Global Drive To Bring Back Tourists To Thailand

[geezer553]

tat______you need 2 get together with the commerce and banking system here in thailand_there greed is making it impossible for foreign tourists.

have been visiting this wonderfull country for the last 8 years..... my first visit i was getting 72 baht 2 the £ 2 years ago the baht fell from 67 baht 2 49 overnight!!

thailand has become very expensive indeed.........accomdation,food,drink has increased above inflation................every £ i exchange i have lost over 2,000 baht from original exchange rates..... yes the banks here in thailand are strong............ after the christmas festival thailand will start to go into recession...........everywhere i go i see new hotels and condominums being built!!! yet these places remain empty...............without guests. people from europe have kept thailand running for many years_today these same people will go to malasia/singapore/phillapines...............looking for value for there money.......................i now can no longer stay in these expensive holiday resorts and choose to stay up country in buriram with my thai partner and family......... even staying there i have realized these long stays can no longer continue.

currantly having the families home made bigger and modernised............when the family first bought there property they paid around 220,000 baht.

i have built a bigger extension.new kitchen---bedroom,toilet etc etc-----------spent over 5k and still uncomplete.

every 60 days i am leaving thailand to get my visa updated!!! again a added expence when i am also going befor the thai embassy back home in the uk spending around 3,800 baht-----------travel thailand always in the region of around 1,000£ english........................ when i can get a all inclusive 2wks in the carrabean,.

what the foreign traveller need is at least 55 baht to the pound..........a change in visa regulations and prices to be displayed so the foreigner no the price of goods!!!!

thais see farrang and want to charge them over 3 times more than the thai person...............

[ramrod711]

Prakit said that flooding had caused hotel occupancy rate nationwide in November to drop from a projected 68 per cent to 62 per cent, but still an improvement from 53 per cent in last November.

So in other words, despite the flood mayhem, an increase in occupancy rate nationwide by 9% over November last year ??

Would that be because of arrivals or because of a lot of housing was flooded.

No doubt we will see this as another TAT spin on how well Thailand is doing in the tourism sector.

seems to me that it is an indication that people would rather risk flood and pestilence to red shirts burning the "asian transportation hub" to the ground

[osiboy]

my parents were going to visit us in thailand this xmas until i told them the

exchange rate, they are now going to malaysia and we are hoping to go visit them

there , .....i spend most of my time here in rayong, the average price of a beer

on entertainment street is 120B !!,...... for a small one , thats nearly £5 per

pint !!......... its becoming like the UK now , i buy from the supermarket and

drink at home or on the beach , the average thai on 275B per day , they have a

choice,.eat OR drink !!!

Which exchange rate do you use? I thought the BHT v's GBP = 48/49THB

Okay just noticed a pint would normally equal two bottles.

I get a laugh when people from other countries complain about Thailand, the costs and other problems, like floods and demonstrations.

People leaving and arriving in England are having a problem with the STRIKE by Government workers at the Immigration Dept. That does not help tourism. Costs in London are unreal, extremely expensive. Terrorists attacks-ugh. England has problems same as Thailand but they never talk about problems in their country, just complain about cost of beer and cheap hotels. Thailand is a major tourist attraction in Asia and it's prices do not reflect that. Problem with those complaining is that they want everything for almost nothing. I would hate to think what a tourist pays for a beer in London.

a beer in london ,.........the same price he would pay in thailand if he went to tescos , but would buy wine at a fraction of the cost it is here, in a pub maybe 200B, BUT DONT FORGET, LONDONERS earn nearly twice the national average, a labourer on a building site is on 25,000B+ per week compared to a thai on 200b per day

+

[moskito]

Photos of dirty towels hanging in dead trees on the beach should help!

Yup!

yeah, or the last report about quality of the water at the beaches in Patong Karon or Kata Beach PLEASE, dont wanna know about the quality in Hua Hin or Pattaya :bah: specially atm where all the BKK mud flooding the gulf of Thailand

It just was in German TV and the water at most beaches is conterminated with all kinds of <deleted>, from chemicals to your own compressed evening dinner

[osiboy]

my parents were going to visit us in thailand this xmas until i told them the

exchange rate, they are now going to malaysia and we are hoping to go visit them

there , .....i spend most of my time here in rayong, the average price of a beer

on entertainment street is 120B !!,...... for a small one , thats nearly £5 per

pint !!......... its becoming like the UK now , i buy from the supermarket and

drink at ึhome or on the beach , the average thai on 275B per day , they have a

choice,.eat OR drink !!!

