And this from another thread;

Thailand South East Hotel Association believes that the recent flooding situation does not affect tourism

KOH SAMUI (NNT) -- Thailand South East Hotel Association believes that the flooding situation will not affect tourism.

Do any of these experts even think about what comes out of their mouth.

What is that saying, Best keep quiet if not to smart, not to open your mouth and remove all doubt.

Tourists and farangs living in Thailand are just a drop in the beer bottle when it comes to total consumption within the country.

Perhaps by volume drunk, but it cannot be discounted as such. They bring in a massive amount of revenue on the drinking side as many tourists will be buying premium brands and on most days of their visit.

--

The fact that beer has been steadily rising for the last few years will also have a significant bearing on matters. For instance, Tiger has gone from about 40 baht a big bottle to around 55 in a year or so. Not many Thais drink it, but it's across the board, as with rice. Gov should think about lowering their ridiculous tariffs on beer (yes it is a rip-off here, relatively) to make it more accessible to all. Having a beer is one of life's pleasures... you'll still have raving drunks and deaths whatever the price, but taxing the average Jo to the hilt is not the answer.

I agree as beer prices rise the average Thai will move to blended spirits, more buzz for your buck. With the bars buying beer at 17-20 baht per bottle and selling it at 90 - 120 baht, they are making a healthy profit, but using Thai logic, a 10% decrease in beer sales to tourist expect a 10% increase in beer prices to make up the difference.