10 hours ago, HappyExpat57 said:

It's quite simple - if a product is desireable and at a reasonable price, it sells itself.

Looking at some of the dumplings on Walking streets, that's becoming harder to achieve.

Maybe that's part of the reason of the decline...... the once pockets rockets have ballooned into sofa surfers

36 million is plenty enough.

Ready to evolve ...weed gave the economy the kick-start it needed after covid now the rest of the world is catching up and regular tourism will happen again...

Imho.

7 hours ago, MarkBR said:

They are obsessed with the imaginary quality high-spending tourist, when they should pursue a portfolio strategy whereby they offer a range of tourism types in an optimal mix and then make it possible for tourists to easily get past the bureaucracy. This should include short-term (low & medium & high spenders) & longer term tourists.   Then look at why places like Vietnam are doing better in certain areas, and emulate them, and moreover make Thailands policies better.

They have no choice, everyone in ASEAN is pursuing the imaginary high spending (& imaginary high quality) tourist.  Thailand has to be better.

 

Thailand needs to reposition itself not as a destination for the rich individual, but as a family-friendly location. What are the options for families with young kids in Bangkok who don't want to take a long trip to the outskirts?  Especially with BTS crowded like it is going to be.

 

 

Same old problem, different ways of saying ot, since the highs of 2019 we have had COVID and now in Trumps second term tariffs affecting everything. The majority are tightening their belts in order to just survive .

Yet all TAT can do is to bemoan the low numbers . So how much has been spent on tourist infrastructure , improving the Rail Network which is slower than many Third world poorer countries . The seemingly lack of concern that many public transport drivers especially Taxis have zero knowledge of another language ( seeing that English is the lingua franca for tourism .

Wherever I go in this country which I love , facilities for tourists is at best minimal and often either shut or unacceptable.  

Though my heart does go out to a lot of the Thai people involved in tourism, I feel like Thailand's a much better place to live without throngs of tourists. Especially big groups of Chinese and groups of Russians, without them the quality of life is so much higher, for us expats. 

 

The authorities keep complaining, but there are a dozen things they could have done to have avoided this, and to have continued to build tourism. 

Recently the TAT said that tourism was booming. Maybe they fell asleep and picked an old document.

1 hour ago, TheTightArseTraveller said:

I also think the legalisation of hooch was absolutely a tourism killer.  SO obvious mums and dads dont want their kids walking past a dispensary every three shops and breathing that craaap in everywhere they go.

I’m not saying I’m against cannabis but I hear from friends in the tourism industry (Thai people) that families Do Not like all the pot shops that seem every other shop.  A big turn off.  They go back and tell their friends.  

7 hours ago, MarkBR said:

They are obsessed with the imaginary quality high-spending tourist, when they should pursue a portfolio strategy whereby they offer a range of tourism types in an optimal mix and then make it possible for tourists to easily get past the bureaucracy. This should include short-term (low & medium & high spenders) & longer term tourists.   Then look at why places like Vietnam are doing better in certain areas, and emulate them, and moreover make Thailands policies better.

They have no choice, everyone in ASEAN is pursuing the imaginary high spending (& imaginary high quality) tourist.  Thailand has to be better.

This is very well stated!

Thailand shot itself in the foot with the 60 day visa free for everyone, too many dodgy people found a way in and are probably still here. 

We read about all the fighting, illegal and unsavoury behaviour every day in the English/Thai news publications and those stories are picked up internationally, word gets around. 

22 hours ago, Maxbkkcm said:

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

You are joking ?

I understand there’s no money for making various cities/villages/towns look pretty.  The amount of litter on the roads in Hua Hin eg is sad.  The buildings in town with sheets of paint falling off, dirty facades, no picturesque, arranged plantings, pot plants, flowers.  Electric wires in impossible tangles, it all looks tired and “poor”.  Generally there are no “charming” areas, they look sad and tired.  
I understand that money is lacking to fix this, but if the shopping areas looked clean, pretty and inviting, I think tourists would be inclined to spend more.

i am very happy with my life here in Thailand but I do seriously think that a bit of beauty would enhance the experience for tourists as well as the general population.

As some have mentioned before, the lack of better education for the average Thai person as well as the crucial importance of speaking English is a hindrance to meaningful development.  

They do everything they can to scare visitorsl away from the country.

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. 

"Evolve"? More like, Implode.

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Though my heart does go out to a lot of the Thai people involved in tourism, I feel like Thailand's a much better place to live without throngs of tourists. Especially big groups of Chinese and groups of Russians, without them the quality of life is so much higher, for us expats. 

 

The authorities keep complaining, but there are a dozen things they could have done to have avoided this, and to have continued to build tourism. 

I agree, but you cant deny the hypocrisy in your statement (and my agreement).  We were tourists once too.  Maybe were were more embracing of local culture? 

Not sure, but its hard to say "F**K Off...We are full" when we are immigrants ourselves.

