Russian Tourists Stranded Including 340 In Phuket

[Max4243]

I used to be disgusted.....but now I'm just amused.

Amazing Thailand

Come on guy, don't just point your finger at Thailand just because it happen in Thailand. You should be pointing your finger at the Russian tour company instead. Be fair in your comment and not just blasting away without using some grey matter!!

[Basil B]

Tour operators have always gone bust leaving holiday makers stranded all over the world ever since TC did his first away-day to Loughborough.

This is not a Thai problem though Thailand could introduce legislation that makes any airlines bringing in tourists on package holidays responsible for repatriating them as condition of landing at Thai airports.

Would expect the cost to repatriate these persons to be less than 5,000,000THB that probably is less than taxes collected in any one hour as "Airport Departure Tax" at swampy.

Looks like this will be another charitable charter provided by Thai Air...

Edited February 6, 2012 by Basil B

[scorpio]

Russians in decline, suits me just fine.

[madmitch]

Package companies have been going bust for years. Nothing new. Nothing to do with Thailand.

[healthcaretaker]

I have enough reasons to dislike or distrust the Russians(as much as I dislike the Germans & Japanese), at least for the time being but not the whole population, of course..

[Deaw]

Russian market, which is now the single largest source of inbound tourists to Phuket.

Wow must be a lot of Russians running phuket now

Yups, and that's the exact reason I don't go there anymore!

[jimbeam1]

1. Do not give any tour company credit unless they can provide you with either a substantial cash deposit or a bank letter of credit or some other form guaranteeing that you will get paid. Otherwise it is cash or certified check required upon check in..otherwise no keys are distributed. EVER.

2. Never be so anxious to get business that you forget rule number 1.

Well said pomchop & surely It is as simple as that?

jb1

[jimbeam1]

Let's hope the Russians start a new mafia during their extended stay in Phuket

sure i think the same i saw Russia people with sport bags of money, so i not care they are ok

It's only when you see them with Violin cases youto worry?

jb1

[TPI]

Russian language is more than a little tricky and I completely understand why a company would want to use Russians for the job of Russian tour guides. Lets not lose sight of the fact that many Thai laws are there to benefit certain Thai's more than others.

We can't expect Thai's to learn all the languages that visit Thailand as effectively as is necessary, if the general level of competence in English is anything to go on then look out.

Its a shame these people will have to bail themselves out. They have had a terrible past and for many I imagine its a holiday of a lifetime.

Dear Pui,

Go for a trip to China...they have guides for almost every nationality. They realise, like Thailand should, that tourists come in all shapes and sizes and having language specialists makes good commercial sense!

I have never seen a country like it for value adding to a tour!

[Considered Opinion]

Someone should explain to this simple minded goombah

Give that man a prize. In fact the word for "Russian Consul" in Upper Kumbucta West is just that "Chief Goombah". You should have capitalised, but well doneanyway.

[Considered Opinion]

wife/girlfriend/17 year old you paid to join you.

It's good they seem to be waiting a bit longer now. Used to be Gerries and Russkies with handbags of both genders a lot younger than that.

[gamini]

if I had the money I would gladly repatriate every flippin' Russian back to their Motherland

perhaps the Thais feel the same way about you and your compatriots!

[alanferdi]

i wonder if the stranded tourists will get a discount on tuk tuk rides during the rest of their stay

what are you dreaming, anyway, most of them cant afford to go by the tuktuk gangsters anyway...

I feel really sorry for the tourism industry which are charging the tourists by person while the hotel charge by room.... In Thailand you pay for the ROOM, doesnt matter if there are 1 or 2 people sleeping inside.

I dont understand it anyway here with the Russians and WHY they work everywhere. You see them driving MiniBusses, doing Tours around the island and I guess to Phang Nga too.... They work as tour guides... They open Restaurants and cook and serve by themselfs... Some of them even dance in Windows in Soi Bangla or walking the streets for......

Until know I always thought there is a little bit law in Thailand....

