1 minute ago, JamesPhuket10 said:

 

Thanks, a good idea, I will do that tomorrow. 👍

 

The £2000 cash is to get me out of Thailand should visa rules suddenly changed due to a government takeover or whatever, it may be over the top thinking but it is better to be safe than sorry, so I think I will top it up to 3k just in case. 

 

It's always a great idea to keep cash at home just in case.

 

With our digital bank lifestyles and being in Thailand the risk we lose access to our accounts is very real. Even our phone giving up the ghost can have us locked out for days.

1 minute ago, JamesPhuket10 said:

 

Thanks, a good idea, I will do that tomorrow. 👍

 

The £2000 cash is to get me out of Thailand should visa rules suddenly changed due to a government takeover or whatever, it may be over the top thinking but it is better to be safe than sorry, so I think I will top it up to 3k just in case. 

 

6 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

 

Very wise.

 

It is also a good idea to register TWO phones on your Wise and bank account, so if one phone gives up the ghost you're not left for days without the ability to access your accounts.

 

P.s. Time to sign off now as it is beerOclock.

 

More friendly banter the next time. 

Just now, JamesPhuket10 said:

 

 

P.s. Time to sign off now as it is beerOclock.

 

More friendly banter the next time. 

 

Enjoy a cold one with the ladyboys.

4 hours ago, Red Forever said:

 

Spain and Greece “Look at how they treat there (sic) tourists”.

You mean Spain and Greece whose inhabitants have been demonstrating this year with placards saying “Tourists not welcome here” and “Tourists go home “?

Greek inhabitants have been demonstrating about the number of cruise ships docking.

On 9/29/2025 at 4:35 PM, blaze master said:

They should promote that sinkhole in bkk as a new attraction. 

Are you expecting further photo  opportunies as they throw thousands of tons of concrete onto soggy unstable soil?

5 hours ago, greeneking said:

You are in a strong position to mock the cavemen who are less fortunate.

As are you mocking those you see as less educated by referring to them as "cavemen"!

Same old response....relying on Loy Krathong and New Year Celebrations when everyone has seen it all before.   No Innovation whatsoever.

 

Things need changing right from the minute you walk into the Country.   First people you meet are miserable and arrogant Immigration Officers; never see a smile or hear the word 'Welcome'.   Customs not too bad but 'Excise' likely to grab you and search your Luggage for one Smokestick too many or one Minature bottle of Spirits you got free with your Litre.    Woe betide you if you have a Bottle of anything that's not in a sealed bag, Capital Offence !

 

Down to the Bank (Thieves) and plonk your Farang Card in for Cash and Wallop, 250 Baht per shot, when other Countries in the Region are charging much less or are free in certain places.

 

Greed dominated Government and Tourist Industry is killing them slowly and serves them right !

On 9/29/2025 at 4:18 PM, HappyExpat57 said:

Could it be a lousy exchange rate and the fact that police are descending on clubs like storm troopers?

Yes exchange rate is major factor, so is drug crime, and maddnes like I've never seen b4 from tourists, unfortunately you can slag all you like but since dope shops arrived and the draft dodgers from Russia and Ukraine the place just ain't the LOS anymore. 

Everyone is experiencing high prices and Thais are suffering from no work no customers, shops appearing in every house front now 

13 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

Everyone seems to be raving about this Vietnam place ...I really want to go but will have to wait until next year now 

Sounds a fantastic place thankyou for your service

Banks in Vietnam now require digital ID and are worse than Thailand just happening now 

50 minutes ago, greeneking said:

Are you expecting further photo  opportunies as they throw thousands of tons of concrete onto soggy unstable soil?

 

I see you are new to thailand.

 

Sawatdee kap...that means hello.

48 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

As are you mocking those you see as less educated by referring to them as "cavemen"!

Check back. The poster I responded to did.

2 minutes ago, blaze master said:

 

I see you are new to thailand.

 

Sawatdee kap...that means hello.

Sarcasm is best served witty.

You will learn.

4 minutes ago, greeneking said:

Sarcasm is best served witty.

You will learn.

 

Not from you I wont.

2 minutes ago, blaze master said:

 

Not from you I wont.

Dumb stupidity and witless sarcasm.

I need no more contributions from you.

Just now, greeneking said:

Dumb stupidity and witless sarcasm.

I need no more contributions from you.

 

Ok.

Probably constant changes to immigration and making very difficult to stay and losing everything you bought while on a year visa because immigration made it difficult to approve you for another year. I think that's why tourist is choosing neighboring countries like Vietnam & Cambodia

7 hours ago, Red Forever said:

 

Spain and Greece “Look at how they treat there (sic) tourists”.

You mean Spain and Greece whose inhabitants have been demonstrating this year with placards saying “Tourists not welcome here” and “Tourists go home “?

That’s a result of too many tourists and airbnbs. There are so many airbnbs that no one rents to normal families, workers etc. And these airbnbs make more money in a few days than a whole months rent. 

48 minutes ago, greeneking said:

1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

As are you mocking those you see as less educated by referring to them as "cavemen"!

Check back. The poster I responded to did.

No need for me to do so, I commented on your comment...

"You are in a strong position to mock the cavemen who are less fortunate" .  There's no indication in your post that you were quoting someone else.  Check back.

