Tourism Article

[NALAK]

<H2 class=date-header>Friday, August 14, 2009</H2><H3 class="post-title entry-title"><A href="http://friskodude.blogspot.com/2009/08/expats-voice-their-opinions-about-life.html">Expats Voice Their Opinions about Life in Thailand </H3>

Ko Phi Phi by Carl Parkes

The mood of expats living in Thailand is pretty well summarized by the comments below, posted on the Bangkok Post in response to a report about the PM's recent efforts to revive tourism in the country. These are not exception opinions, but seem to be the norm, especially if you spend some time reading the posts at Thai Visa. Resident expats are absolutely fed up with the direction of Thailand and the way it treats it's foreign visitors and residents.

Thailand used to be RELATIVELY cheap, RELATIVELY safe and had ABSOLUTELY nice people and ABSOLUTELY great food.

Today, the kingdom seems overpriced for the services provided and in comparison with other destinations. Visitor gouging is especially rampant in Phuket and Samui, and it's creeping into other souther beach resorts.

Then there is increasing hostility towards foreigners condoned by government policies (visa rules with 15 days on land borders, overstay fines, 1000% pricing for national parks etc.) which is creeping into the private sector and the general population. Thais are increasingly following the government's illegal and woeful dual-pricing schemes, with devastating effects. It's not about who pays what, it's about fairness and who pays what at a government facility.

Then security has become more of a issue: Airports are blockaded, NOONE is arrested, foreign visitors are killed and scammed or die in a disco fire, NOONE is arrested, unmaintained planes crash and kill and maim scores of people, NOONE is arrestes, a major weapons kingpin is finally arrested and tried, and released on myopic and xenophobic grounds. One could go on for hours...

The culture of impunity, a perverted "mai pen rai" and short-term thinking are ruining Thailand's standing in the world, not just in tourism.

Sadly some Thais will forego and honest 500 Baht in two weeks if they can get 100 Baht via some scam today. And they might think they're especially smart having scammed a long nosed visitor.

Immediate action should be taken:

1. Clean up the airport and remove all touts, scams, King Power etc.

2. No more government sanctioned scams at the national parks, foreigners and Thais pay the same price. Every baht a foreigner pays more a national park just because he's a foreigner will cost the kingdom a thousand baht in tourism revenue in the long term.

3. Arrest perpetrators who harmed others in a criminal way, i.e. airport blockaders, all scammers at the airport and elsewhere and their translators; and those who endangered the lives of others such as the Santika disco owners.

Once Thailand is seen as having an effectual government that implements the rule of law, many tourists will return. Unless this is done, there is no hope no matter how many billions are wasted on marketing, as most people who travel internationally are neither stupid nor gullible and will see through every phony "Land of Smiles" campaign. Uness something changes, Thailand will go the way of Sri Lanka, the Philippines and countless other third-world countries, a tourism has been.

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I had been cheated by taxi drivers for many times.

And it is not just about losing money but also making you feel threatened. I love Thailand. And I fully support the government to stop those scams.

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Well... It is all of the above and the fact that over the years the beauty of Thai people has diminished. The smile is only their when they get you to agree to their terms but a frown, and at times rude behavior, when you actually get the correct price or their scam doesn't work. Goodhearted and honest Thais are becoming more and more hard to encounter.

My reason for returning to Thailand, in the past was for the shopping . You could bargain the price with vendors and shops for items you want. Seems they want foreigners to pay for the discounts they give to Thais. Nothing else here since nightlife is not safe and the beaches have more unsolved murders of foreigners than those beach umbrellas mentioned here. I say cook the Goose for Thanksgiving and serve it to all of those Thais that have ruined the tourism here. The coarse has been set for those who have never taken advice and who love the long and winding road to a dead-end.

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"Many tourists flatly refuse to visit such places."

Not only tourists, I live here and refuse point blank to pay 1,000% more than my Thai wife I know I embarass her no end when I argue the toss but either I get in for the same price or as I have a reverse gear on my car go somewhere else. Of course don't forget if you have an "Alien" ATM card you have the privilege of paying 150 baht surcharge. Welcome to the real world Thailand this is 2009 not 1969 the Viet Nam war is long over and other countries in SE Asia welcome the money us "Aliens" bring into the country not only that they can go home when they want, not have enforced extra couple of weeks holiday here as the airport is closed. I bet Mum, Dad and the kids were thrilled to bits with that one and can't wait to go somewhere else for the next holiday.

