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Living the Thai life: Kingdom rolls out red carpet for big spenders


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Posted
11 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thailand is upping the ante in its tourism game, spotlighting the allure of luxury and high-spending travellers to power up the economy post-pandemic.

Paint Pattaya walking street and Bangla road red so it looks like a red carpet?

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Posted
12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

These big spenders splash out more than 6,000-7,000 baht daily, far surpassing the average tourist spend of 4,200 baht per day or 120,000 baht per trip. This exclusive club is largely made up of couples, families, and LGBTQ visitors.

I suppose that these numbers don't include accomodation.?

Posted
14 hours ago, bigt3116 said:

 

And pray where do the stats for the LG(whatever they are today)Q come from ? Asking people at check in and immigration now are they? " You sir/madam/penguin/snowflake, how much do you intend to spend per day?"

 

That happened to me when I was recently flying out of Surabaya. A gov't person interviewed me with those type of questions.

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Posted
24 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

I love Thailand, warts and all. 

 

But when I think about inviting my well healed family to join me on one of my monthly visits, I wonder how they'd feel about the homeless people we'd step over, the dildo merchants we'd pass, and the "aromas" we'd experience in between all the high end opportunities to spend their sweaty tourist money.

 

Thailand needs to develop a pristine area (there are lots of them, but poor access) and keep the standards, instead of pandering to the lowest end of the budget spectrum.  But that's never going to happen if they aspire to $60K tourists spending 6,000-7,000 baht a day.  They need something more along the lines of Fantasy Island where a plane, helicopter, or yacht is the only way in and out...  To keep the likes of yours truly out.

 

 

They'd be better off embracing the low-end, and advertising it everywhere. Trying to chase a fountain of Gold could end up bankrupting them if it doesn't work out, and they would've already spent way too much trying attract them. Not worth the risk, they already have what they need to support the lower to middle-end of the spending crowd. In fact, it was working for years, they just need to do away with the nonsense of the ever changing immigration policies, paperwork, and harassment. 

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Posted
1 minute ago, FritsSikkink said:

Absolute BS. I have met quite a few of them: Boris Becker in his good times (multiple times), Jimmy White (multiple times), Jean-Claude Van Damme, Jimmy Page (comes here a lot). 

Maybe you should change the places where you go.


There is a lot more people in the world than a "few" celebrities, Thailand is indeed known more for its sins than anything else.

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Posted
24 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

People with money don't' care about the expensive THB.

 

Agreed.  All they'd have to do to prove that is to announce a Taylor Swift concert and see how quickly the local airports run out of private jet parking reservations.

 

36 minutes ago, lordgrinz said:

They'd be better off embracing the low-end, and advertising it everywhere. Trying to chase a fountain of Gold could end up bankrupting them if it doesn't work out, and they would've already spent way too much trying attract them.

 

I don't see that as mutually exclusive.  That bell can't be unrung in some places, but it doesn't have to be that way in future development.  At some level of spending the wear and tear on the infrastructure (and the environment) exceeds the benefits of the revenue. 

 

There are many examples of tourist venues that started out as meccas for backpackers that upgraded over time.

 

Posted

« RICH and Famous » have their own playgrounds where they can dock their yachts and parked their jets. Among these playgrounds are West Palm Beach, St.Barth and a few other secluded Caribbean islands. Add a few Mediterranean hot spots, Ibiza, St.Tropez, Monaco, Costa Smeralda, Cinque Terre

as well as a few other private Pacific atolls and motus surrounding Bora Bora.

For years Thailand has been promoting cheap vacations, all included and now it’s difficult to reverse the trend.

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Posted
1 hour ago, impulse said:

 

I love Thailand, warts and all. 

 

But when I think about inviting my well healed family to join me on one of my monthly visits, I wonder how they'd feel about the homeless people we'd step over, the dildo merchants we'd pass, and the "aromas" we'd experience in between all the high end opportunities to spend their sweaty tourist money.

 

Thailand needs to develop a pristine area (there are lots of them, but poor access) and keep the standards, instead of pandering to the lowest end of the budget spectrum.  But that's never going to happen if they aspire to $60K tourists spending 6,000-7,000 baht a day.  They need something more along the lines of Fantasy Island where a plane, helicopter, or yacht is the only way in and out...  To keep the likes of yours truly out.

 

 

“the dildo merchants we'd pass”

 

LOL…good one.

Posted
1 minute ago, G_Money said:

“the dildo merchants we'd pass”

 

LOL…good one.

 

My nieces and nephews all have kids of an age where I can't imagine explaining to them what those are.  Especially the hot pink ones that are over 12" long...  Which makes it uncomfortable for a family walking in most touristy areas. 

 

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Posted

These big spenders splash out more than 6,000-7,000 baht daily, far surpassing the average tourist spend of 4,200 baht per day or 120,000 baht per trip. This exclusive club is largely made up of couples, families, and LGBTQ visitors.

 

TAT’s Siripakorn Cheawsamoot, revealed that this exclusive club, largely made up of couples, families, and LGBTQ visitors, contributed  a hefty 40-50% of last year’s 2 trillion baht in tourism revenue.


TAT’s Siripakorn Cheawsamoot might be delighted to learn, that there is another segment spending obscene amounts of money, namely the upper crust of retiree residents. Some brainless goons in the Finance Ministry floated the idea of taxing retirees on their entire assets they accrued over 45 years of working - resulting in tens of thousands of the better-off to move on. In my circle of friends some 15% to 20% are ready to move away the minute that taxation dream becomes Thai reality; they correctly state that their savings has nothing to do with Thailand as earned, taxed and saved before moving here. 

The semi-divine simply forgot, that non-Thais of any walk of life, have moved at least once in their lifetime and, wonder over wonder, are able to do that anytime again. There is sun, fun and nothing to do in many other countries with easier entry conditions such as visa, asset ownership and taxation! 

Meanwhile 
Siripakorn, "looking" after Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas, will have to live with the fact, that his colleague running South Asia and China is considerably luckier - as far as arrivals are concerned - they come in by the millions and leave a trickling small trail - per capita - compared to the rest of the world. 

Siripakorn's segment faces two obstacles; one is the immigration under the police under the Ministry of Interior and they - quite obviously - never ever spoke to each other. The thorny way to a long(er) term tourist visa, for instance the entire winter of the Northern hemisphere is a ballistic journey of bureaucracy, photocopies duly signed in only blue ink, photographs of the applicant who may not smile whatsoever on the shots etc. etc. etc.  To be ahead of others and remain competitive in the anticipated luxury travel market, Thailand needs to ease some bureaucratic obstacles, upgrade the infrastructure and supply chains - all of which remain persistent weaknesses with no attempt for change in sight. 

Absolutely unknown remains also, why a tourist cannot open a bank account and get an ATM card. There is zero risk for the bank as the ATM only splurges money as long as there is money on the account. But have it your way and carry on dreaming - or get real and welcome the 21st century of tourism business! 

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