The exchange rate with the Rigitt vs £€$¥ has gone tits up as well so they're not any cheaper than Thailand, last time I was down there KL was the same price as BKK for most things you can still get ฿9 to RM1 down from ฿10.

฿120 for a beer, that's the sort of price a 5 star hotel charges from the mini bar, I'd find a differnt bar, I won't pay more than ฿75-฿90

i buy a beer for 48 66 cl for bath so what you complaining how much in your country

you go to Belgium to drink more cheap then in your aw so good UK

my gf she make 45,000 a month.

and a sing is still 70 bath here, but you don't get entertainment if you know what i mean

so we eat and drink, you just make a country look bad, what there is in the UK just poverty

if you think its fair for a thai on min wage to earn enough money to pay for only 4 beers ,....good on you mate, you sound a fair guy !!

[moskito]

a beer in london ,.........the same price he would pay in thailand if he went to tescos , but would buy wine at a fraction of the cost it is here, in a pub maybe 200B, BUT DONT FORGET, LONDONERS earn nearly twice the national average, a labourer on a building site is on 25,000B+ per week compared to a thai on 200b per day

+

LOL, good one, I am still looking for the 200.- BAHT staff...what kind of work they do and for how many hours a day???

Anyway, guess the thread here was not ONLY about beer and whine and khao pad in a Thai Restaurant.....its for sure still cheaper as in Europe.

The thread is about Thailand is trying to attract more people visiting the country....and like I said before, they are not going specially after

the always complaining cheap ass Farang. For them a Chinese, Taiwanese or Singaporean which is staying here for 3-5 days but spending the same amount of money most kiniau germans spend in 4-6 weeks is by far more attractive..... :jap: no hard feelings here about the german community members...but they and the froggies are very special when it comes to saving money in hollidays....

[OZEMADE]

Global Drive to bring back tourists. They the TAT had better get their finger out, as the OZ Gov put out a travel warning today and not a good one.

http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw-cgi/view/Advice/Thailand

[nicky1982]

With so many problem in the euro zone .. I see them pissing in the wild also Osborne warns on eurozone recession A recession in the eurozone could tip Britain into recession as well, George Osborne has warned.The Chancellor, in Brussels for talks with European counterparts, told BBC Breakfast: "If the eurozone goes into recession, into a deep recession, then I'm afraid Britain will find it difficult to avoid a recession itself, because people watching this programme will be going to work in companies that make things that they would normally sell to Germany, France, Italy and the like.

Source http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5iaUkKLWEQIfIg09uMWp1vG8eKy0A?docId=N0159191322610304166A

[khaowong1]

Photos of dirty towels hanging in dead trees on the beach should help!

Ha ha ha ha ha :-) I was thinking the same thing. Only in Thailand. I read that they want to raise hotels rates to match Singapore. Nothing in Thailand can compare to Singapore. Not the food or the service. What in the world makes them think they can compare?

[Banzai99]

...and now why is it that some people think that "why don't you go home?" is actually a valid argument?

It just shows how shallow thee arguments of some people can be - do you not know how laughable that is????

I don't see how you can object to posters who tell you to move on if you don't like it, sounds logical enough to me, cos if I didn't like it, I'd move on !

Whats stopping you doing the same ?

[techboy]

Expensive compared to which country? Compared with North America,Europe and Australia Thailand is bloody cheap.Maybe that some destinations in the region like Laos or Cambogia are cheaper, but have very little to offer compared to Thailand...Philippines?Horrible food and expensive hotels,Africa?Most countries there are much more expensive than Thailand.Rip offs?Yes, but we are talking about very isolated cases and concerning unimportant matters.People come to Thailand because it's still BLOODY CHEAP compared to their own country and because the safety here is amazingly high.Yesterday I went to the dentist for a complete check up and clanaing: 9 euro.

i ate a delicious fried rice on the street: 50 euro cent.i bought a nice jeans: 4 euro.And I am now lodging in a comfortable airco room with refrigerator and en suite bathroom for 12 euro.Yes, Thailand it's bloody expensive indeed...

