1 hour ago, TruthinThailand said:

The answer is simple. SROAS. Works everywhere. Stop Rip Offs And Scams. 

 

where is the evidence that scams and rip offs seriously impact the thai tourist sector?

2 minutes ago, Mike Lister said:

Tit for Tat.

Very clever!  

I love it 

1 minute ago, it is what it is said:

 

where is the evidence that scams and rip offs seriously impact the thai tourist sector?

Taxi's refusing to use their meters in tourist areas; dual pricing on hotel rooms, foreigners vs locals; dual pricing on tourist attractions and parks, and probably a bunch more.

Ah, the routine weekly TAT plasterman!

 

As the late Kenn Dodd might have said:"Tatifilarious"!

All of their own making. Should never have closed the country for two years where they fear mongered about a flu and didn't give one jot about tourism. Its coming home roost. No longer teflon thailand. Cheaper and better alternatives where scams and rip offs don't exist. Is that rip off jewelers still open in bangkok who pays tuk tuk drivers to rip off tourists and when they do a documentary on him the journalist was threatened with arrest for exposing him. Of course he is. Welcome to corrupt thailand. No sympathy whatsoever.

When I first came here they were slapping themselves on the back on achieving 1 million tourists. How times change.

 

As others have said , a lot of issues need to be addressed before tourists will return. 

It’s not just external, or internal, problems. The TAT always comes out with lofty grandiose schemes to rake in ‘trillions of baht’ but flip-flops every 5 minutes and never tells it how it is. “We expect record breaking visitors”, “visitor number are down but will treble by the end of the year”, “millions will come from China”, “there is a downturn in visitor numbers”, “no there isn’t, we’re gonna have a bumper high season”, “screw foreigners, locals will make up the shortfall!”  
 

The whole thing should be disbanded and run by someone competent, like an 8th grade school kid!

Just now, Denim said:

When I first came here they were slapping themselves on the back on achieving 1 million tourists. How times change.

 

As others have said , a lot of issues need to be addressed before tourists will return. 

Long haul airfare prices are the primary one, higher than usual hotel costs is the second but even this can be overcome by downgrading. The scams and rip offs don't count, they are part of the landscape, they can't be fixed and even if they were, it would change the economics. Recessionary spending in visitor countries is a key problem,. tourists don't have oodles of spare cash to visit a destination that used to be cheap but is now pricey in some areas. Thailand's reputation in China needs fixing, that's a tough one.

Is it those domestic tourists who now are burdened with record levels of Household Debt that are going to drive the revival?

 

I might have left some out, but since Covid, TAT and other officials have announced these plans for tourism:

 

1) It will be the IT Center of SE Asia

2) It will be the Hollywood/Bollywood of SE Asia

3) It will entice digital nomads

4) Visa free and extended stay visas will bring in free-spending Indians, Chinese & Russians in droves (when instead it's brought in lots of fake watch sellers, TikTokers and mafia/triads)

5) Thailand will draw 'quality tourists', whatever that means today

6) Thailand will attract snowbirds

7) Thailand will allow casinos, making it the Las Vegas of SE Asia

8) Letting bars and clubs to stay open until 4am will (somehow) increase revenue by 30-50%

 

 

 

 

 

I think it is a good idea to focus on foreign/Thai people travelling within Thailand. I do this on average 8 times per year

The true soul of Thailand in display again.

Any more excuses by the diehards?

 

I've been saying for years, that tourism in Thailand happened against the wishes of the elites/govt.

It was a private ,organic thing that developed gradually between farangs and enterprising Thais. (Hoteliers, prostitutes etc)

 

In due course they will revert into a N. Korea style regime.

Just now, Walker88 said:

Is it those domestic tourists who now are burdened with record levels of Household Debt that are going to drive the revival?

 

There is now a sizeable middle class in Thailand and they have money to spend. It's that group that TAT is targeting, not the rural poor.

3 minutes ago, Mike Lister said:

There is now a sizeable middle class in Thailand and they have money to spend. It's that group that TAT is targeting, not the rural poor.

 

you mean the ones carrying the huge ocean of debt ?

Edited December 13, 20232 yr by stoner

Of course the shift to domestic tourism won't include making it easier and more attractive for expats to live in Thailand and travel around the country. Instead, they'll make long term visas more expensive and difficult to get and will expand dual pricing.

5 minutes ago, stoner said:

 

you mean the ones carrying almost a 100 percent debt to gdp ratio ? 

You don't know any more than I do, which segment of the Thai population is most over indebted but we can guess. Is it the rural poor or is it the middle classes that have jobs and assets, hmmm, tricky that one! 

 

Here's the breakdown on that Consumer debt, note that which is not collateralized:

 

https://app.bot.or.th/BTWS_STAT/statistics/BOTWEBSTAT.aspx?reportID=891&language=ENG

Edited December 13, 20232 yr by Mike Lister

2 minutes ago, Mike Lister said:

You don't know any more than I do, which segment of the Thai population is most over indebted but we can guess. Is it the rural poor or is it the middle classes that have jobs and assets, hmmm, tricky that one! 

