Technically High Season...but?

[maxjay]

Technically, as far as the calendar goes anyway...it is high season.

However, from reports I have gotten, from Bangkok, Pattaya/Jomtien, Samui, and Hua Hin, say visitor numbers are way down from previous years.

So who is telling the truth? Hoteliers, travel agents, people involved in tourist related businesses who keep chanting the mantra "it's high season, it's high season". Or locals who actually live in certain tourist destination areas and have lived in these places for years.

Even though Udon Thani is usually not considered a big tourist destination...it is very slow now, compared to previous years.

[stevenl]

Last year was not too good as well after the airport closure.

My idea: bookings were way down, so businesses that can, e.g. hotels, have lowered prices to get more package tourists. These tourist don't spend anything outside of their hotels, and even there nothing extra, so it will be a slow high season, with everybody just ticking over.

Restaurants, bars, tour agents, etc won't have a good season in my guess.

[LivinginKata]

I get the definite impression it's very slow for peak season.

[gotlost]

As Chicken Little said "THE SKY IS FALLING"

[Old Croc]

Just checked LastMinute Stays.

There are approx 40 hotels and guesthouses in Patong with vacant rooms right through xmas and new year .

[ScubaBuddha]

I know of some hotels that friends own or work at that are not quite to capacity that normally would be this time of year.

[Peterocket]

I popped into the Marriot last night and they told me all 200 rooms were fully booked!

[maxjay]

I popped into the Marriot last night and they told me all 200 rooms were fully booked!

High end properties usually do well during the holiday season/high season. No surprise there.

Recessions, downturns in the economy, poor exchange rates, etc., don't normally affect the well off, high end traveler.

However, for the middle class/family traveler...who's having to make ends due "back home", things might be different? Perhaps, put off the annual holiday until next year? Or, as many people in Hawaii used to do and probably still do. They'd put off a trip to the mainland until next year and take their holiday on a neighboring island.

It doesn't seem like any accommodation prices have dropped or are dropping. I've been looking at some sites for a one month condo rental in Rawai/Nai Harn area, mid-Jan. to mid-Feb., and haven't seen any "special offers" listed? Most prices are still fairly high, IMO.

Edited December 15, 2009 by maxjay

[petercallen]

Last year was not too good as well after the airport closure.

My idea: bookings were way down, so businesses that can, e.g. hotels, have lowered prices to get more package tourists. These tourist don't spend anything outside of their hotels, and even there nothing extra, so it will be a slow high season, with everybody just ticking over.

Restaurants, bars, tour agents, etc won't have a good season in my guess.

Without package tours patong would still be a small fishing village, most package tours include flights accommodation and breakfast, they are advertised in Australia and probably everywhere else in the world to attract people who are going on holidays to there holiday destinations, tourists eat out at local resturants and shop in local shops, without package tours patong would not be what it is today.

[pagallim]

Was at Phuket airport a couple of days ago picking up my Mum, and it seemed very quiet, with there even being some empty spaces in the car park.

[hkt83100]

But anyway, try to drive down Rath-U-Thit Road about 8 pm, near Bangla you get stuck in a cloud of Tuk-Tuks like in High Season :-(

[Jonathanpattaya]

Pattaya is very quiet especially considering Christmas is just around the corner although, some areas give the impression that it is busy.

However, many hotels have no vacancies but generally only for about three weeks over the festive period.

Edited December 16, 2009 by Jonathanpattaya

[Samuian]

Our place. low budget, high quality accommodation, on Samui, Chaweng Beach is booked out - more request's coming in by the day!

Here it looks as it will be a promising season!

Prop up the prices, let the Taxi, Tuk-Tuk Mafia control the transport scene, let them ask fares which succeed those in the EU and things will certainly get even "better"!

Edited December 16, 2009 by Samuian

[ScubaBuddha]

But anyway, try to drive down Rath-U-Thit Road about 8 pm, near Bangla you get stuck in a cloud of Tuk-Tuks like in High Season :-(

Yes, seconded. It's a two lane road going one direction, but the obscene number of tuk tuks (I'd guess about 500% too many compared to what is needed and sustainable) park 2 and 3 deep on each side of the road stopping traffic altogether. There was/is supposed to be a program where the tuk tuks que off somewhere out of the way, like behind Jungceylon, and get called when needed, but it doesn't appear to be working.