why must you live your life as a down and out pennyless pauper ?

eating rice on the streets !!

you poor sorry boy

I am in complete agreement with the Romanoba post on Thailand and have lived and worked in many countries which gives me a very good frame of reference. Do you know how to read or what? The place that the guy is living in sounds like a paupers crib to you- man I wish I was carrying your purse! Food on the streets- The Thai food that I have purchased on the streets has almost invariably been fresh and delicious and tastes better than the stuff that I get for 4X the price at upscale restaurants. (Yes fresh, like when I see the person who has just cooked my "street meal" buying the ingrediants at a local market two hours earlier). Frankly eating at tables set up in the market or street is enjoyable and more often than not, entertaining. Medical and Dental? I have always received excellent services in Thailand and can pay for it without trauma to my finances. I could go on and on but considering the mentality displayed by the source that I am rebutting it would be a waste of time (you poor, sorry, sorry, sorry boy!). I am certain you can find someone to take a lot of money from you for things that need not be expensive.

Go ahead sport! Show up all of them paupers.

[Randee]

Expensive compared to which country? Compared with North America,Europe and Australia Thailand is bloody cheap.Maybe that some destinations in the region like Laos or Cambogia are cheaper, but have very little to offer compared to Thailand...Philippines?Horrible food and expensive hotels,Africa?Most countries there are much more expensive than Thailand.Rip offs?Yes, but we are talking about very isolated cases and concerning unimportant matters.People come to Thailand because it's still BLOODY CHEAP compared to their own country and because the safety here is amazingly high.Yesterday I went to the dentist for a complete check up and clanaing: 9 euro.

i ate a delicious fried rice on the street: 50 euro cent.i bought a nice jeans: 4 euro.And I am now lodging in a comfortable airco room with refrigerator and en suite bathroom for 12 euro.Yes, Thailand it's bloody expensive indeed...

why must you live your life as a down and out pennyless pauper ?

eating rice on the streets !!

you poor sorry boy

I am in complete agreement with the Romanoba post on Thailand and have lived and worked in many countries which gives me a very good frame of reference. Do you know how to read or what? The place that the guy is living in sounds like a paupers crib to you- man I wish I was carrying your purse! Food on the streets- The Thai food that I have purchased on the streets has almost invariably been fresh and delicious and tastes better than the stuff that I get for 4X the price at upscale restaurants. (Yes fresh, like when I see the person who has just cooked my "street meal" buying the ingrediants at a local market two hours earlier). Frankly eating at tables set up in the market or street is enjoyable and more often than not, entertaining. Medical and Dental? I have always received excellent services in Thailand and can pay for it without trauma to my finances. I could go on and on but considering the mentality displayed by the source that I am rebutting it would be a waste of time (you poor, sorry, sorry, sorry boy!). I am certain you can find someone to take a lot of money from you for things that need not be expensive.

Go ahead sport! Show up all of them paupers.

There is nothing about Thailand that you can teach me. There is nothing you can say you've experienced or done that I have not experienced already

Now stop jumping to conclusions and stop being so immature and silly

Edited November 30, 2011 by Randee

[nicky1982]

Its bad real bad and don't see anything happen this high season

[moskito]

Photos of dirty towels hanging in dead trees on the beach should help!

Ha ha ha ha ha :-) I was thinking the same thing. Only in Thailand. I read that they want to raise hotels rates to match Singapore. Nothing in Thailand can compare to Singapore. Not the food or the service. What in the world makes them think they can compare?

true, WE USE SOAP to clean our dishes in restaurants....hard to find this service in S`pore, same goes for paperserviettes or toothpicks on tables.....the S`porean Chinese save even water for cleaning dishes ....if you wonder why not getting sick....there is enough Antibiotics in the shrimps (from Thailand)

You are right with the hotels but how Thais can compare the service in other destinations if other countries will not let them in...or only if they have somebody guarantee for them?

