Tourism plunges 22 per cent

[sukeroku]

Agree with this. It all depends how the Govt really wants to perceive itself; a tourist economy or start to be focused on their manufacturing.

I trust you realize that even in the "boom" years that tourism has never accounted for more than 6-7% of Thai GDP. Feel free to google it.

I love Thailand without all the tourists- the "low season" deals this year are amazing!

"For the record, number of tourist visas issued by the Royal Thai Consulate in Hull (UK) between 01 Jan and 30 Jun 2009 are up by 17% on the same period in 2009.

Figures for July 2009 so far indicate they will be up by 15% on July 2008."

This is the sad thing. Still many Brits are coming here, too many by any standards. We who live here do not need more tourists to keep ruining the place. Enough!

[trvlbum]

Maybe the foreigners are starting to feel that deep lack of respect for foreigners that the thais can no longer hide behind smiles. It starts at the airport and ends in the airport and runs all down the track from the taxi driver to the wives boyfriends.

[Datsun240Z]

Maybe the foreigners are starting to feel that deep lack of respect for foreigners that the thais can no longer hide behind smiles. It starts at the airport and ends in the airport and runs all down the track from the taxi driver to the wives boyfriends.

Also

[Brewsta]

If Thailand really wanted to have a great tourist income, then they'd quit screwing with the frangs here, with all the BS , Immigration changes, etc. etc., and get it right like when Thaksin was in office, he wanted to make Thailand a real destination for world tourism. This regime does not, so it seems.

Unfortunately, the authorities here 'mai kowjai' big words like: consistent, clear, concise communication or commitment.....not just to Tourist Life, but to their dealings with Khon Thai in general...

you will enjoy this place the best, IMHO, if you stay 'invisible' and watch for potholes - real an' legal.

rgdz & enjoy your SliceAParadise,

Brewsta

Edited July 23, 2009 by Brewsta

[Samuian]

I totally agreee.......................mate

QUOTE (trvlbum @ 2009-07-23 17:42:56) *

Maybe the foreigners are starting to feel that deep lack of respect for foreigners that the thais can no longer hide behind smiles. It starts at the airport and ends in the airport and runs all down the track from the taxi driver to the wives boyfriends.

'now it's even the "evil eye from Airport all the way to the travel destination.."

are these people out of their minds?

No body asks them to come here and stay in the first place!

No COUNTRY in the Entire world allows a foreigner to stay for a year

on a tourist visa!

Thailand, well in general it is generouslle overlooked at least twice..

Everything even Luxury dining is dirt cheap compare to London, New York, Berlin, Milan...

what is wrong with them people ?

Some Prozac maybe?

Edited July 23, 2009 by Samuian

[baboon]

I was in the UK last week renewing my Non O. [Thanks Hull ! ] All I kept hearing from friends/family/aquaintences was "What on earth do you want to go back to that place for, scamming bunch of buggers?" I tried pointing out that it really is not all that bad but sadly on all too many occaisions recieved the reply "You re welcome to the place. Sounds like a right craphole to me." 10 years ago or even 5, I would never hear a single negative comment....

[taxin]

huskerpr, agree with your comments, I also think the Bank scam of 150 baht for using ATM machines is keeping tourists away. It's been well publicised and is an unnecessary expense for someone on a couple of weeks vacation.

Also, whatever the rights and wrongs of the British couple scammed at King Power fiasco, the fact is they both belonged to the section of clientele that the TAT is aiming at, and most people sadly DO believe what they read in the papers.

When times are hard, people are much more inclined to do some research before spending a large amount of their income on a holiday, and almost all of the recent news about Thailand is extremely negative.

On arrival, there are reports of tourists being scammed by taxis.

Wherever a tourist goes, he is expected to pay double the price when sightseeing.

The police have a worldwide reputation, of being at best unreliable, and at worst, similar to the mafia.

