The Miracle Years Of Amazing Thailand: TAT Sets Ambitious Goal To Double Tourist Arrivals

[EarthAlien]

well, there's a Half A Billion Baht gone.

.

I hate to be negative, but wouldn't it be a lot cheaper to just reverse some of the stupid tourist visa regulations that they recently added?

..Or perhaps stop requiring their tourists to go to a neighboring country anytime they want an extended visa to stay longer in Thailand.

Why spend so much money when there are dozens of practically free solutions to the problem...

You're absolutely correct,... but here in "Amazing Thailand" to expect any application of what could qualify as normal simple common sense would require something of a "Miracle"!

[drdoom6996]

The agency will spend Bt500 million

The Yingluck Shinawatra government has vowed to use The Miracle Years of Amazing Thailand campaign to double arrivals and income.

well, there's a Half A Billion Baht gone.

.

It will be a miracle if anyone that can read come to Thailand. Right now there are much better places in SE Asia.

[drdoom6996]

Save the advertising campaign, legalize marijuana. That frees up anti-drug resources to go after Yaa Bah (sp?) and other nasty drugs, generates some extra tax revenue, and will bring in tourists from uptight western countries like crazy. And as a bonus stoned people are less likely to be violent that drunks, making night spots safer.

I vote for this idea.

I vote yes.

[stevehaigh]

The agency will spend Bt500 million

The Yingluck Shinawatra government has vowed to use The Miracle Years of Amazing Thailand campaign to double arrivals and income.

well, there's a Half A Billion Baht gone.

.

Why not spend 500 mil snuffing out the scams--same as the war on drugs.

because its destined for Shinawatra cronies pockets i guess

[blazes]

Aside from the mystery of where Thailand, a country that seems not to be able to collect much in the way of taxes, gets all this money from for all the various boondoggles (see earlier thread on TV re tax in Thailand), there is the other problem:

How are all these cash-strapped foreigners ever going to be able to afford to take a holiday in the next ten years? We can be 100% certain that there will be no visitors from Greece, Portugal, Spain, Ireland and Italy. Then there are all those Americans whose mortgages are under water. Canadians about to see a collapse in their real estate market. French whose banks will be ripped to shreds by the demise of the Euro in Greece, Brits whose banks are badly exposed to bankrupt Euroland, and whose unemployment is shooting up as we write on this thread.

That leaves a few affluent Germans, Dutch and Scandinavians.

And of course, the Chinese.

Strange to think of the Commies producing "miracles" in a country nominally "religious".

[tartempion]

Let me understand this...

Stats say something like last year we had 13 million tourist visiting Thailand

Lets spend 500 million baht to get some more.

How many, well 13 million more, thus lets spend approx 38 baht for every prospective tourist.

Now in reality, if 5 million more tourist come to Thailand we will have spent 100 baht/head

If tourist number increase is only 1 million, 500 baht/head will have been spent.

Anyway, I wonder where will that money be spent (go to whom)???

The tourists?

I don't think so

[Buchholz]

The new slogan rolls right off the tongue!

I can't wait to see some of the tv and magazine ads!

Nothing on their website yet, but in the meantime, but you can sign up on TAT Facebook to play their Smile Land game:

not sure if it cost 500 million baht to develop, also

.

Edited September 9, 2011 by Buchholz

[elgato]

I wonder if the bureaucrats have considered the printing of 5k and 10k baht notes to make it easier to run with the money

[Buchholz]

Let me understand this...

Stats say something like last year we had 13 million tourist visiting Thailand

Lets spend 500 million baht to get some more.

How many, well 13 million more, thus lets spend approx 38 baht for every prospective tourist.

Now in reality, if 5 million more tourist come to Thailand we will have spent 100 baht/head

If tourist number increase is only 1 million, 500 baht/head will have been spent.

Anyway, I wonder where will that money be spent (go to whom)???

The tourists?

I don't think so

some could go to former TAT Governor Juthamas as consultant fees...

Juthamas Indictment Creates Bad Image For Thai Tourism

THAILAND: -- As word of US prosecutors' charges against former Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Juthamas Siriwan rapidly spread worldwide, Thai tourism associations and hotel operators cried foul over the negative implications for the local industry.

[Cats4ever]

Most of the replies seems to be Western centric. China is sending out a lot of tourists, and will undoubtedly send a lot more in the years to come. Stand by for a change in faciliites and a lessening focus on western tourists. That may be hard to take for many of the delightfully happy to be in Thai correspondents on Thai Visa, but it is likely to be true.

[pepi2005]

China, Arab countries, India, Russia.

That is already the main group of tourists in Thailand,

not USA or Europe or Australia anymore.

Wake up guys.

Of course, the numbers mentioned are still ridiculous.

They could as well say 10 times as many tourists.

[Rosco911]

Anyone walking round Chiang Mai can see the figures published are already more than double to actual tourists so a little more miss typing should sort it out.

