As I've stated before, my wife worked in the hotel industry for years, and we still have friends who do, and they are all stating that this is the worst they have ever seen it. Today I drove through Chiang Mai, and deliberately through the market by the river just to get an idea. I counted a total of FIVE farang that MIGHT be tourists, and this was around 3:00. Also have a couple of friends who had booths at the Night Bazaar who said they had to "close up shop" as there were simply NO tourists.

Until proven wrong, I honestly believe that TAT is counting all the "visa runners", as well as those mentioned in another post who come from Malaysia for the day, or w/e, simply to shop, as well as those in transit who get off a plane in BKK, only to board another for somewhere else, and have absolutely NO idea of the true number.

It is so bad that here in the Night Bazaar we have had a 7 11 shut down.

What is the difference where the tourists come from as far as TAT is concerned they are a number and they do not care who they are or where they came from or how long they stay here. As has been shown over and over and over again on this thread by people who read the headline and not the reply's TAT has very unreliable facts.

Several posts about the number of tourists going up. Up from when? Yesterday

Actual stat from Immigration Office classify by types of visa.

http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/base.php?page=stat

1.นักท่องเที่ยว = tourist visa

2. คนอยู่ชั่วคราว = Non-Im visa

3. คนเดินทางผ่าน = transit visa

4.ยกเว้นการตรวจลงตรา = visa exemption

รวมต่างชาติ = foreigner in total

Actual stat from Immigration Office classify by types of visa.

http://www.immigrati...e.php?page=stat

1.นักท่องเที่ยว = tourist visa

2. คนอยู่ชั่วคราว = Non-Im visa

3. คนเดินทางผ่าน = transit visa

4.ยกเว้นการตรวจลงตรา = visa exemption

รวมต่างชาติ = foreigner in total

Hey, Great! But. uhhhh, not all of us can read Thai, so I (we) have NO idea of what it is saying.

I ask the hoteliers and this cannot be a fact unless they are staying in a tent in a park. Stranger than fiction????

Actual stat from Immigration Office classify by types of visa.

http://www.immigrati...e.php?page=stat

1.นักท่องเที่ยว = tourist visa

2. คนอยู่ชั่วคราว = Non-Im visa

3. คนเดินทางผ่าน = transit visa

4.ยกเว้นการตรวจลงตรา = visa exemption

รวมต่างชาติ = foreigner in total

Doesn't this show that http://www.immigration.go.th/stat/stat_inout_jan-may2010_nation.xls

about 1.5 million foreigners entered Thailand January-May 2010?

Compared to January- May 2009 http://www.immigration.go.th/stat/stat_inout_2009_nation.xls

about 4.8 million entered Thailand.

But then again, I might be reading it wrong... Google translate is many times not very accurate between Thai-English.

Actual stat from Immigration Office classify by types of visa.

http://www.immigrati...e.php?page=stat

1.นักท่องเที่ยว = tourist visa

2. คนอยู่ชั่วคราว = Non-Im visa

3. คนเดินทางผ่าน = transit visa

4.ยกเว้นการตรวจลงตรา = visa exemption

รวมต่างชาติ = foreigner in total

Doesn't this show that http://www.immigrati...2010_nation.xls

about 1.5 million foreigners entered Thailand January-May 2010?

Compared to January- May 2009 http://www.immigrati...2009_nation.xls

about 4.8 million entered Thailand.

But then again, I might be reading it wrong... Google translate is many times not very accurate between Thai-English.

6,951,238 foriegners entered Thailand in January-May 2010.

There will always be people who want to visit Thailand. After all, only a small portion of the country was affected.

lol seems the figures are still simmering at the TAT. Could be thou that they now class us all as tourists and bunging the expats in there to prop up the figures eh LOL ...just a thought.

Lots of analysis by many thou out there, but it just seems the simple fact that hotels and GH's are going out of business .... as one poster said, maybe they brought a tent. So with this 'increase' ..why are businesses going out of business?

Come on TAT get real eh !

lol seems the figures are still simmering at the TAT. Could be thou that they now class us all as tourists and bunging the expats in there to prop up the figures eh LOL ...just a thought.

Lots of analysis by many thou out there, but it just seems the simple fact that hotels and GH's are going out of business .... as one poster said, maybe they brought a tent. So with this 'increase' ..why are businesses going out of business?

Come on TAT get real eh !

TAT is simply considering every foreigner, his dog and any cats his dogs is chasing as tourists, do any of them hold a thai ID card? no? so tourists!!! why you didn't get tat? :jap:

".. mounting continuously.."

Lol !!

Ok, let's try this again, since I can't post Excel in here.

Here's something TAT might want to take a look at:

International visitors to Vietnam in July and 7 months of 2010

July 28, 2010

International visitors to Vietnam in June estimated 410,000 arrivals, increasing by 51.1% over the same period last year. Total international arrivals in 7 months reached 2,920,521 representing a 34.9% growth.

July 2010 (estimate) = 410,000

Accrued for 7 months of 2010 = 2,920,521

July 2010 vs June 2010 (%) = 109.1

July 2010 vs July 2009 (%) = 151.1

7 Mos 2010 vs 7 mos 2009 (%) = 134.9

Granted, while the figures are not as high as those of Thailand (ie. 14 – 15 mil), the growth rate is one that Thailand could only wish they could see.

I would state that if I were a TAT official, I would be worried about the numbers and growth rate, but with typical Thai arrogance, they probably just shrug it off as meaningless, and claim "This is Thailand, and people will always prefer to come here."

Comparing a mature tourist market like Thailand's to a far less mature one like Vietnam's really does not present an accurate picture, unfortunately. I have no access to the statistics, but having recently been in Vietnam, I have seen the number of new hotels going up. I have also noticed the major increase in the number of airlines flying in to the country. When you start from a low base, the annual percentage increase in such a situation is bound to look far more impressive.

Maybe the TAT should consider getting K. Juthamas back. She probably can't join parties in the USA (indicted there), but may be free to travel to other countries. She has good references: was governor of TAT 2002 - 2006, only indicted for bribery, not charged here, goes on record of having good ideas to promote tourism:

* Called off searching for bodies of tsunami victims because it looked bad to tourists.

* Was involved in the Thailand Elite Card fiasco that saw millions of baht in unpaid advertising bills after the whole initiative bombed.

* Was quoted as saying that the murder of a British couple in Kanchanburi was bad for tourism.

Not sure what you are trying to say here that hasn't been said over and over again on this thread. Are you saying that these tourists had bad travel agents and didn't know how to fly them into Cambodia's international air port.

Cambodia does NOT have direct flights to or from any location outside Asia. Passengers from Europe and the Americas generally fly via Thailand, Malaysia or Singapore, and I would guess that the majority of those are through Thailand.

On a separate but related note, I've just returned from Siem Riep and the place was very busy with tourists, even though the high season is still some weeks away. Hoteliers and restauranteurs there are not complaining of any lack of business.

So the assumption that the more bomb goes off in Bangkok, the more the tourist arrival theory is true. Let the fact speak for itself.

COBBLERS !

Hub of Shoe-Making Operatives, anyone ?