Battered Tourism Sector Seeks Urgent Government Help

[AleG]

Recently closing the airport for a few weeks, that really killed the tourism a lot more than May 92. A lot of tourists are serious people with important careers. Getting stuck on vacation, locked out of an airport, is just too much risk to take. I believe a lot of tourists may not visit Thailand for years because of that airport closure. Perhaps many people who get stuck in a habit of visiting Thailand year after year, will change and start going elsewhere.

Airport closure was HUGE.

I concur that is the single most deciding factor, besides the economic meltdown.

It's not just from the reports people where hearing back in farangland about stranded tourists, or the accounts from those people when they went back home. But also see it from the point of view of the people that send those tourists into Thailand.

Your travel agency sends a plane-load of people over there, the protests break out and you have a plane full of people screaming at you on the phone to DO SOMETHING RIGHT NOW!, you either fashion a solution at your own expense or do nothing and lose all those clients plus all their relatives and friends that would had been potential future clients. Now the protests go away and you see that nobody faces the least amount of punishment for the damage caused, that is the same as giving anyone the freedom to do the same sort of things anytime. As long as their mob is big enough they'll face no repercussions. Knowing that the same thing could happen again any time, do you still promote Thailand as a destination? No, you don't, you advice people to go somewhere else and save yourself the hassle of having to deal with childish tantrums.

[Jingthing]

Nice to see that the"more-Thai-than-Thais" brigade of expats

The official Thaivisa term for this is "Thai-ier than Thai"

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?s=...t&p=2625188

Edited June 18, 2009 by Jingthing

[LivinLOS]

they may come here again , eventually when Thai Airways will decide to make fares at NORMAL prices .....

Strange that. Thai Airways were ofering the CHEAPEST option from UK this year.

Really ?? cheaper than the 399 GBP return with BA or Quantas ??

Please enlighten me..

[Alex2353]

In A Nutshell, Thailand like any other Product, is Past it's Sell By Date.

In A Nutshell, Like any other Product, Thailand is Past It's Sell By Date !

Battered tourism sector seeks urgent government help

BANGKOK: -- Amid a sharp drop in tourist arrivals to Thailand, the country’s tourism agencies were alarmed and strongly urging the government to provide urgent measures to rescue the beleaguered industry.

Tosaporn Thepbutr, deputy-chairman of Committee on Tourism and Sports, said the Association of Domestic Travel (ADT), the Thai-Chinese Tourism Alliance Association (TCTA) and Thailand-Japan Tourism Promotion Association on Tuesday submitted a complaint letter to the committee.

They charged that although the government had announced tourism as a national priority, to date no concrete measures have been implemented by concerned-agencies to boost the country’s tourism industry. So the premier himself should intervene to resolve the problems.

Thailand’s tourist arrivals sharply drop to a critical level, Mr. Tosaporn said, in June alone, the number of tourist arrivals has dropped from 165,000 in the same period of 2008, to 27,000 in 2009 due to the Influenza A(H1N1) outbreak, or 33.45 per cent year-on-year.

Mr. Tosaporn said that with the falling number of tourist arrivals from almost every nation, except from Iran and Hong Kong, the earlier estimated arrival levels of 11 million tourists projected by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) will be unlikely to achieve the target.

"The causes of the sharp drop in tourist arrivals are attributed to the closure of Suvarnabhumi Airport by the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) in November and December, and recent domestic political turmoil, combined with the current outbreak of the H1N1 flu,” Mr. Tosaporn said.

-- TNA 2009-06-17

[jbhh]

"The causes of the sharp drop in tourist arrivals are attributed to the closure of Suvarnabhumi Airport by the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) in November and December, and recent domestic political turmoil, combined with the current outbreak of the H1N1 flu,” Mr. Tosaporn said.

When looking at foreign news reporting, the soldiers shooting ont he streets were a much bigger story than the airport closure, I think just to be fair he should have simply said:"...are attributed to foreigners being affraid to get caught up in our continuous political turmoil combined with the H1N1 flu outbreak".