Hotels also practice double pricing, and I've seen several reports on here of them increasing their charges, due to a lack of customers.

Finally on leaving Thailand, a tourist has to negotiate their way through being possibly accused of theft at King Power, and being incarcerated while Tony negotiates their release.

Why would anyone, who's never been to Thailand, want to come?

Thais have to pay when they withdraw money from an ATM overseas, so why should a farang be the exception when withdrawing from a Thai bank ? Thais get charged 100 baht in most countries, at least most countries I have been to anyway. I never seen the 150 baht ATM issue on BBC/CNN/ABC.. this was not even regarded as news.

The drop in arrivals has got nothing to do with ATM machines, its all down to whatever the press like to jump on. Such as airport closures, airport scams and low life tourists who steal beer mats.

The only thing that would bring tourism back to Thailand is if another country starts to take the eye of the press, particularly a country that competes with Thailand for its tourism. Remember Thailand was thriving during the Schapelle Corby case in and the bombings in Bali. All it takes is another bombing in Bali, or another drug smuggler gets caught and minor incidents in Thailand such as stolen beer mats and duty free scams will not even make the news.

Thais simply do not realize how much the international press dictate where we go on holiday, and when the other countries are behaving themselves Thailand should behave too.

[Fore Man]

I can add a fresh perspective on the rampant anti-tourism movement that seems to be infecting Thailand and its people. Today my Thai wife attempted to book 3 hotel rooms at a modest, 'boutique' style hotel in Chiang Rai for two nights--six room-nights all told--so my golfing buddies can try out the area courses next month. We have used this same hotel three times in the past three years and we were always able to negotiate a fair rate, even if it was slightly higher than the standard Thai price. Today, my wife was blatantly told that since a Farang was included in each hotel room, the price would rise from 800 baht to 1,900 baht. Even after we explained that all 3 men are long-term residents and have Thai driver's licenses as well to prove their status. It was as if talking to a brick wall. They wouldn't budge and I listened carefully to my wife--she was patient and polite.

So it is not just the BiB and the government that are hurting Thai tourism. The PM ought to seriously consider pleading to all Thai tourism operators that the old double standard for pricing has gone far enough and is definitely affecting tourist attitudes. Nobody appreciates racism and unfair practices...causing foreign tourists to vote with their feet. I doubt that we treat Thai tourists the same in Europe, Austral-Asia and North America. Even if this hotel suddenly caved-in on its pricing policies, I would shun them like the plaque....enough is enough. I'll pay gladly more money to stay a better quality hotel that does not insist on separate pricing depending on one's citizenship. And indeed we found a few hotels in Chiang Rai that meet this category. PM me and I will reveal the name of the miserable hotel to you in private.

[sukeroku]

I don't think that Thai tourists are staying in boutique hotels in Europe for 800 or 1,900 baht per night.

[Paddleshifter]

Bul shit!

Econonomic recession.. airport closure. DO NOT blame these low numbers on only that. Far from that! Thailand is not the same as before. Blame much of it on large numbers of thai people behaviours.

People where here 6-7 years ago and the only thing they could think of when they left was, when to come back for a next time. This is far from reality now.

Tourist and long time stayers are sick and bored about touts ,scammers, annoying behaviour, rude people, greed and daily violence reported all over the countrys tourist areas.

People from the west ar far from dumb, they have actually a bigger brain I think and could see this thing coming far before any thai. The thais just dont now when to stop do they.

Just see what happened i Phuket during the last days. Wild west shooting in daytime in the middle of lots of innoicent' tourists. The tourists had to run for their freakin lives when on holiday!

On friday two got robbed by two thai males in Surin on the parking lot and almost killed after the Hedkandi party in the club Stereolab. This is also inside the same area where there has never ever been higher a higher security level in Phuket as of the ASEAN meeting .

NO... look and focus on different things guys

Edited July 23, 2009 by Paddleshifter

[Fore Man]

I don't think that Thai tourists are staying in boutique hotels in Europe for 800 or 1,900 baht per night.

