Thailand feels the pinch of lower tourism earnings as second ex-minister queries economic data

[Bangkok Barry]

35 minutes ago, soi3eddie said:

Right on this very page, there's an advert for Emirates. Clicking on the link took me to a page for November dates. The prices are virtually double pre-pandemic. Few are going to be paying that during these hard times. Not neccessarily Thailand's fault but this is a global situation. Little chance of any real upturn in economies for the foreseeable future. In the UK for sure so many people are struggling to pay rent, mortgages and bills to even contemplate travel to anywhere.

 

   

 

I'm flying to Dubai from Bangkok in December and the fares are 50% higher than before Covid.

[jacko45k]

1 hour ago, soi3eddie said:

Apparently it's because the route does not raise enough revenue from high fare passengers in business class (not sure they had/have many first class cabins on their planes). After retiring all their 747s during the pandemic, BA are using more of their bigger planes on more profitable routes. Why isn't Bangkok as profitable to BA? Probably due to lack of high paying business travellers doing trade deals here in the Kingdom. Likely, not many "high quality" tourists too to pay for biz class. BA are set to review restarting the route at end of March 2023.

 

When I used them in Club World I found the standard well below that of the Middle East carriers... it may have been a factor of the dilapidated 777 they were using..... Added to that the extremity unlikely chance your domestic connections will even be remotely on-time, they are not an attractive option. 

[Boomer6969]

I have been living here for 8 years and came to realise that in terms of tourism Thailand has a lot less to offer than my countries of origin EU/France and Australia. I reckon that, thanks to Covid, a rising number of travellers have become aware to the reality.

[actonion]

9 minutes ago, 10baht said:

Have you looked at Japan or china? Not just Thailand.

Thailand i can understand wearing masks  with the dirty air to breathe in that country, the air  is yellow around bangkok,  and  many other provinces too

[Xonax]

I've already been to some of the tourism hot-spots this year. Places like Similan Islands, Ang Thong Islands and Koh Hong islands were already too crowded to make it worth going there. At least 15 boats were parked on the very small Lading Island beach, almost totally blocking the beautiful wiev and had lots og garbage everywhere.  I can easily imagine, how these places will be, with the expected 5 times more tourists next year.

WHAT THEY SELL YOU:


WHAT YOU GET:

 

 

[shackleton]

Hate to mention this but most countries around the World are having hard times cost of  living up fuel costs up not far off recession 

Most can't afford to fly holiday wise putting food on the table more important 

Thailand can forgot 2022 for a lot of  Tourist arrivals 

[kinyara]

September's official tourist numbers should be released this week, wouldn't be surprised if it's the first month this year that shows a decline, August barely increased from July. Not surprised some realists in authority are expressing concern given the low base of current numbers.

[pierrenoel]

my freind asked for a simple entry visa 5 weeks ago and still waiting,something wrong with these peoples who work there

[soalbundy]

2 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

On this forum many expats expressed their concerns about the Thai tourism for years already. By several laws and regulations the Government has managed to ruined this industry and now it is succesful they complain....Tourists will always come to Thailand, but the golden years are over 

Yes, the golden years are over, at least for the next two or three years (probably longer) but it has nothing to do with visa lengths or general Thai incompetence and corruption. The world economic system is breaking down,, the central banks world wide are out of money and out of ideas while all nations are awash with debt and inflation, it's what happens when you print 7 trillion dollars of QE. Potential tourists have no discretionary spending money to go on holiday, they can't even pay their electricity and gas bills without government (borrowed) money. The pandemic, QE and the Ukraine/Russian war has shown up the vulnerability of FIAT currencies, Governments no longer steer the ship, central banks and the stock markets have all the power ( Liz Truss in the UK) and now they too are coming apart at the seams, scary times! There is no chance for Thailand, or anywhere else, to attract hoards of tourist willing to upload their Dollars, Euros, Rubles or Yuan, the era of funny money is collapsing.

