Tourism Thailand Tourism: Falling Behind or Ready to Evolve?

[Luuk Chaai]

3 minutes ago, TroubleandGrumpy said:

You been watching Ben?? Me too - he is right - Thailand is going downhill badly. 

 

Yes ....... and I must say ,,     he sure is real angry and not afraid to show it

hopefully.     people in the real gov are listening

[DonniePeverley]

Further problems between the disconnect between TAT and THE GOVERNMENT IMMIGRATION stance -  is the government is without boundaries and checks letting alot of low class council estate chavs live and stay in Thailand, some who are criminals. These people will invariably go into AirBnb type accomodation, which then hurts hotels. 

 

TAT wants people there on shorter holidays and staying in hotels, no crime, good tourists who will spend some money - THIS IS THE MODEL MOST COUTNRIES IN THE WORLD WANT. 

 

The initiative to welcome families into shorter waiting lines is good. The drug dealers from the UK, scammers from China, sex pests from India can stay in the longer immigration lines. 

[angryguy]

9 minutes ago, DonniePeverley said:

Further problems between the disconnect between TAT and THE GOVERNMENT IMMIGRATION stance -  is the government is without boundaries and checks letting alot of low class council estate chavs live and stay in Thailand, some who are criminals. These people will invariably go into AirBnb type accomodation, which then hurts hotels. 

 

TAT wants people there on shorter holidays and staying in hotels, no crime, good tourists who will spend some money - THIS IS THE MODEL MOST COUTNRIES IN THE WORLD WANT. 

 

The initiative to welcome families into shorter waiting lines is good. The drug dealers from the UK, scammers from China, sex pests from India can stay in the longer immigration lines. 

The only bad foreigners to them are the ones who dont spend money

[Donga]

With all the whinging going on you wouldn't think Thailand was ranked in the top 10 - behind European countries where road travel to visit is so easy, China and the US with much larger land masses and hence more attractions, Mexico with cross border American tourists and still ahead of Germany and the UK. This is data from 2024.

My two bobs worth would be Thailand to communicate their no 2 ranking for the most national parks by country, some of which are delightful  https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/national-parks-by-country Having visited over 60 countries, including all in Asia save Bhutan and not much Middle East, Thailand have the best temples. some are truly magical, though appreciate that doesn't necessarily appeal to everyone. 

• France: 89.4 million visitors.
• Spain: 83.7 million visitors.
• United States: 79.3 million visitors.
• China: 65.7 million visitors.
• Italy: 64.5 million visitors.
• Turkey: 51.2 million visitors.
• Mexico: 45 million visitors.
• Thailand: 39.8 million visitors.
• Germany: 39.6 million visitors.
• United Kingdom: 39.4 million visitors.       

[wensiensheng]

2 hours ago, lungbing said:

Is that the same Chiang Mai where 9 members of a restaurant's  staff were recently  filmed kicking a farang customer?

But think how safe the rest of Chiang Mai must be if that restrains so dangerous!

[pub2022]

 

In the city I live, I see the most expensive restaurants, massage shops and hotels full with customers.

[frank83628]

10 hours ago, Coxy said:

Thailands hot spots have become old and tired looking.  Tourists are keen to try someplace new in Asia.  The negative press the country is getting does not help

They might have tired to you as an expat, but for fisrt time tourists its all amazing and a new experience. 

Tourists dont see any of the thIngs long termers do

[DonniePeverley]

2 hours ago, Donga said:

With all the whinging going on you wouldn't think Thailand was ranked in the top 10 - behind European countries where road travel to visit is so easy, China and the US with much larger land masses and hence more attractions, Mexico with cross border American tourists and still ahead of Germany and the UK. This is data from 2024.

My two bobs worth would be Thailand to communicate their no 2 ranking for the most national parks by country, some of which are delightful  https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/national-parks-by-country Having visited over 60 countries, including all in Asia save Bhutan and not much Middle East, Thailand have the best temples. some are truly magical, though appreciate that doesn't necessarily appeal to everyone. 

• France: 89.4 million visitors.
• Spain: 83.7 million visitors.
• United States: 79.3 million visitors.
• China: 65.7 million visitors.
• Italy: 64.5 million visitors.
• Turkey: 51.2 million visitors.
• Mexico: 45 million visitors.
• Thailand: 39.8 million visitors.
• Germany: 39.6 million visitors.
• United Kingdom: 39.4 million visitors.       

 

 

Thailand has open borders. It has been a disgraceful experiement that has wrecked quality tourism. 

 

If the UK or any EUropean country let in Indians visa free they would be awash with half of India in them the next day.

[BayArea]

9 hours ago, TheTightArseTraveller said:

That is going to plummet with the crime rates and out of control immigration.  Europe is stuffed.

