Thailand’s tourism recovery under threat from safety concerns and sluggish Chinese economy

[BusyB]

4 hours ago, impulse said:

Gotta love the way some posters don't mind seeing so many local businesses suffer because they don't like the Chinese. Or the Russians. Or the Indians. Or the...

 

From what I can gather local businesses don't make very much if anything at all from Chinese package tourists anyway.

 

Russians, Indians and Farangs tend to spend locally.

[Seeall]

4 hours ago, impulse said:

Gotta love the way some posters don't mind seeing so many local businesses suffer because they don't like the Chinese. Or the Russians. Or the Indians. Or the...

Gotta love how there is no love for Farang when there are less CN on the table..... 

[Jumbo1968]

4 hours ago, Will B Good said:

A private hospital leaving that Chinese man (from Taiwan???) to die in the road in BKK is not going to go down well.....555

Chinese people live in Taiwan.

[Will B Good]

Just now, Jumbo1968 said:

Chinese people live in Taiwan.

I know.

 

I wasn't 100% sure he was Chinese....just that he was 'from' Taiwan.

[Phil1964]

1 hour ago, koolkarl said:

There would almost no tourists if they knew how toxic the  air they are breathing.

Chinese urban air is way worse.

Perhaps TAT could sell 'Clean Air Tours' - by an aptly named tourism company, "Oxygen Tours"??

 🤣🤣

[itsari]

Airlines have some responsibility for the slack in numbers of tourists from around the world with there high prices designed to recoup there losses over the COVID period .

High interest rates have also a part to blame .

Hard to know when the Thai economy will revisit pre COVID .

 

[Expat Tom]

Presumably, Thailand has an Embassy in China staffed with educated people who can inform the government officials in Bangkok of the state of current affairs in China. Even if one doesn't have first hand information from the embassy in China, the internet is a wonderful source of information. Of course, you can't believe everything you see on the internet so some basic cross referencing and critical thinking skills are required. 

 

Given the information available, it would seem to be quite naive to base one's hope for tourism revival on China. The economy in China is imploding. Unemployment is rampant in all demographic groups.  Major cities in China are facing possible bankruptcy. The Chinese government is confiscating passports and  discouraging tourism abroad to stop capital out flow. Additionally, Thailand and it neighbors, especially Vietnam, have benefited from major businesses relocating from China. 

 

All of this, and more, is open source information. I speak with people on mainland China daily and consult with companies seeking to relocate outside of China. This is not a conspiracy theory or rumor. 

 

It seems to me to be the height of pure folly for Thailand to base its future tourism hopes on China. A better approach would be to focus on domestic tourism, near shore tourism from other SE Asian countries and distant tourism from Europe and North America. 

[herfiehandbag]

2 hours ago, Ben Zioner said:

They had a lengthy debate about the doubling the 0% in the first bracket but put that into  he too difficult basket for the time being. Anutin also suggested they could triple the rates but the consensus was that they have to go step by step.

Double zero is, zero!

Triple zero is, zero!

 

Doubling the rates 5-10%, 35 to 70%, good story, I wonder if it will run. I'm not so sure that your friends accountant is that good a starting point!😉

 

[Grusa]

15 minutes ago, Expat Tom said:

Of course, you can't believe everything you see on the internet so some basic cross referencing and critical thinking skills are required. 

Arai na?......

[herfiehandbag]

15 minutes ago, Expat Tom said:

Presumably, Thailand has an Embassy in China staffed with educated people who can inform the government officials in Bangkok of the state of current affairs in China.

It certainly has an Embassy in China. Given it's importance within the Thai diplomatic service, it will be staffed from the very best kith, kin and nominees of the most influential! I wouldn't care to hazard a guess at their effectiveness in analyzing and accurately reporting the state of current affairs in China, particularly in matters economic! 

[spidermike007]

3 hours ago, kentrot said:

When is this News Outlet going to admit that TOURISM is only  12-15% of the GDP ?

 

Can we PLEASE get some news about the general state of the economy  and the other 85% of the GDP

or is that asking too much ?

 

For many of your readers, we are full time residents.

We don't need  heavy rotation of  "tourist" stories !

 

There - I vented and feel slightly better

until the next "tourist in trouble" story pops up

 

Very sluggish. New car sales are way down. Condo and home sales are down. Retail sales are way down. Debt is up. Homelessness is up. Defaults are up. The last administration was a disaster. When will the army ever admit their failures and inadequacies? 

[Ironmike]

7 hours ago, Will B Good said:

A private hospital leaving that Chinese man (from Taiwan???) to die in the road in BKK is not going to go down well.....555

What about the American and European teenagers that were run down and murdered by this drunken Russian women in Chalong and nothing has been done about this just the police got paid off and Dussfidanya mofo it's back to the Kremlin they go,, all the police in this matter need to be arrested and charged Che k out the clip

[stix40]

Less Chinese good news !

Now invest in tidying the place up and improving the info structure but without losing Thailand's identity ! 

 

 

[MrJ2U]

12 hours ago, webfact said:

return to pre-pandemic figures by 2025.

Chinese usually visit a country once and move on. 

 

The majority aren't repeat customers.

 

With a sagging economy, Chinese are also encouraged to spend money domestically, not unlike Thailand. 

