Thailand faces a decline in British tourists and expats: Causes and Consequences

[rexpotter]

2 minutes ago, cardinalblue said:

Here is your problem with your thinking…so instead of 225, it is 150 AP…instead of 30 minutes vs 20 minutes sitting in traffic…

 

it has not improved to an acceptable level for an expat or tourist even if trends has improved…A person doesn’t say “oh it’s better now than 2 decades ago”…here and now bad is bad or bad vs real bad…bad is not tolerated anymore with more options than ever before 

I suspect he is trying deal with it is all.

[rexpotter]

12 hours ago, Ben Zioner said:

The devastating effect of Thai street food. 

 

Who is the old white guy looking off somewhere on the right above the girls? Is he lost?

[UKresonant]

12 hours ago, Misty said:

 

So where are British going instead?

No where at the moment, start of British summer time  

(Have to wait till after 7th July to avoid tax residency anyway) 

Other destinations including Thailand appealing Sept onwards perhaps.

[Paris333]

Thailand Authorities is only responsible for implementing almost mandatory health insurance for medical mafia and westerners are afraid to "burn money" for useless things to prove that they are healthy.

Any foreigner who is to be hospitalized for serious injuries in Thailand must be involved the home embassy for repatriation.

Thai medical mafia have cause huge damage in Thais reputation and I am talking about of my own I affraid medical mafia because thanks God I am healthy many years and of cource unvaccinated furthermore I have not take any medical drugs for the last 25 years as well as hopsital "accomodation" for any reason and I hate hospitals.

We experinence the dictactorship of white shirts with mandatory taking injections.

As everyone we want to live a quite life away from any "guidance" for mandatory drugs and we do not want to play our life russian roulette following the "guidance" of medical mafia cartel. All these things created a "sick environment" for every activity and I do not ommit finacial depression and dismissals of workers.

 

[daveAustin]

Ooh I bet this topic brought out the haters. Have at it, you unworthy colonial lot you! 😂

[RobU]

50 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

I'm by no means as qualified as you, but I have noticed that the antiquated linguistic style that you have picked up on and rightly highlighted,  is also widely spoken by Left-wing  activists, Trade union officials, and of course woke hypocrites who spend most of their waking hours accusing just about everybody of either Racism, Discrimination, or any one of a multitude of "phobias" depending on which one is trending

 

True. It's a cultural trait of extreme activists trying to destabilise current western society. They practice racism, misogyny and extreme discrimination themselves but try to hide it by creating a smokescreen of accusations of the same against those they want to dominate

[sidjameson]

3 hours ago, edwinchester said:

My daughter and her own family love Thailand and went back to the UK last weekend after their fortnight here. Her husband told me that the entire trip, for two adults and three youngsters, has cost nearly £11,000! £5500 was for 5 economy flights. They are quite well off but if prices keep going up they will be seriously considering destinations other than Thailand.

Sounds like they aren't spending wisely. Very very easy to get 5 adult flights London to bkk for 2500 to 3000 not 5500.

[Ben Zioner]

52 minutes ago, rexpotter said:

Who is the old white guy looking off somewhere on the right above the girls? Is he lost?

He looks as in a hurry to leave the country, that would be consistent with the headline. The other were just there, to stoned to get away

[rexpotter]

1 minute ago, Ben Zioner said:

He looks as in a hurry to leave the country, that would be consistent with the headline. The other were just there, to stoned to get away

Let me the hell out of this place. Hahahaha

[rexpotter]

3 minutes ago, Ben Zioner said:

He looks as in a hurry to leave the country, that would be consistent with the headline. The other were just there, to stoned to get away

I hope you realize I laughed so hard I spit my last sip of beer all over my laptop.

[OneMoreFarang]

1 hour ago, cardinalblue said:

Here is your problem with your thinking…so instead of 225, it is 150 AP…instead of 30 minutes vs 20 minutes sitting in traffic…

 

it has not improved to an acceptable level for an expat or tourist even if trends has improved…A person doesn’t say “oh it’s better now than 2 decades ago”…here and now bad is bad or bad vs real bad…bad is not tolerated anymore with more options than ever before 

It's interesting how people react to my post.

It is a lot better than it was years and decades ago. I live since almost 30 years in Bangkok in the same area and I know the smoke from years ago and now.

Obviously, it could be better and should be better. But what is wrong about noticing that it is already better than before.

If it would be as bad as 20 years ago for a day or two then I am sure you would all hope it would be like a week ago.

 

And personally, I really don't care what tourists want. As far as I am concerned, they should all go to Phuket or some place like that.

