But, but... I thought that the liberalisation of cannabis was going to create a huge increase in the number of foreign tourists willing to jump on an expensive flight to come over to LoS and get stoned....

 

What's happened to that pipedream then?

12 hours ago, davemos said:

Cambodia is booming with a vibrant night life and much cheaper prices

Thank you for your comments which I can vouch for living in retirement in Siem Reap. What is now very noticeable are the many foreign tourists again flocking to see Angkor Wat and its associated Archaeological Park, among many other tourist attractions. I do not know what Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville are like these day other than NO Chinese tourists, only resident Chinese ex-pats or those Chinese from a neighbouring country who can travel. As for prices, for example a 24 small bottle pack of Beer Chang in MAKRO currently on special offer:

CHANG CLASSIC BEER BOTTLE 330ML*24

Code 330603

89,400 ៛

$22.90

-4%

$21.80 (91 US cents per bottle - 32 baht)

I thought  the GT's (gunga tourist) would have given the economy the Kickstart it needed?

Such a shame the Baht is heading in the wrong direction—up, up, up this month.  Maybe this news will slow its rapid ascent. 

Thailand shot themselves in the foot with  3 huge economy's in the world.  Personally I do not feel for them what so ever.

 

1 hour ago, NoshowJones said:

Again nonsense. When I first came here to stay about 15 years ago, all it needed was a nice pleasant trip of about 200Ks to the  border for a stamp every 90 days, that was it.

I wouldn't know, I've always held a one year visa, not one of those pretending to live here jobs. But what I do know is that you're going onto my ignore list just as soon as I can make that happen, you don't get a third chance, byee

Fear Not Thailand. Big spending weed junkies are coming to the rescue.

Club Med and The Hilton are rubbing their hands together ! 

7 hours ago, HappyExpat57 said:

As the immortal Samuel Langhorne Clemens said,  " 'There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.' "

Absolutely spot on. Can anything being reported by this extremely toxic and dishonest administration be taken at face value? Why wouldn't they lie? It is just who they are, and how they roll. 

6 hours ago, Daithi85 said:

How is having to report your address every 3months difficult?bloody hell it's not the end of the world.People living here on retirement visas have it easy.

I found it a pain and after 8 years at the house I built and with a yellow property book in my name having to report like someone on parole never mind the annual duplication of paper work with stupid photos of the family standing outside the house and sitting on the bed. Compare that to the UK.... chalk and cheese.

5 hours ago, IamNoone88 said:

There are plenty of visa options to stay in Thailand and if you are leaving for a cross border trip every 90 days then that is your problem for not complying with one of the many options that are made available. As for the actual 90 day reporting, it takes 5 minutes and is never an issue. If the UK had 90 day reporting for immigrants it would not face the same mess that as it does today. As for foreign criminals in Thailand, well its been a magnet for some, big and small and that is precisely why there are at least some controls in place. If you follow the rules and comply with their regulations you can fortunately stay here and enjoy your life. We are guests no matter how we live here. 

It was a pain for me and it is like being treated like someone on parole. I personally hated it. The reasons there are foreign criminals here is endemic corruption. 

10 hours ago, davemos said:

If they want tourists ( young ) they should have late closing clu bs and.less restrictions on alcaho.l Cambodia is booming with a vibrant night life and much cheaper prices .Perhaos open latenight venues in designated areas . No one wants to get chucked out of a venue because of  silly laws .

Mmmm. My experience of drinking till 4am in the 'old days' were a few sad old men with nowhere better to go and small groups of young idiot men starting their holidays getting stupid with alcohol. Well, that was the case in my bar -- of course, the young men paid well but the older ones (who'd been drinking since opening time) nursed their drinks! Bloody boring nights!

How can Thailand possibly expect large numer of long haul tourists with the current astronomic cost of airline tickets?  Prior to covid, for London to Bangkok I generally paid between £450 to £500. 

In  April this year (7 months in advance), after considerable searching, I managed to find slightly cheaper discounted tickets for return travel to Bangkok on Dec. 1, returning Jan 5 for £905 each, traveling on Thai Air.  I made several searches and each time the logarithums checking my searches put the price up, up, up.

