Thailand's Tourism Plunges Drastically

[hungryINbangkok]

If anyone thinks that regular tourists are coming because there is no danger here then think again..what i mean is ok there are dangers here but if you have been here before then you know where to go and not to go but that is not the case now and even hardened tourists who have been many times to the LOS are not coming....Grenades thrown at banks into crowds anything can happen anywhere.......Not just Bangkok. My son has been over here about 8 times and twice in the last 18 months with his girlfriend.They were coming in July this year but now because of the RED problems here they will not now come...They just think at this time its just not worth the risk....I for one understand and I do not believe tourism is only down one third more like 80%...But thats just me seeing who's walking the streets in the north.Its just us locals...Would'nt be so bad but the pound is still weak against the pound.....

Just a little off subject the housing estate I'am on is putting the rents up by 1000 baht a month for tenants when they renew leases...You think not a lot well in real terms I'am paying 25% to 30% more because of the exchange rate...Well my neighbour has moved out and the house has now been empty for 3 months so even if they got some one in now it would take 18 months to regain their looses...Thai logic yes! Other houses are empty and there are no new perspective tenants at the moment but they have put them up as well! Som Nam Na yes!

if my math is correct...that means you pay 3-4000 baht a month for rent?????? the loss you would incur due to a poor exchange rate on 1000 baht would be what?....30baht??? eegad you must be on a tight budget.

YOU HAVE JUST FAILED YOUR MATHS EXAM. If the rent increase is B1000/m, and the bungalow has been empty for 3 months, and it will take 18 months to recover the loss if re-rented now, then the rent must be B6000/m. Any losses due to exchange rate would have to be calculated in the source currency, not in THB.

If 1000baht represents a 30% increase, 3333 x 30% = 1000...or...3333 + 1000 = 4333baht.

If the new rent is 6000 baht.....and the increase was a 1000 baht....then that increase was from 5000. ....which is only a 20% increase.

And I didn't bother converting to pounds, or whatever, cause the number would to low mention. At least in baht it registers as a double digit.

...am I missing something here?

[jcbangkok]

Agree with the qutejute, amazing to see even 20,000 a day coming in.

I guess nothing can keep the mongers away.

What's the sense in comparing Feb - Mar this year to April this year because there's seasonal fluctuations which need to be taken into consideration. Surely a comparison with the same time last year would make more sense.

A 10% drop seems small considering what's going on and the international panic it's causing.

Well they could consider it to last year and get an understanding of the difference in effect from last April's civil unrest to this years.

[ridgydidge]

Who is going to reimburse Siam Paragon for one month of lost revenue?

Siam paragon were one of the major supporters of the yellow shirts, I guess it's karma.

[Slaps]

Just arrived UK Tourists relax by the pool

[rikkie]

I am in Australia, and I am due to fly out tomorrow, 1 night in Bangkok and 9 nights in Pattaya, havent cancelled yet, but am considering it. Any thoughts??

Pattaya should be safe enough, shouldnt it?

Hey it is even save in Bkk if you not join redshirt demonstrations, i live in Bkk 4 year, no problem just enjoy your holiday and the nice Thai smile's

[lonewolf99]

If passenger numbers fall from 30,000 a day to 20,000....then the fall is 33%.

I travelled through BKK airport a week ago and the place was deserted compared to what I have seen over the last 3 to 4 years.

I work on a month on month off rotation and base my self in Thailand I have seen the rise and fall of people passing through the airport. I've seen the the "high" and "low" seasons and the swine flu and the blockades and military coups......and it has been a steady and progressive decline on people coming for the last 5 years.

I could be the ultimate cynic. But I am not prepared to believe anything any Gov. east or west says these days. That last bastion of all "democratic" Govs in the UK has been populated by complete liars for the last 15 years or more. To believe any kind of "manipulated' figure put forward by any inscrutable S.E. government official would be madness in the extreme.

For example.....Tourism accounts for 6 - 7% of the money coming into Thailand......but I also read that the "sex industry" alone ploughs 4 Billion U.S. into the economy....No wonder the Baht is so strong.....

What makes up the other 92% of money coming into Thailand.....the rest of the world buying Rice and deep fried insects...???

I don't think so.....