I agree, but its mostly western Europe that will be affected. Eastern and central Europe will thrive and replace that vacuum due to the issues you stated. 

[DonniePeverley]

8 minutes ago, BayArea said:

I agree, but its mostly western Europe that will be affected. Eastern and central Europe will thrive and replace that vacuum due to the issues you stated. 

 

The crime rate in Thailand is not that low despite the rhetoric you see. Also how many crimes in Thailand are actively noted in the provinces where disputes are often settled amongst communities. 

[Mentors65]

even my Thai wife and Thai friends start to realise how dirty Thailand has become

[BayArea]

2 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

 

The crime rate in Thailand is not that low despite the rhetoric you see. Also how many crimes in Thailand are actively noted in the provinces where disputes are often settled amongst communities. 

True. furthermore, most of the crimes against westerners or tourists in LOS usually occurred in the tourist hot spots which is not that much different than European popular destinations. 

[baansgr]

Bring back ping pong bars, fake Oakley's and 24/7 drinking, they may stand a chance 

[hotchilli]

On 7/21/2025 at 5:37 PM, snoop1130 said:

To regain its stature, Thailand must focus on rebuilding trust, enhancing safety, and offering better value. Transforming from a budget haven to a quality destination could redefine its future. The clock is ticking, as regional rivals forge ahead

Thailands MO is churn out the same old that's worked for decades, hope people come back for more... 

It's now a broken model

[MarkBR]

Had to add a another category to my few ignored categories: currently: Bigots, Crazies, Nazis; now forced to introduce another category SNOBS.  The numbers of people on here who are convinced that that they are quality tourists/immigrants/expats and now Thailand is letting in rampaging hordes of low-quality riff-raff & other tourists (from UK & Europe, China, India) is amazing. 🤣

Should do a reality programme with these low-quality farang gammons ranting drunkenly at the local bar.

[roo860]

2 hours ago, baansgr said:

Bring back ping pong bars, fake Oakley's and 24/7 drinking, they may stand a chance 

And while they're at it, 24hr weed shops, drop all restrictions on weed purchase.

[NoshowJones]

19 hours ago, madmitch said:

Yet last week there was an article claiming Thailand as the safest country in the world!

 

 

The only place Thailand is not safe is on the roads, although I live up country I have walked through the main parts of Bangkok and Pattaya many times at night and never had any problems with safety where when back in the UK I carry a walking stick folded in half for protection.

[NoshowJones]

16 hours ago, geisha said:

Drugs, staggering drunks, fighting, in your face prostitution , scams , who thinks that’s World Class ?
Even the 4* and 5 * hotels are older, tired and expensive. 
Infrastructure is falling apart. Pavements and electric cables are death traps. 
Risk your life on the roads , enough to give you a heart attack.

Its all-ok for the expats who know their way around , and sort of got used to all that is wrong in the country, this is about attracting tourists.

Do these TAT people and authorities, never go abroad  and see how tourism is managed ? 
Just a few figures, Spain has 95 million tourists a year. 
France nearing the 1 hundred million. 
Yes, there’s sometimes a few problems with fights/ dealers etc, but look at the infrastructure , the police force, the education , the local authorities who make life good for the people who live there or holiday there. 

I was in France for just one weekend and had altercations on two occasions, one with a policeman for taking pictures of the Eifel Tower from about half a mile away, and one with a security guard for sitting on the steps near a toilet waiting for my then girlfriend. Contrast that with over 20 years in Thailand with no altercations with anyone.

[JustinTyme]

Thailand is 11% + more expensive for tourism and export trade than a year ago. 
Gosh! Could that cause problems for the economy??

 

 

 

[Will B Good]

On 7/21/2025 at 6:01 PM, Maxbkkcm said:

Evolve definitely. They cater high spender now. You can see it in bkk. Wealthy traveler all over now. 

 

I've been told numerous times you have to *

 

 

 

* sarcasm....or members can get very confused.

[Will B Good]

10 hours ago, pub2022 said:

 

In the city I live, I see the most expensive restaurants, massage shops and hotels full with customers.

 

I was in BKK a few weeks ago.....bustling, lively, busy......on the street.....look inside restaurants and bars and it's surprising how quiet many of them are......but then again, I'm in bed for 9pm.

[paul1804]

Last week its doom & gloom & the next week it claiming high tourist numbers so at least this article is somewhere in between. 

With poor infrastructure, rising prices, scams, Taxi mafia, violence, safety & outdated visa rules are just a few reasons why  Thailand often struggles with attracting more tourists. 

Their marketing strategies target the wrong nations, if you are going to offer bargain hotel rates at least offer it to tourists who will actually spend money when the arrive but Thailand makes these offers to low spending nations!! It appears their preference is to attract numbers & not spenders!