You may have missed the point of my post, friend. This is about tourism to Thailand and why it is dropping.

Edited July 23, 2009 by Fore Man

[truthfulfox]

22 per cent is a steep decline, but not the catastrophic end to tourism most of you guys seem to want to justify your views on the minor hassles of being a falang here.

Anybody have any comparitive data for other tourist destinations. I suspect they will be of the same order for longhaul.

the jet set goes to marrakech Morocco. it's an other destination

[hardy1943]

I would like to know how they came up with the "49-year low" claim. Weird statistical twisting if true. Perhaps based on the %age year-on-year drop.

How did come up with this figure? We all know they love to shuffle papers and make copies of copies.

If they do have records that train load of papers goes all the way from Mae Sai to Hat Yai. lol

Edited July 23, 2009 by hardy1943

[tracer0]

I really don't think there were more than 11 million tourists 48 years ago in Thailand. Or 47, or 37, or 27, or 17 or even 7 years ago. What a crock of sh#t piece of journalism.

No it said reduced to 11 LOL

Well I can really only talk about Phuket and 26-27 years ago I was about the only Farang near Bantao, Surin and Kamala... In addition most of the airplane tickets cannot be believed as those were all tourists supposedly but in reality were on visum trips...

Asean, It seems to work sofar and remarkedly very few obstacles. Looks good but obviously as most of Phuket Taksin supporters seem to be in Chieng Mai....

In my opinion they should do a good check who can get a 5 year visum (Was told many years ago that someone had one) so reduce the costs for the many retired people who donot want to travel. And get rid of al the fake teachers... And time share artists. They were one time noisy and saying they had to pay 1000 baht per day to the police....Filter the obvious crooks out and return them to Europe. There are many ways to filter out what is not wanted but messing with visum regulations will guaranteed not do it. It should be easier for people to stay long term as that for many people is a reason why they are now going to other countries...

[bridge]

This sums it up for me:

[losworld]

I can add a fresh perspective on the rampant anti-tourism movement that seems to be infecting Thailand and its people. Today my Thai wife attempted to book 3 hotel rooms at a modest, 'boutique' style hotel in Chiang Rai for two nights--six room-nights all told--so my golfing buddies can try out the area courses next month. We have used this same hotel three times in the past three years and we were always able to negotiate a fair rate, even if it was slightly higher than the standard Thai price. Today, my wife was blatantly told that since a Farang was included in each hotel room, the price would rise from 800 baht to 1,900 baht. Even after we explained that all 3 men are long-term residents and have Thai driver's licenses as well to prove their status. It was as if talking to a brick wall. They wouldn't budge and I listened carefully to my wife--she was patient and polite.

So it is not just the BiB and the government that are hurting Thai tourism. The PM ought to seriously consider pleading to all Thai tourism operators that the old double standard for pricing has gone far enough and is definitely affecting tourist attitudes. Nobody appreciates racism and unfair practices...causing foreign tourists to vote with their feet. I doubt that we treat Thai tourists the same in Europe, Austral-Asia and North America. Even if this hotel suddenly caved-in on its pricing policies, I would shun them like the plaque....enough is enough. I'll pay gladly more money to stay a better quality hotel that does not insist on separate pricing depending on one's citizenship. And indeed we found a few hotels in Chiang Rai that meet this category. PM me and I will reveal the name of the miserable hotel to you in private.

Exactly vote with your feet so they catch on! Why don't you post the name of the place. What is wrong with that?

[Samuian]

I can add a fresh perspective on the rampant anti-tourism movement that seems to be infecting Thailand and its people. Today my Thai wife attempted to book 3 hotel rooms at a modest, 'boutique' style hotel in Chiang Rai for two nights--six room-nights all told--so my golfing buddies can try out the area courses next month. We have used this same hotel three times in the past three years and we were always able to negotiate a fair rate, even if it was slightly higher than the standard Thai price. Today, my wife was blatantly told that since a Farang was included in each hotel room, the price would rise from 800 baht to 1,900 baht. Even after we explained that all 3 men are long-term residents and have Thai driver's licenses as well to prove their status. It was as if talking to a brick wall. They wouldn't budge and I listened carefully to my wife--she was patient and polite.

