Tourism Sector Begs End To Emergency Decree

[grahamhc]

Pattaya is packed with farangs now, mostly hooligan/kee nok types for song kran. But i think after song kran tourism is gonna nosedive bigtime!

Yes, I have seen them too, and that is why I am in lock-down for the duration.

The sale of Blue Pipe water guns is going strong - I remember they are also illegal here too. At least I saw the police driving down Soi Buakhao last year confiscating them.

Meanwhile, those of us who live here continue to call for "Buleah! Peel me a grape". Life is pretty good for us retirees in the land of smiles! Let the working class worry about their holidays, let them eat cake!

Buleah?? Mine are called Nok, Nong, Fon, and I forget the other ones names......

With the downturn of tourism here, so does the cost of some "Take-aways", so even I can afford cake these days

Yes "Life is pretty good for us retirees in the land of smiles!"

[jasperguy]

Well, i have left Thailand now, that is what those red shirts did. Won't return till the political issue is resolved.

[bangon04]

The policy will be as always, "problem, what problem?" as the government refuse to admit that there is a problem with tourism or that tourism matters anyway.

High income buyers make up a small fraction of their sales. Why? Because most people are not rich. The bulk of their sales come from middle and lower income buyers.

So, they wisely target all three income groups: low, middle, and high income. What would happen if an idiot took over and suddenly decided to focus on "quality car buyers?" THEY WOULD GO OUT OF BUSINESS!

And the same can be said for Thailand's tourism industry. By focusing on high income tourists, it is going out of business (at least a very large segment of it). [The rich will always flock to top hotels in Phuket.]

Is that why the THAI airways flights in Asia now have big empty Business Class sections while they are sold out in Cattle Class? THAI Airways is a good example of expert management. They would rather stop selling seats than to upgrade anyone.

Luxury hotels would rather have empty rooms than offer temporarily lower prices.

[Igor]

Meanwhile, those of us who live here continue to call for "Buleah! Peel me a grape". Life is pretty good for us retirees in the land of smiles! Let the working class worry about their holidays, let them eat cake!

Agreed. Life is good. I know an economist who thinks the baht will hit 40 mid-summer and 50 by year's end.

[BrianJohn]

Well folks I’m booked for 30/4/09 into BKK onto CNX, and I have to tell you I’m watching the news and especially these postings VERY closely, and will be making my final decision late on the 29^th or even early 30^th , sometimes it’s better to cut ones losses rather than be tangled up in this ongoing political unrest. With airfares falling it might even be better to wait, if travel insurance covers this situation. It’s not so much the scare factor as the uncertainty of the travel plans, and the stress which it places those still at home under.

Keep the feeds coming, they are really appreciated.

[tuky]

It is critical for the govt. to stop focusing on quality tourism (a highly offensive phrase) and start focusing on tourism in general: low, middle, high end.

/snipped to reduce quote size

I totally agree with JR.

Well said.

[RubbaJohnny]

In Omnibus Laboram (work at all times)

Two points come to mind

Package tourists not regulars or backpackers are usually sold holiday insurance.

The tour companies know that if the democratic countries warn do not come then the insurance policy is likely invalid.No go.

Scenes at Swampy (yellow) Pattaya (red/blue) disorder shooting tourism in each foot today's assasination attempt

IN THE STREET

will nail this years efforts of TOT,perhaps they should disband and re=brand LOS as an adventure destination like Chechnya Somalia or Haiti!

Ban buses on riot days

Everyone in authority and most TV readers could see Songhkran showdown coming.

If they had the sense to garage the buses it would have had numerous benefits

No burning buses

Motorbikes are hard to drive at tanks or build barricades

The BMTA would not loose valuable stock

Frustrate demonstraters getting there and turn commuters against protest.

No images of burning buses

Of course this would be very inconvenient for ordinary people but this too would rebound on lawless.

I hope you are all safe and suitably doused.The holiday seems never ending here..