[ikke1959]

Last month we went to Paris and the hotels are there cheaper than in Thailand. A bottle of water cost 56 eurocent in the Carrefoure whil the same bottle of water here in Thailand in Tops cost 63 THB... And wondering why tourists don't come... an besides that, when we sat down on a terrace at 15.00 we could order beer/wine/or any other spirits... here in Thailand we should wait till 17.00..... 

[spidermike007]

Question everything. Believe nothing. That should be the motto of this administration. 

 

They are right to question both the predictions, and the current dire condition of the economy. This is a disaster of their own making. So many mistakes made. So little courage shown. So little talent and vision present in the room. 

 

Tourism has been utterly destroyed. They slaughtered the Golden goose with 1,750 rounds of ammunition. 

[Orinoco]

2 hours ago, Iamfalang said:

When the entire world is experiencing 100000000% inflation, who has money for Pattaya?????!!?!?!?!

The little head can be very persuasive. 

[PeachCH]

I wonder why TAT don't read this conversation here and put some omniscient falangs in charge. 

[Andrew65]

Airfares being nearly triple what they were is probably deterring many tourists!

[mjakob007]

central bank seems to burning forex in an effort to support the dropping currency with almost no impact..

 

another double whammy

[Andrew65]

1 hour ago, Bangkok Barry said:

I'm flying to Dubai from Bangkok in December and the fares are 50% higher than before Covid.

50%, is that all, I'm seeing fares as much as 150% higher!

[mikeymike100]

2 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

Just this morning I saw someone on UK news lamenting that no-one was buying from her clothes store now as people simply don't want to spend in uncertain financial times. Yet Thailand keeps burying its head in the sand, believing that millions upon millions are queuing up to jump on planes to fly across the world to visit paradise. They aren't coming, this year or next. Live with it.

"They aren't coming, this year or next. Live with it."

Agreed, but trying telling TAT that?????

[mikeymike100]

3 hours ago, Iamfalang said:

When the entire world is experiencing 100000000% inflation, who has money for Pattaya?????!!?!?!?!

 

First do a Buy one - Get one in Pattaya, people like that here.    Then free rooms if you do this special.    Beer at 20 baht and the ability to do a short-term marriage with a bar girl for up to one year (STB visa).   

 

The whole world is crying about wasting money as companies get super, super rich, so it's hard to then just waste more money coming to LOS.  

 

No money for food, rent, and car this month.........wait, I'll go to Pattaya!!!

 

I mean, that's what I did................but I'm not really normal.  

"I mean, that's what I did................but I'm not really normal."

Well at least you admit it? ????

[brfsa2]

I went to Krabi this long weekend and I notice just how much dirty and abandoned the beaches are now. 

There is a clear lack of caring for the beach areas now a days, and everyone I talked to agreed. 

 

While talking to my hotel manager, they told me, the little money left the city is getting from the tiny tourists, all of it goes to the pockets of the governors. nothing is used to improve of clean up the area.

 

The beaches are just so bad now!

too much trash everywhere, even a sofa thrown right into the beach where a few years ago was a white sand beach! 

Almost every single beach in Krabi is like this now.

 

[hotchilli]

6 hours ago, 2baht said:

Up one day, down the next, someone is stretching the truth! ???? 

Honestly speaking the Resort girls are doing their best to prop-up the economy and save Prayuts bacon.

I think you're being a bit harsh..????
 

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, Dialemco said:

Thailand must realise that many economies are suffering substantial down turn and that there are many potential tourists who just cannot afford holidays especially the high air fares many triple pre pandemic levels. Added to this is the appalling treatment of some tourists during the pandemic.

Thailand doesn't realise the state of worldwide economies, they have this false impression that all roads west are paved in gold that lead straight to Thailand.

[sammieuk1]

3 hours ago, JimmyJ said:

Is there a link or website to view these cameras?

Thailand Live Webcams (webcamtaxi.com)  ????