 

its not tricky at all. the stats are there to see. most of them are swimming in debt. 

4 minutes ago, Mike Lister said:

You don't know any more than I do, which segment of the Thai population is most over indebted but we can guess. Is it the rural poor or is it the middle classes that have jobs and assets, hmmm, tricky that one! 

 

correction its about 62. 

Just now, stoner said:

 

its not tricky at all. the stats are there to see. most of them are swimming in debt. 

See the BOT link above, just because loans are 100% of GDP, doesn't mean that 100% of the population is indebted. There is also a big difference between collateralised and uncollateralized loans.

2 minutes ago, stoner said:

 

correction its about 62. 

What is? Consumer borrowing is 84%.

 

https://www.ceicdata.com/en/indicator/thailand/household-debt--of-nominal-gdp

Edited December 13, 20232 yr by Mike Lister

3 hours ago, Artisi said:

Baldrick has a cunning plan. 

Don't think turnips can help here 

1 minute ago, Mike Lister said:

What is? Consumer borrowing is 84%.

 

https://www.ceicdata.com/en/indicator/thailand/household-debt--of-nominal-gdp

 

even worse then. 

1 hour ago, hellohello123 said:

Great plan....they will focus on local tourists until the end of 2023..... a lot can be done in 18 days

Then they will scare the rest away with taxes 

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand’s tourism industry faces a 40% decline in revenues this year compared to 2019, prompting a reevaluation. A disappointing response from Chinese tourists and a lack of Western enthusiasm have necessitated a focus on domestic travel and second-tier cities.

People have finally realized that Thailand isn't all that it's cracked up to be, and with the ever increasing amounts of red tape and visa hassle it just isn't worth it when there are so many better places to visit closer to home..

Edited December 13, 20232 yr by bob smith

People in our family always want to go travelling- to Japan, Switzerland, Italy and Turkey. Never hear anyone going to places in Thailand, been once and they don't want to go again to most of them.

5 minutes ago, proton said:

People in our family always want to go travelling- to Japan, Switzerland, Italy and Turkey. Never hear anyone going to places in Thailand, been once and they don't want to go again to most of them.

Thailand really needs to fully comprehend it's place on the world stage. It is middle of the road at best. People used to come here because it was cheap but that is no longer the case. Places like Phuket and Samui are comparable price wise with London and New York now...

 

It's just a lot easier these days to nip across to spain or portugal for most people than bother with the expensive long haul flight here.

Edited December 13, 20232 yr by bob smith

8 minutes ago, bob smith said:

Thailand really needs to fully comprehend it's place on the world stage. It is middle of the road at best. People used to come here because it was cheap but that is no longer the case. Places like Phuket and Samui are comparable price wise with London and New York now...

 

It's just a lot easier these days to nip across to spain or portugal for most people than bother with the expensive long haul flight here.

You need to realise that UK visitors to Thailand aren't even part of the equation, their numbers are so small as to be economically irrelevant.

 

1. Malaysia: 367,530 visitors
2. China: 328,375 visitors
3. India: 131,230 visitors
4. Russia: 115,743 visitors
5. South Korea: 95,229 visitors
6. Vietnam: 84,221 visitors
7. United States: 70,977 visitors
8. United Kingdom: 70,089 visitors
9. Laos: 68,204 visitors
10. Hong Kong: 67,771 visitors

 

https://www.thailand.go.th/issue-focus-detail/009_165

 

In 2020, UK tourists accounted for 2.4% of total visitors.

 

https://trail.bananabackpacks.com/thailand-tourism-stats/

Edited December 13, 20232 yr by Mike Lister

2 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Bar owners too are saying that although claiming it is 'picking up'......Plenty of traffic on the streets though, and out on major roads around town. 

Yes plenty of traffic and this proposal is just going to make all the jammed up roads even worse in places like Pattaya where there will  be even more of these happy s*** events along the beach

Edited December 13, 20232 yr by morrobay

3 minutes ago, Mike Lister said:

You need to realise that UK visitors to Thailand aren't even part of the equation, their numbers are so small as to be economically irrelevant.

 

1. Malaysia: 367,530 visitors
2. China: 328,375 visitors
3. India: 131,230 visitors
4. Russia: 115,743 visitors
5. South Korea: 95,229 visitors
6. Vietnam: 84,221 visitors
7. United States: 70,977 visitors
8. United Kingdom: 70,089 visitors
9. Laos: 68,204 visitors
10. Hong Kong: 67,771 visitors

 

https://www.thailand.go.th/issue-focus-detail/009_165

UK visitors actually spend money here in hotels, restaurants and nightlife.

 

How many Laotian nationals do you see living it up on Pattaya's walking street? How many vietnamese are staying in 5 star hotels ?

Just now, bob smith said:

UK visitors actually spend money here in hotels, restaurants and nightlife.

 

How many Laotian nationals do you see living it up on Pattaya's walking street? How many vietnamese are staying in 5 star hotels ?

See my late edit in previous post, UK tourists represent 2% of all tourists. 

55 minutes ago, Bim Smith said:

where scams and rip offs don't exist.

Where is that?