Ukraine ... Enlighten yourself

[davejonesbkk]

There seem to be many threads at the moment about the drop in tourism here but people often point out that it only represents around 6% of GDP here with the majority of the countries GDP coming from exports. So why is is then that it's being discussed so much?

Last night there was a live and in depth report on the BBC about the economy here. The reporter mentioned tourism several times and I only mentioned exports once or twice, even the government ministers that she interviewed talked about tourism and barely mentioned other industries.....

Does anyone have any theories about this? To me it's now looking like the 'real' tourist economy is much larger than 6%.....

[meom]

Maybe because a large percentage of the work force is employed in the tourism industry.

According to Wikipedia industry contributes 43.9% to GDP but employs only 14% of the work force while services which ranges from tourism to banking & finance contributes 44.7 % to GDP and employs 37% of the workforce.

[cclub75]

Maybe because a large percentage of the work force is employed in the tourism industry.

According to Wikipedia industry contributes 43.9% to GDP but employs only 14% of the work force while services which ranges from tourism to banking & finance contributes 44.7 % to GDP and employs 37% of the workforce.

Indeed. Tourism ("services") are more "visible" (at least for local communities), because of employment.

Plus the "concentration" factor.

Last but not least, it's related to the way the GPD is calculated.

We can have a view with the balance of payment (to isolate the services)

http://thaicrisis.wordpress.com/2008/11/09...n-the-services/

Or use broader idea with only the receipts ("travel receipts" for instance).

http://www.bot.or.th/English/Statistics/Ec...ges/Index.aspx#

(look at the table EC_XT_013)

Therefore, as you say, tourism has probably more impact on the ground than just 6 % of the GDP.

[eggomaniac]

Yes, it is a misconception that tourism keeps Thailand alive and farang tourism is only a piece of that pie; however the Forum is not called Thai rice farmers co op, or LOS poultry ranchers' club.

There probably are 'forums' for the other 90% of the Thai economy, but they are in Thai. I know for a fact there is Thai medical equipment distributors forum and newsletter.

Do you see?

While farang tourists AND expats make up a few percentage points of the picture in Thailand, it's not 'odd' that a Forum dedicated to 'their'/'our' interests would have a 99% participation and content for the target group.

In a recent statement, the Thai tourism minister outlined a promotion to reach out to Asian and mideast tourists. He did not even even mention Euro-American as the target market.

It might just be me, or maybe they did market studies to determine the most lucrative tourist sources, that spend the most amount of money and cause the least amount of problems.

Every time they arrest another Canadian for child exploitation it makes me sick!

Glad I got that off my chest.

Gary Glitter!!!

This is one of the most helpful Forums I've seen, but there is a recurring element of cry babies, complainers and losers. I wish mods would just delete posts that complain about the 'tough' visa rules, the 'double pricing' [which exists in every country, eg I get better ferry fares than the Japanese tourists, museum, education]. When someone starts a topic on how to avoid the bills they owe back 'home' or their child support payment. sheeshhh... make me a moderator and the DELETE would be slice those creeps back to the gutter.

How and where to apply for visas, yes - how to avoid scams and rip offs - yes, but moderator led topics to form political action groups - NO

Things are going to get a LOT worse and, because I am helpful by nature, many farang expats better make alternate plans if visas get even tougher, which I will predict!

Watch I O U S A. It's NOT 9 trillion, it's 53 trillion in unfunded liabilities. $53,000,000,000.

The World economy is in heck in a hand basket. The water has gone off the beach, the WAVE is on the horizon. If you can find a hill, run for it!

[chiang mai]

Far too many tourists, expats and uninformed overseas commentators have found it easy to look at Thailand with it's odd and different ways/ behaviors and quickly conclude that all the country has to offer is nice beaches and bar girls/boys - much of that thinking results, I think, from folks still steeped in the Vietnam era. Things change however.

[jumnien]

Tourism is always mentioned because so many of us are or were tourists. If we had been hard drives or hondas, they would have been discussed! It's all about us!