If only

To those blaming the foreign exchange rate, do the math. You are attaching far to much importance to a relatively small factor.Some currencies are doing slightly better than they were doing a year ago  (30-Sept 2025/2024)

 

What one unit of currency purchases in Thai Baht
	2025	2024	Change
Australian $	21.47	22.28	-3.6%
Pound Sterling	43.66	43.29	0.9%
US $	32.47	32.39	0.2%
Euro	38.11	36.05	5.7%
CAD $	23.3	23.93	-2.6%
Norwegian Krone	3.25	3.07	5.9%
Swedish Krona	3.45	3.19	8.2%
Chinese Yuan (offshore)	4.55	4.62	-1.5%

 

On 9/29/2025 at 5:18 AM, HappyExpat57 said:

Could it be a lousy exchange rate and the fact that police are descending on clubs like storm troopers?

No.

 

On 9/29/2025 at 5:39 AM, daveAustin said:

Getting too expensive. Not great value anymore regardless of silly high baht. 

 

Yes. Price inflation  has occurred at every tourist destination.  The type of people who could once afford to travel to Thailand, can no longer afford to do so. these are the same people who are now facing high costs for their own housing and food in their homelands. The price of goods and services have now caught up to the cost of the labour and  materials which are used to provide the goods and services.

 

9 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

10 hours ago, Photoguy21 said:

This assumes everyone has a smart phone which is not true.

Nonsense.  That's about as rational as saying that not everyone has electricity.  Which part of society that is travelling internationally doesn't have a phone?  

 

Hey pedant Lou, did you fail to notice he said SMART phone, and not just phone? Maybe SMART is not something you're familiar with.

1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

No need for me to do so, I commented on your comment...

"You are in a strong position to mock the cavemen who are less fortunate" .  There's no indication in your post that you were quoting someone else.  Check back.

My god you are argumentative.  And lazy.

14 hours ago, newnative said:

    Western tourist numbers are not 'falling'--at least not British or US.  They are both up this year and will likely come close to matching the numbers from the record year of 2019.  The fall in tourist numbers this year is primarily from the Chinese.  

Well we know why the visitors from the US and UK visit Thailand. The numbers of Europeans visiting really isn't much. And those are the visitors TAT values. Plenty of oblivious Indians and Russian families keep numbers up. Pattaya lost the Europeans mini high season along the beach with endless "improvements" construction. And it looks like Jomtiem may be losing the Scandinavian snow birds with the construction sh*tshow too.

The reaction was bigger news to me than the headline. Thailands economy is dependent on tourism they are kind of <deleted> without the tourists

8 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

To those blaming the foreign exchange rate, do the math. You are attaching far too much importance to a relatively small factor.

 

Yeah, but complaining about the exchange rate is like comfort food. It goes down easy.

1 hour ago, HappyExpat57 said:

 

Yeah, but complaining about the exchange rate is like comfort food. It goes down easy.

Indeed the Pattaya promenade went from very nice atmosphere to ... (Same location) The folks coming for the hookers don't care. But like I said July/August used to be a mini high season for Europeans

3 hours ago, morrobay said:

Well we know why the visitors from the US and UK visit Thailand. The numbers of Europeans visiting really isn't much. And those are the visitors TAT values. Plenty of oblivious Indians and Russian families keep numbers up. Pattaya lost the Europeans mini high season along the beach with endless "improvements" construction. And it looks like Jomtiem may be losing the Scandinavian snow birds with the construction sh*tshow too.

Same in Patong, unfinished work along the seafront, then also in the area where I live Rawai, they started work around the lake, everything has ground to a halt and 66 million baht down the drain, It looks a mess, 

2 hours ago, morrobay said:

Well we know why the visitors from the US and UK visit Thailand. The numbers of Europeans visiting really isn't much. And those are the visitors TAT values. Plenty of oblivious Indians and Russian families keep numbers up. Pattaya lost the Europeans mini high season along the beach with endless "improvements" construction. And it looks like Jomtiem may be losing the Scandinavian snow birds with the construction sh*tshow too.

     Your figures are for 2024.  I was responding to a post that stated that western tourists in 2025 are in decline.  I think the reality is that they are still recovering, as your 2024 figures show.  You focused on Europeans so let's see how the European countries that are tracked

are doing this year compared to the record year of 2019.

January to August, 2025:                                     2019

UK 788,000                                                           994,000

Russia  1,700,000                                                 1,400,000  

Germany  619,000                                               857,000

France  593,000                                                   740,000

 

   With 4 months of data left to go, and the busy high season months at that, I think it's clear that the European countries that are tracked will likely get close to the record numbers they had in 2019, with some maybe surpassing those numbers, as Russia has already.   As I said in my earlier post, 2025's decline in visitors is largely from Asian countries, primarily China.

    

Build a CN Tower in Pattaya and tourists will come 

56 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

Same in Patong, unfinished work along the seafront, then also in the area where I live Rawai, they started work around the lake, everything has ground to a halt and 66 million baht down the drain, It looks a mess, 

And as if the construction sh*tshow isn't bad enough. The completed Pattaya promenade went from these photos to a glorified road.  Well for sure there has been decline of Europeans along Pattaya beach