Phuket-quo Vadis?

[thaigerd]

Just had a meeting today with a GM from a big european airline.

He is coming 2-3 times every year.

Arrived yesterday and went to Patong area for some shopping and dining.

He told me he was not very happy about the tuk tuks and tailor touts.

Tuk tuks horrible expensive and rude, tailor touts chasing him and wanted to shake his hands which he did not like(who does?).

This is the impression to a company which sends around 1500 passengers from Sweden to Phuket during high season!

Phuket-Quo vadis?

Gerd

[solo siam]

Just had a meeting today with a GM from a big european airline.

He is coming 2-3 times every year.

Arrived yesterday and went to Patong area for some shopping and dining.

He told me he was not very happy about the tuk tuks and tailor touts.

Tuk tuks horrible expensive and rude, tailor touts chasing him and wanted to shake his hands which he did not like(who does?).

This is the impression to a company which sends around 1500 passengers from Sweden to Phuket during high season!

Phuket-Quo vadis?

Gerd

Is anyone happy about tuk-tuks and tailor touts, whats the big surprise.

[smartecosse]

billstickers is

apparently you just have to have them round to dinner a few times and they are all great guys, they are just misunderstood

they really aren't mafia scum you know

[Chantal]

billstickers is

apparently you just have to have them round to dinner a few times and they are all great guys, they are just misunderstood

they really aren't mafia scum you know

[Sir Burr]

1500 people during high season? A drop in the ocean. Won't even miss 'em.

[thaigerd]

1500 people during high season? A drop in the ocean. Won't even miss 'em.

per week, Sir!

[geriatrickid]

I don't disagree with your view or the fact that the impressions given to tourists won't help repeat visists.

The reality though, is that if the price is cheap enough, people will come, just maybe not the type of tourists anyone would want to associate with. The typical tourist now is an economic group or two below what used to visit Thailand. Wealthier tourists started avoiding the Patong area and moved north to Thalang & Laguna a decade ago. The loss of tourists with cash to spend just means that the touts, tuk tuks and small vendors have to work 2-3X as hard as before to keep the same revenue. Viscious circle now. The more agressive they are, the more they drive off the people that have the fat wallets and that means they have to hustle even more.

Edited October 13, 2007 by geriatrickid

[LivinginKata]

I don't disagree with your view or the fact that the impressions given to tourists won't help repeat visists.

The reality though, is that if the price is cheap enough, people will come, just maybe not the type of tourists anyone would want to associate with. The typical tourist now is an economic group or two below what used to visit Thailand. Wealthier tourists started avoiding the Patong area and moved north to Thalang & Laguna a decade ago. The loss of tourists with cash to spend just means that the touts, tuk tuks and small vendors have to work 2-3X as hard as before to keep the same revenue. Viscious circle now. The more agressive they are, the more they drive off the people that have the fat wallets and that means they have to hustle even more.

Actually these locals do not work 2-3x as hard. They just charge 2-3x more = same revenue/profit for less work.

It amuses me that when the average Thai businessman's revenue/profit goes down, then they jack up the prices to make the same profit on a much smaller revenue. make no business/marketing sense, but hey..TIT

[donna]

my MD took the directors of a VERY large wholesale travel company through our constrution site last week. they were very impressed with what they saw and were prepared to send us at least 30 rooms per night during high season this year, which is a nice little injection of funds for a new hotel.

upon leaving the office, however, the calls and screeches from the girls in the hooker bars behind the hotel nearly turned these blokes off of sending their guests to us. its not only the tuk tuk drivers and tailor touts who turn people off. its the constant ogling by the massage girls and those hanging out of the hooker bars that turn people off. anyone who says that its a good look is kidding themselves.

sorry. rant over.

[solo siam]

If he's the GM he's not going to be stupid enough to not allow people to fly here through his company because he doesn't like touts and tuk-tuks. Besides it's not his call to decide where people want to go for a holiday. I imagine its much like people not deciding to fly to India, because there are beggars.

[IgnacioE]

upon leaving the office, however, the calls and screeches from the girls in the hooker bars behind the hotel nearly turned these blokes off of sending their guests to us. its not only the tuk tuk drivers and tailor touts who turn people off. its the constant ogling by the massage girls and those hanging out of the hooker bars that turn people off. anyone who says that its a good look is kidding themselves.

sorry. rant over.

I thoroughly enjoy "the constant ogling by the massage girls and those hanging out of the hooker bars". Can't take the heat then get out of the kitchen IMHO and go to Kata, Krabi, Malaysia ("it's truly Asia") or somewhere else.

[fiddlehead]

its not only the tuk tuk drivers and tailor touts who turn people off. its the constant ogling by the massage girls and those hanging out of the hooker bars that turn people off. anyone who says that its a good look is kidding themselves.

sorry. rant over.

I've been under the impression that those who are bothered by the girls go to Khao Lak, Hua Hin, or Phi Phi.

I have come to the conclusion they are one of the reasons that Phuket is so popular.

I felt a little sad for a new business i saw the other day where a guy opened a live music venue and plays himself on his small stage in a somewhat stylish and comfortable looking bar. As i drove by, i noticed there were no customers yet the girlie bar across the street was full as well as the one 2 doors up the street from him. My thoughts were that he picked a bad location if he thinks he can compete with that.

[geriatrickid]

The recent announcement by the Minister responsible for tourism of the intent to focus more on attracting tourists from the Middle east, India and Korea tells me that the minister is trying to replace the projected loss of western tourists with those from other areas. While these zones do have a "middle class" with disposable income, their collective spending habits don't resemble the westerners that spend when on vacation.

The message I take away from this announcement is that the ToT has thrown in the towel. Rather than address the growing issues of concern to westerners (safety, environmentally responsible practices etc.) the decision is to go after those tourists that don't put a high priority on this.

Sure there will be more people coming, but it's going to hit alot of business in the pocketbook. Indians aren't going to purchase the same way westerners will because they can get the same stuff back home. Middle Easterners if they are wealthy aren't going to be making a beeline to Thailand and if they want fun times, nothing will replace London, New York or Paris for them. The religious folks will go to Malaysia for obvious reasons, i.e. halal food, modest clothing, no overt displays of alcohol etc. , which means that you will get the dregs of the middle east coming. As for the Koreans, with their collective hesitancy to smile and ability to withstand the barrage of touts without being intimidated, it's going to be a shocker for Pom the tout.

It's going to have to get alot worse before it gets better though. Unfortunately, when that happens it will coincide with another worldwide economic slowdown.