Tourists Start Making A Comeback To Thailand

[geriatrickid]

As long as Thailand has great food, cheap hotels, cheap booze, cheap "companions" and huge amounts of sunshine there will be tourists to enjoy them... Its the law of supply and demand.

Not if those foreigners are unemployed!

Or now subject to pay freezes grrrrr.

Not if their retirement nest-egg has been obliterated!

Long way off from retirement but I certainly lost a chunk of change until I moved out of the stock market last year at the start of the meltdown. Locked in my retirement savings for a year at 5% and I am giving thanks daily. I have been planning to retire by the time I was 50, but I have a hunch I will have to work until I am 55 to be able to live the life of farang luxury I need. (You know 2 ply import toilet tissue, proper English biscuits, a bottle of french wine, not the overpriced Australian plonk, and some American processed food. )

Not if their currency as depreciated by 10 to 20%!

Or more.

Not if their job might be on the line!

Yup, I'm surprised I was let go last round of layoffs. Even Pfizer is letting go some of its R&D people, something like 1000, shedding tens of millions of $$ in salary.

Travelling or travelling to LOS --in that case-- is no longer cheap or wise!

The airfares have gone up. Compared to the year before I paid 20%more on my flights in Oct & Nov., 10% more in Dec. & Jan. and am having leaking bowels looking at the costs for March and April.

If costs have come down, how come I am looking at crazy assed prices for a short term rentals in Phuket for my family that's coming to visit for Feb and March?

[UncleFrank]

As long as Thailand has great food, cheap hotels, cheap booze, cheap "companions" and huge amounts of sunshine there will be tourists to enjoy them... Its the law of supply and demand.

Not if those foreigners are unemployed!

Or now subject to pay freezes grrrrr.

Not if their retirement nest-egg has been obliterated!

Long way off from retirement but I certainly lost a chunk of change until I moved out of the stock market last year at the start of the meltdown. Locked in my retirement savings for a year at 5% and I am giving thanks daily. I have been planning to retire by the time I was 50, but I have a hunch I will have to work until I am 55 to be able to live the life of farang luxury I need. (You know 2 ply import toilet tissue, proper English biscuits, a bottle of french wine, not the overpriced Australian plonk, and some American processed food. )

Not if their currency as depreciated by 10 to 20%!

Or more.

Not if their job might be on the line!

Yup, I'm surprised I was let go last round of layoffs. Even Pfizer is letting go some of its R&D people, something like 1000, shedding tens of millions of $$ in salary.

Travelling or travelling to LOS --in that case-- is no longer cheap or wise!

The airfares have gone up. Compared to the year before I paid 20%more on my flights in Oct & Nov., 10% more in Dec. & Jan. and am having leaking bowels looking at the costs for March and April.

If costs have come down, how come I am looking at crazy assed prices for a short term rentals in Phuket for my family that's coming to visit for Feb and March?

Phuket has become one big rip off. Scam the visitor is the theme.

A friend was recently planning a trip there.

The hotel wanted 950 thb to pick them up at the Airport.

[Kerryd]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21533131@N06/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29324583@N05/

OoOoOoO not "the mafia" !

Those photos are a joke. Everyone pictured is part of the "mafia" out to rip off tourists.

The vendor with the fruit cart is MAFIA !!! The lady selling lottery tickets is MAFIA ! Even the lady in the one picture with the caption "The lady in the green shirt is intercepting these lost tourists." is MAFIA ! (note the picture shows two tourists on a street corner talking to a Thai woman. No sign of her deliberately trying to "intercept" the farangs. I guess anyone who stops to help a lost tourist must now be a member of the MAFIA.)

Like another MAFIA member that has this caption "This man is positioned to intercept lost tourists at the entrance to the Montien Hotel." He MUST be MAFIA ! No one else would dare to help a lost tourist !

Wow. Every picture shows someone "positioned to intercept tourists" ! Glad I rarely ever go to Bangkok, as it seems that on every street corner is some "positioned to intercept" !

Remind me to add "fruit cart vendor" and "lottery ticket seller" to the already long list of "mafias" we compiled in another thread.

