Move to boost tourism sector with worrying signals near the start of the country’s high season

[webfact]

New Minister of Tourism and Sports Sudawan Wang-Suphakitkosol has been given a ฿600 million budget to boost foreign tourism before the end of the current High Season as Thai-based airlines help the government to grow flight connectivity and arrival numbers.

 

Thailand’s recovering airline industry, including the restructured operations of Thai Airways and Thai Air Asia X, is riding to the rescue of the country’s vital foreign tourism industry, still struggling to reach the levels seen in 2019 with a modest 63% target for 2023 in terms of income earned.

A drop in Chinese tourists in the aftermath of the Siam Paragon shooting and rising geopolitical uncertainty has Thailand’s economic heads moving to boost the country’s foreign tourism engine with a ฿600 million marketing budget, late-night openings in tourist hotspots until 4 am and increased flight connectivity as Thailand’s airlines, after surviving the pandemic with two bankruptcy restructurings, are put to work expanding the country’s flight connectivity rate.

 

Thailand’s top economic planners at the Ministry of Finance, the Office of the Prime Minister and the Bank of Thailand could be facing a more challenging situation as the economy is counting on the vital foreign tourism industry, with figures released up to October 8th showing a 9.8% drop in numbers with 497,966 arrivals, led by a fall-off in demand from China despite the end of September introduction of a visa waiver for that country and Kazakhstan.

 

by Carla Boonkong & Pranee O' Connor

 

Full story: Thai Examiner.com 2023-10-14

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

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[2baht]

Time to make some merit! 

[RichardColeman]

"I know let's put a bigger tax on tourists"

[ChipButty]

50% discount on all beers, 

[Ben Zioner]

Make all tourists tax resident,  and  charge them 20 times more  than locals at national parks.

[bignok]

Up room prices by 750 baht 555

[DonniePeverley]

Why not aim for high end tourists? 

 

Some areas of Thailand are up there with the Maldives in my opinion. But instead of restricting who can go, Thailand just wants cheap tourists - as seen by the move to let all Chinese in. All you do is create a cheap crapy destination.

 

Aim for European, American tourists. There is absolutely nothing done to attract them. 

Edited October 13, 2023 by DonniePeverley

[phetphet]

People just don't have the money to afford long haul travel as much as they did pre-Covid.

Especially as it even more expensive nowadays.

Add in a bit of "Been there, seen that , done that", the various troubles going on in the world today, and it is not surprising that people are not travelling to Thailand so much. Or anywhere else for that matter.

 

[daveAustin]

Times are tight, people have less money, many return visitors have had their fill/had enough, baht still way overpriced, flights expensive, jittery faux government scaring people off, ensuing WWIII putting people off, cheaper booze at home etc etc etc. A free useless SIM and other superfluous ‘tempters’ won’t get people to come that don’t want to travel. 

[Mike Lister]

1 minute ago, daveAustin said:

Times are tight, people have less money, many return visitors have had their fill/had enough, baht still way overpriced, flights expensive, jittery faux government scaring people off, ensuing WWIII putting people off, cheaper booze at home etc etc etc. A free useless SIM and other superfluous ‘tempters’ won’t get people to come that don’t want to travel. 

From a tourists perspective the time has never been better, the Baht is at its lowest rate since 2016 (give or take one or two temporary spikes)

[ikke1959]

Invest in good tourists and retirees fo example.. stop with all the paperwork for extending visas, be friendly at the borders, stop double pricing, stop with alcohol selling hours during daytime instead of improving the opening hours at night, stop chasing tourists who are vaping and many more... Make that tourists, and retirees/expats are welcome in this country. The children and grandchildren will come to visit their parents/grandparents, Quality tourism, instead of noisy, greedy chinese who don't spend much only make a mess

[ChipButty]

11 minutes ago, ikke1959 said:

 The children and grandchildren will come to visit their parents/grandparents, Quality tourism, instead of noisy, greedy chinese who don't spend much only make a mess

I'm sure they would, my daughter and family came in May it cost a fortune, not sure when the next time she will come, 

[stoner]

reverse the policy on cannabis to non recreational for a further boost. 

[Marky Mark Mark]

Limit people to 180 days .  If over force them to File income taxes is a sure Winner to Boost tourism.

 

 

In my case 300 days to 180 day seems insane.  I want to come and spend my money but im being told i come too MUT.

 

While they keep on trying to attract poor Indians.......weird this TAT.

[mikebell]

18 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

I'm sure they would, my daughter and family came in May it cost a fortune, not sure when the next time she will come, 

The Thai Gov's short-sighted proposed tax on ex-pat pensions is a ludicrous example of killing the goose that lays the Golden Egg.  During my 18 years (not including the Covid shut-down) I have averaged three groups of friends/family tourist visits.  These may well be re-routing to Laos in the future along with my 800K bank account.