Edited April 17, 2009 by RubbaJohnny

[regfrancis]

probably too little to late. tourism here will be fuct for a while now. a coup, airport closures and the latest protests broadcast all over cnn and bbc showing buses on fire and the military clashing with the protesters. would you come here for a holiday?

I have a friend in HCMC that arranges tours for Vietnamese to come to Bangkok for shopping, she hasn't been able to get a group together for over a month - last one went to KL for shopping, almost 400 people that have "Mahk Mahk Baht" to spend.........can't blame them can You??? Why take a chance on Bangkok when for the same prices you can go to KL.............

Meanwhile, those of us who live here continue to call for "Buleah! Peel me a grape". Life is pretty good for us retirees in the land of smiles! Let the working class worry about their holidays, let them eat cake!

Shopping in KL...I think not!! Have u been there??

[wileycoyote]

I agree ,long term planning is required.

All this faffing using Don Muang then not using it;decent highways,designated zones for building hotels and resorts,simplifying Visas and Immigration.

The simple decison ,do you want to encourage Tourism ?

[grandpops]

I did not follow what the US media put out on this latest uprising but it must have been pretty bad. My friends back there are urging me

to get the F out of here and think I am crazy for staying.

Well who would come vacation here then?

Pattaya is packed with farangs now, mostly hooligan/kee nok types for song kran. But i think after song kran tourism is gonna nosedive

bigtime!

Theres a fact you noticed.

It;s these types of tourists who are the most resiliant and most likely to throw money around that poorer thais can pick up!

Not seen one bar fly headed to the airport because of coups, violence etc. Quite the opposite, many actually come because they think it will be cheaper and less cluttered with "high end" torists droning on about the state of the beach, the weather, the taxi prices and generally walking around with a disgusted look on their faces!

The supposed High end are the first to high tail it. Sould the TAT be targetting them more?

[grandpops]

Well, i have left Thailand now, that is what those red shirts did. Won't return till the political issue is resolved.

So you converted to Budhism and will be back in which future life?

Cheer up, it's never been much different and Thailand is actually a better place to live when the tourists bugger off in the low season. The thais are more relaxed and friendly (when they are not rioting that is) and the workload slackening makes everybody take time out to chill, re-build, plan and prepare for the next great influx.

Come back soon!

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I hope it begins to dawn on Thai leaders how incredibly stupid it is to have a stat of emergency.. The previous government was just as guilty of it as the current one. Honestly all over the world there are huge demonstrations, sometimes very violent ones, and by and large the riot police shows up and deals with it WITHOUT the need for a state of emergency.

They really don't understand how much that scares potential tourists.. Overhere we know it means very little, but as soon as mom and pop in Sweden hear 'State of Emergency' they're seriously not considering travelling here anymore!

[bassline]

im heading to bangkok and samui on holiday in 2 weeks time with my family.. as much as the news has been negative with lots of warnings we know thailand is a beautiful place and that its restricted to certain parts of bangkok.. i have friends there at the moment who are shopping in siam square every day then going back to there hotel pool to drink cocktails then go to bed supper club and soi cowboy at night for fun and this is while all this has been happening. im sure it puts a lot of people of but i think if you are sensible thailand is a wonderful place and there is just as much chance as getting hit by a bus here in australasia as there is by getting hit with a bullet in thailand.

[bassline]

The policy will be as always, "problem, what problem?" as the government refuse to admit that there is a problem with tourism or that tourism matters anyway.

High income buyers make up a small fraction of their sales. Why? Because most people are not rich. The bulk of their sales come from middle and lower income buyers.

So, they wisely target all three income groups: low, middle, and high income. What would happen if an idiot took over and suddenly decided to focus on "quality car buyers?" THEY WOULD GO OUT OF BUSINESS!

And the same can be said for Thailand's tourism industry. By focusing on high income tourists, it is going out of business (at least a very large segment of it). [The rich will always flock to top hotels in Phuket.]