[JeffreyMcCollum]

I was told the roads in Bangkok were now open. Yesterday drove Chiang Mai to Pattaya

where highway 32 into Bangkok was opened,. The road is damaged in many areas and miles of litter and abandoned cars. Fires burning trash road side were everywhere. Abd damage on roads everywhere some from flooding water other damage from people trying to escape the flooding. The entry to Highway 9 on the east side I was told was open. The entry was closed and still had water in areas. I went around the blockade and traffic was at a halt for the last 5 kn north of the first (Northern) toll gates as the road was down from 8 lanes to just 1 in each direction.

Up north store shelves are still missing things

So mmy question goes is this the Thailand you want tourist to see ?

Do you care so much about tourist dollars and not about helping the Thais get back to normal ?

From what I could see, it will take months if not years to get things back to normal

[moskito]

Its bad real bad and don't see anything happen this high season

same discussion everywhere in Europe Nicky, change the faces and its the same story in Germany Italy or Greece....so many ppl are without a job and

living on a existence minimum while other characters get richer and richer and richer.....makes me vomit every day. The politicians in Europe are receiving their instructions from banksters and rating agencys....the middle class wich was travelling a lot in the past will be executed by the

same bigheads destroying our planet

[osiboy]

I think the floods will be the least of their problems - as the world finds out about the appalling lack of customer service in Thailand, the degradation of the beaches and natural resources etc., more and more people will look elsewhere for a holiday destination. They will be replaced by less critical "low-end" budget package holidaymakers who don't know or care about service or the environment.

NB - Also when they find out that the "2 for 1" price they are paying is in fact exactly the same as the old price for 2 rooms they will also feel less inclined to come again.

you think Thailand is expensive think again even with the flood it is still 70% more cheap then Belgium

what is wrong with you people you like to go to a paradise but have no money, you just same thai.

You can have a ticket for 500 euro and have a room for 350 bath, so what you tell, if you want to stay Hilton you pay not complain

rikkie, you seem to be missing the point everytime, ...thailand is a low salary country , but the cost of a weeks shopping for food is about the same as in the uk,.. people actually drive to BELGIUM from the UK to buy cheaper beer in huge amounts, and a beer in tescos in the uk is the same as it is in thailand, a min wage in the uk is about 12,000b pw, its about 1,800b in thailand,......... would you like me to draw you a picture ? maybe it will help you .....kjm ?

[farmer floyd]

The price of gas will tell you how expensive a country is

95 % of the time. I am surprised at how high Thailand is from when I was there 2 yrs ago. Was same as US then around 2.30

per gallon. Is gas now $6.00 aprox per gallon? Wow.

Gas is only $2.30 in Malaysia, and 6.00 in Spain so best to go to Malaysia I will bet. ANY where in Europe is way more expensive then Florida, Except Health Care. I bought gas in

Florida last week for $ 3.17 per gallon ( .79 a liter)

Please give me some feed back on prices, thanks.

[KKK]

While I wish Thailand the best, it is my home, I think the TAT is gonna have a hard time as Thailand has basically blown it with its high prices, cons, scams, rip-offs, etc. It is NOT the good-time on a budget destination it used to be.

Edited November 30, 2011 by KKK

[KKK]

The price of gas will tell you how expensive a country is

More like the price of hot air ....Thailand has plenty of that so it is relatively cheap.....

[Vaporiser]

It is so true that Thailand is very expensive! Supermarket prices in Thailand are much more expensive than in The States and Europe. A lot of things (not everything) are much more expensive then in other western countries. The Thai government unfortunately is doing absolutely nothing to make Thailand cheaper (Devaluate the Thai Bath now!) If this is going on to long Thailand will come in a deep recession. 50% of its tourism could fall away! The hard working Thai People will be the victim again and again. I hope that the Thai government is realising that after a tsunami, red shirts, airport closures, storms and floods the need to devaluate the Bath is now stronger then ever! A promotion of Thailand is not helping much if the prices are not coming down!! Thailand NEEDS tourism more then all other countries around it. Think Thai government and act NOW, before it is too late, Vietnam and many others are already at your doorstep as an upcoming destination and loves to take Thailand's place in 2 years time!! Good luck Thai People with your unexperienced new government. I Do Hope for the Very Best.

[KKK]

...and now why is it that some people think that "why don't you go home?" is actually a valid argument?

It just shows how shallow thee arguments of some people can be - do you not know how laughable that is????