Also, June aint over yet, how can he speak of "June" and compare it with last years numbers...

It's interesting that he does not mention at all the fact that everything is getting way to expensive in Thailand (One reason being the strong Baht, the other the real prices - things aint cheap here anymore), and there are other countries in the immediate vicinity that are now becoming more interesting. Look at Vietnam for example, they have improved a lot in being a nice place to visit and they now have A LOT more visitors than Thailand, even though their numbers have dropped (due to the H1N1 flu) compared to last year, too.

http://www.vietnamtourism.com/e_pages/news...amp;chucnang=07

If Thailand doesn't get it's act together soon, they can smile as much as they want, people will stop coming more and more. So, he is right... the TAT need to pull the rabbit out of the hat and put all it can into saving Thailand's face as a top tourist destination in the world.

Edited June 18, 2009 by jbhh

[steve187]

My 10p of quick fixes:

60 Day Entry free tourist visa regardless of how you enter the country.

Ability to renew a tourist visa for 30/60 days (for a fee of 2000/4000 baht - the cost of an average visa run) without leaving the country ...

Devaluation of the baht so that the exchange rate against GBP gets back to 65-70 (and similar vs other currencies). This would stimulate tourism and exports.

A positive PR campaign (with TAT using foreign marketing expertise and consultancy) to promote Thailand properly against the ever-increasing global and regional competition. And I don't mean a new national cocktail lol.

Ability for farang to get 30 year lease (renewable by non-revokable law) for 1 rai of land for personal use.

Simplification of the work permit process.

I agree with all the above, the only thing I would add is make it easier to get a visa on entry as captain bluebird says, but make it harder for the constant border run people that will NOT get the correct visa for their stay, prior to entering the country

[BigBikeBKK]

This whole country is going down the shitter. When i got here 4 yrs ago i was ripped of at the airport by a taxi. Ripped off at the hotel. Ripped off in the bar for my bill and then had my phone stolen by some thai coochie. I wouldn't invest a single penny in this dismal place they call the land of (FAKE) smiles. Now its me thats smiling at you thailand as your withered and worried country goes back to the stone age...hahahaha. Take away all the thais and thailand may actually be a nice place to visit.

Wow- you sure will be missed... NOT!

Personally I think it's a good thing that tough economic times are weeding out the arrogant racist tossers like you.

And anyone who gets ripped off as many times as you have must be asking for it!

[MyphuketLife]

Not to get off the topic...and not meaning you personally....but I dispute the fact that Faranags spent "millions" of Baht to "help the Thai economy". I would assert that 90% of the Farangs on this forum spend their money to help themselves first, their families second, and only incidentally do they ever even think about the Thais they "help". Boozing it up in the local girlie bar and getting laid at the cheapest price is not "helping" the Thai economy, no matter what else you call it.

Don't get me wrong, I've been in Thailand off and on for more years than many Farangs, and I support a Thai family. I don't like the way I'm treated, still a foriegner even after 20 years, but that is just the way it is.

But for the farang whose idea of Thailand is bars and hookers, please don't glorify youself by saying you "support the Thai economy" by doing that.

I've been there too.

You may not like where or how they spend their money... but the simple fact they are spending their money HERE and not back HOME means their money is going to the THAI economy....

Thats not me, I don't booze it up and don't go to hookers.... But those that do are still helping the economy... That bar owner has money now, to pay employees, buy beer from his vendor who inturn has employees, by food for him and his family and that food comes from other business with employees, the hooker buys food, condoms, clothes, sends money up country...