Is that why the THAI airways flights in Asia now have big empty Business Class sections while they are sold out in Cattle Class? THAI Airways is a good example of expert management. They would rather stop selling seats than to upgrade anyone.

Luxury hotels would rather have empty rooms than offer temporarily lower prices.

this i agree on,,im coming from nz and we have heard that samui is dead empty and resorts are 10% occupancy in some cases yet not one will budge on their prices.. we have seen places charging 10000 baht per night and we have offered them 8000 baht per night if we stay a week and they have all said no, they would rather be empty.

[animatic]

Something is still going on so they don't end the emergency decree yet.

Don't underestimate people's power.

Yes.

Still a need for emergency decree, this is slowed by not stopped.

Someone for your side of the color spectrum tried to kill Sondhi this AM,

rather than wait for the courts to grind along.

True Democracy Red Shirt Style!

So this could be a bellweather of 'Life with Thaksin as Dear Leader',

and Red shirts and Chalerm running the legislative.

Bellweather? Can somebody help me out please. My english is not so good. I thought it was bellwether.

I used it coloqually like a fog gong at sea.

And indicator of rocky shores to avoid.

Sailors also use this in some locales.

But yes most correctly,

and lacking my intentional irony, it is:

bell⋅weth⋅er –noun

1. a wether or other male sheep that leads the flock, usually bearing a bell.

2. a person or thing that assumes the leadership or forefront, as of a profession or industry: Paris is a bellwether of the fashion industry.

3. a person or thing that shows the existence or direction of a trend; index.

4. a person who leads a mob, mutiny, conspiracy, or the like; ringleader.

The last two being spot on.

[bf2002]

Tourism sector begs end to emergency decree

BANGKOK: -- To convince tourists to visit Thailand, the tourism sector appealed to the government to lift the emergency decree and speed up national reconciliation.

Representatives of the Federation of Thai Travel Agencies, an umbrella organisation of eight industry associations, called on Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva Thursday to discuss the plight of the industry in the aftermath of recent political upheaval.

Apichart Sangkha-ari, Chairman of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, said the meeting with the prime minister was scheduled ahead of the federation's meeting because the Mr. Abhisit is gravely concerned about the impact of the riots on tourism. The premier explained the necessity of retaining the emergency decree to ensure a smooth transition to peace.

"We understand and support the prime minister, but we do not want the emergency decree to remain in place for too long because it will hurt the industry. To this, the prime minister said as soon as the situation is back to normal—which should be within a week or ten days at most, the decree will go," Mr. Apichart told a press conference on Thursday.

Mr. Apichart said the operators also asked the prime minister to kick off the process of reconciliation and 'decolourisation' as the chasm between the yellow- and red-clad factions is hurting the image of Thailand. He cited the travel advisory by the Japanese government asking its citizens to refrain from wearing yellow or red shirts for the sake of personal safety and security.

The federation chairman added that he and his peers believe that the official target of 14

million visitors to Thailand this year is not likely to be met. A stable political climate could best bring about 12 million, yet any further political storm unleashes, the arrival figure for this year could well be down to single digit, he said.

Meanwhile, Prakit Chinamornpong, Chairman of the Thai Hotel Association, said some five star and super-luxury hotels are seeing only a five per cent occupancy rate, and many are averaging at an unprecedented 10 per cent. If this persists, at least 10 per cent of the workforce or about 5,000 jobs will be made redundant, he said.

On Friday, tourism sector representatives will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Kobsak Sabhavasu to discuss how to revive the industry.

-- TNA 2009-04-17

TAT is fighting a lost battle. Those "colored shirt people" have destroyed the place financially, considering Thailand was already suffering from high oil prices/the global recession/problems in the South.

People outside Thailand are now thinking it's not just the brothel of the world but also a banana republic of Asia. Vietnam is the new economic tiger of SE Asia....LOS is done for at least another few years and won't come back for at least another decade.

