Thailand to move away from foreign tourism and rely more on home travellers in the latest TAT masterplan

[Seeall]

7 hours ago, Artisi said:

Baldrick has a cunning plan. 

Diabolical in fact... (minimi?)

[Srikcir]

5 hours ago, soalbundy said:

are basically in recession in all but name,

Meaning you can't really tell?

In 2023 the EU and New Zealand are in recession with Australia on the verge of it. The EU GDP shrank by 0.1% in 2023G1. Since 2020Q2 to 2023Q2 Canada's GDP has increased from about 1.65% to about 2.1%. The US GDP was about 4.9% in 2023Q3. Inflation is lower in the US at 2.7% than the G7 nations, UK highest at 8.7%. US energy prices declined by almost 12% vs 2022.

 

[proton]

3 hours ago, Mike Lister said:

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

 

But about 25% of all sex tourists, can't blame them looking at the state of most UK women 

[ChaiyaTH]

TAT saw that China just announced the big inbound tourism plan, so they figured, we can copy that headline.

[Srikcir]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

the tourist sector itself will grow to a whopping 27% of GDP.

That's definitely a "whopper."

 

[Seeall]

10 minutes ago, proton said:

 

But about 25% of all sex tourists, can't blame them looking at the state of most UK women 

Dont wreck my day mentioning WB's (western b's) it was bad enough and now I see all over utube both male and female made it a huge topic, well it is...  amazing how WB's are so delusional and self entightled...  what do they bring to the table?  just a life of nagging and misery..  and expenses and if it not for cheap TV's these days, hogging the remote?  list goes on....  yeah if you want to get worked up scan Utube for women cant get dates and stuff like that...  but it doesn't help that Gunther lives in moms basement @ 40y and writes romantic chats to the world wanna be girls.... in the hope of rubbing one out.. its good to see the local girls waking up to the fact he won't be taking them out on a date anytime soon... (sorry Gunther) ok, greetings and  great day to all us enterprising lads here in LOS  , I will trying calling my girls..  on my call list, I just dont know why they wont call me back....  shucks, I just bought new pillow covers too.... what the hell do they want from me?  no, dont answer that, the servers here will go down....  cheers all  :  

Most Beautiful Women In The World 2023

S.No.	Name
1.	Jodie Comer
2.	Zendaya
3.	Bella Hadid
4.	Beyonce

[Srikcir]

You know what segment of Thailand can afford domestic travel? Resident foreigners. But let's reduce their disposible income by taxing their transfer of funds to Thailand that maintains a middle class life style. 

[Purdey]

If the economy relies so heavily on tourism, shouldn’t the government diversify? Where is the AI development here? The Thai designed EVs? The high tech industries?

Could it be the lack of investment into education?

[Negita43]

Is relying on tourism the way to address the many economic issues in Thailand?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

6 hours ago, Captor said:

Look like TAT don't want see the elephant in the room

 

Take your pick in the following Thailand domestic tourism survey:

 

I would have spent more money on domestic tourism in Thailand, except:

 

1. the government is planning for the first time ever to start taxing my foreign income and savings that I bring here, eating into my travel budget.

 

2. Every time I travel domestically, my local Immigration office insists on me submitting a new TM30 form, meaning I have to track down signed landlord Thai ID and tabien bahn photocopies.

 

3. The Thai interprovincial buses I might otherwise use for domestic tourism have a nasty habit of crashing and killing/injuring those onboard while enroute for the trips.

 

4. One peak time of the year for domestic tourism -- end of the year into New Year -- is also the time when much of Thailand is blanketed in choking, unhealthy air pollution, and the government does nothing to stop it.

 

 

 

 

[Willy Wombat]

Time to put the prices up to make

up for lost revenue

[StayinThailand2much]

23 minutes ago, Willy Wombat said:

Time to put the prices up to make

up for lost revenue

 

I wouldn't be surprised. Salivating, while punching 27 million × 4 into their calculator - voila, 4x the money...

[Adumbration]

Stick a fork in Thailand.  It's done.

[soalbundy]

1 hour ago, Srikcir said:

Meaning you can't really tell?