[henryalleman]

I think there have been some good points made here. However I believe that a most of the posters here are either expats living in Thailand or frequent visitors (probably the reason they keep up with things on ThaiVisa). Genuine tourism does not rise and fall in Thailand because of the visa regulations, cost of visas, scams, ripoffs, ATM fees, dual pricing, etc. Tourism is a result of people wanting to take a nice vacation to some destination where they can enjoy themselves for one to three weeks. Many Europeans want a nice place in the sun for their winter months. They enjoy going to the beach, enjoy nice meals, and stay in hotels which cater to their needs. Most do not stay in cheaper hotels or skimp on things. That is not to say that they don't calculate the cost of their vacation in Thailand against costs to visit other locations. Someone mentioned Egypt. There are numerous resorts along the red sea with scuba diving, boating trips, luxury hotels with all the amenities. Why wouldn't someone consider this alternative because of the shorter flight and possibly at less cost. Real tourism in Thailand is not based on the cheap charlie tourist, sex tourist, or back packers as none of these really spend all that much money. I think the protests, flu crisis, and most importantly the down turn in the global economy do have real effects on the tourism industry. Certainly people have less discretionary income and they are going to look for the best bargin for the type of vacation they want. Vietnam and Cambodia will certainly see increases in tourism as they have been building the infastructure to draw tourists. This undoubtedly will cause a drop in the number of visitors going to Thailand. I think in discussing the fall in tourism it is necessary to put oneself in the position of a working guy in a Western country wanting to spend a nice vacation away from home with family and friends. That means seeing the sights, enjoying the food, night markets, resorts, beaches at a reasonable and affordable price. Closure of airports, swine flu, protests certainly do not help one make a decision to visit Thailand when other alternatives are available.

Further a lot of discussion is seen here from expats about ATM, fees, visa rules, scams, rip offs, etc. While I have not lived in Thailand, I have visited there regularly over the last 30 years. I have paid more to enter certain historical sights and been ripped off by taxi drivers. I am a foreigner and don't speak the language. Fortunately I have learned from those experiences. Isn't that part of travel anywhere. I just returned from Rio de Janiero and I can't tell you how many times taxi drives tried to rip me off. That's life and we learn from those things. It was never enough that I thought it worth arguing about. I think there is a tendency for expats to assume that they contribute to the overall Thai economy more than they do. Sure those that work and pay taxes probably do contribute. But many of the retirees that I know personally enjoy living in Thailand because they are on fixed income and it is relatively inexpensive and has a rather large expat community in some cities providing social networks. Nothing wrong with that but putting things into perspective they do NOT contribute THAT much to the overall Thai economy.

I really think it is necessary to separate the complaints of the expats and those of the general tourist population when discussing the drop in tourism in Thailand and throughout the world for that matter.

You made a very sensible contribution, but I would like to point out that yor remarks about the contribution of expats to the Thai economy are IMHO underestimated. Presume that the average spending of an retiree is about 1 million Baht per year that makes 1 Billion per 1000 retirees. so making Thailand an atractive country to retire could be a major source of income for the economy.

[sunsetlover]

There is nothing like empirical evidence to confirm this...I was at Suvarnabhumi airport on Tuesday this week, flying to Malaysia, 1 minute wait for passport/immigration check(!), when it usued to take at least 20-30 minutes before...when I arrived 2 weeks ago late at night, there was no wait at all, there were more passport counters open than people coming in!

Around Sukhumvit and Silom I saw drastic decrease of tourists in the 3-5 star hotels there...a room that cost 3000 baht last year could be had for 2000 bht with little or no haggling...even the taxi driver to the airport was complaing about this, he told me the average occupancy rate at these hotels is 30-40%! When all these people affected by this drop in tourism start complaining in an organized manner, perhaps something will happen...till then frankly it's a good time to be a tourist in LOS!

[loong]

.................................................................. I think there is a tendency for expats to assume that they contribute to the overall Thai economy more than they do. Sure those that work and pay taxes probably do contribute. But many of the retirees that I know personally enjoy living in Thailand because they are on fixed income and it is relatively inexpensive and has a rather large expat community in some cities providing social networks. Nothing wrong with that but putting things into perspective they do NOT contribute THAT much to the overall Thai economy.................