So it is not just the BiB and the government that are hurting Thai tourism. The PM ought to seriously consider pleading to all Thai tourism operators that the old double standard for pricing has gone far enough and is definitely affecting tourist attitudes. Nobody appreciates racism and unfair practices...causing foreign tourists to vote with their feet. I doubt that we treat Thai tourists the same in Europe, Austral-Asia and North America. Even if this hotel suddenly caved-in on its pricing policies, I would shun them like the plaque....enough is enough. I'll pay gladly more money to stay a better quality hotel that does not insist on separate pricing depending on one's citizenship. And indeed we found a few hotels in Chiang Rai that meet this category. PM me and I will reveal the name of the miserable hotel to you in private.

Bad luck mate.... hope it was a 5 Star joint for this kind money....

however... to hold an entire nation and the entire turism industry

responsible for what you experienced at ONE single encounter.... do you think it's fair?

If you "pay gladly more..." why you didn't?

It's all a lot of ego BS man!

Waht does a hotel room, with golf course or near by acess, cost you in the country where you're from?

And yes....Thais - unless they work uproad do earn way less then farangs

and if those who come here wouldn't boast and show off as much as many do,

with their incomes and their money and, and, and maybe

the attitude would be different?!

Edited July 23, 2009 by Samuian

[baboon]

Bul shit!

Econonomic recession.. airport closure. DO NOT blame these low numbers on only that. Far from that! Thailand is not the same as before. Blame much of it on large numbers of thai people behaviours.

People where here 6-7 years ago and the only thing they could think of when they left was, when to come back for a next time. This is far from reality now.

Tourist and long time stayers are sick and bored about touts ,scammers, annoying behaviour, rude people, greed and daily violence reported all over the countrys tourist areas.

People from the west ar far from dumb, they have actually a bigger brain I think and could see this thing coming far before any thai. The thais just dont now when to stop do they.

Just see what happened i Phuket during the last days. Wild west shooting in daytime in the middle of lots of innoicent' tourists. The tourists had to run for their freakin lives when on holiday!

On friday two got robbed by two thai males in Surin on the parking lot and almost killed after the Hedkandi party in the club Stereolab. This is also inside the same area where there has never ever been higher a higher security level in Phuket as of the ASEAN meeting .

NO... look and focus on different things guys

Sad but true it seems, and put far better than I ever could.

[Pesche]

It would be interesting to see what the figures were 49 years ago? It certainly couldn't have been more than it is today. Pattaya was still a fishing village then. So do we listen to the TAT or TCT now. And Thai generating 430 billion baht this year? What a crock of lies. And what they haven't been able to revive in in the last 6 months they expect to do in the next four, airport scams etc notwithstanding....

I've just found this on Wikipedia:

Tourist numbers have grown from 336,000 foreign visitors and 54,000 R&R soldiers in 1967 to over 14 million international guests visiting Thailand in 2007.

Cheers

Pesche

Tourism hit 49-year low

BANGKOK: -- The tourism industry has hit a 49-year low and is expected to plunge by 22 per cent this year, according to the Tourism Council of Thailand.

Besides the global economic crisis, the country's continuing political turmoil had contributed to the sharp decline in tourism, Tourism Council of Thailand chairman Kongkit Hiranyakij said on Thursday.

The expected number of tourist arrivals had been reduced from 14.1 million to 11, he said.

The A(H1N1) flu outbreak could make tourism contract by three to four per cent, causing the country to lose up to 200 billion baht of tourism revenue this year, he said.

Last year, Thailand gained 540 billion baht in tourism revenue.