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the Goose that layed the golden egg has flown the coup and as 99% of foreigners have been telling you on the BP Forum for some time now Thailand is finished as a holiday resort - the majority of the tourists are just returning visitors. For so long successive governments done ZERO to stop tourists getting ripped off and then when the red shirts invaded the airport and foreigners were forced to march through them and have there baggage ripped apart by thugs as the useless Thai police stood by doing nothing, several fights broke out with foreigners who gave the red shirts what they deserved and most of this went unreported hear but it was widely reported especially in Europe. People when they see and hear things like this know well they are not safe hear. As I posted several months back - Pay back is a bitch and the Thai government is getting exactly what it deserves from the foreign community - NOTHING. It is going to get a lot worse before it gets better, unemployment in Europe is getting out of control which means less money and in some countries these levels of unemployment are at record levels. Thailand might think it is past the world economical crash according to the PM - But the more civilised world is still suffering. This is nothing that Thailand has not contributed to by itself as they did nothing to stop the double tourist standards they created. The golden goose has gone, the nest remains - place the PM in it that's where he belongs. This PM Maybe a Brit by birth but let me assure you he would be finished in Politics if he operated like this in the UK. Read every post regarding this subject - many things are said but ultimately everyone is saying the same thing. Lets just do what is always done hear leave it until tomorrow or even next year.

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Soi Ma, all valid points, but yours is a European perspective. The number of Chinese and Indian tourists (amongst other Asians) visiting Thailand will grow, as the people living in these huge markets have more disposable income.

Thailand will perhaps not be as exotic to them as it was to Europeans in the past, but they will come because it is close, it has nice beaches, the yummy food is still good value, and the Thais are still capable of providing service with a smile at a level that other Southeast Asian countries have yet to match.

Tourism in Thailand will not die, it will simply adjust.

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All this discussion about touts at the airports, scams and dishonest taxi's/tuk tuks is pretty old stuff IMO. Ive been coming to Thailand for over 40 years and reside here for quite a few years now. None of this is news.

What is different is the political unrest or uncertainty, southern warfare between Khun Thai and Muslim, over valued baht, global economic depression, and lastly Developers greed and uncontrolled exploitation of Thailand's countrysides.

Just how many hotels does one need? How many rooms can be filled? Why would you pay $250 for a room in Thailand when you can get better value in Spain, Portugal, Greece, Italy, etc for far less?

Tourism will not return to its past boom no matter what the economy does or how much baht is thrown at the tour industry.

What made Thailand good for tourism, was its uniqueness in character, lifestyle, low cost and rural atmosphere.

No one wants to go to those beautiful sandy beaches that now are covered in umbrellas from the sidewalk to the waters edge. You can stay home in Europe if you wanted that.

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I think the problem goes deeper than the issues covered in this very welcome editorial. For example the 1000 baht per day fine for visa overstays when no explanation of visa regulations is provided on entry to first time tourists. I know ignorance of the rules is no defense in law, but some attempt could be made to explain the rules in the first place.

Another complimentary issue to tourism scams is the restrictions on foreign land ownership. The large real estate industry is in many ways an extension of the tourism industry. Surely the land ownership law and the sop to get round the problem of allowing 30 year leases are outdated and should be reformed sooner rather than later, if Thailand does not want to see its tourism and real estate industries collapse in the medium to long term.

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I can't vehemently agree more with C.Mai Skipper and Francis' posts more! Both very well written responses I must say - so dam_n true!

I for one look at it as, that greed, corruption, scamming and robbing the tourists (among other things mind you) is really and truly embedded in the Thai 'gene'. It's in their blood. No matter how grim the tourism industry gets, no matter if it was on its last legs, a last gasp per se, and only a few hundred visitors trickled in, they will still do their damnedest to dupe the poor tourist to squeeze that last baht of them. it's in the Thai DNA.

As my Thai wife from the west says - that Thais will NEVER EVER 'get it'. Their foresight is non-existent, it's all about NOW. It will never sink in, no matter how dire the situation gets.

Take for example the floods which occur year, after year after year - people lose their homes, their livelihoods, families and lives ruined and on and on, etc, etc...but what do they do?? They still keep descimating the forests and cut down every tree that's in their sites and guess what??...more floods, more lives ruined and it just goes continues on and on - yeah, they just don't get it.

I just feel sorry for the very few honest Thais who do have ethics and integrity and who really do want to welcome visitors and sincerely accommodate them and make them happy. Sadly though, they are just so few and far between. So as we've seen so often here in these posts, both in the past and I'm sure indefinitely - 'SOM NAM NAA'!! This is what you get when you bite the hand that feeds you!