[ginjag]

Is the Formula 1 motor racing taking place on the streets of Pattaya?

Now that would be interesting....

The bib setting up a road block Jomptien- asking Webber for tea money

[robertson468]

They could try counting all the transit passengers arriving at Swampy that would triple the numbers or is this already being done? Oh what the heck just fudge the stats no one will know.

Wot! Fudge the stats that are already fudged. Good Lord Man, that makes two negatives, which makes a positive, so it's bound to work - innit?

[jeanelie]

They will double with Russians, Chinese and Muslims.

[svenivan]

I just wonder if the increase of number of tourist arrival is same as increase of number of hotel nights?

I have a couple of friends that years ago arrived 12 times every year to Thailand. Now with the new rules they arrive 24 times every year.

But it does not affect the number of hotel nights.

If the new government want to increase number of tourists arriving to Thailand then they can change so my friends have to do a visa run every week!

[thailand49]

You can always depend on Amazing Thailand. When things are bad rise the prices. I guess someones got to pay for all the promises made by the new government. Another example of shooting themselves in the foot. I just can't wait when inflation hits and the housing bubble burst here in Pattaya and everywhere else in Thailand. They deserve the outcome for their big swell head and arrogants towards foreigners.

[pacovl46]

How about loosening Thailand's visa regulations...

Totally agree!!!

[chooka]

Is the Formula 1 motor racing taking place on the streets of Pattaya?

Now that would be interesting....

The bib setting up a road block Jomptien- asking Webber for tea money

they would have to catch him 1st

[falangjim]

Nice weather, cheap food, interesting entertainment, aggressive tuk tuk drivers, corrupt immigration officials, inefficient public transport, jet-ski scams, food-poisoning, drugs: What's not to love?

[chooka]

Nice weather, cheap food, interesting entertainment, aggressive tuk tuk drivers, corrupt immigration officials, inefficient public transport, jet-ski scams, food-poisoning, drugs: What's not to love?

The dirty beaches

[crazykopite]

The agency will spend Bt500 million

The Yingluck Shinawatra government has vowed to use The Miracle Years of Amazing Thailand campaign to double arrivals and income.

well, there's a Half A Billion Baht gone.

.

Cheaper flights by reducing landing charges and other taxes would bring in more passengers

[Just1Voice]

A few things.

First, I really think all officials at TAT should undergo drug testing, because they are obviously high on something.

Second, more and more websites are popping up about the jet-ski and tuk tuk mafia scams, as well as on facebook pages, so news of these ripoffs IS getting out.

Third, yes, there will be more visitors from China, India, Russia, etc, but in regards to the Chinese in particular, almost all of them are "package tours", where the only one who really make a profit are the tour companies. These people don't make it a habit of going to Thai restaurants, unless it's owned by a Chinese, never use tuk tuks or songthows, and only the rented vans to travel in groups, and over all, are tighwad skinflints who hate to part with money. Wife's cousin is the manager of a Thai Umbrella company. One of the best in Chiang Mai. Last week they had two bus loads of Chinese tourists come in. Only 2 of them bought 1 small parasol each. That was it!

Miracle? It will be a miracle if they see a 10% increase next year.

Oh, and I have it from a Very Reliable source (Immigration Officer friend of family) on how they count. Every Visa runner - counts as tourist. Everyone getting off plane and passing through Thai customs, even to wait for a flight to another country - counts as a tourist. Every weekend there are bus loads of Malaysians coming into Thailand for a 1 days shopping spree - Counted as tourists.

And as someone above mentioned, here in CM all you have to do is drive around and see how many there AREN'T as compared to previous years. It seems that the numbers have been going down steadily for the past 3 years. Two major 5-Star hotels I know of have had to close off half their rooms just to be able to pay their electric bills.

But hey, according to TAT, business is GREAT, and getting BETTER every day. Uh, huh, and I still believe in Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy.

[elgato]

I just wonder if the increase of number of tourist arrival is same as increase of number of hotel nights?

I have a couple of friends that years ago arrived 12 times every year to Thailand. Now with the new rules they arrive 24 times every year.

But it does not affect the number of hotel nights.

If the new government want to increase number of tourists arriving to Thailand then they can change so my friends have to do a visa run every week!

Makes sense to me!

[ROMANOBA]

With the actual paranoid visa regulations plus the 'zero level' competence in English I doubt this goal will be reached.I think countries like Vietnam,Malaysia and Indonesia have MUCH MORE to offer as TOURIST destinations.Only as a retirement destination Thailand still have some strong advantages about those countries.

The agency will spend Bt500 million

The Yingluck Shinawatra government has vowed to use The Miracle Years of Amazing Thailand campaign to double arrivals and income.

well, there's a Half A Billion Baht gone.

.