[sambum]

3 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

That's just because in their blinkered money grabbing eyes they thought the world would just come running back. These people have absolutely no clue how to run a country , let alone tourism.  People will not come in mass for about another 5-10 years - they are ignorant of the effects of long haul tourism and covid fears, they ignore inflation, they ignore the mad baht , and totally ignorant of best buddy china's lunatic covid policies. Now they are showing themselves as who they really are by not voting against Russia just for tourism purposes

They seem to think that just by "opening up" today, tourists will come flooding back in tomorrow - literally! 

 

They seem to have no conception of how the rest of the World has been affected by Covid - especially the West. Without getting political, the UK for instance is in a mess, with astronomical increases in utility bills, so how on earth can people afford to pay up to twice the pre Covid price for an airplane ticket and holiday, when they can't even afford to pay for the basic costs of living?

 

I saw the other day some bright spark in the Thai Government suggesting that people should swap their costs of keeping warm in the West for a villa in Phuket! That person has probably never heard of Standing Charges for Gas and Electricity or (as in the UK) Council Tax which still have to be paid whether you are there or not, and the mortgage still has to be paid - does he even know what a mortgage is?

 

And tourists have long memories - they can remember having to queue for hours in the tropical heat to get a "the alien is allowed to stay for ** days" stamp in their passport, plus all the other "inconveniences" they had to suffer, so they are not going to be rushing back somewhere that holds bitter memories for them - so you can forget about a lot of return visitors that the "Land of Smiles" used to get, and will they be advising their friends and relations to come and holiday in "Even More Amazing Thailand"? 

 

And add to all of the above that the country is run by a "Democratic Military Government" that elected itself into power, and saw its own people in mile long "food queues" during the worst of Covid that were arranged for the most part by expats more often than not!

 

The list goes on and on, but flies right over the heads of people like TAT who persist in issuing ridiculous forecasts of the millions of tourists that are going  to be coming back "tomorrow", but I think it'll be "A long time a' coming"!

[LoudHailer]

People are fearful of spending on leisure travel during this time of economic crisis and cost of living from inflation, war, floods, droughts, typhoons and tornadoes. The scarcity of flights, seats and gauging prices is a hindrance to would be travellers. Thai Airways and other airlines are bankrupt. Thai will cancel the twice weekly (all full) Bangkok-Perth-Bangkok route from 28th October. They fear aircraft confiscation in some countries because of unpaid bills. Flying to and from Thailand is fraught with issues. 

[Robin]

Checked some air fares from London.  All seem to be 50% or more up on what I ws paying before the pandemic.  Nothing Thailand can do about that unless they try to get TG to fly a a bigger loss to encourage tourists.

Fares published above for Emirates economy are about what I was paying for Business last year.  With recession predicted and the UK pound falling, who can afford to trave now?.

[bbbbooboo]

Hmmm…. So those pesky tourists did contribute to the Thai economy? Who would have thought it? TIT

[kwak250]

Eva air direct to bkk booked in April for the start of this month was £480 return .

Not bad as the same flight 3 years ago was nearly the same price.

[In the jungle]

Getting rid of the E visa or at least greatly streamlining the process would be a good start.

 

Thailand made it harder to get a visa and then ponder why less people are coming here.

[In the jungle]

10 minutes ago, kwak250 said:

Eva air direct to bkk booked in April for the start of this month was £480 return .

Not bad as the same flight 3 years ago was nearly the same price.

That is a good price.  I would hazard a guess that the price would be a lot higher if you booked now.

[JonnyF]

Thailand has a few issues.

 

1. They put all the eggs in China's basket and now China has gone full on mental with "zero Covid" so they lost that whole market.

2. Western tourists that used to come were not the highest class, generally speaking. Just the type of people that will be hardest hit by crazy energy prices as they didn't have huge disposable incomes to start with. That 2 week millionaire fund for propping up the bars of Pattaya in a Chang vest has been used up heating their homes or paying their mortgage. 

3. Stupid rules from the government (no vaping, alcohol bans at various days/times, mask mandates, early closing) suck the fun out of the place.

4. Bad attitudes and service exposed on social media for 5+ years.

 

I think the golden years are gone and they are starting to realize how much tourism contributed to the country.