Since buying our tickets, I receive regular emails showing latest price updates for tickets in the same period and which peaked recently at just under £2000 each, cattle class.

With the current world wide recession, how many quality Western tourist can Thailand honestly expect to attact in the hope that tourism will ease the current ecomomic malaise?  They are surely dreaming in cloud cuckoo land!

12 minutes ago, Chiang Mai Will said:

Mmmm. My experience of drinking till 4am in the 'old days' were a few sad old men with nowhere better to go and small groups of young idiot men starting their holidays getting stupid with alcohol. Well, that was the case in my bar -- of course, the young men paid well but the older ones (who'd been drinking since opening time) nursed their drinks! Bloody boring nights!

I tend to agree. There are few things in this world more boring than drinking one beer after another. 

3 minutes ago, My Paradice Lost said:

How can Thailand possibly expect large numer of long haul tourists with the current astronomic cost of airline tickets?  Prior to covid, for London to Bangkok I generally paid between £450 to £500. 

In  April this year (7 months in advance), after considerable searching, I managed to find slightly cheaper discounted tickets for return travel to Bangkok on Dec. 1, returning Jan 5 for £905 each, traveling on Thai Air.  I made several searches and each time the logarithums checking my searches put the price up, up, up.

Since buying our tickets, I receive regular emails showing latest price updates for tickets in the same period and which peaked recently at just under £2000 each, cattle class.

With the current world wide recession, how many quality Western tourist can Thailand honestly expect to attact in the hope that tourism will ease the current ecomomic malaise?  They are surely dreaming in cloud cuckoo land!

I have paid $840 round trip to Los Angeles twice already this year. You can get bargains. 

 

However, the projections and the numbers being quoted are entirely fake, no doubt. 

1 minute ago, spidermike007 said:

I have paid $840 round trip to Los Angeles twice already this year. You can get bargains. 

 

However, the projections and the numbers being quoted are entirely fake, no doubt. 

Oh yes! I agree that there are much cheaper airlines than Thai  Air.  But who, in their right mind, wants to travel for up to 48 hours on grotty third world airlines with 2 or 3 stops.  Also, unfortunately, my "one who shall be obeyed" will not permit.

 

1 minute ago, My Paradice Lost said:

Oh yes! I agree that there are much cheaper airlines than Thai  Air.  But who, in their right mind, wants to travel for up to 48 hours on grotty third world airlines with 2 or 3 stops.  Also, unfortunately, my "one who shall be obeyed" will not permit.

 

I am speaking of EVA or ANA. Both are far better than Thai air. And besides, sometimes you just have to tell her NO! Especially when she is being nonsensical. 

In that case, keep busting dance clubs and testing everyone for drug. 

25 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

I have paid $840 round trip to Los Angeles twice already this year. You can get bargains. 

 

However, the projections and the numbers being quoted are entirely fake, no doubt. 

We got under 800 rt la BKK recently. 1 stop Japan.  ANA via United.  However Delta and many were charging high fares and all over the place.  In 6 years and 12 trips I have never flown non stop.  don't really see many of those flights from the West coast or they are to HISO for me.  Hotels seemed to be charging 2019 prices.   Rising COVID cases are a concern for travel for sure could mess up a visit. 

Im feeling the 8% + drop in USD to bht.  It was 38.4 I saw once but now like 35.8 for every 1000$ that's  less 8 massages or most of a  fun night out lost.  

37 minutes ago, My Paradice Lost said:

How can Thailand possibly expect large numer of long haul tourists with the current astronomic cost of airline tickets?  Prior to covid, for London to Bangkok I generally paid between £450 to £500. 

In  April this year (7 months in advance), after considerable searching, I managed to find slightly cheaper discounted tickets for return travel to Bangkok on Dec. 1, returning Jan 5 for £905 each, traveling on Thai Air.  I made several searches and each time the logarithums checking my searches put the price up, up, up.

Since buying our tickets, I receive regular emails showing latest price updates for tickets in the same period and which peaked recently at just under £2000 each, cattle class.