[daiwill60]

Dirty, grimy, shabby looking buildings, uneven dangerous walk ways ( if you can get on them that is), dodgy dangerous electrical work, dodgy looking food stalls selling dodgy looking meat impregated with dodgy chemicals, no road sense anywhere by anybody, no control of drink driving on the roads by police at night, it is a miracle there is anyone left alive in miracle thailand, maybe that is the miracle TAT are on about, get out alive or unscathed after your holiday and it will be a miracle.

Nice weather, cheap food, interesting entertainment, aggressive tuk tuk drivers, corrupt immigration officials, inefficient public transport, jet-ski scams, food-poisoning, drugs: What's not to love?

The dirty beaches

[Just1Voice]

NEWS FLASH (At future date)

TAT spokesman Ima Lyingthai issued a statement today letting people know the scheduled F-1 Race has been cancelled. When asked why, he replied:

"Well, those stupid, ignorant and inferior foreigners have refused to bring their multimillion dollar race cars here to compete on our broken up, badly needing repair roads with the pot holes and cracks, and because we told them there was no need to have other vehicles, such as the illegal taxis and tuk tuks clear the roads for the race as they might lose out on scamming another tourist. And, get this! They also demanded we force all the food carts and illegal porn video dealers off the streets as well for the race. Now, how brazen is that?"

[SanSaiExPat]

Once again the right hand is totally at odds with the left hand.

The right hand is cooking up castle-in-the-sky fantasies to bring in tourists but, down at street level, the gleeful left hand is turning off its taxi meters, detouring into gold shops, scamming visitors with pre-scratched vehicles and jet skis, and all the rest of the grass-roots scams.

"My goodness me, we'll flood the place with most excellent gold-crusted tourists," declares the right hand.

"Ho yus mate, pour 'em in and we'll <deleted>*k 'em over," grins the left hand.

Why not spent a BIG chunk of this money in some clever PR which exposes and actually prosecutes the street-scamming scum? A state-sponsored drive together with documentary TV coverage,(Miami Vice styling), with grim-faced BIB and troopers with machine guns rounding up the jet ski maffia and jailing them wrapped in chains? Etc, etc, etc, etc.

But that might be tricky, of course. Firstly it would be a HUGE loss of face to actually admit that all these tourist-ripping scams exited in the first place, which means that they'll never get cleaned up if they 'don't exist'.

Or they might spend a few million baht in educating all the puzzled prison and immigration officials who can't work out what all the fuss is about with these dead or overstaying farang riff-raff . . . they are, after all, only one step up from illegal Burmese workers . . .

And then it would have to sit next to the headlines that the exiled criminal ex-PM of Thailand who's had billions of dollars of assets in Thailand frozen and is wanted on God knows how many charges of fraud and corruption has just pulled a fast one and put his sister in his place and now looks as if he's getting a pardon and might be able to return.

But they have at least got one thing right. It truly is 'The Miracle of Amazing Thailand'. Forget the LOS - it should be NOS - Nigeria On Steroids.

R

At least they are aware that Tourist's are their bread and butter and that they need to do something. Granted this may not be the best return on their investment and yes there are many other things that need to be improved but this is a hell of allot more that the last government did to improve things. It was in fact the last government that made the VISA laws more repressive and under which most of the horribly negative events took place over the last few years since the coup of a legitimately elected government.. I say give this young new government that was elected by a majority of the Thai's a chance.

[khunPer]

At the moment Miracle Thailand have a huge amout of free stories in the internional media - unfurtunately most of the stories rather scares the tourists to stay away from Thailand - stories like jetski scams, overcharged taxis and tuk-tuk drivers beating up tourists etc.

250 or 500 mio. baht advertising cannot compete with the bad frontpage stories!

May be an idea to spend a bit, fx. 10%, of the campaign budget to make the first "miracle" inside Thailand - stop the jetski scams, force the taxis to actually keep the law and drive by the meter, ban tuk-tuks at turist destinations etc. - so the international media will tell some positive stories about "miracles in paradise".

[Wonderboy]

You can always depend on Amazing Thailand. When things are bad rise the prices.

If I had a cent for every ignorant on Thai visa stating lowering prices magically raises revenue I would be well off. Why not lower prices when times are good? Should make even more profit, right? Lower the price until it is free, and you should get a fantastic profit... This board is becoming more and more a waist of time. Whatever is said or done by Thais, the whining brigade comes out to spew their confused understanding of society. Nothing wrong with pointing out bad stuff, corruption, lunacy or whatever, I am all for it, but the thoughtless repetitive whining we can do without. Even when fees for tourist visas where waivered the whiners complained.

I think the doubling of tourist arrivals are way to ambitious and will not happen on such a small budget and such a short timeframe. I dont even think the capacity is there should it eventually happen, but there are ways to say this in more thoughtful manners than most people on this board do. Letting people easily stay years and years on tourist visa is not what will take them there, regardless what some lowbudget retiree will tell us on this board.

WB