High-season Tourism Outlook Bleak

[george]

High-season tourism outlook bleak: PTA

PHUKET CITY: -- Despite a large drop in fuel prices internationally, the outlook for this year’s high season for tourism remains bleak, a top tourism industry leader has said.

Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) Vice-President Bhuritt Maswongsa told the Gazette that current occupancy rates and advanced bookings from now until the end of the year should result in an island-wide average occupancy rate of about 55% compared to 80% for the same period last year.

Mr Bhuritt, who is General Manager of the Patong Beach Resort, said the main cause for the downturn was a drop in the number of arrivals from Phuket’s traditional “bread-and-butter” market: Europe.

Security fears resulting from the ongoing political turmoil in the capital and global economics have combined to keep the Europeans away, he said.

“Many countries still have travel advisories in effect, warning tourist not to visit areas where pro- and anti-government demonstrations are taking place. Also, the economic crisis in the US and Europe has caused potential tourists to delay or cancel their travel plans in order to save money,” he said.

“I expect that many hotels and resorts will be forced to lay off staff around the middle of next year. Another reason for the lower occupancy rate is probably due to an oversupply situation in the number of hotel rooms,” he added.

In Patong alone, the number of hotel rooms registered with the Tourism Authority of Thailand grew from 9,919 in 2005 to 12,962 by September this year, which is an increase of over 30%.

Similar increases in the number of rooms available at hotels, resorts and rental villas have taken place in many other parts of the island.

The PTA and the government will launch a road show to China in mid-December in a bid to lure in more tourists from that country, he said.

-- Phuket Gazette 2008-11-13

http://www.phuketgazette.net/dailynews/index.asp?id=6905

[Scott]

I want to wish all those involved in the tourism business the best of luck. I think there will be some tough times ahead.

If tourists are treated well and fairly, they will return. The rip-offs that occur are a real downer and a definite turn off for most people.

[Martin]

The long-term prospects for 'long-haul tourism' are very bleak.

The travel-section editors, and so their writers, are turning their attentions to the intersting things to do close to home.

I notice that even the massive BA is 'reading the writing on the wall' and scaling back the size of its operation; and it is becoming accepted that the third runway at Heathrow (or 'Thiefrow') will not be built.

The historians of the future will look at 'long-haul tourism' and see it has having been one of the strange products of the Frenetic Consumerist Era. "They flew over lots of interesting places just to visit some rather boring locations", they will say. "Such was the effect of the mass schooling that conditioned them to be marketable to. It is a pity that it used up so many resources that later generations really needed."

[geriatrickid]

The long-term prospects for 'long-haul tourism' are very bleak.

The historians of the future will look at 'long-haul tourism' and see it has having been one of the strange products of the Frenetic Consumerist Era. " It is a pity that it used up so many resources that later generations really needed."

Uh huh. Even during the great depression there was long haul travel and the cost of travel was significantly greater then than it is now.

As long as there are 20 somethings, they will go on their rites of passage traveling the globe, whether it be with backpacks or using daddy's credit cards.

As long as their are cold dark winters in northern europe, nordic and scandanavian people will take the long haul trip for a chance at some sun and sand.

As long as there are couples dreaming of that romantic holiday, there will be long haul travel.

As long as there are desperate men following their dreams for love there will be long haul travel.

No matter how bleak the economy, no matter how disruptive the local politics, no matter how crime ridden or dangerous, there will be long haul travel. There will always be some people with the money to pay, there will always be some people that will seek out a bargain in a different land and there will always be people that thrive on the excitement.

One cannot fully understand the greatness of our world until one has done some long haul travel to see and experience the beauties, the filth, the order, the disorder, the charms, the heartbreak, all to develop an appreciation and understanding of what one has and that there are other people and cultures besides our own.

[Moruya]

I've been visiting Phuket for around 12 years and can't be bothered going back. The mandatory gala dinners that they put on with a cheap buffet complete ripoff menu costed at 3,000B or whatever just gets on my nerves. The constant badgering you get from the rude sales outlets on Patong beach is just too much - most of these guys are illegal immigrants who think it's funny to hurl insults at anyone with a Thai partner.