Along the beach road it is similar. Tuk tuks aren't allowed to park along the beach road north of Bangla, but unless there is a policeman sitting there to enforce it, they always do. Or they travel along at .5kph so they aren't officially "parked." I think it's nice of the tuk tuk mafia allows the police to enforce the parking along there, since as we all know they have no real authority and certainly no power over the tuk tuks. Maybe the police have drawn a line in the sand there concerning the parking on that bit of beach road?

[doomster]

As Chicken Little said "THE SKY IS FALLING"

you never fail to mention the old chicken little line

[keestha]

The occupancy rate of my hotel is till now almost the same as last high season , but I am worried because there are not many bookings coming in, especially quality bookings ( more expensive bungalows for a longer period) are lagging behind. In Khao Lak everybody involved in the tourism industry agrees there are less tourists than last high season, though there is of course always the odd guy who keeps telling his business is going up and up and up.

About this particular period in December one should be aware that it is always a bit quiet: those who want to celebrate Xmas/New Year at home have left, and those who are going to celebrate it here didn't arrive yet.

[simon43]

My ex's hotel at the airport is charging a room rate 12% lower than the same time last year, but is fully booked right now and throughout the Xmas/New Year period. I can believe the comment about the Marriot being fully booked up as since they have also block-booked our little place for their additional Xmas staff to stay in

Simon

[Big Guy]

Just flew in today and the airport was the busiest I have ever seen it, long queues and lots more flights on their way, so things might be looking up for those in the tourist industry

[maxjay]

Just flew in today and the airport was the busiest I have ever seen it, long queues and lots more flights on their way, so things might be looking up for those in the tourist industry

We have to remember that the peak of the Christmas/New Years season is coming up in the West. We'll know more mid-January.

Just spotted this thread:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Thailand-Tou...Se-t322085.html

[Jaybee2]

I've been going to LOS and Phuket for a long time, and will always like it there, although I must say it is not as user-friendly as it used to be. But, then, what is as good as it used to be? So I thought maybe it was just me.

But a friend of mine was there in Phuket and Phi Phi for several weeks in October. When I asked her how she liked her trip, she said she loved Tokyo, and liked Singapore pretty well, too. What about Thailand, I asked? She said that it didn't seem like a very friendly place to her. Sure, they smiled a lot. But it was her distinct impression that everyone there was only after one thing - money! No real sense of genuine hospitality or friendliness to foreigners was felt by her or her 4 friends. She also thought everyone was trying to overcharge them.

When I first went to Phuket 8 years ago, my impression was entirely different.

So could this have anything to do with the downturn? Sure, the people on the package tour with their friends, who are getting a good rate, and just want to party with their friends, and don't care to meet Thais or learn anything about Thailand, just get drunk with their buddies, may still find it is the same for them. They just want a cheap ticket to a party at a warm location with beaches. Is that what LOS is becoming?

If so, there is plenty of competition for that business.

[Valentine]

It can typically be a little quieter in the run up to Xmas before it peaks although talking with a friend who works nights in the centre of Bangla & has been doing so since 2004 & she said it is the quietest she has ever seen it at this time.

[LivinLOS]

People need to clearly differentiate the sectors and what 'quiet' actually means.. Bars that cater to couples and non 'nightlife' type bars look to be doing historic trade, I was in the sunset plaza the other day in mid afternoon and there was barely a spare seat, presumably (looking at the other punters) this was because wives thought it a safe spot they could be in with under the thumb husbands away from the naughty areas. I would guess businesses that rely on basic foot traffic for low value spend probably do OK to.. But I think for every body on the street the amount of spend per body is drastically down, the TAT has started to get what it wants in non nightlife, package type tourists, without perhaps knowing what that would do to daily per diems.

In the nightlife areas it looks to me like the same theme, lots of bodies but not many sailors on shore leave ringing bells and whooping it up. Plus theres an AWFUL lot more competition for the same punters, every available shop front now has a bar wedged in it (demanding stunning key money) the row on sansabai all up to tiger 2.. Etc etc.. Same with guesthouses, the places that have quality and good price points seem to be filling out but loads of the nanai rooms are unfilled. Themes of higher competition, and too much of the same stuff seem prevalent to me.

