Battered Tourism Sector Seeks Urgent Government Help

[Tawai]

We where due to land in Thai at 6pm Thai time for a months stay but the only reason why we decided against it was because of the swine flue. Theres every chance of contracting the virus in Thailand especially if flying internally which we do a lot when were over there.In fact any large gatherings including buses and trains.If i or my family are going to catch the virus i'd rather it be in my home country. I dont cherish the thought of being quarantined in a Thai hospital and having to pay.

agree to your point. I am considering myself very lucky not having to fly as much as I used to. If I had the choice of flying now or later, when the situation of H1N1 is clearer, I definatly would postpone the flight.

[joker]

Xenophobic Yellow shirts caused the biggest damage when they shut down Suvarnabhumi. 300,000 travelers stranded- uncountable problems caused to those stranded. Foreign Minister Kasit thought is was 'FUN". They brought it on themselves. Kasit should be dumped to show the real change in Thailand's thinking. Red Shirts did not target tourist specically -Yellow and Kasit did.

What a load of political rubbish! Yes, at the time the Airport closures caused the problems

BUT we are way passed that. Rioting in the streets of Pattaya/Bangkok in April caused a

huge damage to the peaceful Buddhist image of Thailand - DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THAT!

We also have the economic turn down plus swine flu causing external problems but this

tourism problem has been going on for the last 5 years, believe me and above all, Thailand

is OUT of fashion for Asian visits right now. It's become too Western, too touristy and there

are too many scams, murders etc happening here. The golden goose has laid too many eggs!

[scania]

www.cryvisa.com LOL LOL absolutely brilliant comment

[midas]

There was a TV interview recently with an influential Expat and businessman who has been in Thailand for over 30 years -- It was primarily about the dire state of affairs of commerce in Pattaya these days.

For the first time in almost 5 years that I've been here, I heard him mildly criticize Thailand's Draconian Immigration laws.

Something to the effect that the law is based on one passed in the 1970s -- I had also heard previously, that the '70s law was based on the original one passed in the 1920s, before jet aircraft, before an airport, and when only a small number of very wealthy people could afford the time and money to travel to a remote place like Siam.

He mentioned how neighboring Asian countries like Cambodia, Vietnam, and Malaysia have modernized their Immigration laws and are attracting many retiree Expats as a result of making it easy for them to stay legal without all the intrusive detailed paperwork and reporting that Thailand requires.

He seemed to indicate that forces may be at work to make an attempt deliver a "wake-up-call" to the Thai Immigration Bureaucracy, in hopes that they might somehow discover a way to come stumbling into the 21st Century ( not holding my breath, but I have my fingers crossed )

I traveled for 17 years to the Philippines, lived there for 1.5 years, and had a business there -- I never stepped foot into their immigration office and don't even know where it's located. Renewing your Visa simply required going to a travel agent once every six months, dropping off your passport, paying a small fee, and your passport would be returned the next day with your 6 month renewal stamp.

As a retiree in "Amazing Thailand", I have to pay 6 visits to the Immigration office each year and cough up tons of intrusive personal data just to stay "legal".

.

Do you remember the name of the expat ?

The big difference SurfTrader is that all the other countries you mention

were colonised during their history - all except here which gives them " attitude " ,arrogance

whatever you want to call it - but they will never change - because they are never ever wrong about anything!

[OdeTheBear]

My friend from Finland had booked a family holiday (2 adults + 4 kids) to Thailand before the airport take over by Yellows but cancelled it later on when that happened as he thought Thailand to be not safe enough. Fearing for his family, understandable.... But you know which country he though to be safer? Egypt. I think that's funny because in Egypt Islamic extremists kidnap European tourists every now and then and also kill them. But now, for many, Egypt is being seen as safe heaven from dangerous Thailand. That says a lot.

Swine flu.... Yeah, right.

[humfurry]

www.cryvisa.com LOL LOL absolutely brilliant comment

Thank you! I do have my moments.

[harleyclarkey]

Sorry about that. I had no intention to toss all into the same cess pit...but upon re-reading my post, I understand the impression you might have gotten from reading it.

Cheers

No prob Hum.....as I am Irish I knew you excluded us from your list because you knew we are teetotal here!!

[Oberkommando]

Who hasn't seen this coming since the 2006 coup?

Sufficiency economy.

Tourism not important.

End of.

[humfurry]

Sorry about that. I had no intention to toss all into the same cess pit...but upon re-reading my post, I understand the impression you might have gotten from reading it.

Cheers

No prob Hum.....as I am Irish I knew you excluded us from your list because you knew we are teetotal here!!

Did you notice that I excluded the Scots too?

[harleyclarkey]

Sorry about that. I had no intention to toss all into the same cess pit...but upon re-reading my post, I understand the impression you might have gotten from reading it.