"If the government can solve its political problems and is able to host the Asean meetings successfully, tourism should be revived by the end of this year or the beginning of 2010," Mr Kongkit predicted.

However, he said Thai tourists would help generate 430 billion baht in revenue this year.

-- Bangkok Post 2009-07-23

[stao]

Its not surprising, what with the problems with Kingpower, and changing the visa rules,I just wonder if anyone really cares in the Thai government,suddenly they change the visa rules for border crossers,from 4 weeks to 2, then only 4 times,no wonder there are so many overstayers or illegals working,instead of changing the rules they should do the same as malaysia,farangs no matter what spend their money in thailand,they dont send it back overseas, mainly because theres never enough of it,but the country would rather take a million illegals from their neighbours,and allow them to send most of their hard earned money back to where they came from,the current Thai P.M. is well educated so he must have some idea of what goes on in his own country,Perhaps the people who are incharge of immigration etc, are working to some hidden agenda?

Hmmm... Let's see... Elected government removed by the military, Yellow Shirt airport closures, Red Shirt riots, SCAMs including false imprisonment & blackmail by an airport shop in collusion with the Tourist Police, anti-foreigner rhetoric by senior immigration officials, visa regulation making it more difficult to come and/or live in Thailand... Duh...

Seeing as I'm an X radio operator including Morse Cod maybe you will "get" this acronym...

<deleted> K

[easybullet3]

I really don't think there were more than 11 million tourists 48 years ago in Thailand. Or 47, or 37, or 27, or 17 or even 7 years ago. What a crock of sh#t piece of journalism.

very good point!!!

[Markaew]

Let's put the blame where it belongs. I can't believe there are so many here that are asking the Prime Minister to make changes and improves things.

This slide is not just a result of the economy, this slide started when this Prime Minister took office. You are speaking to the devil when you are asking for something from heaven.

Unfortunately, change is needed again.

[thaibreaker]

"If the government can solve its political problems and is able to host the Asean meetings successfully, tourism should be revived by the end of this year or the beginning of 2010," Mr Kongkit predicted.

Yeah, that should do it, forget about everything else

[truthfulfox]

the young generation of thai is worse, don't expect to get respect that foregniers used to have years before. just like phillipiness which was on the spot before.for young generation in thailand << farangs come tothailand to f**ck , so we f**ck him too.

they are right somehow

[TheGhostWithin]

Tourism may be at an all time low but there will always be a guaranteed number of people coming here every year and newbie's as well. Sex pests will always visit Thailand and every year new perverts will discover the delights on offer. This sort of person doesn't care about red or yellow shirts, or swine flu...they would risk getting HIV if it meant a sordid encounter. It is families and those travellers interested in Asia per se and culture etc that have fallen in numbers - Nana/Patpong/Cowboy Pattaya/the islands etc will still be attracting a continuous flow of creepy slime balls.

Quite to the contrary, I am a firm beleiver (like many, judge me if you like) in making friends with good people, no matter how unfortunate their place in life may be, or the places their decisions in life they make bring them to.

Word on the street is that even the vice trade is down.

I was literally attacked by a woman outside 7 on soi 2 nana for refusing her "company". I was tipsy but polite, and after three refusals copped a hand bag around the head (Im sure there was a brick in that), and was followed down the street constantly being punched. When I got into a taxi to get away from the woman, and told the driver (in thai) to take me to his favourite restaurant and Id pay him twice what was on the meter, she started kicking and punching the doors and windows of the taxi. Seems things are getting nasty.

I talked to the lady at the hotel (Ive stayed at the same hotel for the past 5 years) and she said she had talked with many tourists of late that had been attacked and scammed in what seemed like desperate people frustrated with the situation.

I thought I would go back to my pet love (Udon Thani) and was shocked to find the town I fell in love with 2 years ago had gone from about 20 bars to 240 bars and become the mini pattaya of Isaan, filled with sex tourists. Good thing I have real friends there to keep me away from all 240 of those bars.