My wife's uncle works there and we go to visit him amd his family - the only reason I bother.

[Scott]

--and as long as there is a Patpong and short time rooms, there will be long haul travelers!

(only difference, there will be fewer of them, a even fewer of the 'quality' tourists Thailand decided to focus on).

[animatic]

Moruya, I can imagine where you go to, tit's the wrong resorts for sure.

The figures say pre-booked occupancy 25% drop 80% to 55%,

but later it says a 30% RISE in rooms in Patong alone...

So are those 30% more rooms being counted in the lost bookings,

meaning 'now more rooms but the same number of punters'?

Or is it 30% less than the year before relative to actual visiter numbers,

and not relative to newly enlarged full occupancy numbers?

Certainly this rainy season has shown a distinct lowering of hardcore visitors.

And I haven't been hearing optimism about the coming months bookings.

But curious on those figures for sure.

[tmd5855]

The long-term prospects for 'long-haul tourism' are very bleak.

The travel-section editors, and so their writers, are turning their attentions to the intersting things to do close to home.

I notice that even the massive BA is 'reading the writing on the wall' and scaling back the size of its operation; and it is becoming accepted that the third runway at Heathrow (or 'Thiefrow') will not be built.

The historians of the future will look at 'long-haul tourism' and see it has having been one of the strange products of the Frenetic Consumerist Era. "They flew over lots of interesting places just to visit some rather boring locations", they will say. "Such was the effect of the mass schooling that conditioned them to be marketable to. It is a pity that it used up so many resources that later generations really needed."

The desire to travel for those having finished (or dropped out) of University will always be there. Some people seek somewhere different. I have American friends whose sons want to see where the father fought (Vietnam) and was based (Thailand). Some guys seek female companionship/love a wife. Some people whose country is cold and dark this time of year. I could go on. Mass travel (tourism) romantic holidays etc will always be there. I live Thailand and work out in malaysia, doing 4 weeks on/off. Return to the UK for only 3 nights of my leave. More and more of the guys I work with are relocating out here, but still return like myself to maintain their Foriegn flights.

Long haul is here to stay. The 3rd runway is being built at heathrow......No believe just Google

[Moruya]

Moruya, I can imagine where you go to, tit's the wrong resorts for sure.

The figures say pre-booked occupancy 25% drop 80% to 55%,

but later it says a 30% RISE in rooms in Patong alone...

So are those 30% more rooms being counted in the lost bookings,

meaning 'now more rooms but the same number of punters'?

Or is it 30% less than the year before relative to actual visiter numbers,

and not relative to newly enlarged full occupancy numbers?

Certainly this rainy season has shown a distinct lowering of hardcore visitors.

And I haven't been hearing optimism about the coming months bookings.

But curious on those figures for sure.

Animatic - I used to like the quiet beaches there up in Karon/Kata but they are pretty much busy nowadays.

Patong has some good restaurants (I like Savoey seafood) and a few good bars (Saxophone where I have played many times).

The other highlight there is the restaurants that are a bit off the track - Swedish, Greek, Norwegian etc.

Problem is running the gauntlet to get there takes you past some real scumbags.

[007]

I want to wish all those involved in the tourism business the best of luck. I think there will be some tough times ahead.

If tourists are treated well and fairly, they will return. The rip-offs that occur are a real downer and a definite turn off for most people.

Spot on!!

[Lithobid]

The long-term prospects for 'long-haul tourism' are very bleak.

The historians of the future will look at 'long-haul tourism' and see it has having been one of the strange products of the Frenetic Consumerist Era. " It is a pity that it used up so many resources that later generations really needed."

Uh huh. Even during the great depression there was long haul travel and the cost of travel was significantly greater then than it is now.

As long as there are 20 somethings, they will go on their rites of passage traveling the globe, whether it be with backpacks or using daddy's credit cards.

As long as their are cold dark winters in northern europe, nordic and scandanavian people will take the long haul trip for a chance at some sun and sand.

As long as there are couples dreaming of that romantic holiday, there will be long haul travel.

As long as there are desperate men following their dreams for love there will be long haul travel.