[soi3eddie]

10 hours ago, saintdomingo said:

I had a few drinks in Chequers the other day, didn't notice any dodgy lowlifes.

555 obviously you didn't meet Liam.

 

 

Edited April 20 by soi3eddie

[Funkymover]

well with the T 30, the more and more increasing rules and costs for visas. and the cost of the flight, last year cost me £1200, this year I will not be going because its now £1400.. and I will no longer retire there. Anyway, do not think they are concerned with any european country , They are only interested in rich russians, indians and selling their soul, and country to china, even looks like they are going to  change their own gambling laws to build a casino to keep the chinese happy . makes me wonder as their government become more of a dictator, whether the chinese even have someone in the government making the decisions 

[soi3eddie]

My take on the OP decline of British tourists to Thailand is two fold.

1) The lower end of the socio economic scale are hurting financially and cannot afford to travel to Thailand (higher airfares or cannot afford to travel at all). Many that can travel, will be going to lower air fare destinations such as Spain and The Canary Islands.

2) The higher end of the socio economic scale are looking for new adventures. Many I meet on flights to Thailand are then continuing elsewhere such as Vietnam and Laos for their holidays.

 

[Lancelot01]

13 hours ago, saintdomingo said:

Robinson Caruso.? I suspect your spellchecker is playing games with you driller.

A great singer though. 

[Mr Grumpy]

The price of an air ticket to Thailand is not conducive to travel there. You're broke before you land. Much cheaper to fly to the Caribbean or Greece or dozens of other countries, The airlines are guilty of gross profiteering in order to buy their next generation fleet of aircraft. Until they sort that out you can kiss Thailand off my list of places to visit (again) 

 

[pub2022]

14 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Thailand has been facing a decline in Western tourists for a decade now. There are a dozen good reasons why Westerners don't visit Thailand as much as they used to. I was recently in Phuket and I would estimate the population of foreigners was 40% Russian, 20% Arab, 20% Malaysian and Chinese, 15% Indian, and about 2% Westerners and a sprinkling of some others. It was a low end crowd. 

 

The sad truth is that Thailand is not doing anything to improve itself they are making absolutely no effort to tackle air quality environmental issues traffic congestion or any other problems plaguing the nation. It seems to be a combination of sloth lack of vision and extreme arrogance. 

 

Are you saying that the Russian, who I bet are more blond, taller and blue-eyed than you, aren't Westerners?

[bkk_mike]

14 hours ago, NanLaew said:

 

Since when has the Thai education system qualified as being a "sought-after" source of "high-quality" work?

I think if you're teaching in the better international schools...

But technically I suppose that's separate from the Thai education system.

[bkk_mike]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

It's interesting how people react to my post.

It is a lot better than it was years and decades ago. I live since almost 30 years in Bangkok in the same area and I know the smoke from years ago and now.

Obviously, it could be better and should be better. But what is wrong about noticing that it is already better than before.

If it would be as bad as 20 years ago for a day or two then I am sure you would all hope it would be like a week ago.

 

And personally, I really don't care what tourists want. As far as I am concerned, they should all go to Phuket or some place like that.

Exactly.

I first came to Thailand when they were building the original skytrain. Traffic and air pollution from the traffic was a lot worse then than at any time since the skytrain and MTR opened.

I remember one time, just sitting on an 8 lane road (4 lanes each way), completely stopped in one direction, with everyone else, for over half an hour - and this was out by Seacon Square, not in the centre. In 45 minutes, we moved 12 metres - that half an hour in the middle of it we didn't move at all...

 

The simple fact is Thailand has built a lot of public transit systems in the last 25 years (first skytrain opened in 1999). Imagine what the traffic was like before that. - and that's not even taking into account that what's coming out of the exhaust is generally a lot cleaner now also.

 

What has gotten a lot worse... - the queues at immigration seem to be a lot slower than they used to be. Of course they're doing more - in that now you have the fingerprint scanners - but I think that's part of the problem... the fingerprint scanners themselves seems to be what takes up all the time.

Edited April 20 by bkk_mike

[soi3eddie]

10 hours ago, trevoromgh said:

Also surprised that no-one has mentioned (or I think not) that the 'so called' flagship UK airline British Airways has not flown to Thailand since the pandemic and will not do so again until October 2024 when it will only fly here three times a week from London Gatwick which is better than nothing I guess but is hardly a vote of confidence in Thailand or the economic recovery in Europe.  Luckily I haven't flown BA for years as it is rubbish i.e. old planes, old staff, poor service, dire food so it's been EVA or Emirates usually for me.

And the upcoming British Airways flights will be on aging B777 200 planes from <deleted>wick. An airport a very long way from central London. 