In 2023 the EU and New Zealand are in recession with Australia on the verge of it. The EU GDP shrank by 0.1% in 2023G1. Since 2020Q2 to 2023Q2 Canada's GDP has increased from about 1.65% to about 2.1%. The US GDP was about 4.9% in 2023Q3. Inflation is lower in the US at 2.7% than the G7 nations, UK highest at 8.7%. US energy prices declined by almost 12% vs 2022.

 

According to finance experts one can only be certain of a recession when it's over. Energy prices declining despite the fact that the oil cartel is cutting production is a bad sign, it should be rising, it shows that the consumers lack discretionary spending money because the banks are curtailing money supply through the tightening of credit. Another sign is that despite the coming holiday season retailers are already complaining that spending is down, eg. the sale of toys has dropped 15%, happy Christmas. This will cause a rise in unemployment further down the line. Another worry is that China is exporting deflation due to falling prices at the factory gates and this is more dangerous than high inflation.

[Guderian]

11 hours ago, webfact said:

and lower spenders because of an absence of Western tourists,

 

My goodness, finally an admission that the big-spending Chinese, Indians and Malays aren't the only thing that matters, and that not all Western tourists are here for cheap beer, cheap food and sex (no longer cheap, sadly, lol).

[soalbundy]

12 minutes ago, Adumbration said:

Stick a fork in Thailand.  It's done.

For me it seems to be an island of stability at the moment compared to faranglands problems and I am getting 38.50 Baht to the Euro instead of 34 which it was a few years ago.

[Thaibart555]

As a frequent and long time visitor to Thailand, let me give my view. Many Western countries view Thailand’s stance on Russia and the huge influx of Russians especially to Phuket as a negative. In general Russian tourists are less polite and not popular with most other visitors. In addition, the prices in hotels are not competitive with other SE Asian countries. A high season beach front pool villa in Vietnam is less than half the price of a similar villa in the same hotel chain in Thailand. 
Just saying. 

[Ricardo]

8 hours ago, Captor said:

Just fix the air pollution and the tourists will come back. Why do tourists want to travel with family to a country with dangerous air?

 

Look like TAT don't want see the elephant in the room

 

The reason the TAT can't see the elephant in the room, is that the smog is so very thick, reducing visibility !  

[BenStark]

6 hours 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

 

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

 

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

 

 

In 2020 there were no flights from Europe because of covid duh

[morrobay]

2 hours ago, proton said:

 

But about 25% of all sex tourists, can't blame them looking at the state of most UK women 

Could make a freight train take a dirt road

[sandyf]

5 hours ago, Walker88 said:

Really? How? I doubt TAT knows, so they would likely welcome your input on How To.

 

Let's say that domestic tourist isn't among the cash strapped, high Household Debt demographic, but is true Thai Middle Class. What is Thai Middle Class income relative to a European, American, Japanese, etc.? A reversal will make up for the loss of those with much higher average income?

 

Is Phitsanulok more of a draw for a vacationing Middle Class Thai than Vietnam, KL or Hong Kong?

8% and 12% of GDP is exactly that, nothing to do with demographics or incomes.

Of course you are perfectly free to think there is no way 8% can be improved on. I had 17 nights away under the WTT scheme and most of the hotels we went to were full up. Not surprisingly the view on this forum was the scheme would never work, bit of a reality bypass.

[Uttaradit farang]

5 hours ago, AsiaCheese said:

 

Plenty of BKK number plates in Pattaya every weekend, and triple that on long weekends, despite the well-planned road constructions during high season that turn already clogged traffic into a nightmare.

My car has a BKK number plate. Doesn’t mean I’m from Bangkok. lol 

[Mike Lister]

34 minutes ago, BenStark said:

 

 

In 2020 there were no flights from Europe because of covid duh

So how did those 70,089 visitors get here, did they walk!

[morrobay]

5 hours ago, kinyara said:

 

I haven't been to other tourists towns/cities recently but I think that's a very fair reflection of the state of the infrastructure in Pattaya these days. Walking around the daily obstacle course of appalling pavements or stuck in a baht bus on the central circuit as yet more holes are dug up and filled in for no practical benefit always designed for maximum high season inconvenience, I question the level of tourism they deserve for the state of the public services they provide.