Cheers

No prob Hum.....as I am Irish I knew you excluded us from your list because you knew we are teetotal here!!

Did you notice that I excluded the Scots too?

Good fellow Celts......though glad we beat them in rugger. Anyway Irish whiskey is far better than Scotch.

On topic.....you have a point. The sight of a rollicking, shouting, flailing fat(usually) drunk on Bangla or Nana/Soi Cowboy, does not endear him to the image of a smiling happy Thailand.

Anyone else notiice how quiet Karon has become...and with more families present???

[joker]

The TAT could ask any foreigner in Thailand for constructive ways to increase the number of tourists. This would appear to be the start of a gradual decline in Thailand's popularity as a tourist destination. In this region alone Vietnam, Malaysia, even Indonesia are becoming more and more attractive. Add to that the number of expats leaving Thailand for countries who make them feel welcome and thailand has big problems ahead.

Those responsible don't seem to understand the dynamics of the tourism industry. More detrimental in the long term are the problems in Thailand itself: corruption, scamming, xenophobia, dual pricing, pollution, violent crime, extortion, visa regulations, nightlife, political unrest, personal safety, Thais mai pen rai attitude. The list goes on and all of these have been raised repeatedly in the media for years without any attempt to improve matters by officials supposedly responsible.

It wil be far harder and costlier to lure back tourists than it would have been to keep those coming here happy. Land Of Smiles ? Not for much longer. BTW, has that former TAT governor had her day in court yet ?

I think the last drunk Sexpat in Pattaya has a better understanding about Tourism than any of their specialists.

Ban dual pricing

copy the visa regulations from any other country

make a unit of Farang police who hunts scammer

I think the planning could be done in not more than 2 days.

To fix the worst problems would need not more than 2 month.

[baht&sold]

Many valid points raised here, some of which I heartily agree with. I too would like to see measures taken to improve many aspects of Thailand (most relate to changing the poor quality of education and lack of educational opportunities).

Beyond this primary ingredient, careful what you wish for- if Thailand were to fix ALL the ills described, it would then be a first-world country, replete with a myriad of regulations on every aspect of one's life (just like 'back home'). Of course, the costs would then truly be just like 'back home' as well.

Still, one suspects a contingent of Expats here were already unhappy in their own countries well before they arrived- then illogically thought Thailand was the 'geographical fix' at first sight. But predictably, as the reality of 'wherever YOU go, there YOU are' sets in again over time, only the common denominator (and dissatisfaction/anger) remains. A bit like an unnoticed parasite which is slowly killing the host, 'it' goes wherever the host goes, be it Thailand, Vietnam or Timbuktu, and after the newness fades, 'it' remains... Basically, there is no 'ideal' place for angry men to live any where on the planet (some may argue London or New York etc perhaps;)

Personally I love Thailand, with her faults n all, and don't feel Thailand is comparatively expensive, nor is it a 'rip-off'. The vast majority of Thai people are lovely and patient (they have to be with us lot;) and finally, the SS Minnow Bank of Thailand has little control in the larger global sea of exchange rates. Tourism will come back and in ever greater numbers, after the effects of the recession subsides, after the swine <deleted> hysteria and after possibly one more red-riot to come... Thailand always bounces back, full-stop.

**Someone has put together an excellent 'work in progress' site, graphically detailing arrivals and other stats from 1998 to May 2009 - They've also gone to the trouble of plotting the effects on arrivals from the Tsunami, Sars, Airport closures and Songkran riots.

see: THAILAND TOURISM GRAPH 1998-2009

Regardless wherever you go there ye be, here's wishing ALL happier travels in the future.

[joker]

The TAT could ask any foreigner in Thailand for constructive ways to increase the number of tourists. This would appear to be the start of a gradual decline in Thailand's popularity as a tourist destination. In this region alone Vietnam, Malaysia, even Indonesia are becoming more and more attractive. Add to that the number of expats leaving Thailand for countries who make them feel welcome and thailand has big problems ahead.

Those responsible don't seem to understand the dynamics of the tourism industry. More detrimental in the long term are the problems in Thailand itself: corruption, scamming, xenophobia, dual pricing, pollution, violent crime, extortion, visa regulations, nightlife, political unrest, personal safety, Thais mai pen rai attitude. The list goes on and all of these have been raised repeatedly in the media for years without any attempt to improve matters by officials supposedly responsible.

It wil be far harder and costlier to lure back tourists than it would have been to keep those coming here happy. Land Of Smiles ? Not for much longer. BTW, has that former TAT governor had her day in court yet ?

I think the last drunk Sexpat in Pattaya has a better understanding about Tourism than any of their specialists.

Ban dual pricing

copy the visa regulations from any other country

make a unit of Farang police who hunts scammer

I think the planning could be done in not more than 2 days.

To fix the worst problems would need not more than 2 month.