No matter how bleak the economy, no matter how disruptive the local politics, no matter how crime ridden or dangerous, there will be long haul travel. There will always be some people with the money to pay, there will always be some people that will seek out a bargain in a different land and there will always be people that thrive on the excitement.

One cannot fully understand the greatness of our world until one has done some long haul travel to see and experience the beauties, the filth, the order, the disorder, the charms, the heartbreak, all to develop an appreciation and understanding of what one has and that there are other people and cultures besides our own.

Nice post, and Bravo for the wording, you hit a lot of nails!

In addition, market wise, with the collapsing of the middle classes in many countries, those who still have their heads above water, and the upper-middle classes who are rejecting their current home countries due to large financial losses, and continued instability and have retained money to spend, are looking heavily at SE asia, and other areas for residence. There will most certainly be a decline in LH travelers, and tourist numbers for this years High-Season, However, as grossly inflated properties here fall, along with the global trend, I think the amount of x-pat investors will rise sharply, 6-12 months after this High-Season is over.

[12DrinkMore]

but later it says a 30% RISE in rooms in Patong alone...

So are those 30% more rooms being counted in the lost bookings,

The 30% increase is the increase in number of rooms in Patong since 2005.

Assuming that Phuket as a whole has been growing at 10% more rooms each year, then to try and "normalise" the statistics we could say 80% full last year is the equivalent of about 72% full this year, allowing for the 10% increase in number of rooms. This 72% minus the forecast 55% leaves a 17% drop from 72%, so total bookings are 25% down on last year.

This is a HUGE drop, add in the "I'm feeling poor exchange rate factor" could easily lead to a 30%+ drop in the economy of Phuket, whch is based pretty much entirely on tourism. That is a VERY HUGE drop and will inevitably lead to a recession and deflation in Phuket, as hoteliers desperately cut room rates to cover their costs.

Somehow I don't think that Thailand is going to escape the global disaster.

[animatic]

Moruya, I can imagine where you go to, tit's the wrong resorts for sure.

The figures say pre-booked occupancy 25% drop 80% to 55%,

but later it says a 30% RISE in rooms in Patong alone...

So are those 30% more rooms being counted in the lost bookings,

meaning 'now more rooms but the same number of punters'?

Or is it 30% less than the year before relative to actual visiter numbers,

and not relative to newly enlarged full occupancy numbers?

Certainly this rainy season has shown a distinct lowering of hardcore visitors.

And I haven't been hearing optimism about the coming months bookings.

But curious on those figures for sure.

Animatic - I used to like the quiet beaches there up in Karon/Kata but they are pretty much busy nowadays.

Patong has some good restaurants (I like Savoey seafood) and a few good bars (Saxophone where I have played many times).

The other highlight there is the restaurants that are a bit off the track - Swedish, Greek, Norwegian etc.

Problem is running the gauntlet to get there takes you past some real scumbags.

Quiet you find up country along the coast. 100 k north and it's darned quiet.

Still a few quiet places on Samui. I always found Phuket more crowded and avaricious.

Played at Saxaphone a few times myself.

Scumbags... TIT, part of the territory I guess. + - good bad fun sad. Same same

I was commenting on the mandatory 3000 baht dinners. Some places, but not all for sure.

No sorry I am not eating here this evening, and no I am not paying for a dinner I am not eating.

You don't like it, I change hotels.

[LaoPo]

Moruya, I can imagine where you go to, tit's the wrong resorts for sure.

The figures say pre-booked occupancy 25% drop 80% to 55%,

but later it says a 30% RISE in rooms in Patong alone...

So are those 30% more rooms being counted in the lost bookings,

meaning 'now more rooms but the same number of punters'?

Or is it 30% less than the year before relative to actual visiter numbers,

and not relative to newly enlarged full occupancy numbers?

Certainly this rainy season has shown a distinct lowering of hardcore visitors.

And I haven't been hearing optimism about the coming months bookings.

But curious on those figures for sure.

