Thai media report on tourism: It's well on the mend - Brits top list of Europeans but weed/Covid worries hinder Japanese

[webfact]

Picture: Thai Rath

 

Thailand's leading media Thai Rath compiled a sensible report on the reemergence of tourism in Thailand post pandemic, suggests ASEAN NOW.

 

The country is well on the way to reaching a ten million target for 2022 even though that would still only be 25% of pre-pandemic levels. 

 

But problems remain over some countries perception of Covid in Thailand and there are concerns about the legalization of marijuana that happened in June and its affect on tourism. 

 

Most tellingly, not once in Thai Rath's report was the biggest tourism elephant in the room mentioned - China. 

 

Though India featured as one of the leading countries providing tourists to the kingdom - half a million so far this year.

 

Brits and Americans were around a quarter of a million.

 

Thai Rath said that anecdotal evidence of the return of tourists to Thailand could be seen in the number of TikTok posts by tourists, especially in the last 3-4 months since many Covid requirements were scrapped.

 

The "TikTok Barometer" also gave evidence of how many Thais were travelling abroad despite high prices for air tickets.

 

The raw data shows that from January to September inclusive 5,688,035 foreign tourists entered Thailand.

 

An infographic of the numbers from each country showed the following top ten:

 

 

1. Malaysians 974, 844
2. Indians 572,151
3. Singaporeans 313,792,
4. Vietnamese 269,442
5. Laotians 259,118
6. South Koreans 243,015
7. British 239,761
8. Americans 225,909
9. Cambodians 208,322
10. Germans 189,889.

 

Another infographic showed where foreign tourists were mostly going with Bangkok far and away the top of the list.

 

 

The Thai capital Bangkok was followed by

2. Chonburi (the location of Pattaya)
3. Kanchanaburi
4. Prajuap Khiri Khan (Hua Hin's location)
5. Phetchaburi
6. Chiang Mai
7. Ayutthaya
8. Nakhon Ratchasima
9. Chiang Rai
10. Chachoengsao.

 

How the figures in this analysis were arrived at was not fully explained. Indeed given the fact that Malaysians represented the most number of tourists, Songkhla not being on the list might raise eyebrows.

 

Thai Rath based most of their analysis on the comments of the chief of the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) Sisadiwat Chiwaratanaporn. 

 

He said that the government and the Tourism Authority of Thailand had made great efforts to promote tourism this year and their 10 million target for 2022 can be reached with 7 million already achieved according to unofficial estimates.

 

Picture: Thai Rath

 

With two months to go and what with it being high season 10 million is very much on the cards.

 

Around 40 million foreign tourists visited in 2019, however, with Chinese tourists making up at least 20% of that figure, notes ASEAN NOW.

 

Two nations whose nationals have not returned in anticipated numbers are South Koreans but especially the Japanese, said Sisadiwat.

 

"It won't be until 2024 until tourism from those two countries is back to normal," he said.

 

The lack of quarantine now has been well articulated, but there is still concern in both countries about the Covid numbers as no one wants to return with the disease after taking a holiday.

 

It was important for Thailand to engage in PR to explain the Covid situation using influencers, bloggers and YouTubers as part of marketing strategies.

 

Marijuana was also a big concern in both Korea and Japan who still list  use of the drug as a criminal offence.

 

Sisawadi said that the main problem was tourists who might ingest the drug unknowingly through food and then test positively in random tests when returning to Japan.

 

There people have faced 5 year jail terms and fines of 200,000 baht for having traces of the drug in their urine. 

 

"It's causing concern for many countries," he said."Thailand's marijuana stance and rules need to be carefully explained and handled delicately.

 

"Its addition in food needs to be carefully controlled and explained to tourists. Some don't know it is going in food and get a nasty shock when tested after flying home".

 

Picture: Thai Rath

 

Asked about the number of neighboring countries' tourists visiting Thailand he said that the number was not up at all, it was all quite normal.

