Visitors Down By A Half

[mommysboy]

Tourism ~ 6%

Agriculture and manufacturing ~ 55%

What's the other 39% ?

I'm not sure of the exact figure, but it's manuafacturing (factories), would appreciate clarification.

Ag. and tourism are important in as much as they employ so many people.

IMHO it's a bit of a fallacy that the collapse in tourism and factories can be offset by a return to ag.

[mommysboy]

Tourism ~ 6%

Agriculture and manufacturing ~ 55%

What's the other 39% ?

I'm not sure of the exact figure, but it's manuafacturing (factories), would appreciate clarification.

Ag. and tourism are important in as much as they employ so many people.

IMHO it's a bit of a fallacy that the collapse in tourism and factories can be offset by a return to ag.

[JR Texas]

6% GDP from tourism is an official guestimate that includes Hotel rooms, food/drink, domestic transport and some entertainment.

It doesn't include "gentlemens entertainment" or the Billions of Baht sent to Thailand annually by the imbeciles who fall in love with BGs and send them monthly Western Union cheques.

As was previously pointed out, the black tourism market would equal the official market so the real benefit from tourism is much higher than official figures.

If the real market is down by 50% that probably means the black market is also down. May not be as much gold sold in Isaan this year.

Duchovny.......I get it.........but the most recent posters keep repeating 6%. I am not sure why.

There are so many businesses that are connected to the tourism industry that are not included in the offical 6%.

The (fun) segment that does not pay taxes is huge.

[mommysboy]

6% GDP from tourism is an official guestimate that includes Hotel rooms, food/drink, domestic transport and some entertainment.

It doesn't include "gentlemens entertainment" or the Billions of Baht sent to Thailand annually by the imbeciles who fall in love with BGs and send them monthly Western Union cheques.

As was previously pointed out, the black tourism market would equal the official market so the real benefit from tourism is much higher than official figures.

If the real market is down by 50% that probably means the black market is also down. May not be as much gold sold in Isaan this year.

Duchovny.......I get it.........but the most recent posters keep repeating 6%. I am not sure why.

There are so many businesses that are connected to the tourism industry that are not included in the offical 6%.

The (fun) segment that does not pay taxes is huge.

From what I can gather it's a 'real' figure, but many of us suspect you are right, as with most things in Thailand lines get blurred.

Can't go changing the goal posts though.

PS: I think it's now 7% and Bloomberg recently quoted 10%.

[mommysboy]

6% GDP from tourism is an official guestimate that includes Hotel rooms, food/drink, domestic transport and some entertainment.

It doesn't include "gentlemens entertainment" or the Billions of Baht sent to Thailand annually by the imbeciles who fall in love with BGs and send them monthly Western Union cheques.

As was previously pointed out, the black tourism market would equal the official market so the real benefit from tourism is much higher than official figures.

If the real market is down by 50% that probably means the black market is also down. May not be as much gold sold in Isaan this year.

Duchovny.......I get it.........but the most recent posters keep repeating 6%. I am not sure why.

There are so many businesses that are connected to the tourism industry that are not included in the offical 6%.

The (fun) segment that does not pay taxes is huge.

From what I can gather it's a 'real' figure, but many of us suspect you are right, as with most things in Thailand lines get blurred.

Can't go changing the goal posts though.

PS: I think it's now 7% and Bloomberg recently quoted 10%.

In fact checking Bloomberg.com and using the search word 'Thailand' there is now a story that Thai GDP shrunk 6% on the quarter. That's even worse than many western economies.

[mommysboy]

6% GDP from tourism is an official guestimate that includes Hotel rooms, food/drink, domestic transport and some entertainment.

It doesn't include "gentlemens entertainment" or the Billions of Baht sent to Thailand annually by the imbeciles who fall in love with BGs and send them monthly Western Union cheques.

As was previously pointed out, the black tourism market would equal the official market so the real benefit from tourism is much higher than official figures.

If the real market is down by 50% that probably means the black market is also down. May not be as much gold sold in Isaan this year.

Duchovny.......I get it.........but the most recent posters keep repeating 6%. I am not sure why.

There are so many businesses that are connected to the tourism industry that are not included in the offical 6%.

The (fun) segment that does not pay taxes is huge.

From what I can gather it's a 'real' figure, but many of us suspect you are right, as with most things in Thailand lines get blurred.

Can't go changing the goal posts though.

PS: I think it's now 7% and Bloomberg recently quoted 10%.