[baansgr]

3 hours ago, roo860 said:

And while they're at it, 24hr weed shops, drop all restrictions on weed purchase.

No, that was never a good idea for sustainable tourism

[actonion]

On 7/21/2025 at 6:01 PM, Maxbkkcm said:

Evolve definitely. They cater high spender now. You can see it in bkk. Wealthy traveler all over now. 

You mean the 2 week Millionaires?

[proton]

I'm only here for the music and even that is a shadow of what it was 15 years ago. Those coming for the sex seem to be met with outrageous prices and ST being the norm. That gahstly white fake temple pic in CR is a good symbol for Thai tourism, a lot of it, like the ancient city, so called floating markets and cultural shows are fake. Baht is too high, prices getting too much and the scams and visa nonsense put visitors off.

[TroubleandGrumpy]

15 hours ago, Luuk Chaai said:

Yes ....... and I must say ,,     he sure is real angry and not afraid to show it

hopefully.     people in the real gov are listening

Unfortunately I do not think they are - and in fact he is probably better off if they are not listening.  There is one single factor that is holding Thailand back more than any other - by a long way.  That is the defamation laws - not as such with the Royals - but as it is used and abused by wealthy powerful Thais to shut down dissent and criticism.  The enemy of corruption is public exposure - whether it be a scammer in a local village or a multi-national causing a building to collapse. 

 

Because of the defamation laws here, public criticism is extremely limited and very easily shut down or ignored. Many Expats criticise the media for not 'investigating' stories but the reality is that they cannot. Some years ago a BBC journalist (Head) was threatened with 5 years in jail and had his Passport taken and detained in Thailand - but after agreements it was dropped. Likewise, UK journalist Andy Hall was charged and found guilty and sentenced to 3 years in jail for reporting about a Thai businessman that had been found guilty of human rights abuse in Court - he left the country under an agreement. 

 

That is THE issue here that Thai journalists all know - defamation is a criminal matter handled by the Thai Police AND the fact that a story is true is irrelevant here - if a person is defamed it is illegal whether true or not and many people have been arrested and detained - an American tourist wrote a very negative online review about a Thai Resort and spent the weekend in jail - and likewise, he withdrew the post and quietly left the country. 

 

Would you visit or invest in a country that does that - and there are so many other corrupt things here.  The defamation laws are but only one of the many issues that is causing Thailand to decline and IMO the fall could make the decline of Argentina look small.  There is more 'wrong' here than that, and more they delay, change and cover it up, the more they ignore and gloss over it, the worse the end fall is going to be.

 

IMO the best solution is to change the defamation laws - make it a Civil case, like the rest of the 1st world, and make Truth a legitimate defence, like in the rest of the 1st world. 

 

The second solution is to remove the Constitution that the Junta put in place as a means of entrenching the power and control of the Thainese elite. But IMO that does not mean what the ignorant Thai politicians in People's Party think. They have to win a majority in both Houses at the next election (doable) and then they can unilaterally change the defamation laws (leaving the part related to the Royals intact). Once they have done that, and only after they have done that, then they should declare the Constitution enacted by the Junta as illegally done as an integral part of an illegal coup and have all involved arrested and charged with treason.  That will result in much 'discussions '- and if they do it right will result in a total amnesty for all those involved in the Junta and all those in opposition political Parties who were suspended/banned. Plus it will result in the rewriting of a new Constitution that will be written by 'both sides' (approval by a minimum of 70%) and made permanent with Royal Ascent that any attempted coup/change is Treason against the King - it can only be changed by a vote of the People.  THEN, the country can Move Forward.  If they put that plan to the Thai People at the next election Move Forward will win in a landslide.

 

[wensiensheng]

2 hours ago, NoshowJones said:

The only place Thailand is not safe is on the roads, although I live up country I have walked through the main parts of Bangkok and Pattaya many times at night and never had any problems with safety where when back in the UK I carry a walking stick folded in half for protection.

Not quite true. Other than roads, try walking around rural villages in Isaan and you’ll need that walking stick to protect yourself from packs of semi wild dogs.

[NoshowJones]

2 minutes ago, wensiensheng said:

Not quite true. Other than roads, try walking around rural villages in Isaan and you’ll need that walking stick to protect yourself from packs of semi wild dogs.

It's not a walking stick you will need, it's a gun.

[whiteman]

The only bad foreigners to them are the ones who dont spend money The sky is falling at long last for the Thailand economy.

[Lorry]

Thailand's newest tourist attraction: F-16s and tanks.  Real war, albeit a small one. The Russians, that Thailand wants to attract, will like it. 

Europeans maybe  don't fancy holidays in a war zone,  neither do Chinese.