[melbat]

Was at Phuket airport a couple of days ago picking up my Mum, and it seemed very quiet, with there even being some empty spaces in the car park.

Might be something to do with 200 baht per day to park the car now. I notice that lots of cars are now parked down the road towards the airport.

[pagallim]

Was at Phuket airport a couple of days ago picking up my Mum, and it seemed very quiet, with there even being some empty spaces in the car park.

Might be something to do with 200 baht per day to park the car now. I notice that lots of cars are now parked down the road towards the airport.

Quite possibly, but even the overabundance of limousines/taxis seemed less. Could be of course the time of day. Mum arrived just after 1700, and honestly, there was hardly any people at all waiting outside (she came off a Silkair flight from Singapore).

[cotambear]

I've been going to LOS and Phuket for a long time, and will always like it there, although I must say it is not as user-friendly as it used to be. But, then, what is as good as it used to be? So I thought maybe it was just me.

But a friend of mine was there in Phuket and Phi Phi for several weeks in October. When I asked her how she liked her trip, she said she loved Tokyo, and liked Singapore pretty well, too. What about Thailand, I asked? She said that it didn't seem like a very friendly place to her. Sure, they smiled a lot. But it was her distinct impression that everyone there was only after one thing - money! No real sense of genuine hospitality or friendliness to foreigners was felt by her or her 4 friends. She also thought everyone was trying to overcharge them.

When I first went to Phuket 8 years ago, my impression was entirely different.

So could this have anything to do with the downturn? Sure, the people on the package tour with their friends, who are getting a good rate, and just want to party with their friends, and don't care to meet Thais or learn anything about Thailand, just get drunk with their buddies, may still find it is the same for them. They just want a cheap ticket to a party at a warm location with beaches. Is that what LOS is becoming?

If so, there is plenty of competition for that business.

Thats are very well, but does frozen co2 melt or vaporise?

[hroz]

Definitely quiet in bangla...if they're here they're not going out

[Nip]

For me there are 3 rules of thumb with regards to whether Phuket is having a good high season or not. A) The ability to find a car parking spot at the airport. Can I take a short cut thru Wat Chalong on my motor bike at mid day. C) Am I getting late night phone calls from the 'girls'? Well there is no trouble getting a parking spot at the airport even allowing that the price has been increased. Today and yesterday I lashed thru Wat Chalong unimpeded and I have to turn off my mobile phone at night now. As an aside and an annoying aspect that is a nasty by product of the obvious down turn. The bars for eg in Karon are struggling. And in just one week I have have heard of 3 instances of over charging for drink. Last night a Norwegian was charged 3900 Baht by a bar for the drink he alone consumed in a two hour period. Meant he was downed 32 glasses of Vodka at a rate of one every 4 minutes. 3 Irish lads had a similar situation in another bar that they spent less than an hour in ie 2750 Baht again Vodka / Cokes and another was a portly gent from Sweden charged 1500 Baht for a couple of beers and a cocktail... I myself was targeted in Kata. But I knew exactly what I had consumed cos I either keep the bottle caps or the sticky beer logo in my pocket if I am on binge... I was overcharged 1250 Baht. I think for Karon its the last hurrah for the beer bars!

[barka]

It can typically be a little quieter in the run up to Xmas before it peaks although talking with a friend who works nights in the centre of Bangla & has been doing so since 2004 & she said it is the quietest she has ever seen it at this time.

i have been here over 15 years in the tourist industry i have records for every year, this year is definatly the quitest, it worries me, the tuk tuks are 1 of the main reasons, repeat tourists, which we all need are not fools. the customer is king and soon as the tuktuks etc realise this may be they will start coming back, barka

[stevenl]

This morning finally all diving boats were full or nearly full.

It is also very busy everywhere right now. But then again, the next 2 weeks are the peak, so it should be this way.

[LivinLOS]

Did a Bangla run as friends are in town..

Subjectively busy but not 'peak crazy' busy is my verdict..