Maximum high season inconvenience 

[BritScot]

9 hours ago, soalbundy said:

I don't think tourists have dropped Thailand but rather the developed world is going through an economic crisis. Germany is already in recession, dragging the rest  of Europe with it, the UK, USA, Canada, Australia are basically in recession in all but name, China, Japan and Korea are all in financial trouble with falling exports and a failing domestic market due to demographic problems. The next few years are going to be problematic for all of us, Thailand isn't insulated from the world's economic problems although the broken world trade links with China offers an opportunity for countries such as Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia so that it may be that these countries will offer more stability going forward.

If I did not have family in Thailand I would never go back even though I have a house there and thats not even considering the flight costs: March 2023 £3500 March 2024 £4500. We will not be going to Thailand in 2025...

[soalbundy]

8 minutes ago, BritScot said:

If I did not have family in Thailand I would never go back even though I have a house there and thats not even considering the flight costs: March 2023 £3500 March 2024 £4500. We will not be going to Thailand in 2025...

At those prices neither would I

[Gknrd]

The air is unbreathable there, if an expat traveling from the west as soon as you get off the plane you start to feel the difference. 30 day visa for a long flight from the US is a joke if an expat. They can whine all they want to. But, their actions show a different story.

Pass

 

To many other countries offering 90 day visas on arrival. Have clean air you can breath. The rip offs are the same everywhere if a traveler from the west. So, why go to Thailand?

Edited December 13, 2023 by Gknrd

[harada]

But the rich Chinese hordes are on the way, they’re just waiting for the high speed train.

[Walker88]

1 hour ago, sandyf said:

8% and 12% of GDP is exactly that, nothing to do with demographics or incomes.

Of course you are perfectly free to think there is no way 8% can be improved on. I had 17 nights away under the WTT scheme and most of the hotels we went to were full up. Not surprisingly the view on this forum was the scheme would never work, bit of a reality bypass.

I actually wasn't being facetious and asked how you would do it, as TAT doesn't seem to know. They merely make pronouncements, not actual plans.

 

Also, full hotels during your trip doesn't mean anything, as how filled were they with Thais in 2019? 2018? The same?

 

Before I moved to Thailand I regularly came as a tourist and traveled everywhere. Hotels were generally pretty full with Thai people in places like Korat, Lampang, Maesai, Nong Khai, even Pattaya on weekends. Rooms were dear. I assume that was factored into that 8%, so I really don't know how it could jump to 12% as well as replace the (likely higher) spending of int'l tourists. The fact that Thailand is looking for ways to juice the economy (tourism being one way) suggests to me that many Thais are not doing well financially (by definition not everyone can do well in a weak economy), so increasing domestic tourim numbers over what happened in pre-Covid years---when the economy was better---is not an easy task.

[Mike Lister]

2 minutes ago, Walker88 said:

I actually wasn't being facetious and asked how you would do it, as TAT doesn't seem to know. They merely make pronouncements, not actual plans.

 

Also, full hotels during your trip doesn't mean anything, as how filled were they with Thais in 2019? 2018? The same?

 

Before I moved to Thailand I regularly came as a tourist and traveled everywhere. Hotels were generally pretty full with Thai people in places like Korat, Lampang, Maesai, Nong Khai, even Pattaya on weekends. Rooms were dear. I assume that was factored into that 8%, so I really don't know how it could jump to 12% as well as replace the (likely higher) spending of int'l tourists. The fact that Thailand is looking for ways to juice the economy (tourism being one way) suggests to me that many Thais are not doing well financially (by definition not everyone can do well in a weak economy), so increasing domestic tourim numbers over what happened in pre-Covid years---when the economy was better---is not an easy task.

TAT is a marketing function, it sets out it objectives and targets but nobody would expect them to share publicly their detailed plans for execution, why should they. TAT has an advertising budget that it must spread across a large number of countries to advertise Thailand as a holiday destination, unless they hit the number precisely they will be ridiculed for under performance, if they exceed their targets they will be accused of lying, they are in a no win situation with most AN readers and a perfect scapegoat to be kicked.for those wanting to vent about Thai incompetence.