You made a very sensible contribution, but I would like to point out that yor remarks about the contribution of expats to the Thai economy are IMHO underestimated. Presume that the average spending of an retiree is about 1 million Baht per year that makes 1 Billion per 1000 retirees. so making Thailand an atractive country to retire could be a major source of income for the economy.

I agree, I don't understand this stance that so many people have that retirees do not benefit the economy.

Even if a retiree is limited to a budget of 50,000 Baht per month, that is 50K injected into the economy from abroad. How does somebody who works in Thailand and earns 50K per month and pay tax benefit the economy more? A retiree funds his lifestyle with money created outside of Thailand. Most people working here are being paid directly out of the Thai economy, so very little net benefit, if any at all.

A retiree is effectively money earned from export with nothing leaving the country, if that makes sense. Obviously you would have to offset the consumption of imported goods by the retiree, but then people working here consume imported goods as well.

[Alex2353]

Thailand will Never regain the Dizzy heights of Tourism it once enjoyed. It has had it's best days.

Been there, worn the T shirt, so to speak.

There will be newer destinations offering much much more with a lot less hassel, such as Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

I think there have been some good points made here. However I believe that a most of the posters here are either expats living in Thailand or frequent visitors (probably the reason they keep up with things on ThaiVisa). Genuine tourism does not rise and fall in Thailand because of the visa regulations, cost of visas, scams, ripoffs, ATM fees, dual pricing, etc. Tourism is a result of people wanting to take a nice vacation to some destination where they can enjoy themselves for one to three weeks. Many Europeans want a nice place in the sun for their winter months. They enjoy going to the beach, enjoy nice meals, and stay in hotels which cater to their needs. Most do not stay in cheaper hotels or skimp on things. That is not to say that they don't calculate the cost of their vacation in Thailand against costs to visit other locations. Someone mentioned Egypt. There are numerous resorts along the red sea with scuba diving, boating trips, luxury hotels with all the amenities. Why wouldn't someone consider this alternative because of the shorter flight and possibly at less cost. Real tourism in Thailand is not based on the cheap charlie tourist, sex tourist, or back packers as none of these really spend all that much money. I think the protests, flu crisis, and most importantly the down turn in the global economy do have real effects on the tourism industry. Certainly people have less discretionary income and they are going to look for the best bargin for the type of vacation they want. Vietnam and Cambodia will certainly see increases in tourism as they have been building the infastructure to draw tourists. This undoubtedly will cause a drop in the number of visitors going to Thailand. I think in discussing the fall in tourism it is necessary to put oneself in the position of a working guy in a Western country wanting to spend a nice vacation away from home with family and friends. That means seeing the sights, enjoying the food, night markets, resorts, beaches at a reasonable and affordable price. Closure of airports, swine flu, protests certainly do not help one make a decision to visit Thailand when other alternatives are available.

Further a lot of discussion is seen here from expats about ATM, fees, visa rules, scams, rip offs, etc. While I have not lived in Thailand, I have visited there regularly over the last 30 years. I have paid more to enter certain historical sights and been ripped off by taxi drivers. I am a foreigner and don't speak the language. Fortunately I have learned from those experiences. Isn't that part of travel anywhere. I just returned from Rio de Janiero and I can't tell you how many times taxi drives tried to rip me off. That's life and we learn from those things. It was never enough that I thought it worth arguing about. I think there is a tendency for expats to assume that they contribute to the overall Thai economy more than they do. Sure those that work and pay taxes probably do contribute. But many of the retirees that I know personally enjoy living in Thailand because they are on fixed income and it is relatively inexpensive and has a rather large expat community in some cities providing social networks. Nothing wrong with that but putting things into perspective they do NOT contribute THAT much to the overall Thai economy.

I really think it is necessary to separate the complaints of the expats and those of the general tourist population when discussing the drop in tourism in Thailand and throughout the world for that matter.