DO NOT BELIEVE ANYTHING YOU READ AND ONLY HALF OF WHAT YOU THINK YOU CAN SEE AND YOU MIGHT UNDERSTAND THE REAL TRUTH.....especially if its on SKY NEWS / BBC WORLD......

[meelousee]

duh!

[Ulysses G.]

Why be rude?

That seems to be the main reason that a good number of members post.

[kevkev1888]

Health and Safety gone mad AGAIN!

What in life is 100% SAFE!

Travel advised against all of Thailand. BS

All European airspace closed for volcanic ash. BS

H1N1. BS

Bird Flu. BS

Global Warming. BS

Millennium Bug. BS

Notice a trend here?

If you travel to Thailand, even if you stay in Bangkok, even if you actively seek out the protesters every day of you holiday, then you are probably STILL more likely to be killed or injured in a non related traffic accident than enything to do with the protests.

If you are sensible mind your own Business and just get on with you Holiday then the "RISKS" are non existent.

[SICA]

THE NATION: Avoid Vidhpavadi Rd. Jammed. Tear gas and rubber bullets fired.

THE NATION: Thai PBS has the report -NOW!!!

[bkkjames]

Health and Safety gone mad AGAIN!

What in life is 100% SAFE!

Travel advised against all of Thailand. BS

All European airspace closed for volcanic ash. BS

H1N1. BS

Bird Flu. BS

Global Warming. BS

Millennium Bug. BS

Notice a trend here?

If you travel to Thailand, even if you stay in Bangkok, even if you actively seek out the protesters every day of you holiday, then you are probably STILL more likely to be killed or injured in a non related traffic accident than enything to do with the protests.

If you are sensible mind your own Business and just get on with you Holiday then the "RISKS" are non existent.

Using your logic then I guess flying to the moon is more dangerous than the moon itself - well maybe just the launch.

Governments must exercise CYA in case those who are oblivious to potential risks enter the risk area and say "why didn't you warn me".

On a different note, ever notice how the British Embassy / BCCT warnings here seem to come out and then something beyond the usual 'we are gonna evict the protesters type statements' happens.

[BEENTHEREDONETHAT]

It appears that no one is in charge in the LOS.

[HakimKlunker]

....

Who in their right mind would come now?

....

Especially as the ones in the wrong minds are already there.

Being in my right mind early enough I enjoy very much my 'exile' in Malaysia seeing no need to return unless thing improve. I am also seriously thinking of the evacuation of my dog; my (Thai) girlfriend unfortunately will have to stay...

[yesdavy]

What happens when a government issues travel warnings is that the liability risk for tour operators increases, due to clauses in their insurance contracts limiting coverage when knowingly sending clients into hotstile environments. It is not worth the risk. One casualty could wipe out a company. Tour operators and vacation package charters provide the bulk of inbound arrivals.

What seems naive to me is the comment that TAT needs THB 1.6 billion to stimulate inbound arrivals, especially with the airlines. Well, the airlines are governed by their home country governments and when the warnings go up about essential travel only, how does an airline overcome that? Airlines have liability issues as well regarding their vacation packages. Can't see much success in a campaign promoting, "Essential travel to Thailand now discounted, travel at your own risk."

Finally, these numbers of arrivals have not, to my knowledge, been qualified. Since everything is done by hand, how can AOT or anybody else account for the number of tourist arrivals? BKK is or was the business hub of SE Asia. I can see having a count of how many passengers debark based on flight manifests from the points of origin, but how many of those passengers: a) live here retired? are employed here? c) are transiting? d) are Thai nationals?

The number 30,000 from before 14 March, when divided by an approximate 250 pax per flight, is 120 flights per 24/7, or one takeoff and landing every 6 minutes per 24 hours. Planes that land must takeoff. If you are anywhere near Suvarnabhumi, you know that this kind of traffic does not appear to be happening. The number of flights does not appear to have decreased but apparently there are fewer warm bodies in the seats. There are overnight hours when takeoffs and landings are rare, certainly not every 6 minutes. Okay, there are two other international airports, and I addressed this in a previous post so let's leave this and just say that, regarding the THB 1.6 billion, if the seats are empty, the airlines will drop the routes. Perhaps, TAT will become a wholesaler and buy enough seats to keep the routes open, but the 1.6 will not last very long at that rate. Losing scheduled routes is the death knell for any country's tourism.