[kwilco]

3 hours ago, BarraMarra said:

Why do you have use that word in every post you make Kwilco ? " Racist "

QED - Not every post just the ones you read - I wonder why? 

Edited April 20 by kwilco

[kwilco]

5 hours ago, RobU said:

where at least one of the members (me) has a qualification in semantic logic

One O level I suspect - and still knows nothing about history or racism.

Lets ‘see if you can use you “logic” to explain why you are using 2 logical fallacies ….

Appeal to Authority and secondly Credentials Fallacy?

 

 

 

Edited April 20 by kwilco

[kwilco]

2 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I know the smoke from years ago and now.

It isn't just with the "smoke' you can see...PM2.5 particles can only be seen with an electron microscope.

 

THere has always been a "burning season" - but in the last decade the burning of biomass has dramatically increased due to pressure from the small CARTEL that runs the commodities markets in Thailand. The amount of traffic has increased exponentially and so has the output of industry - in particular the petro-chemical industroes.

THe topography of Chiang Mai makes it much more susceptible that most places as does the topography of BKK.

 

For several months of the year now, parts of northern THailand are virtually uninhabitable

Edited April 20 by kwilco

[BarraMarra]

26 minutes ago, kwilco said:

One O level I suspect - and still knows nothing about history or racism.

Lets ‘see if you can use you “logic” to explain why you are using 2 logical fallacies ….

Appeal to Authority and secondly Credentials Fallacy?

 

 

 

yes what ever that means

[BarraMarra]

4 hours ago, sidjameson said:

Sounds like they aren't spending wisely. Very very easy to get 5 adult flights London to bkk for 2500 to 3000 not 5500.

yes, i trawled for 3 days swiss air 23 hours, lufthansa £70 for baggage allowance settled for £670 in May with Etihad Manchester to bkk.

[BarraMarra]

1 hour ago, kwilco said:

QED - Not every post just the ones you read - I wonder why? 

because he refers to racism in every post, that's why he is  bit like Goat he just slags off Brits.

Edited April 20 by BarraMarra

[BarraMarra]

My god I'm English but I don't understand what kwilco is on about way way over my head.

[kiwikeith]

17 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Thailand has been facing a decline in Western tourists for a decade now. There are a dozen good reasons why Westerners don't visit Thailand as much as they used to. I was recently in Phuket and I would estimate the population of foreigners was 40% Russian, 20% Arab, 20% Malaysian and Chinese, 15% Indian, and about 2% Westerners and a sprinkling of some others. It was a low end crowd. 

 

The sad truth is that Thailand is not doing anything to improve itself they are making absolutely no effort to tackle air quality environmental issues traffic congestion or any other problems plaguing the nation. It seems to be a combination of sloth lack of vision and extreme arrogance. 

I think the war in Ukraine has caused the whole world to have problems, it's absolutely insane for the USA to fund a war that's screwing everyone. 

Then the greedy banks are screwing everyone with high interest, supermarket's as well. 

Russians are fleeing to escape the nicknamed meat grinder, Ukraine can't recruit troops and Israel is a basket case. 

Then Thailand which I have spent the last 17 years in, off and on a bit, and where I want to stay, is making it harder for me and all expats. 

I have a Thai wife and son, I have a house in Thailand, I supported my wife's family and still support my wifes mom who is nearly 80,but it's getting harder for us to get visas, but my wife and son can stay in NZ forever and Thailand, it should be easy to stay in Thailand and look after your family and retire. 

It's a battle now, I don't know what Thailand will do but they need to take a good look at the situation. 

[RobU]

1 hour ago, kwilco said:

One O level I suspect - and still knows nothing about history or racism.

Lets ‘see if you can use you “logic” to explain why you are using 2 logical fallacies ….

Appeal to Authority and secondly Credentials Fallacy?

 

 

 

😂🤣😂🤣😂 Very good, a rambling post with no point whatsoever

[kiwikeith]

1 hour ago, kwilco said:

It isn't just with the "smoke' you can see...PM2.5 particles can only be seen with an electron microscope.

 

THere has always been a "burning season" - but in the last decade the burning of biomass has dramatically increased due to pressure from the small CARTEL that runs the commodities markets in Thailand. The amount of traffic has increased exponentially and so has the output of industry - in particular the petro-chemical industroes.

THe topography of Chiang Mai makes it much more susceptible that most places as does the topography of BKK.

 

For several months of the year now, parts of northern THailand are virtually uninhabitable

If the stupid greedy arms manufacturers don't stop sending weapons to Ukraine and Israel Pattaya will soon be uninhabitable.