With that garb, she looks like she should be pointing to the exits!

I'm seeing quite a lot of tourists in Bangkok

Well November and December are the starting months of High tourist season, so 

I guess TAT may get the numbers they are after.  There are many retired people from northern countries that are

headed to a tropical country to escape the cold and snow of Winter. Good Luck Thailand.

Tat seems to be dabbling too much in medicinal herbs. Are these numbers plucked from the air and the way to achieve them realistic? Perhaps TAT should talk to Immigration and request them to reinstate 40 day visas on arrival instead of having to go through the red tape in your country - except of course if you are Chinese or Indians and who knows about the Russians who are given 90 day visas to enable them to take Thai jobs.?

3 hours ago, Crok said:

Tat seems to be dabbling too much in medicinal herbs. Are these numbers plucked from the air and the way to achieve them realistic? Perhaps TAT should talk to Immigration and request them to reinstate 40 day visas on arrival instead of having to go through the red tape in your country - except of course if you are Chinese or Indians and who knows about the Russians who are given 90 day visas to enable them to take Thai jobs.?

 

Perhaps you should get out and walk around and see all the tourist rather than playing that tired, condescending chin-music. 

 

 

22 hours ago, Deez said:

Is talking about tourism, 365 days a year really necessary?

 

It is for the online news advertising media, it attracts people such as yourself and your engagement helps them sell advertising.

6 hours ago, Crok said:

Tat seems to be dabbling too much in medicinal herbs. Are these numbers plucked from the air and the way to achieve them realistic? Perhaps TAT should talk to Immigration and request them to reinstate 40 day visas on arrival instead of having to go through the red tape in your country - except of course if you are Chinese or Indians and who knows about the Russians who are given 90 day visas to enable them to take Thai jobs.?

 

They appear to be realistic, last year they were forecasting 10 million arrivals and achieved 11 million, this year they forecast between 25 - 30 million due to the uncertainty of the Chinese market and it looks like they will achieve 27 million. 

Give Gazans and Palestinians 90 day visas. And Ukrainians. They need them more than anyone I can think of.

3 minutes ago, bradiston said:

Give Gazans and Palestinians 90 day visas. And Ukrainians. They need them more than anyone I can think of.

 

They never chose to come to Thailand before why would you think they'd want to come now ?

Less English and ruder staff.  Come on you can do it.

5 minutes ago, kinyara said:

 

They never chose to come to Thailand before why would you think they'd want to come now ?

I've met Ukrainians here. Not Palestinians, as far as I know, but Lebanese. There are approximately 6 million Palestinians worldwide outside Palestine. But it's true, apparently 0 in Thailand.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_diaspora

 

What makes me think that, is it might just be preferable to lie on a beach here with your family safe and sound than in the basement of a bombed out block of flats in Gaza or Odessa waiting for the next salvo to land overhead with little if any chance of survival, paying for somebody else's stupidity.

 

6 minutes ago, bradiston said:

I've met Ukrainians here. Not Palestinians, as far as I know, but Lebanese. There are approximately 6 million Palestinians worldwide outside Palestine. But it's true, apparently 0 in Thailand.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_diaspora

 

What makes me think that, is it might just be preferable to lie on a beach here with your family safe and sound than in the basement of a bombed out block of flats in Gaza or Odessa waiting for the next salvo to land overhead with little if any chance of survival, paying for somebody else's stupidity.

 

 

They seek permanent refuge in countries like the UK, they are not looking for a 2 week holiday in the sun. I think you're making light of their situation to have a dig at Thailand.

2 hours ago, kinyara said:

 

They seek permanent refuge in countries like the UK, they are not looking for a 2 week holiday in the sun. I think you're making light of their situation to have a dig at Thailand.

Not a big enough public teat in Thailand.

Another Nepotism hire shecwill follow the footstep of those before her.😇

3 hours ago, kinyara said:

 

They seek permanent refuge in countries like the UK, they are not looking for a 2 week holiday in the sun. I think you're making light of their situation to have a dig at Thailand.