With the current world wide recession, how many quality Western tourist can Thailand honestly expect to attact in the hope that tourism will ease the current ecomomic malaise?  They are surely dreaming in cloud cuckoo land!

Well thats the question.

 

I don't think it's in doubt that the world is headed into a recession in 2023. How deep and how long thats gonna be, who knows.

 

I work for an airline, and between the skyrocketing price for JetA and pilot shortage prices have gone through the roof.

 

So the prospects for folks figuring on a long haul vacation are I believe somewhat subdued.

 

So the Chinese are locked down, the Europeans and North Americans are preoccupied with paying the bills and keeping their jobs, all hopes rest with the Indians I guess

 

Good Luck with that

10 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

The results of a too expensive THB.... Thailand hotels are more expensive than hotels in Paris, some products are even more expensive than in the western countries.. just a bottle of water I paid in Spain 50 eurocent ( about 19 THB) and here in Thailand the same bottle at Tops 57 THB. With rising petrol costs tourists can find cheaper destinations with less restrictions such as alcohol sales, and non banned e cigarettes. The same is happening in the export. If the THB is too expensive people will go buy somewhere else, which they are already doing and the results will be known only in several months. It is a lack of management by the Thai Government, who doesn't see and don't take any action for these problems. Everything must be looking good to save face, but the reality is getting the country down. and see what is happening again.. Export in hard times... THB more expensive instead of cheaper.. 

Yet if you had gone to a 7/11, that same bottle of water would only have cost about 8 or 9 baht.

 

If you go to any Tops, Villa or Friendship you will pay far more for the same items as you would elsewhere.

 

Other than that I agree with you about the government and the way that they are running Thailand.

8 hours ago, damo1967 said:

You can do 90 day reporting online, and it literally takes 3-4 moinutes.

I do my 90 day report in person and blend it in with a bulk shopping trip.

 

It takes me a bit longer now as the IO is about 7km out of town but still only 30 minutes every 3 months.

2 minutes ago, billd766 said:

I do my 90 day report in person and blend it in with a bulk shopping trip.

 

It takes me a bit longer now as the IO is about 7km out of town but still only 30 minutes every 3 months.

Sounds good..  you can still do the 90 day reporting at Blu Port...  only when you extending your Retirement Visa for another 12 months do you have to go to the IO 7km away ????

14 minutes ago, billd766 said:

Yet if you had gone to a 7/11, that same bottle of water would only have cost about 8 or 9 baht.

 

If you go to any Tops, Villa or Friendship you will pay far more for the same items as you would elsewhere.

 

Other than that I agree with you about the government and the way that they are running Thailand.

It was a bottle Evian and not a normal cheap bottle.. you only can compare the same things

You think Thailand is squealing now. If China starts any aggression in the area what so ever , Not only will the tourist trade go back to covid levels, but factories will move out faster than you can say "cat in a hat". I give it 5 years tops..

8 minutes ago, damo1967 said:

Sounds good..  you can still do the 90 day reporting at Blu Port...  only when you extending your Retirement Visa for another 12 months do you have to go to the IO 7km away ????

But first I have to get to Kamphaeng Phet which is 65km away. Hence the reason I combine it with a bulk shopping trip.

 

When I first started I had to go to Mae Sot 185km each way, then to Nakhon Sawan 135km away. Now it is KPP only 65 km away.

9 minutes ago, ikke1959 said:

It was a bottle Evian and not a normal cheap bottle.. you only can compare the same things

Is there a difference in taste?

 

I wouldn't really know as my water comes from a 3,000 litre stainless steel rainwater tank.

A post using oversized fonts has been removed. 

If foreign tourism is Thailand's only hope in 2023, then they are in for a rude awakening.  

2 hours ago, damo1967 said:

Sounds good..  you can still do the 90 day reporting at Blu Port...  only when you extending your Retirement Visa for another 12 months do you have to go to the IO 7km away ????

Wish I could get a CRO at bluport....sigh

The baht is weak at 36 but RT airfare for next year is 2 -3 times of a pre covid ticket so coming to thailand for $2-3k a RT ticket worth it? 
 

any cost savings disappear in international airfare….