You made a very sensible contribution, but I would like to point out that yor remarks about the contribution of expats to the Thai economy are IMHO underestimated. Presume that the average spending of an retiree is about 1 million Baht per year that makes 1 Billion per 1000 retirees. so making Thailand an atractive country to retire could be a major source of income for the economy.

[jackr]

I'll take it how it is, warts n all.

While you maybe satisfied with 'warts n all', (which i assume means the scams, over charging etc) many tourists are not. And therein lies the dilemma for they country. 'Quality tourists' expect quality in return which shopping in a mom and pop shop is not.

You assume wrong. It pertains to life in general here and willing to accept visa issues/cultural differences as part of the package, meaning I'll take it over a non-hassle, staid life in the West any day. The scamming/overcharging sucks but if you know what you're doing it's not an issue.

In any case, I'd say that has little to do with the drop-off in your 'quality tourists'... that's all to do with the economy, high baht, and political shenanigans. Millions of people wouldn't stop coming in the space of mere months because some, or even a significant proportion, were being ripped off.

I was making a comparison of buying a beer at a mom n pop shop with one in an expensive place in the UK, as the guy thought he was being ripped off because he could find Chang beer cheaper in a UK off-license over one of the most expensive places in Thailand.

[StevieH]

I'll take it how it is, warts n all.

While you maybe satisfied with 'warts n all', (which i assume means the scams, over charging etc) many tourists are not. And therein lies the dilemma for they country. 'Quality tourists' expect quality in return which shopping in a mom and pop shop is not.

You assume wrong. It pertains to life in general here and willing to accept visa issues/cultural differences as part of the package, meaning I'll take it over a non-hassle, staid life in the West any day. The scamming/overcharging sucks but if you know what you're doing it's not an issue.

In any case, I'd say that has little to do with the drop-off in your 'quality tourists'... that's all to do with the economy, high baht, and political shenanigans. Millions of people wouldn't stop coming in the space of mere months because some, or even a significant proportion, were being ripped off.

I was making a comparison of buying a beer at a mom n pop shop with one in an expensive place in the UK, as the guy thought he was being ripped off because he could find Chang beer cheaper in a UK off-license over one of the most expensive places in Thailand.

agree. and for those people complaining about thailand's rampant corruption, have you checked the west recently? MPs expenses, bent bankers and all?

[Bruce1]

Visiting friends and relatives generates up to half the tourism business in many parts of the world, so gee, I wonder why people aren't going to the LOS? Just can't think of the answer...

The Thai parents of my Thai students studying in Oz are telling them to stay away from the LOS for as long as possible. Some of my Thai students say they hope never to go back.

And that doesn't even get to other issues like political unrest, visa ripoffs, corruption, scamming etc.

Time for a major reality check for the LOS, I think.

[Ulysses G.]

Thailand will Never regain the Dizzy heights of Tourism it once enjoyed. It has had it's best days.

Been there, worn the T shirt, so to speak.

There will be newer destinations offering much much more with a lot less hassel, such as Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

What a load of dog do-do.

Tourism in Thailand is down because the world economy is at a low point. When it recovers tourists will return in droves!

[Methuselah]

Most of the reasons behind the drop in tourist numbers have been mentioned already,with a reasonable degree of unanimity.

Apart from a very serious global recession,most of the factors have been a constant over several decades----political instability,crime,law enforcement{or lack of it},corruption,scams,dual pricing,dirty beaches etc.

However ,a factor that is playing an increasing global role is ease of access to the INTERNET.Potential tourists actually check up on their planned destination,and the Internet is now helping to expose the negative aspects of Thailand.

I suspect that good news is easier to post than bad news.

The ACTUAL news is that Thailand has hardly changed at all.

[StevieH]

What a load of dog do-do.

Tourism in Thailand is down because the world economy is at a low point. When it recovers tourists will return in droves!

don't think it's that simple. there's a big negative image of political instability to get rid of before that happens. while there's even a possibility of an airport closure or protests and demonstrations in the capital people will shy away.