In fact checking Bloomberg.com and using the search word 'Thailand' there is now a story that Thai GDP shrunk 6% on the quarter. That's even worse than many western economies.

[MJP]

6% GDP from tourism is an official guestimate that includes Hotel rooms, food/drink, domestic transport and some entertainment.

It doesn't include "gentlemens entertainment" or the Billions of Baht sent to Thailand annually by the imbeciles who fall in love with BGs and send them monthly Western Union cheques.

As was previously pointed out, the black tourism market would equal the official market so the real benefit from tourism is much higher than official figures.

If the real market is down by 50% that probably means the black market is also down. May not be as much gold sold in Isaan this year.

Duchovny.......I get it.........but the most recent posters keep repeating 6%. I am not sure why.

There are so many businesses that are connected to the tourism industry that are not included in the offical 6%.

The (fun) segment that does not pay taxes is huge.

From what I can gather it's a 'real' figure, but many of us suspect you are right, as with most things in Thailand lines get blurred.

Can't go changing the goal posts though.

PS: I think it's now 7% and Bloomberg recently quoted 10%.

In fact checking Bloomberg.com and using the search word 'Thailand' there is now a story that Thai GDP shrunk 6% on the quarter. That's even worse than many western economies.

Blimey! If he means 'in the quarter' and not 'annualised', put it this way, Germany's was -3.8% in the quarter which gave an annualised decline of over 15%.

Yikes!!!!

See what I mean about the sufficiency economy? I hope these folks can feed themselves.

[wolfmanjack]

Do enlighten me with proof(s). I have yet to see any data supporting such statement.

I remember watching a 60 minutes interview with the Minister of Health of Thailand about 10 years ago and she said Thai Men go to a prostitute like American men go to a coffee shop. If you get away from the tourist areas you will see the prostitution for locals is at least 100 times greater than it is for tourists. It covers all economic classes for the thais. Sex is available for as low as 100 baht and as high as ???????

[KhunAlbert]

WIDESPREAD SCAMS AIMED AT FIIRST TIME TOURISTS VISITING THAILAND.

Professional scammers are employed by the Thai Tourist Mafia and are positioned at strategic places all over Bangkok, intercepting visitors....at the Airport Arrival Hall, outside every Tourist Hotel, shopping center, busy street corner, Skytrain Station and adjacent to most of Thailand major tourist attractions.

THEY ARE EVERYWHERE!

Nick, from Sukhumvit Soi 6 has been writing letters to the Bangkok Post for months regarding the Taxi Mafia punks running Soi 6 in front of the Sofiteil Hotel.

Nick has called the police and even contacted the Bangkok Governer but nothing has been done.

These punks refuse to use a meter and are there to rip off tourists.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3559/350859...016fb5573_b.jpg

The are parked illegally but pay the Police.

This scenario is repeated in front of every tourist hotel.

THIS is bad for tourism.

[Dave the Dude]

But there is some good news: the Thai bt's getting even stronger. That is NOT good news for most ex-pats

Hooray mak jing

[duchovny]

Nick has called the police and even contacted the Bangkok Governer but nothing has been done.

These are the people who are behind the scams. Is this Nick guy naive or what?

[Ulysses G.]

I remember watching a 60 minutes interview with the Minister of Health of Thailand about 10 years ago and she said Thai Men go to a prostitute like American men go to a coffee shop. If you get away from the tourist areas you will see the prostitution for locals is at least 100 times greater than it is for tourists. It covers all economic classes for the thais. Sex is available for as low as 100 baht and as high as ???????

All true!

[KhunAlbert]

Nick has called the police and even contacted the Bangkok Governer but nothing has been done.

These are the people who are behind the scams. Is this Nick guy naive or what?

Nick has a point.

Why are those punks allowed to control the area in front of that hotel?

Good or bad for tourism I ask?

[MJP]

Nick has called the police and even contacted the Bangkok Governer but nothing has been done.

These are the people who are behind the scams. Is this Nick guy naive or what?

Nick has a point.

Why are those punks allowed to control the area in front of that hotel?

Good or bad for tourism I ask?

Are you feeling alright, Albert?

[wolfmanjack]

Tourism ~ 6%

Agriculture and manufacturing ~ 55%

What's the other 39% ?

Something in the Nation Master page is messed up.

According to it the tourism is based on 7,294,000 visitors and i think it went up to over 14 million visitors in 2008.

These are quotes from INTERNATIONAL TOURISMUS BORSE (ITB 2009) THAILAND PRESS CONFERENCE

SPEECH BY MR WEERASAK KOWSURAT — CHAIRMAN OF TAT’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS

13 March 2009, Saal Berlin

""This year, we are projecting 14 million visitor arrivals with tourism revenue projected at approximately 11 billion Euros.