16 minutes ago, geisha said:

Spain has 95 million tourists a year. 
France nearing the 1 hundred million. 

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

As far as i know not one country in the world is back to pre-pandemic levels for tourism, So, what's the big deal?  Thailand isn't any different from anywhere else.  

13 hours ago, Purdey said:

Perhaps Thailand hasn't realised other countries are attractive as tourists search for something "new". Businesses think they can increase profits indefinitely. But national economies can only do this by switching to a variety of new industries that meet new demand so that overall they can keep growing.

Thailand has got stuck on the idea that there is only one industry that can grow indefinitely - tourism. It appears they aren't interested in developing people to enter new industries.

you got that right, they have been stuck with the ero dollar Chinese not only in tourism but also in manufacturing with the Chinese getting a local to sign up front but all the profits go to the mainland and any Thai manufacturing that same merchanise just can't compete with the Chinese government.

23 hours ago, Maxbkkcm said:

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

🤣🤣 Stay off the weed please. 

23 hours ago, Maxbkkcm said:

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

Do you envy them? Not a good feeling for you?

4 hours ago, madmitch said:

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

 

 

I believe it was claiming Chiang Mai as the safest city in the world. The rest of Thailand must be very dangerous indeed to wipe out the rating of such a safe city.

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

Today, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) unveiled a new campaign, "Healing is a New Luxury," aiming for 36 million visitors and 1.63 trillion baht in revenue by 2026.

 

How about this new campaign: "Being nice to foreigners so that they will want to visit"?  Stop the violence against foreigners, stop the scams against foreigners, and stop the antiforeigner propaganda.  Then you might just see an uptick.  Otherwise, it simply isn't going to return to pre-pandemic levels.

4 hours ago, Franky0815 said:

 Thailand can wish for a lot, but 2019 is not 2025! Welcome to reality...

Luckily, as it was way too busy in 2019.

10 hours ago, MarkBR said:

They are obsessed with the imaginary quality high-spending tourist, when they should pursue a portfolio strategy whereby they offer a range of tourism types in an optimal mix and then make it possible for tourists to easily get past the bureaucracy. This should include short-term (low & medium & high spenders) & longer term tourists.   Then look at why places like Vietnam are doing better in certain areas, and emulate them, and moreover make Thailands policies better.

They have no choice, everyone in ASEAN is pursuing the imaginary high spending (& imaginary high quality) tourist.  Thailand has to be better.

 

They need to go back to their roots and offer cheap tourism to backpackers.  Vietnam is still very popular with backpackers.  They're basically stealing Thailand's bread and butter tourists as they offer closer to what Thailand did in the past.

 

There's nothing wrong with Thailand wanting to develop and leave the backpacker image behind, but they can't just shrug off the backpackers and expect everything else to follow.  You have to get the demand for the new thing in before you move over from the old thing.

Thailand is past it's prime and lost momentum. It's tired, dirty, lacking, and has lost the appeal it once had for tourists in most tourist areas...not to mention the low-quality tourists they attract.

 

There are new, different, cleaner and cheaper options elsewhere, and while Thailand will always do ok, it will never be what it once was.

 

Thailand can flip flop between opening up to the masses and claiming they only want quality tourists, but the fact is, they will take almost any tourist they can get.

 

It was a good ride, Thailand, and as much as I enjoy living here, the tourist gravy train is probably over...

14 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

There are good things here. But

 

Low education and English

Poor infrastructure

Terrible uneducated drivers

50 year old low speed trains and routes

Lack of safety oversite on tourist related activities.

Scams

 

 

u forgot the infiltration of a communist, 

    an undesirable sticking his nose in gov biz,    an incompetant sibling selling out the nation

 the WEF trying to get their hooks in and digital wallet and oversight of your money 

 

    

1 hour ago, wensiensheng said:

I believe it was claiming Chiang Mai as the safest city in the world. The rest of Thailand must be very dangerous indeed to wipe out the rating of such a safe city.

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

All the things already said - PLUS the Baht is far too high.  The Baht is being manipulated to keep it high and to make loan repayments less - it is at least 25% over-valued - and that is making a trip to Vietnam far cheaper and a trip to Japan is not that expensive anymore.  But the Baht will drop when the new BOT Boss is appointed and does what he/she is told by a Govt desperate to get past all their current problems, and who see to kick-start the economy as the best way forward.

 

Thailand was flavour of the month - but that was last month. Their best chance going forward to increase tourism is to lower the Baht. Over the next few years they will mainly get cheap charlie Indians, an increase but the same Chinese type, and the wealthier Arabs (once).  

12 minutes ago, Luuk Chaai said:

u forgot the infiltration of a communist, 

    an undesirable sticking his nose in gov biz,    an incompetant sibling selling out the nation

 the WEF trying to get their hooks in and digital wallet and oversight of your money 

 

    

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