 

In 2019 1.9 million Malaysians visited. 

 

It was Koreans and Japanese that needed to be targeted.

 

Also of note was the number of Indians that made up more than half a million and put them second on the arrivals list.

 

Sisawadi stressed that an important area where Thailand needed to make sure that it has got its tourism act in order is at international airports.

 

Booths need to be fully manned so that tourists are not kept waiting and that their initial impressions are positive. 

 

Negative stories in this regard have already appeared in the Thai press and online, notes ASEAN NOW, as the Thai Immigration Bureau scurry to open more booths and deflect criticism. 

 

-- © Copyright  ASEAN NOW 2022-11-11

 

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[condo62]

Hopefully LOS doesn't get greedy and start ripping off tourists....?

[mikeymike100]

36 minutes ago, condo62 said:

Hopefully LOS doesn't get greedy and start ripping off tourists....?

That's one of the funniest posts I've seen recently!????

[RichardColeman]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Brits and Americans were around a quarter of a million.

Love a break down of my UK figures and if the average is horny males 50-75 !

[madmitch]

The list of tourist spots visited is ridiculous. More tourists visit Chachoengsao than Phuket? 

[sambum]

He said that the government and the Tourism Authority of Thailand had made great efforts to promote tourism this year and their 10 million target for 2022 can be reached with 7 million already achieved according to unofficial estimates.

 

(Items to note are shown in bold text and underlined!)

[sambum]

4 minutes ago, madmitch said:

The list of tourist spots visited is ridiculous. More tourists visit Chachoengsao than Phuket? 

And Koh Samui not even mentioned!

[sambum]

"Its addition in food needs to be carefully controlled and explained to tourists. Some don't know it is going in food and get a nasty shock when tested after flying home".

 

So it's being put into food and the customer doesn't even know about it! I find that hard to accept! ????

 

 

[Robert Tyrrell]

Aseannow,

WHAT THE HELL !! DOES WEED have to do with effecting Tourism !!??
Purchase and smoke it if you want or don’t  , Horrible reporting here !!   

[sambum]

3 minutes ago, Robert Tyrrell said:

Aseannow,

WHAT THE HELL !! DOES WEED have to do with effecting Tourism !!??
Purchase and smoke it if you want or don’t  , Horrible reporting here !!   

See my post above yours - it's being unknowingly forced on you! ???? 

[Millcx]

1 hour ago, condo62 said:

Hopefully LOS doesn't get greedy and start ripping off tourists....?

I know how they arrived at the data numbers 5555555

[Mavideol]

8 minutes ago, Millcx said:

I know how they arrived at the data numbers 5555555

yeah the TAT way is very simple, any NON Thai person is considered a tourist, even the ones transiting are accounted for as tourists...  also included are on their estimates are the laborers/workers from Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia same same  555

[JimboB4]

It’s really simple expansion of cannabis will cause tourism to boom. Restricting cannabis will cause tourism to fail and at this point any restriction on what they’ve already started allowing would destroy the Thai economy. 

[bamnutsak]

59 minutes ago, Robert Tyrrell said:

WHAT THE HELL !! DOES WEED have to do with effecting Tourism !!??

Nothing really. This is just the...

 

7 hours ago, webfact said:

the comments of the chief of the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) Sisadiwat Chiwaratanaporn. 

who is probably just looking for issues or excuses?

 

Japanese tourists travel to the U.S. and Canada, both with total/partial cannabis legalization, and this hasn't been raised as an issue.

 

Some Japanese authroites have said the chance of a returning citizen being tested and prosecuted are "nil".

 

Singapore has pretty strict rules - use in legalized countries is treated as if the citizen had used cannabis in Singapore - for their own returning citizens, but am not sure if those are really being enforced?

 

This - impact on tourism - could be a deal-breaker, forcing us to a medical-only environment.

 

And the foreign treaty situation was highlighted early on - that cannabis legalization somehow impacts existing treaties - but I've never seen that fleshed out.