[mommysboy]

Thailand will Never regain the Dizzy heights of Tourism it once enjoyed. It has had it's best days.

Been there, worn the T shirt, so to speak.

There will be newer destinations offering much much more with a lot less hassel, such as Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

What a load of dog do-do.

Tourism in Thailand is down because the world economy is at a low point. When it recovers tourists will return in droves!

Will they?

[paulchiangmai]

Wow - I started reading this topic was 4 pages, now it is 11, it is keeping me up!!

I am a booked tourist for my first trip to ? Phuket.

I have wanted to visit Thailand for 20 years and now I have a plane ticket for October.

Will I use it?? Not sure.

I have always wanted to visit the River Kwai, but because of the probs last year in Bangkok travelling thro Singapore.

I have read the posts here with great interest, I sympathise with expats living there, seems you are given the run around. I am of course interested in the tourist bit.

The bar mat incident - silly aussie - stubborn thai authorities, worldwide media beat up.

I read a lot of forums, the problems I have with forthcoming planned trip are atm fees and the ASEAN conference. At present it is planned for Phuket when I will be there and I don't want to get stuck not getting back to work.

By reading the forums I have also found that it is not the cheap holiday I thought it would be - wish I had booked to Bali or even back to Fiji where we were in April, since they devalued a week after we left it is very cheap.

Despite this as long as I can feel safe, cos of ASEAN, i will come and see my land of dreams - not just Phuket, in fact since reading the forums I don't think I want to go there, but tickets are booked. If I don't feel safe will go to Malaysia or Vietnam instead.

Swine flu - I live in Qld and there are the most over reactive place in the world I think - sneeze and close a school for 3 days!!

Expats I hope you get a better deal or learn to live with the deal you live with now

[paulchiangmai]

Wow - I started reading this topic was 4 pages, now it is 11, it is keeping me up!!

I am a booked tourist for my first trip to ? Phuket.

I have wanted to visit Thailand for 20 years and now I have a plane ticket for October.

Will I use it?? Not sure.

I have always wanted to visit the River Kwai, but because of the probs last year in Bangkok travelling thro Singapore.

I have read the posts here with great interest, I sympathise with expats living there, seems you are given the run around. I am of course interested in the tourist bit.

The bar mat incident - silly aussie - stubborn thai authorities, worldwide media beat up.

I read a lot of forums, the problems I have with forthcoming planned trip are atm fees and the ASEAN conference. At present it is planned for Phuket when I will be there and I don't want to get stuck not getting back to work.

By reading the forums I have also found that it is not the cheap holiday I thought it would be - wish I had booked to Bali or even back to Fiji where we were in April, since they devalued a week after we left it is very cheap.

Despite this as long as I can feel safe, cos of ASEAN, i will come and see my land of dreams - not just Phuket, in fact since reading the forums I don't think I want to go there, but tickets are booked. If I don't feel safe will go to Malaysia or Vietnam instead.

Swine flu - I live in Qld and there are the most over reactive place in the world I think - sneeze and close a school for 3 days!!

Expats I hope you get a better deal or learn to live with the deal you live with now

[paulchiangmai]

I say, If you go to restaurant for 5 years and its great food, cheap and the staff welcome you then you keep going.

If you go there a week later and its rubbish food, expensive and the staff want a £20 entrance fee then you will stop going.

The simple maths are: Look around Asia, Its the same sun in the day but everywere is easier to get into or cheaper, I find that prices in Thailand are on a par with England, (The beers in the bars, the restaurants taxi's in Pattaya, The clothes and mobile phones are more expensive!!)

I say a BIG SOM NAM NAA to em,

Its my money, i go were i want and believe me i have spent lots of it in Thailand, But why the hel_l should i?, Why the hel_l should i spend thousands on holiday when basically its a night mare for visa's, the police, the security, the Baht bus drivers etc..