The target for domestic arrivals is 87 million trips, and earnings of about 9 billion Euros.""

That would be 20 billion Euro for tourism in thailand or 506 billion baht.

""Tourism remains a primary pillar of Thailand's national economic development, helping to distribute income nationwide and directly creating 2.4 million jobs.""

That is a lot of jobs in thailand. As pointed out by previous posters both the number of jobs and the income are under reported due to the gray market here that services tourists.

A 50% drop would put over a million people out of a job.

[wolfmanjack]

I remember watching a 60 minutes interview with the Minister of Health of Thailand about 10 years ago and she said Thai Men go to a prostitute like American men go to a coffee shop. If you get away from the tourist areas you will see the prostitution for locals is at least 100 times greater than it is for tourists. It covers all economic classes for the thais. Sex is available for as low as 100 baht and as high as ???????

All true!

Thanks for the back up UG

[MJP]

I remember watching a 60 minutes interview with the Minister of Health of Thailand about 10 years ago and she said Thai Men go to a prostitute like American men go to a coffee shop. If you get away from the tourist areas you will see the prostitution for locals is at least 100 times greater than it is for tourists. It covers all economic classes for the thais. Sex is available for as low as 100 baht and as high as ???????

All true!

Thanks for the back up UG

+1

Tried to post the same support for Wolfman earlier but 2G thing is on rag.

Yep! I live deep in the sticks in Issan. If any of you ever go round the cities, towns or even some villages here, you'll see little places with fairy lights, you know like on a Christmas tree.

Karaoke bars so they say, but a bit more than that. Yes, they charge the local men around 200 Baht a pop.

My sufficiency economy argument falls apart here. Wish these girls could do something else. Seems the sufficiency economy just ain't sufficient enough.

Edited May 18, 2009 by MJP

[MJP]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8053219.stm

[KhunAlbert]

The Taxi Mafia is doing their best to ruin the tourism industry.

Tourists discuss the issuue here:

http://www.bangkokscams.com/scams-in-thail...#jc_allComments

[mommysboy]

But there is some good news: the Thai bt's getting even stronger. That is NOT good news for most ex-pats

Hooray mak jing

Hey Dude, It was said with a bit of irony! It's shocking! a can of beer now costs me the same as in UK.

Nice pics. what's that brown stuff hitting the fan?

[mommysboy]

But there is some good news: the Thai bt's getting even stronger. That is NOT good news for most ex-pats

Hooray mak jing

Hey Dude, It was said with a bit of irony! It's shocking! a can of beer now costs me the same as in UK.

Nice pics. what's that brown stuff hitting the fan?

I suppose posting on one's own posts is a bit like laughing at your own jokes, but there is a point here!

I once again walked the walk today and still more closures, plus the toilets at the restaurant by the side were in a disgusting state so that I decided to skip a meal from the stalls.

This evidence b4 my eyes plus the news coming out suggests Thailand could be in big trouble.

[JR Texas]

But there is some good news: the Thai bt's getting even stronger. That is NOT good news for most ex-pats

Hooray mak jing

Hey Dude, It was said with a bit of irony! It's shocking! a can of beer now costs me the same as in UK.

Nice pics. what's that brown stuff hitting the fan?

I suppose posting on one's own posts is a bit like laughing at your own jokes, but there is a point here!

I once again walked the walk today and still more closures, plus the toilets at the restaurant by the side were in a disgusting state so that I decided to skip a meal from the stalls.

This evidence b4 my eyes plus the news coming out suggests Thailand could be in big trouble.

Went to Bangkok and found it strange.........so many places with the doors shut and it was not a holiday and it was during working hours. I think a lot of people are really hurting now.

I also have friends in Pattaya-Jomtien that told me they had never seen it down like it is currently down.......maybe the worst down season on record. One said the Royal Garden Mall had more workers than tourists.

About working girls and Thai men (saw that on this thread)..........my guess is that at least 95% of the prostitution in Thailand is Thai male-Thai female..........nothing to do with "farangs."

But the myth is that only those "bad farangs" and doing it.

I would also like to add that it is a myth that only poor people visit prostitutes........strange myth but it is circulating in our brain. Rich men in Thailand do visit prostitutes......hello.

Back to the topic........it looks like the swine flu in spreading now in Thailand..........this really could be a down season from hel_l. Fasten your seat belts...........