Edited April 17, 2009 by bf2002

[animatic]

im heading to bangkok and samui on holiday in 2 weeks time with my family.. as much as the news has been negative with lots of warnings we know thailand is a beautiful place and that its restricted to certain parts of bangkok.. i have friends there at the moment who are shopping in siam square every day then going back to there hotel pool to drink cocktails then go to bed supper club and soi cowboy at night for fun and this is while all this has been happening. im sure it puts a lot of people of but i think if you are sensible thailand is a wonderful place and there is just as much chance as getting hit by a bus here in australasia as there is by getting hit with a bullet in thailand.

Bassline, Samui is quiet and peacefull now, come on down

and I will hand you a bass to play.

I can find you a nice villa around a pool for about 1,500baht a day.

Not in the Chaweng hot spot area of course.

There are rooms available, and not all are being idiots about pricing.

Edited April 17, 2009 by animatic

[grandpops]

Something is still going on so they don't end the emergency decree yet.

Don't underestimate people's power.

Yes.

Still a need for emergency decree, this is slowed by not stopped.

Someone for your side of the color spectrum tried to kill Sondhi this AM,

rather than wait for the courts to grind along.

True Democracy Red Shirt Style!

So this could be a bellweather of 'Life with Thaksin as Dear Leader',

and Red shirts and Chalerm running the legislative.

Bellweather? Can somebody help me out please. My english is not so good. I thought it was bellwether.

I used it coloqually like a fog gong at sea.

And indicator of rocky shores to avoid.

Sailors also use this in some locales.

But yes most correctly,

and lacking my intentional irony, it is:

bell⋅weth⋅er –noun

1. a wether or other male sheep that leads the flock, usually bearing a bell.

2. a person or thing that assumes the leadership or forefront, as of a profession or industry: Paris is a bellwether of the fashion industry.

3. a person or thing that shows the existence or direction of a trend; index.

4. a person who leads a mob, mutiny, conspiracy, or the like; ringleader.

The last two being spot on.

Probably true here for both sides. Its democtatic process in its infancy and hopefully it will refine and mature over years.. decades proabaly, but I think its the beginning of the end for the racist ruling classes and their distaste for poor dark skinned people in any guise other than cleaner or driver.

What poor northern farmers must think when they watch Bankokcentric television I can only wonder. Lifestyle programs, Fashion shows, soaps, travel diarys, all viewed from inside a wooden shack with a tin roof, paid for by the daughters that had to go and slave in the city or, if they were lucky enough to be considered pretty, to sell themselves in the brothels and bars that the hi-so's own, frequent or extort money from.

A plea from the pampered tourist sectors will likely fall on deaf ears outside of vested interest. Why would two thirds of the population of the country living in poverty give a fig about some soppy falangs holiday being disrupted.

I see the biggest danger now for Abhisit is Thaksin dissapearing from the scene.

They have demonised him so much that the next mover from the Red side who is Thaksin free will be able to wipe the floor at the next elections.

Yes, the Democrats now NEED Thaksin for their survival and to deflect anger and critisism from the massive financial fall out of this last week, the PAD antics and the general world financial climate. Not to mention the possibility of them also not being compenent enough to run the country's finances. No Thaksin = no bogeyman....wooooooooooooooooooooh

Edited April 17, 2009 by grandpops

[deprogrammed]

I did not follow what the US media put out on this latest uprising but it must have been pretty bad. My friends back there are urging me

to get the F out of here and think I am crazy for staying.

Well who would come vacation here then?

Pattaya is packed with farangs now, mostly hooligan/kee nok types for song kran. But i think after song kran tourism is gonna nosedive

bigtime!

Agreed! They arn't even sex tourists. Cheap skate, poorly dressed, scruffy, hooligans - invariably on benefits

[worthingmike]

probably too little to late. tourism here will be fuct for a while now. a coup, airport closures and the latest protests broadcast all over cnn and bbc showing buses on fire and the military clashing with the protesters. would you come here for a holiday?