2008 THAILAND INBOUND tourism statistics

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/2008-Thailan...ti-t221815.html

LaoPo

[barcelonatio]

At least Thailand is a relatively cheap country... I think harder hit tourism wise will be places like Singapore, Australia, Tahiti, etc. which are long haul and way more expensive once you get there.

[h90]

I want to wish all those involved in the tourism business the best of luck. I think there will be some tough times ahead.

If tourists are treated well and fairly, they will return. The rip-offs that occur are a real downer and a definite turn off for most people.

Beside environmental problems. I spoke with elderly who booked an hotel (somewhere on Phuket) and saw the waste water direct going into the sea....

They never came again to Phuket.

[hansnl]

I want to wish all those involved in the tourism business the best of luck. I think there will be some tough times ahead.

If tourists are treated well and fairly, they will return. The rip-offs that occur are a real downer and a definite turn off for most people.

You can pamper tourists till they melt, but in Europe the bookings for Thailand are way down.

Understandable, if you just lost your job, or are in fear of loosing your job, if the financial burden becomes too much, if you cannot get a loan for the holidays, and so on.

People are getting careful.

[marquess]

Interesting that with fuel prices dropping by about 55 percent there has been no corresponding reduction in the fuel surcharges that all the airlines were so keen to add to ticket prices. There must be some out there who don't want to fly with such rip off merchants, and prefer to stay at home instead?

[benjamat]

The long-term prospects for 'long-haul tourism' are very bleak.

The historians of the future will look at 'long-haul tourism' and see it has having been one of the strange products of the Frenetic Consumerist Era. " It is a pity that it used up so many resources that later generations really needed."

Uh huh. Even during the great depression there was long haul travel and the cost of travel was significantly greater then than it is now.

As long as there are 20 somethings, they will go on their rites of passage traveling the globe, whether it be with backpacks or using daddy's credit cards.

As long as their are cold dark winters in northern europe, nordic and scandanavian people will take the long haul trip for a chance at some sun and sand.

As long as there are couples dreaming of that romantic holiday, there will be long haul travel.

As long as there are desperate men following their dreams for love there will be long haul travel.

No matter how bleak the economy, no matter how disruptive the local politics, no matter how crime ridden or dangerous, there will be long haul travel. There will always be some people with the money to pay, there will always be some people that will seek out a bargain in a different land and there will always be people that thrive on the excitement.

One cannot fully understand the greatness of our world until one has done some long haul travel to see and experience the beauties, the filth, the order, the disorder, the charms, the heartbreak, all to develop an appreciation and understanding of what one has and that there are other people and cultures besides our own.

Nice post, and Bravo for the wording, you hit a lot of nails!

In addition, market wise, with the collapsing of the middle classes in many countries, those who still have their heads above water, and the upper-middle classes who are rejecting their current home countries due to large financial losses, and continued instability and have retained money to spend, are looking heavily at SE asia, and other areas for residence. There will most certainly be a decline in LH travelers, and tourist numbers for this years High-Season, However, as grossly inflated properties here fall, along with the global trend, I think the amount of x-pat investors will rise sharply, 6-12 months after this High-Season is over.

Yes, agree. I retire in 2 years and hope that at that time it will be perfect for investment in a retirement home overseas.

I look forward to enjoying the thousands a year I presently have to spend on travel to and fro thailand.

[tropo]

The long-term prospects for 'long-haul tourism' are very bleak.

The historians of the future will look at 'long-haul tourism' and see it has having been one of the strange products of the Frenetic Consumerist Era. " It is a pity that it used up so many resources that later generations really needed."

Uh huh. Even during the great depression there was long haul travel and the cost of travel was significantly greater then than it is now.

As long as there are 20 somethings, they will go on their rites of passage traveling the globe, whether it be with backpacks or using daddy's credit cards.

As long as their are cold dark winters in northern europe, nordic and scandanavian people will take the long haul trip for a chance at some sun and sand.

As long as there are couples dreaming of that romantic holiday, there will be long haul travel.

As long as there are desperate men following their dreams for love there will be long haul travel.

No matter how bleak the economy, no matter how disruptive the local politics, no matter how crime ridden or dangerous, there will be long haul travel. There will always be some people with the money to pay, there will always be some people that will seek out a bargain in a different land and there will always be people that thrive on the excitement.