[Ben Zioner]

Got it!   All these tourists  went to  Bhutan.

 

"In a bid to attract international tourists, the beautiful Kingdom of Bhutan has decided to reduce its daily tourist fee of $200 (INR 16,509) to $100 (INR 8254). The kingdom has taken the decision to boost the tourism sector which is still waiting and struggling to recover even after a year after the end of COVID-19."

 

Bhutan tourist fee

[Prubangboy]

I am trying to book Bhutan and everyone is still quoting $200. When I ask why, they don't answer.

[bkk6060]

The numbers are one thing, who they are is another.  I don't know of one person with money, unless they are divorced and single, who wants to come here.  They have been going to Hawaii, Mexico and Europe.  Thailand still has a reputation as kind of cheap 3rd worldish.  Backpackers and sex seekers paradise.

But, as others have said lots of turmoil in the world, economic issues, kids are back in school, holidays in the west is coming up, many people are not in the mood to travel so 600 million b may be a big waste.

 

[thaibeachlovers]

2 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

Why not aim for high end tourists? 

 

Some areas of Thailand are up there with the Maldives in my opinion. But instead of restricting who can go, Thailand just wants cheap tourists - as seen by the move to let all Chinese in. All you do is create a cheap crapy destination.

 

Aim for European, American tourists. There is absolutely nothing done to attract them. 

You must be new. They have been chasing the "rich" tourist for decades, but given that Thailand is less than "high end" with broken infrastructure, rubbish everywhere, congested cities with bad infrastructure, insane traffic, scams and dual pricing those rich tourists just keep staying away.

American tourists have never been a common sight IMO, but Thailand's problems never kept European tourists away before.

 

There were a small number of rich tourists, but they only stayed at 5 star places and didn't mingle with the common herd.

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, Ben Zioner said:

Got it!   All these tourists  went to  Bhutan.

 

"In a bid to attract international tourists, the beautiful Kingdom of Bhutan has decided to reduce its daily tourist fee of $200 (INR 16,509) to $100 (INR 8254). The kingdom has taken the decision to boost the tourism sector which is still waiting and struggling to recover even after a year after the end of COVID-19."

 

Bhutan tourist fee

$100 per DAY!!!!!!!!! No wonder not many bother.

[thaibeachlovers]

2 hours ago, daveAustin said:

Times are tight, people have less money, many return visitors have had their fill/had enough, baht still way overpriced, flights expensive, jittery faux government scaring people off, ensuing WWIII putting people off, cheaper booze at home etc etc etc. A free useless SIM and other superfluous ‘tempters’ won’t get people to come that don’t want to travel. 

I'm always puzzled by assertions that the price of booze puts people off visiting LOS.

Are all potential visitors to LOS alcoholics?

[bamnutsak]

They must have some visibility into load factors from airline bookings and hotel bookings.

 

 

3 hours ago, webfact said:

economic heads moving to boost the country’s foreign tourism engine with a ฿600 million marketing budget, late-night openings in tourist hotspots until 4 am

 

I'm not sure how much a promotional campaign, or having entertainment venues remaining open until 04:00 will have on this upcoming High Season?

 

I mean most people have made their travel plans already.

 

 

Based on all the activity in the past week or so revolving around tourist promotions I do smell fear and desperation.

 

 

 

 

[thaibeachlovers]

5 minutes ago, bamnutsak said:

Based on all the activity in the past week or so revolving around tourist promotions I do smell fear and desperation.

On that I can agree. Much fear and much desperation now that they realise the horde has been sacred off and they have been trying to get rid of farangs for decades by making it harder to stay.

[Ben Zioner]

3 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

Aim for European, American tourists. There is absolutely nothing done to attract them. 

For good reasons: not lellow, no good.

[ChipButty]

I am in the south of Phuket and accommodation wise it seems pretty busy, I have an apartment and judging by the amount of cars and bikes parked up it looks full, I know a couple of people who work in hotels I'll ask them if they are busy 

[ukrules]

Striving to become as busy as 2019 is admirable but I can remember that there had been a steep decline in tourism around these parts each year BEFORE 2019.

 

So 2019 was not very good

[mikeymike100]

8 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

"I know let's put a bigger tax on tourists"

I love the sarcasm, but don't give them ideas?????

[Bunny Silverhand]

Take my word for it. The tourist sector is gonna be wiped out once more very soon. Thailand has become too expensive for what it has to offer and to restrictive as well.

 

Vietnam is offering the exact same kind of experience and is more competitive on prices as well as more welcoming (45 days exemptions and 3 month tourism visas - both can be renew over and over again).

[The Theory]

9 hours ago, ChipButty said:

50% discount on all beers, 

Lucky if they don't raise the price since it's their strategy of attracting tourists. ????????

[connda]

Maybe the numbers will improve when a few more Thais assault tourists with guns.  ????