But do they really care........?

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In a country where a number of Prime Ministers have said that corruption is a part of Thai culture is it really surprising that the government is not concerned about tourist being fleeced?

[Samuian]

In a country where a number of Prime Ministers have said that corruption is a part of Thai culture is it really surprising that the government is not concerned about tourist being fleeced?

How, if they also think that they are "clever" while having the sparrow in hand instead of

caring for the goose that laid golden eggs?

It's way too human behavior, if the harvest is rich and fat for a long period of time people tend to forget what was the reason ... if the rains then fail... and the harvests turn out much less.. it's "someone else to blame"..."blame it on someone else!"

it always worked, why it shouldn't be working tomollow?

[jasreeve17]

Yeah well, same old same old...

To be fair I noticed the smile wearing thin 18 years ago; once I'd been here a few months and could understand (and ask for) the local price (That was on Samui - which at the time was very nice & 80 baht to the pound!).

I'm getting older and more cynical by the day, & the place is getting worse by the day too; not sure which one is more powerful? I suspect they've got decades of tourist dollars yet, as long as they don't go politically crazy: Cambodia style...

[JR Texas]

Yeah well, same old same old...

To be fair I noticed the smile wearing thin 18 years ago; once I'd been here a few months and could understand (and ask for) the local price (That was on Samui - which at the time was very nice & 80 baht to the pound!).

I'm getting older and more cynical by the day, & the place is getting worse by the day too; not sure which one is more powerful? I suspect they've got decades of tourist dollars yet, as long as they don't go politically crazy: Cambodia style...

It is a shame.........lies, cheats......xenophobes.........it wasn't like that in the past. In my own small world, within the last six months I have been cheated out of 360,000 baht from a Thai (a family member.......no, not my wife). And a gift to my sister was stolen from some Thai working at the postal service. There are way too many negative things happening........Thailand-Titanic is going down fast.

[Ulysses G.]

It is exactly how it has always been other than the political turmoil. That is what might destroy the Thailand that we love, not the same old tourist scams that have been going on forever.

If it were not for the Thai love for their King, we might well be in the middle of a violent revolution already.

[jasreeve17]

Yeah well, same old same old...

To be fair I noticed the smile wearing thin 18 years ago; once I'd been here a few months and could understand (and ask for) the local price (That was on Samui - which at the time was very nice & 80 baht to the pound!).

I'm getting older and more cynical by the day, & the place is getting worse by the day too; not sure which one is more powerful? I suspect they've got decades of tourist dollars yet, as long as they don't go politically crazy: Cambodia style...

It is a shame.........lies, cheats......xenophobes.........it wasn't like that in the past. In my own small world, within the last six months I have been cheated out of 360,000 baht from a Thai (a family member.......no, not my wife). And a gift to my sister was stolen from some Thai working at the postal service. There are way too many negative things happening........Thailand-Titanic is going down fast.

Chin-up JR Texas - it does feel that way, but your luck is due a change; did you buy a lottery ticket this week?

I tend to agree with you, and with UG on the political front - with all these selfish Pu Yai's refusing to give an inch, once the next big event occurs it could be in a truly awful state. I'm seriously considering whether or not I'll fly out that day (I work and live around Sanam Luang)...

[livinthailandos]

jee what possible remark can I have for this posting ummmm . Got a few ideas for all the people who are so feed up about everything here in thailand and just want to complain.

1. You are now unofficially not welcome here in this country

2. Pack your bags and leave thailand right now

3. Upon leaving lets just have immigration stamp your passport as a grumpy thailand hater

4. After arriving in your country please take yourself off of thaivisa to.

You know as this country has had more than 15 military coups in the last 30 years. How can you seriously expect anything to be stable for a long time. Quit comparing or expecting this country to improve and be anything like more 1st world countries. You should be at last grateful that thailand has made some progress at all.

[jasreeve17]

jee what possible remark can I have for this posting ummmm . Got a few ideas for all the people who are so feed up about everything here in thailand and just want to complain.

1. You are now unofficially not welcome here in this country

2. Pack your bags and leave thailand right now

3. Upon leaving lets just have immigration stamp your passport as a grumpy thailand hater

4. After arriving in your country please take yourself off of thaivisa to.

You know as this country has had more than 15 military coups in the last 30 years. How can you seriously expect anything to be stable for a long time. Quit comparing or expecting this country to improve and be anything like more 1st world countries. You should be at last grateful that thailand has made some progress at all.

Well, thanks for that, um, mixed-message.

Not too positive yourself really...