The comments about the problems IN Thailand listed above, I believe, ARE the real causes of the tourism problem here in this country.

[poida2]

How does 165000 to 27000 equate to a 33.45% drop? Even if this statistic was meant to be a drop "OF" 27000, it does not add up. This is wildly wrong or else I an misinterpreting "year on year".......

Anyone?

Hmmm my math... a drop of 611%, in as 27000 goes into 165000 6.11 times....

OR... this year is 16.3 % of what the previous year was...

Airport closures, riots, global economic recession, and now H1N1.... What's next???

Uh hum... you can't lose more than 100% (Not even thai tourism...its mathematically impossible).

165000 to 27000 is a 83.6% loss.

(1-27/165)*100

[JatujakShopper]

Som nam nah... about time Thailand had a reality check, had it to good for to long.

Perhaps they will appreciate the Farang living in Thailand and stop making us jump through hoops all the time with their frequent changes in 'red tape'.

Legalizing foreign ownership of land would help boost the economy...wishful thinking....

Amen to all of the above.

[sicknote]

From a UK point of view the main problem is the weakness in the £. Thailand is no longer a cheapish destination to have a holiday.

People in the UK mostly use package holidays when they travel and although Thailand features in the brochures it gets nowhere near the coverage of say Europe or the Caribbean. All inclusive holidays are very popular now and I can't recall ever seeing anywhere in Thailand offering this type of holiday. The reason for this I guess was always the low cost of food and alcohol in Thailand but this is no longer the case.

It is just not Thailand who is suffering in the global downturn though.

Few mates just back from Greece and Tenerife and both spoke of high prices. In Greece 2 subway meals cost roughly £17. Tenerife 2 drinks nearly £9 and a loaf of bread £3. Perhaps cheap holidays are a thing of the past.

From the UK you can get 3 weeks all inclusive to the Dominican Republic for around a grand. I reckon it's going to be harder and harder for countries to compete with prices like that.

I know Thailand can be done on the cheap if your prepared to look hard enough but the average holiday maker doesn't wan't this hassle.

[jackcorbett]

I don't think its that bad,

When my (Thai) wife wants to order a hotel room in Bangkok asking for Thai price they say 1.200 Baht after telling her name with the non-Thai surname they raise the price with 500 Baht to 1.700 so we did not go there, and so several hotels more the same story.

The Last one ( after talking with the manager ) allowed it but no breakfast included ! telling him in that case no deal he agreed for including the breakfast.

So I think it's not so bad at all or........my idea better some than no money at all, but it seems some don't understand

yesterday I opened the "the nation" webpage.

There was a Phuket hotel "1800 Baht per day price for Thais and Expats". On their webpage the regular prices were around 4500 Baht per night.

What is that??? Imagine, you book there, for 4500 Baht per night and the guy next door tells you that he paid just 1800 THB.

I would feel ripped off.

This has already been talked about here, but what about the charge of 150 baht per ATM withdrawal on all foreign bank accounts? Used to be free. My American bank charges me just $1.00 to make an ATM withdrawal. I am not a tourist. I live here full time as an expat. Sure, I have Thai bank account as well, but rather than transferring large amounts of money from my American bank to my Thai bank account I'd rather take the maximum amount I can take out of my American bank which is 10,000 baht at a time. That way I dollar average out meaning I won't hit the highs and I won't hit the lows on the exchange rate. I'd hate to transfer $10,000 to my Thai bank account at 34 baht to the dollar only to have the dollar go up to 38 for example. Let's say I used my American ATM 8 times a month, this means I'd be paying 8 times 150 baht or 1200 baht each month to use my American ATM. I've heard this surcharge is being canceled. Well...it hasn't been.

[macduff]

We where due to land in Thai at 6pm Thai time for a months stay but the only reason why we decided against it was because of the swine flue. Theres every chance of contracting the virus in Thailand especially if flying internally which we do a lot when were over there.In fact any large gatherings including buses and trains.If i or my family are going to catch the virus i'd rather it be in my home country. I dont cherish the thought of being quarantined in a Thai hospital and having to pay.

Jeez...do you have an ambulance on standby every time you cross the road?

We put our health first because it seems the flu is escalating and I've read on the Internet somewhere the authorities are trying to keep a low profile on the actual figures(correct me if i'm wrong)

[BigBikeBKK]

... thailand will learn a hard lesson. they need dollars or they wont have rice.

Um, don't you have that backwards??? Isn't Thailand (one of) the biggest rice (and shrimp) exporters in the world? It would be more accurate to say that if YOU don't have dollars YOU won't have rice. Agriculture remains the backbone of the Thai economy. The Thais will always have rice and will never starve. In difficult times like these the laid off factory workers just go home to their families in the country. Life goes on. Tourism only makes up 6% of Thai GDP. Even if tourism collapses completely the Thais will adapt and life will go on.