It only occurred to me as I was typing my comment that Thailand offers 90 day visa free stays to Russians, but not Ukrainians, and now no doubt, to Israelis but not Palestinians.

 

I'm not sure how many are, or were, seeking permanent refuge elsewhere in the world, but as the stats I quote suggest, over 6 million have found it. And I hope more will do so.

Edited October 29, 20232 yr by bradiston

The Thai economy is in the doldrums and has been for years. The PM announced an average GDP growth of 1.8% per annum over 10 years, at a time household and corporate debt soared. Tough to sustain even that modest growth with so much debt, so Thailand has to look where it can for spending. Exports are not good, and the world economy is slowing. So.....tourism.

 

In 2019 Tourism represented 17.8% of Thai GDP. I suspect in 2024 it will easily pop 20%.

 

Thailand is pulling out all the stops. They legalized weed. They marketed heavily to India (as the endless line of fake watch sellers shows). They grant russians 90 day stays. The govt knows where it can squeeze blood from a rock.

 

One wrench in the works was the crazy kid who shot up Siam Paragon and killed one Chinese tourist. That likely has cost Thailand 10 billion baht minimum, with cancellations and money not spent. Odd that a single death would do that, but who knows how Chinese calculate the odds.

 

TAT should pressure Immigration to extend easy lengthy stays to others, especially possible snowbirds. Older and wealthy people in cold climates may well be tempted to spend winters in Thailand, and they are the type of folks unlikely to be troublemakers.

On 10/28/2023 at 9:49 AM, mikebell said:

TAT are always 'confident' whatever the numbers; they wouldn't be in the job otherwise.

Just as TAT: ANF is always confident in their total lack of numbers based on Eyeballs. They wouldn't be posting otherwise, would they?

 

The exception to their lack of numbers is the clownishly wrong number they ALWAYS get for the average tourist spend. This they arrive at by dividing TAT's estimated revenue generated (NOT the total spend) by the estimated number of tourists. Then sneer and chortle at its impossibility, LOL.

What Bar did she work in before she got the TAT job?????

1 hour ago, Walker88 said:

The Thai economy is in the doldrums and has been for years. The PM announced an average GDP growth of 1.8% per annum over 10 years, at a time household and corporate debt soared. Tough to sustain even that modest growth with so much debt, so Thailand has to look where it can for spending. Exports are not good, and the world economy is slowing. So.....tourism.

 

In 2019 Tourism represented 17.8% of Thai GDP. I suspect in 2024 it will easily pop 20%.

 

Thailand is pulling out all the stops. They legalized weed. They marketed heavily to India (as the endless line of fake watch sellers shows). They grant russians 90 day stays. The govt knows where it can squeeze blood from a rock.

 

One wrench in the works was the crazy kid who shot up Siam Paragon and killed one Chinese tourist. That likely has cost Thailand 10 billion baht minimum, with cancellations and money not spent. Odd that a single death would do that, but who knows how Chinese calculate the odds.

 

TAT should pressure Immigration to extend easy lengthy stays to others, especially possible snowbirds. Older and wealthy people in cold climates may well be tempted to spend winters in Thailand, and they are the type of folks unlikely to be troublemakers.

Like the Russians from Siberia and the East? Or even from Moscow. They all know the visa rules here. Scandinavians too, and many already do a 6/6 split. TAT tries to claim successes in tourist numbers, but it's got nothing to do with them. People come and go as they please. If a tourist lands in swampy and buys a cup of coffee en route to wherever, they'll announce a stratospheric rise in visits. It's all complete cobblers. A non topic. A dead rubber. Tourism? Meaningless word.

Well I hope she is right with her arrival numbers, seems a little inflated to me but I guess it depends on who you count as a tourist arrival and who is actually doing the counting. TAT are infamous for "inflation"