Whoever took those pics must have spent a long time going around following various people, to know precisely who is stationed where and for what purpose.

"People have speculated that some of these scammers are off duty Tourist Police participating in Thailands lucrative THAI GEM SCAM."

Ahhh yes. "People have speculated", which usually means, I mentioned this to some mates in the bar the other night, and they agreed it's a possibility.

The way he goes on and on about it, you'd think this was something that only happened in Bangkok. Perhaps the author should try visiting a few other major tourism destinations (like Egypt) and compare how they do things. He may find himself longing to be back among the Thai "Mafia" real soon.

[fezman]

As long as Thailand has great food, cheap hotels, cheap booze, cheap "companions" and huge amounts of sunshine there will be tourists to enjoy them... Its the law of supply and demand.

JUST dont say anything about the king ,or you could have a 3 yr holiday

[The Philosopher]

As long as Thailand has great food, cheap hotels, cheap booze, cheap "companions" and huge amounts of sunshine there will be tourists to enjoy them... Its the law of supply and demand.

I have news for you - it ain't cheap anymore

[WOWAsia]

get real. i suppose you dont believe that thailand is the seventh most dangerous country in the world either! stick to facts gary and stop trying to talk the problem away

Have you got a (reliable) source for this?

/ Priceless

I await the response with interest. In the meantime, think about where you would place these countries on a list of the most dangerous place in the world for tourists:

Somalia

Iraq

Afghanistan

Haiti

Pakistan

Sudan

DR Congo

Lebanon

Zimbabwe

Palestine

Jamaica

Columbia

Algeria

India

Israel

Papua New Guinea

East Timor

next coming:

Brasil

USA

[henryalleman]

get real. i suppose you dont believe that thailand is the seventh most dangerous country in the world either! stick to facts gary and stop trying to talk the problem away

Have you got a (reliable) source for this?

/ Priceless

I await the response with interest. In the meantime, think about where you would place these countries on a list of the most dangerous place in the world for tourists:

Somalia

Iraq

Afghanistan

Haiti

Pakistan

Sudan

DR Congo

Lebanon

Zimbabwe

Palestine

Jamaica

Columbia

Algeria

India

Israel

Papua New Guinea

East Timor

next coming:

Brasil

USA

IMHO, every capital or major town in the West has an higher crime rate than Thailand.

[12346]

Let the foreigners own a bit of land and you will se them coming back. Let them buy their own plot of land and build them a house and it gives a lot of tax and also works for the constructionscompany.The foreigners like to own their land (not more then maximum 1 rai).

This must be a mis-information campaign !

According to many of the anti-PAD posters, Thailand's tourism industry was "irrevocably" and "irreparably" damaged by the PAD shutdown of the airport !

The numbers are still small of course, but no doubt the overall numbers would have been lower this year regardless of the protests, as people every where are finding they have less to spend, or their savings have dried up and they are more concerned if worse news (financially) is just over the horizon.

It remains to be seen if the numbers will climb back to a level that could be commensurate with what could have been, taking the global financial crisis into account. Unfortunately, it's not likely the numbers will climb fast enough and this may well be the lowest "high" season in years. That the numbers are rising is an encouraging sign though.

I cannot say for the rest of Thailand, but Koh Phangan is nearly full for the Christmas/New Year period.

So we start the high season again!

No PROPAGANDA

[henryalleman]

Tourists coming back to Thailand? I don't think so. yesterday I took my wife to the airport on her flight to Bangkok. Brussels airport was almost abandon. First time in my life there where no waiting lines on the check ins. From the 6 check-in desks of Star alliance only 1(one) was open, and we did'nt have to wait also.

[RobotTeacher]

I noticed much fewer tourists in Thailand now vs. a year ago with the touts and other tourist sales/service people being even more agressive and ruder than before as they're hee hawing for money like they earned in previous good years. Many are resorting to over charging and trying tourists for a double charge on beer and food to make up for lower earnings performance. As they're treating the tourists worse who still turn out and charging them more, they too will be driven away bringing home with them, negative stories surrounding doing business in Thailand.