Just greedy, greedy and i laugh every time i see that the tourists are not coming. (I do feel sad for the average Thai's & farangs with business's but many of my friends in England cant pay there mortgages.

So thats my view..

SOM NAAM NAAAAAAAA!! save my £££££££

So pleased to hear things are so cheap in England, was going to Australia in August but me thinks I might give England a go.

[paulchiangmai]

Wow - I started reading this topic was 4 pages, now it is 11, it is keeping me up!!

I am a booked tourist for my first trip to ? Phuket.

I have wanted to visit Thailand for 20 years and now I have a plane ticket for October.

Will I use it?? Not sure.

I have always wanted to visit the River Kwai, but because of the probs last year in Bangkok travelling thro Singapore.

I have read the posts here with great interest, I sympathise with expats living there, seems you are given the run around. I am of course interested in the tourist bit.

The bar mat incident - silly aussie - stubborn thai authorities, worldwide media beat up.

I read a lot of forums, the problems I have with forthcoming planned trip are atm fees and the ASEAN conference. At present it is planned for Phuket when I will be there and I don't want to get stuck not getting back to work.

By reading the forums I have also found that it is not the cheap holiday I thought it would be - wish I had booked to Bali or even back to Fiji where we were in April, since they devalued a week after we left it is very cheap.

Despite this as long as I can feel safe, cos of ASEAN, i will come and see my land of dreams - not just Phuket, in fact since reading the forums I don't think I want to go there, but tickets are booked. If I don't feel safe will go to Malaysia or Vietnam instead.

Swine flu - I live in Qld and there are the most over reactive place in the world I think - sneeze and close a school for 3 days!!

Expats I hope you get a better deal or learn to live with the deal you live with now

Third try to reply, think I've got the hang of it now. Marijka take little notice of all these pessimistic reports you are reading here on Thai visa, come here with the right attitude and you will love it.

[Ulysses G.]

What a load of dog do-do.

Tourism in Thailand is down because the world economy is at a low point. When it recovers tourists will return in droves!

don't think it's that simple. there's a big negative image of political instability to get rid of before that happens. while there's even a possibility of an airport closure or protests and demonstrations in the capital people will shy away.

I'm sorry. You are right if this political stuff keeps up, it will hurt. However, if things return to normal, tourists will quickly forget.

[Thai at Heart]

What a load of dog do-do.

Tourism in Thailand is down because the world economy is at a low point. When it recovers tourists will return in droves!

don't think it's that simple. there's a big negative image of political instability to get rid of before that happens. while there's even a possibility of an airport closure or protests and demonstrations in the capital people will shy away.

I'm sorry. You are right if this political stuff keeps up, it will hurt. However, if things return to normal, tourists will quickly forget.

I am not so sure. It isn't the tourism industry's fault that the currencies lie where they are today, but at these rates, Thailand is perceived as relatively expensive against the emerging destinations such as Vietnam and Cambodia. There are always a large percentage of people who can be bothered to travel this far who are cost sensitive and with the current world problems I guess a lot of people who are still travelling may be trying a new destination next door. Once they go, maybe they never come back.

Cheap holidays used to be a quick nip for 240 quid to greece. There isn't really any such thing as a truly cheap holiday when the flight alone cost 400 quid.

Just look at lastminute.com you can have 7 nights with accomodation in most of europe right now for about 500 pounds.

Edited June 18, 2009 by Thai at Heart

[macduff]

Just spoke with a friend whom I had recommended to him to visit Thailand.

His biggest concerns were his health (flu) and the possibility of quarantine (flu).

Does anyone know what you currently face as a tourist when you arrive??? i.e.

Thermal Scanner……What is the threshold for a tourist or a plane load of tourists

to be quarantined and for how long…..just imagine you’re trying to plan the

trip of a life time with these concerns….

Could'nt agree more with your comments. A lot of people on here don't realise how serious this is.