I don't see how you can object to posters who tell you to move on if you don't like it, sounds logical enough to me, cos if I didn't like it, I'd move on !

Whats stopping you doing the same ?

Telling somebody to move on is not very constructive..in fact I tend to say it was very childish. If somebody doesn't like something they should have the right to say so without having to put up with childish criticism. This is after all a democracy!!

Constructive criticism would be far more acceptable and certainly less childish

[nicky1982]

Its bad real bad and don't see anything happen this high season

same discussion everywhere in Europe Nicky, change the faces and its the same story in Germany Italy or Greece....so many ppl are without a job and

living on a existence minimum while other characters get richer and richer and richer.....makes me vomit every day. The politicians in Europe are receiving their instructions from banksters and rating agencys....the middle class wich was travelling a lot in the past will be executed by the

same bigheads destroying our planet

Yup it's amazing Moskito i just find myself lucky i'm here in Thailand to what's happening back at home plus the costs of living is sky rocketing throw the roof people here are saying it cost so much to go out on so on try having a night in you will save loads plus 9 time out of 10 i have found these days when you go out your not missing much same people doing the same old thing and that's not much

(Reuters) - Europe's debt crisis has significantly worsened, threatening global markets, so it is essential to stabilise the region's bond markets, European Central Bank governing council member Christian Noyer said on Wednesday.

source http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/30/us-eurozone-noyer-idUSTRE7AT07A20111130

Edited November 30, 2011 by nicky1982

[h90]

Governor Suraphon, the most effective strategy to restore tourist confidence and build lasting momentum for the Thai tourism sector is to focus on valueadded services and warm Thai hospitality, not engage in price cutting.

:lol:

What a stupid thing to say

Those dudes in government live in their own bubble.

How many times do they go out for a stroll only to deal with the motorcycles roaming on the sidewalks endangering pedestrians?

They are self-absorbed in their perception of reality, thinking that it is the same reality in which the rest of the country lives. Including, Thais, tourists and expats in Thailand.

Value added? Why not first fix the many deficiencies this country has? Tourism is a big chunk of the national GDP. But they take it for granted.

If you make millions per month in corruption than it doesn't matter if the room is 1000, 10000 or 100000 per night.

[h90]

I was told the roads in Bangkok were now open. Yesterday drove Chiang Mai to Pattaya

where highway 32 into Bangkok was opened,. The road is damaged in many areas and miles of litter and abandoned cars. Fires burning trash road side were everywhere. Abd damage on roads everywhere some from flooding water other damage from people trying to escape the flooding. The entry to Highway 9 on the east side I was told was open. The entry was closed and still had water in areas. I went around the blockade and traffic was at a halt for the last 5 kn north of the first (Northern) toll gates as the road was down from 8 lanes to just 1 in each direction.

Up north store shelves are still missing things

So mmy question goes is this the Thailand you want tourist to see ?

Do you care so much about tourist dollars and not about helping the Thais get back to normal ?

From what I could see, it will take months if not years to get things back to normal

but as you say they are cleaning up, they burn all the litter and throw the remainings in the next klong....Soon everything clean again....(beside the air and the beaches, but build one more Tiffani show and everything is OK)

[Ulysses G.]

Some guys are never happy unless they are complaining

If you look at Expat forums for Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, they are full of cheapskates complaining about exactly the same things as about Thailand on Thai Visa. Living or vacationing here can be as cheap or as expensive as you make it.

Edited November 30, 2011 by Ulysses G.

[Ulysses G.]

It is so true that Thailand is very expensive!

So expensive that many Thais live on less than 5,000 baht a month and pretty much no one is hungry.

[nicky1982]

It is so true that Thailand is very expensive!

So expensive that many Thais live on less than 5,000 baht a month and pretty much no one is hungry.

Very true ...

[alexth]

They got a sh*tload of pedaling to do before they become something half decent again...with the current price/quality rate, even Myanmar might have better chances

[nicky1982]

They got a sh*tload of pedaling to do before they become something half decent again...with the current price/quality rate, even Myanmar might have better chances

Very true after what happen in 2008 and the coming years too there is lots and lots to do .. I'm sure you can ask anybody on the street's right now in Europe or USA about Thailand and i'm sure they will bring something up about the riots / protesting / suvarnabhumi closure ..