Don't come to the UK then, following Mass arrests over power station protest raise civil liberties concerns, Knife crime in Britian and aleged police brutality at the G20. I have family in Bangkok and friends in Samui there is no problem, except in the media wanting to jump on the bandwagon of doom and gloom. Who wants to read good news. I do.....that who. I love Thailand and it's people except Mr T

[JR Texas]

The question was raised: "Why would two thirds of the population of the country living in poverty give a fig about some soppy falangs holiday being disrupted?"

The answer is obvious: Because the sons and daughters of the people in the countryside are the ones who work in the hotel industry (and related industries).

Many of them are being laid off now.......and they are returning to the countryside with no money in their pockets.

As you know, many poor girls in Thailand work in the "entertainment industry." You may not know that most of them are working to help their families who live in the countryside. Many of these girls are not making money.

When people talk about the tourism industry, they are talking about a wide network of interconnected industries. When one segment falters, they all falter. That is what is happening now.

[webfact]

Govt continues applying state of emergency in Bangkok

Abhisit said the decision was made because the government wanted to restore peace and order in the country. He said that the government wished the state would be in force as short as possible.

"We will continue applying the state of emergency, but for as short a period as possible, in order to restore peace and normalcy in Bangkok and its vicinities," Abhisit said.

He said the measures were still needed to "prevent any repeat incidents. There are still a few risky spots," he said.

He was speaking after chairing a special cabinet meeting at the Government House on Friday.

He insisted that the decision to maintain the state of emergency in Bangkok has nothing involved with the attack on Sondhi Limthongkul, People's Alliance for Democracy, on Friday morning.

Sondhi and PAD protesters late last year seized two Bangkok airports during their protests against government of Somchai Wongsawat, brother-in-law of fugitive ex-Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra.

They halted the seizure of airports and end the protest after Constitutional Court dissolved Somchai's People Power Party.

- THE NATION -

[oddziees]

Well, I'm just your average tourist who saves all year for our holiday in Thailand. I had to cancel this year due to the trouble at the airport and 2009 is looking dodgy too!!! When we visited in 2007 we got 70 baht to the £ now it's 50!!!! We find it a struggle all year to save for this and I can assure you the £5400 we spend on getting to Thailand alone (without spending money) is looking very poor value for money at the moment.

[trevorw]

Probably true here for both sides. Its democtatic process in its infancy and hopefully it will refine and mature over years.. decades proabaly, but I think its the beginning of the end for the racist ruling classes and their distaste for poor dark skinned people in any guise other than cleaner or driver.

What poor northern farmers must think when they watch Bankokcentric television I can only wonder. Lifestyle programs, Fashion shows, soaps, travel diarys, all viewed from inside a wooden shack with a tin roof, paid for by the daughters that had to go and slave in the city or, if they were lucky enough to be considered pretty, to sell themselves in the brothels and bars that the hi-so's own, frequent or extort money from.

A plea from the pampered tourist sectors will likely fall on deaf ears outside of vested interest. Why would two thirds of the population of the country living in poverty give a fig about some soppy falangs holiday being disrupted.

I see the biggest danger now for Abhisit is Thaksin dissapearing from the scene.

They have demonised him so much that the next mover from the Red side who is Thaksin free will be able to wipe the floor at the next elections.

Yes, the Democrats now NEED Thaksin for their survival and to deflect anger and critisism from the massive financial fall out of this last week, the PAD antics and the general world financial climate. Not to mention the possibility of them also not being compenent enough to run the country's finances. No Thaksin = no bogeyman....wooooooooooooooooooooh

This is the best contribution to this thread by far. Gets to the heart of the matter. The main emphasis in expat communications is always on how easy/difficult etc etc it is for some poor sod from Braintree, Essex, or Notlob, Lancashire, to "survive" in LoS. Well, who gives a toss? The only way we expats can live comfortably in LoS is by ignoring the very real poverty that allows us to live on artificially low prices for everything (except what is imported from Europe). What danger do we run, as expats or tourists, compared to the danger of dying from malnutrition or disease in some northern Thai location?