[MrJ2U]

9 hours ago, impulse said:

Gotta love the way some posters don't mind seeing so many local businesses suffer because they don't like the Chinese. Or the Russians. Or the Indians. Or the...

Chinese and Russians are a pain in the *rs*.

 

Most businesses hate them. 

[thecyclist]

12 hours ago, Geoffggi said:

Some good news at last ..................LOL

Not good enough. 2035 would be better  

[lordgrinz]

If your are a pedestrian, or in a vehicle of any kind in Thailand, your safety means nothing to the Thai public. The only thing they care about is your wallet, your happiness is also less important.

[chiman]

After 17 years in Thailand, there are so many things I don’t feel safe doing… including walking on most sidewalks in Bangkok.  This thread is worthless… safety won’t’ change, it is asking too much, can’t change the culture of taking short cuts in life, even when that risks your life or those around you 

[Stargeezr]

I think the whole world economy is still recovering from the pancemic. Why would TAT, Thai government or anyone expect things to recover

faster than it is, especially when there are wars and fighting in some of the world still.

Good thing that Thailand has other industries to help its GDP. It is also a good thing that Thailand is a tropical country, where people from the cold parts of the world

want to come to to escape the cold and snow of Winter. IMO

[newnative]

13 hours ago, ozz1 said:

That's what happens when you put all your eggs in one basket

2019 tourist revenue:

Asia, not including China:   738 billion

China:                                   543 billion

Europe:                                 462 billion

Americas:                             116 billion

Thailand did not have all its 'eggs in one basket.  And, the biggest egg wasn't China, it was the rest of Asia.  China was, of course, the #1 country for tourist revenue that year.

[daveAustin]

15 hours ago, impulse said:

Gotta love the way some posters don't mind seeing so many local businesses suffer because they don't like the Chinese. Or the Russians. Or the Indians. Or the...

What a load of old mawkish twaddle. Most Thais make absolutely F all from them. If they did, then since covid they should have diversified and got into weed. I see you also defend the Russians and Indians. How’s about the Mongolians and Vietnamese? If you’ve got skin in the game and your business depends on these fine folk, then fair enough. If not, then see above; mawkish twaddle. 

[Scouse123]

14 hours ago, John Drake said:

Waiting now to see the blue ringed octopus story to make its way to Chinese social media.

 

Might slow them down at the buffets in the hotels.

[jacko45k]

15 hours ago, wealthychef said:

I might venture to add that part of the problem was the draconian worldwide CoVid restrictions that harmed the economies and psychologies of many nations.  Not sure how big a factor that was;  I wonder if anyone is going to do an article on that sometime.  

Let it rest now.......

[Mike Lister]

3 hours ago, daveAustin said:

What a load of old mawkish twaddle. Most Thais make absolutely F all from them. If they did, then since covid they should have diversified and got into weed. I see you also defend the Russians and Indians. How’s about the Mongolians and Vietnamese? If you’ve got skin in the game and your business depends on these fine folk, then fair enough. If not, then see above; mawkish twaddle. 

I don't agree. The major benefit of tourism is that it increases consumer spending, tourists arrive and spend money that ends up in the hands of local business and they in turn spend it to live. Nobody cares where those tourists come from, as long as they come and spend.

[wombat]

The only ones concerned would be the zero dollar groups.

 

[lavender19]

17 hours ago, ftpjtm said:

But don't bother trying to incentivize visits from the west (90 day tourist visas for all visa exempt countries)? Only Chinese tourism matters. 

Don't forget the Russians also.

[nobodysfriend]

23 hours ago, webfact said:

Tourism bookings take an immediate hit whenever safety incidents occur in Thailand, and Chinese social media plays a significant role in the rapid dissemination of such news

23 hours ago, webfact said:

Ping urged the Thai government to address safety concerns swiftly

 

News spread rapidly around the world these days .

Many dead tourists in Thailand damage Thailand's reputation as a safe country .

Waaaay too many guns in the hands of childish uneducated Thais .

Too many drugs that contribute greatly to the mental instability of users . ( Yaba , ice , meth etc ... )

Traffic and driving on public roads ... , no comment ...

Total lack of sympathy for the paying tourists , it is only their money that counts . ( Food poisoning , hygienic standards )

Thailand IS a dangerous country .

And it will lose more of it's reputation as a classic holiday destination if that does not change .

The TAT  is foolish , everybody knows .

So is the thai government if they think that Thailand will always stay attractive to visitors , despite what makes the international news .

Tourists want to enjoy their life , not lose it in Thailand .

[orchis]

and then there is the threat of the rotten air 

[newnative]

2 hours ago, Mike Lister said:

I don't agree. The major benefit of tourism is that it increases consumer spending, tourists arrive and spend money that ends up in the hands of local business and they in turn spend it to live. Nobody cares where those tourists come from, as long as they come and spend.

Absolutely.  ECON 101.

[edwarda909]

An informal poll showed that only 3% polled felt crime was a deterrent, and the majority of them said it was only a minor concern. 57% said the worsening air quality was a significant factor in choosing not to visit Thailand beyond January, with CM being the most often-mentioned locale to be avoided.  None reported the poor quality of the side walks which just received a multimillion (billion?0 baht makeover.   Let's get real