Thais Travelling Abroad

[think_too_mut]

Longstanding and recent instability in Thailand has prompted many to write off Thai tourism income and airline business into/from the country for this year, if not longer. Farangs won't come in large numbers and how would airlines maintain their business as profitable?

When it comes to airlines, my recent experience from the Japanese Embassy in Bangkok is telling me the planes will continue to run 80% + full.

The Embassy is packed with people and, according to ticket numbers, there could be 10,000 - 15,000 visas issued to Thais each week for travel to Japan.

The waiting room sees high turnover, each person is handled within 60-90 seconds, travel agents representatives a bit longer.

The sample below shows 1594 tickets were issued 2 hours before closing. With the rule "one ticket per person or group" that would mean 2500-3000 visas per day.

See below - people with bags - they handle dozens if not hundreds passports for travel agencies but draw one ticket per visit.

What 15,000 visas to Japan issued every week mean? Among other things, that number turns into 50 times B-777 planeloads to Japan per week. Thai Airways has 58 flights a week to Japan and most of Thais (at least those travelling on company business) would fly TG.

One interesting thing is - unlike in the western embassies, in the Japanese you can see mostly middle class, businessmen, students...genuine interest and intentions people. On 3 occasions there I did not see one middle aged man with a girl half (or third) his age and weight.

Edited October 3, 2008 by think_too_mut

[asanee]

you confuse visitors and tourists, most Thai wanting to visit Yi-phun (Thai for that country) are workers.

The main genuine (well, more or less) destinations for Thai tourists are nearby; Laos and Cambodia. Thai do not need visa to enter.

The next come the good for shopping; Singapore and Hongkong.

Also you display the narrow-focussed English-world perspective: here in the continent of west-Europe, f.e. France/Germany, Netherlands, Sverige, tourists to Thailand are UP- compared to last year-with not a very high %-but its still more as was. The nr of tourists from Sweden into Thailand has in many years been higher as that from Australia or even the USA.

[think_too_mut]

you confuse visitors and tourists, most Thai wanting to visit Yi-phun (Thai for that country) are workers.

The main genuine (well, more or less) destinations for Thai tourists are nearby; Laos and Cambodia. Thai do not need visa to enter.

The next come the good for shopping; Singapore and Hongkong.

Also you display the narrow-focussed English-world perspective: here in the continent of west-Europe, f.e. France/Germany, Netherlands, Sverige, tourists to Thailand are UP- compared to last year-with not a very high %-but its still more as was. The nr of tourists from Sweden into Thailand has in many years been higher as that from Australia or even the USA.

15,000 visas to Japan a week is something irrelevant? Would all other visas (combined) to Thais wastly outnumber what is issued for Japan only?

What numbers you have to produce for countries that Thais need a visa to enter?

[rampo]

On my BKK-ICN flight last month the economy section was more than half full of Thai all wearing the same yellow jackets; they appeared to be contract workers. I don't know if their ultimate destination was Korea or if they were headed elsewhere.

[Soutpeel]

The main genuine (well, more or less) destinations for Thai tourists are nearby; Laos and Cambodia. Thai do not need visa to enter.

Oh yes they do, except they can get a visa on arrival in Cambodia...

[think_too_mut]

The main genuine (well, more or less) destinations for Thai tourists are nearby; Laos and Cambodia. Thai do not need visa to enter.

Oh yes they do, except they can get a visa on arrival in Cambodia...

It was more about Thais knowing where their sun rises (literally, economically and culturaly) and flawed farang understanding that West is what keeps Thai wheels turning.