 

 

 

 

[dallen52]

But they say pattaya is at 90% of what it used to be!!

With only 25% of the 40 million pre pandemic arrivals

 

Thailand and numbers again...

[Drop the dead donkey]

I bet they won’t be the HISO tourists that they have been banging on about for the past 2 years!!

just mainly backpackers and people using Thailand as a hub for Asian flight hopping.

 

[Orinoco]

Thought these were prohibited now days.

 

[NoshowJones]

4 hours ago, condo62 said:

Hopefully LOS doesn't get greedy and start ripping off tourists....?

You cannot expect anything better from an unelected low IQ PM.

[paulikens]

9 hours ago, madmitch said:

The list of tourist spots visited is ridiculous. More tourists visit Chachoengsao than Phuket? 

@madmitch  They must be counting domestic tourists, cuz you're right.  i have lived in Chachoengsao the last year and rarely spotted a tourist there. 

[Kalasin Jo]

Photo taken and posted today on fb showed huge queues at Swampy Immigration booths. Looked very pre pandemic.

[spidermike007]

1. Malaysians 974, 844

2. Indians 572,151

3. Singaporeans 313,792,

4. Vietnamese 269,442

5. Laotians 259,118

6. South Koreans 243,015

7. British 239,761

8. Americans 225,909

9. Cambodians 208,322

10. Germans 189,889

 

Hmm. Not many European tourists. And how many of us that came back and forth were on that list? How many business travelers? Can we trust the TAT? Or Thai Rath? On the mend is quite a subjective analysis. Especially when returning from zero. 

[hotchilli]

19 hours ago, webfact said:

The country is well on the way to reaching a ten million target for 2022 even though that would still only be 25% of pre-pandemic levels. 

Not 10 million tourists.. no way.

Maybe 10M inbound, inclusive of businesses, transiting, and including returning Thais.

[jacko45k]

18 hours ago, condo62 said:

Hopefully LOS doesn't get greedy and start ripping off tourists....?

My, that is by far the most optimistic, yet unlikely, post today. 

[steevjee]

On 11/11/2022 at 3:42 PM, Mavideol said:

yeah the TAT way is very simple, any NON Thai person is considered a tourist, even the ones transiting are accounted for as tourists...  also included are on their estimates are the laborers/workers from Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia same same  555

But you forgot deceit 

[Kwaibill]

On 11/11/2022 at 3:25 PM, Robert Tyrrell said:

Aseannow,

WHAT THE HELL !! DOES WEED have to do with effecting Tourism !!??
Purchase and smoke it if you want or don’t  , Horrible reporting here !!   

The "concern" is about it being unknowingly added to food purchases. I misdoubt that the quantity ingested to remain unnoticed to the consumer would show up in a urine test.

That said, if sufficient weed were ingested and the associated euphoria passed off as a natural response to being in LOS, the detection of THC metabolites can persist for weeks.

Get an extension on your visa and only eat from 7-11 pre packaged meals if you think you were slipped a "Maryjane  Mickey" in your pad thai?

[Harveyboy]

On 11/11/2022 at 2:04 PM, condo62 said:

Hopefully LOS doesn't get greedy and start ripping off tourists....?

Why start ...It never stopped..

[jonclark]

If TAT is using TikTok to guess numbers.....

[herfiehandbag]

As ever bizarrely specific ( to the final digit) statistics. Produced from TikTok!

 

Will anyone be enthused to rush out and invest in tourist related facilities in Chaechoengsao?

[hotandsticky]

On 11/11/2022 at 3:42 PM, Mavideol said:

yeah the TAT way is very simple, any NON Thai person is considered a tourist, even the ones transiting are accounted for as tourists...  also included are on their estimates are the laborers/workers from Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia same same  555

 

 

Nevertheless, the evidence on the ground is that numbers are significantly up.

 

Well below 2019 highs and thankfully no Chinese mass tourism.