[owenjones]

not to be funny but they must have seen this coming? and i'd imagine that swine 'flu has sod all to do with it.

Maybe my friends are all cheap Charlies, but the main reason I hear for people not coming here is cost.

Visitors were happy with 70-75 B = £1 or 40 ?B = $1, but they don't want to buy Baht at 50-55 or 32-5 respectively.

Couple that with rising prices (maybe not hotel prices) and they are happy to give another country a try.

Loyalty can go only so far.

If they want the tourists back, devalue the Baht.

[Oberkommando]

This has already been talked about here, but what about the charge of 150 baht per ATM withdrawal on all foreign bank accounts? Used to be free. My American bank charges me just $1.00 to make an ATM withdrawal. I am not a tourist. I live here full time as an expat. Sure, I have Thai bank account as well, but rather than transferring large amounts of money from my American bank to my Thai bank account I'd rather take the maximum amount I can take out of my American bank which is 10,000 baht at a time. That way I dollar average out meaning I won't hit the highs and I won't hit the lows on the exchange rate. I'd hate to transfer $10,000 to my Thai bank account at 34 baht to the dollar only to have the dollar go up to 38 for example. Let's say I used my American ATM 8 times a month, this means I'd be paying 8 times 150 baht or 1200 baht each month to use my American ATM. I've heard this surcharge is being canceled. Well...it hasn't been.

I have found a UOB ATM near me which I now use instead with no 150thb charge.

The exchange rate is slightly worse than Bangkok Bank for example but I will not give Thai banks the satisfaction of getting 150thb from me every time I use a machine.

So it evens itself out in the end but I stand firm in my principles.

I've also stopped tipping altogether, leaving small change when making purchases or eating out, and various other small losses that all accumulate. They don't bother me financially but Thailand has made it very clear to me I am fair game for these sorts of charges because I am a foreigner so now I keep my money in the pocket and no-one gets it.

[thirdeyedmt]

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

sit back, relax and enjoy the show......these idiots have ridden on the wave of tourism long enough, long gone are the days of little wee and poo sending back to the village money earned face down in a pattaya pillow. lets see how long the cancerous prawns and rice they export will continue to sustain the lucky few. Let us see if the underclasses continue to talk about thailand like they own it, like it is the center of the world.  Take your nationalistic voices back to the fields up north so i can enjoy my morning coffee without being surrounded by tattoo'd idiots and brass'

all i can say is haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa haaaaaaaaaaaaaa haaaaaaaaaaaa haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

absolutely loving it i hope tourism dies completely

[SabaiBKK]

kasikorn and bank of ayudhya ATM's don't charge a dime on foreign CC

[SabaiBKK]

We put our health first because it seems the flu is escalating and I've read on the Internet somewhere the authorities are trying to keep a low profile on the actual figures(correct me if i'm wrong)

if its on the internet IT HAS TO BE TRUE !!!!

[Oberkommando]

kasikorn and bank of ayudhya ATM's don't charge a dime on foreign CC

They both now charge 150thb per transaction for all foreign bank cards.

Additionally, both Kasikorn and Ayuddhya give poorer exchange rates than Bangkok Bank and SCB so are best avoided.

[gigiman]

Frickking idiots.. You know it is sometimes comical the way in all these Thai news reports and on Thai tv ,, you always here the blame for lack of tourism put on swine flu ,, closing of the airports or political turmoil. Yes maybe so BUT ,, when are they gona wake up and admit that the primary reason is the world economy has slowed down to a crawl .

They just cant seem to admit to themselves that things are slowing down and this place has lost its magic touch as the Amazing Thailand .. Wake up and smell the coffee ,, cause its gona take a while before things pick up so start discounting the hel_l out of those overpriced hotel rooms and loose the uppidy snobish attitude and we tourists might strat to come back when things pick up

[jackdanielsesq]

Does anyone have Sir Richard Branson's mobile# ??

If anyone in the world can, he can fix it!!

BR>Jack

[robint]

Yes its a 83% drop in tourist arrivals, but mai pen rai

You are standing on my land farang give me money

They dont care about tourism, its only a small percentage of the total GDP (5%)

It could all shut down tomollow and the baht wouldnt budge. Lots of poor Isaan people on the rice line but they all voted for YKW anyway

Ive moved away already, so I dont care same you Thai

[SabaiBKK]

kasikorn and bank of ayudhya ATM's don't charge a dime on foreign CC

They both now charge 150thb per transaction for all foreign bank cards.

Additionally, both Kasikorn and Ayuddhya give poorer exchange rates than Bangkok Bank and SCB so are best avoided.

is that the dicta...err..."democratically elected president" of Kazakhstan on your avatar ????????

[LeungKen]

Judging by the number of fatalities due to drownings, Phuket can't look after the tourists that do come ! Another young man lost at Karon yesterday...