[sabai-dee-man]

I've been visiting Thailand for 10 years and usually visit twice a year. I stay for 6~8 weeks at a time, and spend around UK£3~4k per visit... sometimes more!

I've not been out for over a year now due to the sheer increase in costs, and despite having over £3000 currently burning a hole in my pocket for a holiday right now, I just cannot bring myself to book a flight!

As a (relatively) long-term visitor, it's not all the political bοllοx that puts me off travelling, or the dual pricing, or even the "safety" concerns regarding the problems in the south or disturbances in BKK, as we all know it doesn't really effect us that much, but I can certainly see how all these media reported/spun problems are perceived by less frequent travellers or those who are considering their first visit (or first visit for several years) to Thailand, and how it is preventing them from committing their hard earned cash. Add to that the piss-poor artificially manipulated exchange rate, and you have a recipe for disaster!

As someone who also considers retiring to SE Asia in the future, I have serious doubts that it will ever be in Thailand now. The missus will just have to fly in to see the family from Vietnam, Laos, or Cambodia instead once we make the move back in that direction! Until their attitude towards foreigners (both tourist and expat) changes dramatically, Thailand can stick the whole county up it's own greedy, xenophobic, racist, corrupt behind!

I will only be back once the Baht is back at a realistic level as I have a lot of friends (and fun) in Thailand, but my retirement money will certainly be going to another country unless I can obtain my retirement visa (well before I'm 50) under a realistic set of conditions, own my own piece of land/property, not have to leave the country multiple times at the whim of immigration and policy makers, and once again enjoy the value-for-money that I used to!

There was only so long people would stand for it. While the perks remained cheap and staying long-term was relatively easy, the pro's far outweighed the cons (inadvertant pun noted!), but it's no surprise to anyone but the Thai officials that people have finally voted with their feet, and those feet are firmly dipped in warmer, friendlier waters elsewhere! It's going to take some serious back-tracking and conceding of their mistakes (and consequently the loss of face that goes with it) to get those people back; something we all know Thai's are unfortunately incapable of.

Sabai-Dee-Man!

[brahmburgers]

Being a long-term resident farang in Thailand takes some adjustment. For example, you tend to not notice the trash along the streets, similar to not noticing your nose (in your line sight), because it just makes life a bit easier to block certain things out.

Another angle: I just took a 30 hour visit to Chiang Mai to do some biz (distributing books). There were a dearth of farang there, but that's beside the point. I could have spent the whole time rummaging around the big city, trying to get my kicks. Yet, I took a tangent out toward an area where there's a mountain stream. There were nearly no Thais there, as they only go to natural out-of-the-way places en masse, when they're expected to go on special holidays. So I had the whole 3 mile length of riverbed to myself - quite enjoyable for a tree hugger like me. Plus, there were caves where early (pre-cell phone) inhabitants may have dwelled.

I guess what I'm saying here is; for those trying to find the best facets of Thailand - try going off the beaten track once in awhile. You don't have to follow the tour guide, and go to all the recommended places where the vendors are packed side by side. Two examples of let-downs that are 'must-see' according to tour guides:

#1. the 'Golden Triangle' is essentially a long bus trip to a place with hundreds of vendors. whoopie.

#2. An all-white temple. Another big whoopie.

TAT and anyone interested in boosting tourism in Thailand need to talk to people like me who know what many farang want to experience while on vacation here. TAT is a Thai-run organization, and as such, they don't have a handle on some of the types of things that many tourists enjoy (hint: unadulterated nature). TAT thinks seeing wats, playing golf, and shopping for trinkets are basically what all tourists want to do.

[Zeid]

April 2009 compared to April 2008,

increase of 25%

yes to Thailand despite that previous months where less than 2008

[Zeid]

for you who will ask where i got this information from, i would have posted the link but they just removed April,

http://www.tourism.go.th/2009/en/statistic...rism.php?cid=26

it was listed 4 hours ago