[Sisaketmike]

Agree with the qutejute, amazing to see even 20,000 a day coming in.

I guess nothing can keep the mongers away.

Foreigners are jumping down from buildings without parachutes, so it's not really a BASE jump at all. Foreigners got killed by road accidents. Foreigners got killed, some got raped.

Many people died in Bangkok, it's really dangerous to be there, bullets don't know where they fly to.

But still 20,000 a day. Wow, there must be something special in this country........

Would somebody take his family to Thailand now? I doubt it. So it must be the two legged ones, right?

"I love you doo maach" seems to be the magnet. Welcome to the LOS.

[monstamixa]

I am supprised there are so many still comming to Thailand "Rubber neckers"

I think we have to be quite about the fact tourist still go to south and enjoy the beaches. Because if the Red figure this out they will also try to destroy south tourism how small it is.

They just hate Thailand

Som nom na.

Last week I went to KL for a visa run. Going out on a Monday....immigration was packed. Returning on the Wednesday...at 8pm...Immigration was empty. Usually, at 8pm, the queue is about 20 people deep on each line....this time, perhaps 4 or 5 per line. So yeah...no bigs news here.

And somebody please explain the logic in spending 1.6b or whatever to stimulate tourism?????? That's like "Come to Bosnia" or "visit lovely Afganistan!"......."Welcome to Thailand. Duck!"

Really!!! Bosnia? Afganistan? have you been there? I'm impressed

[bkkjames]

Agree with the qutejute, amazing to see even 20,000 a day coming in.

I guess nothing can keep the mongers away.

Foreigners are jumping down from buildings without parachutes, so it's not really a BASE jump at all. Foreigners got killed by road accidents. Foreigners got killed, some got raped.

Many people died in Bangkok, it's really dangerous to be there, bullets don't know where they fly to.

But still 20,000 a day. Wow, there must be something special in this country........

Would somebody take his family to Thailand now? I doubt it. So it must be the two legged ones, right?

"I love you doo maach" seems to be the magnet. Welcome to the LOS.

The Dick is mightier than the Sword (at least while it's still attached).

[yesdavy]

Apparently, the PM was on BBC stating that the situation has degenerated from a political problem to one of national security. My goodness. It looks as though this could be construed as mixed signals, since all the commentary has indicated that the official position has been that the problems here are political and that the government is committed to finding a political solution.

Wonder what travel warnings and restrictions may follow when the international community learns that it is no longer a political problem, but one of national security.

[Netfan]

Meanwhile Singapore is reporting record numbers of tourists for March - up 17% over 2009. It will be interesting to see how much those numbers go up for April.

[jakhoeblal]

.... in spite of the huge loss of incoem, the Thai Baht gets stronger and stronger!!

How come?

[bkkjames]

.... in spite of the huge loss of incoem, the Thai Baht gets stronger and stronger!!

How come?

cause yours keeps getting weaker and weaker. try raising your interest rates.

[Pikey]

Well, sitting in my shop here in Chiang Mai looking at empty pavements where there used to be tourists and then checking the books like for like with this time last year, I'd say that the published figures for the drop are complete and utter <deleted>! It is much worse than anything that's gone before it. And yes, it will affect the whole country, particularly the rural poor who, having been bought on the cheap, see income streams from relatives linked to the tourist industry, dry up. Thank you red shirt leaders and will the last one still alive when this mess is over, please switch off the lights.

Cheers,

Pikey.

[rfukata]

"The Tourism and Sports Ministry is seeking Bt1.6 billion to stimulate tourism in both domestic and international markets, with plans for joint promotional packages in cooperation with foreign airlines and travel agencies."

Bullet proof vests for all tourists visiting Bangkok

just curious to see how much of the 1.6Billion Baht will really go into the right coffers rather the crooked pockets?

why can't they disclose exactly the budget for each agencies / department?

[hungryINbangkok]

I am supprised there are so many still comming to Thailand "Rubber neckers"

I think we have to be quite about the fact tourist still go to south and enjoy the beaches. Because if the Red figure this out they will also try to destroy south tourism how small it is.

They just hate Thailand

Som nom na.

