1 minute ago, ikke1959 said:

But it is the reality. Not the fairytale Thailand wants everybody to believe. People who came here and are scammed are doing the same.. if Thailand stios the double standards and everything you mentioned it will have a better image as an result. But nowadays don't forget that Thailand is far too expensive because of the overpriced THB

I could not more agree with you.

3 hours ago, mordothailand said:

cue calls for a weaker THB from expat retiree community

I'm sorry to say you can call all you want....unfortunately they will never hear you!!

Thailand only cares about Thai's. My wife (20+ years) still gets pissed at me if the US doesn't blindly support and agree with Thailand.

On 1/2/2026 at 5:18 AM, Peabody said:

Only ~ 1.6 billion baht. Chump change.

That Yabba finally got the best of you. Try trillion baht.

The value of the baht is way too high.

The expensiv bath is absolutely one very big problem for the tourists. I remember when the currency was 40-45% cheaper.

On 1/2/2026 at 10:29 PM, BayArea said:

quality tourists?? how does one measure that??

They can't That is why they say it.

44 minutes ago, Deez said:

They can't That is why they say it.

Everything in Thailand is measured in Baht, so quality tourists are those with deep pockets.

18 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Thailand spent too much time thinking that they were the center of the known universe, rather than addressing issues, planning for the future, and making the country more appealing.

And now are the severely bloated Thai baht, and all the other issues that Thailand has been facing, they are paying the Piper it would seem. Most of us are happy about falling tourism numbers, and hoping that translates into lower hotel prices and lower travel related costs, but that may just be a pipe dream.

18 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

sorry for the chopped edit .. but to get to the point

Thailand spent too much time thinking .... ERRRRRRRRRRRRR ... don't think so ! .........................

hoping that translates into lower hotel prices and lower travel related costs, .. as far as Thai thinking ... it seems the norm for them to "RAISE Pricing .. instead ! such a great business strategy .. ha !!!!!

On 1/2/2026 at 11:05 AM, ikke1959 said:

Good and with the continuing too expensive THB and the border issues and the upcoming elections there will be more going down.. As long as Thailand don't want to change things, staying conservative and control every one, it is not a welcoming destination anymore. Tourists are guests, treat them as guests instead as criminals or potential wrongdoers

It's the potential criminals, hooligans and drug heads that come now as Mary is on every corner selling high THC bud and whatever else is everywhere now.

4 hours ago, Olof Karlsson said:

The expensiv bath is absolutely one very big problem for the tourists. I remember when the currency was 40-45% cheaper.

The expensive baht is only for those who remember how it used to be!

20 hours ago, GreasyFingers said:

What is here that they [Malaysia] do not have?

The stuff Muslim men cannot get there..

On 1/3/2026 at 5:01 AM, Scouse123 said:

Vietnamese people in the service industry, on the other hand, strike me as diligent, hardworking, and genuinely eager to do a good job. They’re efficient and professional; while they don’t suffer fools gladly, that’s part of what makes interactions feel honest. They certainly are in the hotels I have stayed at.

You have sum up quite nicely the Viet mentality in this paragraph alone. This is one the driving forces that has propelled the rising Vietnamese economy in the last decade and one of the reasons Thailand should be very concerned about.

On 1/3/2026 at 3:23 AM, spidermike007 said:

Thailand spent too much time thinking that they were the center of the known universe, rather than addressing issues, planning for the future, and making the country more appealing.

And now are the severely bloated Thai baht, and all the other issues that Thailand has been facing, they are paying the Piper it would seem. Most of us are happy about falling tourism numbers, and hoping that translates into lower hotel prices and lower travel related costs, but that may just be a pipe dream.

In what fantasy world are you living? India, Russia, UK all had large double digit increases. The EU will report similar groth in the coning weeks. How does this support your bloated baht claim? Tourism decreased because of the decrease in Chinese visitors.

Thailand is no longer attracting that many people from the West, and the vast majority of tourists are Chinese, Russian, Malaysian, Indian, and Arab, and I don't think very many of them are wealthy. So, the industry continues to hurt.

Thailand is no longer attracting very many Western tourists for a dozen very good reasons. One could argue that these are relatively low quality tourists, in terms of the amounts of money that they spend. Sure you have a few wealthy Russians and some wealthy Chinese, but most are lower to middle income and don't spend alot.

Thailand suffers from an impossible level of smugness and arrogance, and a persistent belief that they are truly the center of the universe and the best thing in the world. They don't have a clue. Sometimes it feels like the fact that the nation was never colonized was a leading factor in this hubris and inability to see the world for what it is. The severe inability to adapt, improve, and reform, has hurt their prospects.

It's all good. Far less tourism would make Thailand far more comfortable for the tourists who come, and for the expats, and would likely lead to better attitudes amongst people in tourism. They simply would need to be creative in figuring out ways to make up for the lost billions in revenue.

This process will not be reversed until the authorities wake up and make some sacrifices such as lowering luxury taxes, lowering wine taxes, cleaning up the air, making the highways safer, allowing more private air travel, helicopter travel, high-speed trains and alternatives to the totally choked and extremely hazardous highways.

And now they have invited in the Bratva and the Triads, by opening up the country to everyone. Quantity over quality only works if you are selling $2 items at a swap meet. Dumb and dumber.

On 1/3/2026 at 5:53 AM, shackleton said:

Reading the news reports of incidents Involving foreign tourists involved in bar fights scams and so on

It looks like Thailand is getting the low quality Tourists instead of the high quality ones who appreciate the good things Thailand has to offer

And are moving on to Vietnam and surrounding Countries who offer a safer environment for people to enjoy themselves while on holiday

Yes.

Meanwhile, down the road in Vietnam, their tourism is up by over 21%. Over 20 million tourists in 2025.

https://vietnamtourism.gov.vn/en/post/21486

"In 2025, international arrivals to Vietnam increased by approximately 21%, well above the global growth of 5% and the Asia-Pacific regional average of 8%. Compared with the pre-COVID-19 period, Vietnam’s tourism recovery has exceeded 110%, while the Asia-Pacific region has merely recovered to around 90%."

Stats by market here.

https://vietnamtourism.gov.vn/en/statistic/international

Phu Quoc, Vietnam's equivalent of Phuket, saw a huge increase, and these stats are before high season started.

https://sunworld.vn/en/hon-thom/sunworld-news/phu%20quoc%20tourist%20arrivals%20surge,%20bringing%20in%20huge%20revenue%20-%206922

"According to a report from An Giang Province Tourism Department, in the first seven months of 2025, Phu Quoc welcomed over 5.2 million visitors, a 31.8% increase year-on-year. International visitors reached nearly 980,000, a significant 74.1% increase. Tourism revenue across the region reached 24,866 billion VND, up 93.6%."

Some ominous signs for Thailand's tourism industry.