12 hours ago, pomchop said:

So have there been any more discussion/details re the idea of maybe giving 90 day visa free for western folks?  Or is it only all about china and India?

It's about Asia. Both China and India are Asian countries. 

12 hours ago, pomchop said:

So have there been any more discussion/details re the idea of maybe giving 90 day visa free for western folks?  Or is it only all about china and India?

You have to give something in return. 

This should also boost mask sales (for locals). Curry is comes out through sweat glands I hear. 

Thailand does an awful lot of eyeing potential tourists, be it politicians or TAT. Thai ladies have a particular way of eyeing the tourists that do come.

6 hours ago, ross163103 said:

Judging by the amount of Indian restaurants in Pattaya they must think they're all coming here! Been here 30 years and I've never seen so many Indian restaurants!

And I've never been to one.

Met a pleasant Indian family recently. They were negotiating down the price of the 50 Baht Songtaew ride. ????

Let's see how it goes.

I am wondering how Thailand will look like in 5 years with the massive influx of tourists coming from China and India which are absolutely massive markets.

I also start to be optimistic some Western countries might get a 90 days visa exemption in the same package.

15 hours ago, ChipButty said:

That's all we need more cheap charlies, 

I would call that out as a racist remark 

31 minutes ago, El Matador said:

Let's see how it goes.

I am wondering how Thailand will look like in 5 years with the massive influx of tourists coming from China and India which are absolutely massive markets.

I also start to be optimistic some Western countries might get a 90 days visa exemption in the same package.

Love it or hate it but Get used to it 

They are going to be everywhere.

Tourists from these 2 countries are massive market for any country’s tourism industry 

Namaste. ????

Double post.

Slightly off-topic, by the way, as it is nearly October already, I am sadly assuming that there won't be the extension of the 30-day visa exempt period this high season. As I am sure most of you know, last high season, this was extended to 45 days. From the start of October to the end of March, I think.

I ever see them do is go to massage parlours, those that offer a happy ending amongst other things, haggle with working girls on Pattaya beach over a price to go to a room or get beaten up by ladyboys, they never seem to do anything else.

22 hours ago, ChipButty said:

That's all we need more cheap charlies, 

Cheap Charlies are the only thing keeping Thailand afloat at the moment..

why such emphasis on daily numbers, tourism spend etc etc.

the millionaire traveler is not interested in a plastic seat on a road-side vendor selling 40 baht rubbish. 

They want thousands of back packers here for a week or two, then go to make way for more.

Boasting about millions of tourists sounds better than half that number spending 10x as much.

10 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Cheap Charlies are the only thing keeping Thailand afloat at the moment..

why such emphasis on daily numbers, tourism spend etc etc.

the millionaire traveler is not interested in a plastic seat on a road-side vendor selling 40 baht rubbish. 

They want thousands of back packers here for a week or two, then go to make way for more.

Boasting about millions of tourists sounds better than half that number spending 10x as much.

going by some of the rents being charged down here Im not so sure about that

Well, well, what do you know!  

"Boost Indian tourism in Thailand" should read "boost Indian tourism in Thailand in general". 

Thailand's tourism industry was second to none 35 years ago, when "Amazing Thailand" was coined. Thailand lived up to its promise, tourists came, enjoyed, paid and left. On the way out they took their newly-discovered love for Thai food along which put Thai cuisine firmly on the map of the planet. 

Today, the tourism is a disaster of many-tier-pricing, English is on the way out, people became as unfriendly as their greed increased; it is rip-off and taking visitors for a ride on the Thai tourism-merry-go-round. Prices went up proportionally to the service going down and today the industry has to move around many more tourists for less money in the bank. 

The answer is not free visas for Kazakhstan (although I am happy for all those Kazakhstani who were waiting in the wings for this privilege). Increase the present visa-free duration from 30 - 45 days, offload 90% of your bureaucracy with TM1 to TM100, allow tourists to open bank accounts (as in the past, when it was no problem) as they do not want to roam the land with tons of cash, get all those ghost services lurching around airports and tourist sites away, clean up your act and start (again) to provide "service with a smile". 

Do NEVER EVER forget, that the tourist has the choice and Thailand has to adjust to that as well; it is not that the tourist adjusts to Thailand for a temporary stay of a few weeks. 

11 hours ago, JemJem said:

Slightly off-topic, by the way, as it is nearly October already, I am sadly assuming that there won't be the extension of the 30-day visa exempt period this high season. As I am sure most of you know, last high season, this was extended to 45 days. From the start of October to the end of March, I think.

It would be a boost to tourism if this could be implemented again!

Bit off topic but if you look on Thai dating sites a few of the females say " Please noIndian Men " after Thailand opened up i remember many of the girls were saying there not keen on Indian men and want the return of western tourists.