Last week I went to KL for a visa run. Going out on a Monday....immigration was packed. Returning on the Wednesday...at 8pm...Immigration was empty. Usually, at 8pm, the queue is about 20 people deep on each line....this time, perhaps 4 or 5 per line. So yeah...no bigs news here.

And somebody please explain the logic in spending 1.6b or whatever to stimulate tourism?????? That's like "Come to Bosnia" or "visit lovely Afganistan!"......."Welcome to Thailand. Duck!"

Really!!! Bosnia? Afganistan? have you been there? I'm impressed

It sucks when sarcasm needs to be explained.....

[Groongthep]

I just tried to book a flight with EVA Airways from L.A. to Bangkok in the middle of July and the price was up 30%. You also have to use 12,000 air miles to get the "Special" deal. I just flew a few months ago during high season and the price was way less. I see this trend all the time with EVA. Expensive during low season and cheapest during high season. You would think that with whats going on in Thailand and it is entering the hot season soon and the Baht as strong as it is, all airlines would be lowering fares to Thailand. I checked other airlines as well. Same thing. What gives?

Keep checking the website often and look at different dates. The prices often change significantly overnight. Be patient and don't book until a few days before your planned departure date. If the aircraft is due to depart in just a few days and it looks like it will have a lot of empty seats the airline(s) will usually drop the fares enormously, sometimes in half or more.

[Tonto21]

I am in Australia, and I am due to fly out tomorrow, 1 night in Bangkok and 9 nights in Pattaya, havent cancelled yet, but am considering it. Any thoughts??

Pattaya should be safe enough, shouldnt it?

I really don’t think you’re going to have a problem. But why are you going to spend a night in BKK?

If you’re so worried about the situation here, and as it is all in BKK why go there. Is it a “wet paint, do not touch” thing? Do yourself a favor, land, get taxi to Pattaya………..and enjoy! Have a good one.

[pcruzer]

I just tried to book a flight with EVA Airways from L.A. to Bangkok in the middle of July and the price was up 30%. You also have to use 12,000 air miles to get the "Special" deal. I just flew a few months ago during high season and the price was way less. I see this trend all the time with EVA. Expensive during low season and cheapest during high season. You would think that with whats going on in Thailand and it is entering the hot season soon and the Baht as strong as it is, all airlines would be lowering fares to Thailand. I checked other airlines as well. Same thing. What gives?

the airlines base their seasons on the departure countries season not the arrival country. whenever the schools are on vacation is usually high season for air. last year the airlines lowered prices during the summer months due to the worldwide economic problems which created oversupply. this year most airlines have pruned their schedules by 30%, so don't expect low season fares during summer months from the good ole USA as last year...

[thailandbound]

I am in Australia, and I am due to fly out tomorrow, 1 night in Bangkok and 9 nights in Pattaya, havent cancelled yet, but am considering it. Any thoughts??

Pattaya should be safe enough, shouldnt it?

You'll be fine in Pattaya . I'm on my way home after 3 weeks in thailand , 2 in Bkk and 1 in Hua hin . The day i landed the taxi driver tells me not to go to my hotel because it's smack in middle of the shootings . I ended up staying at a hotel i usally stay at close to On nut sky train terminal and it didn't effect my stay at all . Just ask the question , check with locals and keep an eye on the news . Dont trust hotel staff though , when i was told what was goin on i rang the hotel to see if it was safe to proceed , lady says 'yes yes come safe in hotel' i said what about out of hotel she replies ' stop taxi 2 kilometre from hotel then catch motobike rest of the way ' Yeh Right !! Bkk is a big place and the action is pretty easy to avoid you'll be okay .

[hoilai]

Saw it last night. I got in about 11:30 pm and got through immigration in 5 minutes.

[bunuel]

So true. Many tourism industries understand that when they are getting a lot of bad publicity, often the wisest thing is to bite the bullet and lie low until better times, since tourists have notoriously short memories. Of course, if your real agenda is to pay cronies in the advertising agencies at al a lot of money for doing nothing, then this is a great time to increase promotional budgets!

It seems totally pointless to keep seeking money for "stimuation" of tourists. The images and news stories that foriegners see (for free) on the evening news will have far more impact that any money spent on a stimulous. Until the situation unfolds and stability returns these various stimulous packages are almost a waste of time.