One cannot fully understand the greatness of our world until one has done some long haul travel to see and experience the beauties, the filth, the order, the disorder, the charms, the heartbreak, all to develop an appreciation and understanding of what one has and that there are other people and cultures besides our own.

Yes, yes, yes! People love to introduce doom and gloom scenarios but in the end long-haul tourism is here to stay.

Edited November 14, 2008 by tropo

[tropo]

I want to wish all those involved in the tourism business the best of luck. I think there will be some tough times ahead.

If tourists are treated well and fairly, they will return. The rip-offs that occur are a real downer and a definite turn off for most people.

Beside environmental problems. I spoke with elderly who booked an hotel (somewhere on Phuket) and saw the waste water direct going into the sea....

They never came again to Phuket.

I would have asked them why on earth they decided to holiday in SE Asia if things like that bother them so much.

[BusyBee123]

Interesting that with fuel prices dropping by about 55 percent there has been no corresponding reduction in the fuel surcharges that all the airlines were so keen to add to ticket prices. There must be some out there who don't want to fly with such rip off merchants, and prefer to stay at home instead?

the airlines took ages to increase the supplements as the fuel was pre purchased at least 6 months ahead so you already had a good run, now it will be 6 months before prices come down and the companies can buy at the new price depending on how far in front the airlines buying practise is. Unlike fuel at the pumps which tends to have a 4-6 week lag.

[h90]

I want to wish all those involved in the tourism business the best of luck. I think there will be some tough times ahead.

If tourists are treated well and fairly, they will return. The rip-offs that occur are a real downer and a definite turn off for most people.

Beside environmental problems. I spoke with elderly who booked an hotel (somewhere on Phuket) and saw the waste water direct going into the sea....

They never came again to Phuket.

I would have asked them why on earth they decided to holiday in SE Asia if things like that bother them so much.

Actually I don't even know someone who does not bother....But that might be a north to middle European thing...

If I stay in a hotel and see that they put the waste water direct in the sea, I would leave it immediately. I don't even know if you can't claim refund if booked over a travel agent in Europe due to hygienic problems.

[tw25rw]

If they saw what the local veg is grown in, they'd live on McDonalds..

[onnut]

The PTA and the government will launch a road show to China in mid-December in a bid to lure in more tourists from that country, he said.

<deleted>, why do it in China, Chinese dont spend any money, they just walk up and down Bang La Road and walking street in Pattaya.

[Bangyai]

Moruya, I can imagine where you go to, tit's the wrong resorts for sure.

Nah....anywhere with tits can't be too bad ???

[animatic]

TIT Twits In Thailand.

[Bangyai]

TIT Twits In Thailand.

Its a fair cop Mind you, I'm not in any way biased against other parts of the female anatomy. How about you, made any good ' observations ' lately ??

[womble]

The PTA and the government will launch a road show to China in mid-December in a bid to lure in more tourists from that country, he said.

<deleted>, why do it in China, Chinese dont spend any money, they just walk up and down Bang La Road and walking street in Pattaya.

They come on package tours and stay in the types of hotels owned by politicians. Many of the politicians are of Chinesse decendence and have good connections with China. Therefore their hotels have good links with chinesse tour agents, and any increase in chinesse tourists will help with occupany rate increases in hotels that they own or have connections to.

[jitagon]

I want to wish all those involved in the tourism business the best of luck. I think there will be some tough times ahead.

If tourists are treated well and fairly, they will return. The rip-offs that occur are a real downer and a definite turn off for most people.

Beside environmental problems. I spoke with elderly who booked an hotel (somewhere on Phuket) and saw the waste water direct going into the sea....

They never came again to Phuket.

I would have asked them why on earth they decided to holiday in SE Asia if things like that bother them so much.

Perhaps they were taken aback by the fact that hotels, wheresoever, were still willing to dump their customers' shit into the very same sea their customers swam in, withought a care, despite there being alternatives to this disgusting practice?

And why some of you still subscribed to the view, 'well this is Wogland, what do you expect?' gets no one, nowhere.