it different from the rest of Isaan?

 

 

Btw nice handle "king". ; )

13 hours ago, BestB said:

low level of English

1.4bn customers next door don't care about about the low level of English in Thailand

18 minutes ago, Canuckluck said:

When it comes to Isaan i get my 411 from the wife.She's from Bangkok area and worked in the business district with her degree.From what iv'e learned from her your description is pretty much confirms it.I'm curious about Udon Thani never been there what's makes it different from the rest of Isaan?

 

 

Btw nice handle "king". ; )

Compared to where I live in RURAL Isaan, Udon Thani is a city!

 

There are some on this forum from Udon Thai, I believe?

 

Where I live is not near any modern day conveniences what so ever

 

Local family shop or noodle shop only

 

I am able to drive, however, already been around everywhere 100 times each

 

Streets roll up at dark, roosters have you up at 5 AM everyday

 

 

 

 

5 hours ago, KIngsofisaan said:

It is cheap for people who compare apple to oranges.

It is cheap for me, that's all I care about.

I have a car, a scooter and a GF 23 years younger than me here.I would not be able to have any of those in Australia.

I don't understand the point of your post, if Thailand wants to lose its cheap reputation the COL has to be compared with other countries. One can't do it in a vacuum.