The price of hotels and entertainment in Thailand accompanied by the whole visa restriction issue is making Thailand economically uncompetitive to countries which can offer more (Vietnam apparently) or a better experience for the same price (Malaysia or the Philippines, depending on what you seek). Being a currency trader, I can also confirm that the baht has not so much increased in value, however failed to fall in tune with other currencies (NZD has gone from 26 in July last year, to 17 a few months ago) in the wake of both domestic recessions and the economic crunch. Either prices locally need to be adjusted or artificial tampering of the currency needs to take place to satisfy this issue. We all know, that local price adjustments just down work in Thailand - at least they dont reach us as legetimate tourists, staying 1 week or 1 year (not all 1+ year tourists live on 15,000 b/mo).

To the poster that said the Army was making the country look bad, to the contrary it is the protesters threatening to blow up petrol tankers if approached, and those blocking airport motorways which are shown on TV that make Thailand look bad, if it were not for the Army showing some balls to maintain control I doubt a single family would set foot on Thai soil.

In all, there are several social, economic, and political issueswhich are driving tourists away, each will need to be addressed carefully (and not quickly) to drive the change in tourism. As we know, quick decisions in Thailand are usually not good decisions. Lets hope they think slowly, next time.

H

[laocowboy2]

Tourism could easily be down to a 49 year low.

Of course the figure won't be based on a like-for-like comparison of numbers. That's absurd. It'll be a relative or percentage calculation, same as pretty much any other tourism statistic that covers a period of time greater than 5-or-so years for any other country in the world.

I rather think that tourism is going to show a significant fall globally - only natural in the worst recession since the 1930s (how many tourists then?). If I was back in the UK with a mortgage and fears about keeping my job, holidays would be first on the economies list. Even those still going on a holiday will think about a cheaper/nearer option, especially if a whole family is involved. While there may be 'deals" on airfares at present, I believe that they are still higher than they were five years ago, even in real money terms. That is the general. Now to the particular of Thailand. I will not re-hash what has been (correctly) said above but the combination of a strong currency (esp against GBP, AUD and NZD), visa hassles, bad publicity and governmental incompetance (if not actual malice in some cases) means that Thailand will miss out on an increasing proportion of those visiting SE Asia. Sad but they have pissed away what was a leading position. Asked for my advice from colleagues here in Delhi, I am recommending Malaysia rather than Thailand.

[mrtoad]

I don't think that Thai tourists are staying in boutique hotels in Europe for 800 or 1,900 baht per night.

No, but they don't get charged double because of the colour of their skin in Europe . Foreman's experience is another reason why the Thai tourist industry is biting the hand that feeds. It really is quite nonsensical.

[sukeroku]

I don't think that Thai tourists are staying in boutique hotels in Europe for 800 or 1,900 baht per night.

No, but they don't get charged double because of the colour of their skin in Europe . Foreman's experience is another reason why the Thai tourist industry is biting the hand that feeds. It really is quite nonsensical.

Thai tourists are generally charged at least 5 times more in Europe than farang in Thailand. Let's not even get started on the double standards in wages.

[barry]

OF COURSE JOURNALISM HAS ALSO

HIT A 49 YEAR LOW

[charmonman]

If Thailand really wanted to have a great tourist income, then they'd quit screwing with the frangs here, with all the BS , Immigration changes, etc. etc., and get it right like when Thaksin was in office, he wanted to make Thailand a real destination for world tourism. This regime does not, so it seems.

Say what? The thaksin years featured the introduction of draconian zoning laws for nightlife, midnight closings of bars (or worse) and random urine testing of bar patrons..

Yeah, real fun for tourists. Thaksin was a terrible Prime Minister, not to mention a crook. The trend towards cracking down on visas that so many complain about started under thaksin - look it up. And do you remember how he handled bird flu?