Does any one give a flying fk for the condition of the rural poor, whose daughters come down to Pattaya, encouraged by the monks and all figures of authority (just like in Medieval Europe), to "make a living" from us farangs, who probably square our consciences by saying we are transferring "wealth" to the third world.

What bs.

Well done, Grandpops...keep it up.

Trotsky

[animatic]

There is AWAYS a bogeyman to use.

Problem with Thaksin is he is an actually dangerous one,

rather than a stalking horse or scary mask.

Edited April 17, 2009 by animatic

[yogi]

its funny,yes we all are affected,but the guys who are doing all this don't have any idea,what they care is just 500 bht per day.

i hate them

[dubserve]

The situation isnt the best right now, but think positive instead of all the blaming, all the negative thinking about the future, stay in present please and think positive! Everything will be all right again it will just take some time, none of us need all the negative thinking and so on, there simply just inst any reason for that kind of thinking it is only going to make things worse. Cha Cha you Win, No cha cha you Loose chai yen yen kap

And what does the medias maka their money on good news or bad news ? You know the answer ;-)

See you in september :-)

Take It Easy, Everything Is Gonna Be Alright Again, Changes Takes Time.

[lukazg]

hey guys!

i am coming to thailand on may 1st. i plan to stay there for two weeks. the plan is to stay in bangkok for a couple of days an then head to ao nang, ko lanta and so. with all this political problems there i am not sure what to do. i would appriciate a lot if anyone living in thailand can help me to decide whter or not to go. i understand the riots actually happend on just a few places in the city and that majority of the city was unaffected. but my biggest concern is that is there any real danger of this unrest culminating in some sort of civil war or something like that? how exactly is the situation serious? i'm asking because all this press coverage is not really first hand and you can't be sure what the situation really is like. especially since i was unaware of thailand problems until last week. i heard only nice things about the country and the people, that's why i decided to visit. and by looking at some tourist guides the beauty of thailand is truly breathtaking, but i would really like some info on the safety issue

thanks in advance on your help!

[JR Texas]

hey guys!

i am coming to thailand on may 1st. i plan to stay there for two weeks. the plan is to stay in bangkok for a couple of days an then head to ao nang, ko lanta and so. with all this political problems there i am not sure what to do. i would appriciate a lot if anyone living in thailand can help me to decide whter or not to go. i understand the riots actually happend on just a few places in the city and that majority of the city was unaffected. but my biggest concern is that is there any real danger of this unrest culminating in some sort of civil war or something like that? how exactly is the situation serious? i'm asking because all this press coverage is not really first hand and you can't be sure what the situation really is like. especially since i was unaware of thailand problems until last week. i heard only nice things about the country and the people, that's why i decided to visit. and by looking at some tourist guides the beauty of thailand is truly breathtaking, but i would really like some info on the safety issue

thanks in advance on your help!

The problems are localized. It is not as though civil war has broken out all over Thailand.......not even close.

Given that they already did the "airport closure thing," I don't think that will happen again.

My best guess is that you will be safe. Just don't wear an all red or all yellow shirt.

[CrossBones]

probably too little to late. tourism here will be fuct for a while now. a coup, airport closures and the latest protests broadcast all over cnn and bbc showing buses on fire and the military clashing with the protesters. would you come here for a holiday?

I have a friend in HCMC that arranges tours for Vietnamese to come to Bangkok for shopping, she hasn't been able to get a group together for over a month - last one went to KL for shopping, almost 400 people that have "Mahk Mahk Baht" to spend.........can't blame them can You??? Why take a chance on Bangkok when for the same prices you can go to KL.............

Meanwhile, those of us who live here continue to call for "Buleah! Peel me a grape". Life is pretty good for us retirees in the land of smiles! Let the working class worry about their holidays, let them eat cake!

I feel an Irvine Welsh quote is in order!