Most of the Russians here I met are poor people, many of them from Siberia, Novosibirsk without much money. They are at all inclusive tours with bed, breakfast and lunch, That explains why you never see them around in Restaurants....ok for most of them even Ketchup is to spicy and they hate all Thaifood except Fish in FIshrestaurants.... They must have made big deals in Russia for making Thailand so popular....There are no Germans, French, Italians, and Scandinavians anymore here in Phuket...for them the island is by far too noisy and to crappy, to overloaded with cars and traffic and by far not cheap anymore..... SO lets bring on the Russians and the Chinese...at least the Hotels and Airlines will make some money then

Russians are practical people, who do not go bonkers with their money when they see women in Shorts or somone dancing around a pole. They also do not take crap for granted. They are the only ones who come here with a family and enjoy as a family! The gogo scene is not their cup of tea.....hard luck!

[stevenl]

Russians are practical people, who do not go bonkers with their money when they see women in Shorts or somone dancing around a pole. They also do not take crap for granted. They are the only ones who come here with a family and enjoy as a family! The gogo scene is not their cup of tea.....hard luck!

Many, many tourists, in fact a vast majority, come here with a family and enjoy as a family.

[Dielie]

Russians a seriously taking over Phuket... there's even a gogo bar with Russian girls. Now how can that be possible when farangs can't even be tour guides?... guess the mafia is settling down...

[dude007]

URGENT

I leave tomorrow early morning to Bangkok and I am alone in my car. I stay now in Kathu, near Pathong and intend to travel tomorrow at 07:00AM. I can take 4 more people in my car (Fortuner) with their luggage and hope to arrive in Bangkok tomorrow late afternoon at 17:00 - 17:30. Call 081 809 3071 if I can be helpful for our Russian friends in a transport lift to Bangkok on Tuesday, 07 February 2012, in case this might be needed. Remember its a long drive and there are very little stops along the way, but the drive is slowly (max. 105 km/h) and safe. I do not want to leave later than 07:30 AM!!!

[dude007]

if I had the money I would gladly repatriate every flippin' Russian back to their Motherland

perhaps the Thais feel the same way about you and your compatriots!

whaaaaaaw... what a sharp observation! Right in the bull's eye!!!

[waza]

Russia lashes back at greedy hoteliers

Major Russian tour operators will no longer deal with hotels and companies in Thailand, Vietnam and India who were extorting money from the clients of the financially troubled Lanta Tour Voyage firm.

On January 27 Lanta Tour said it was canceling its work effectively stranding over 3,000 Russian vacationers abroad with the managers of the hotels they stayed at trying to charge them double.

(TASS)

http://english.ruvr.ru/2012/02/04/65324632.html

[waza]

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has instructed a state bank to bail out a bankrupt travel company that has left thousands of Russian tourists stranded abroad.

Russia's VTB bank has confirmed it will issue a loan to Lanta-Tur Voyage to ensure that the tourists in Thailand, Vietnam, the Dominican Republic and other countries holding worthless travel vouchers from the company can return home.

"We need to help this agency pay its foreign partners so our citizens can complete their vacations without any worry and return to their homeland according to their contracts with the agency, for the money they already paid," said Putin, who is the frontrunner in upcoming presidential elections scheduled for March 4.

Putin instructed Russia's sports and tourism minister, Vitaly Mutko, to personally intervene in the case.

http://www.rferl.org/content/putin_tells_bank_to_bail_out_bankrupt_travel_operator/24469945.html

[SouthernMan3]

I used to be disgusted.....but now I'm just amused.

Amazing Thailand

Sorry, what does Thailand have to do with this (except for them being stranded here)?

Other then the fact that Thai people will be loosing money, I guess nothing...

[SouthernMan3]

Russians are practical people, who do not go bonkers with their money when they see women in Shorts or somone dancing around a pole. They also do not take crap for granted. They are the only ones who come here with a family and enjoy as a family! The gogo scene is not their cup of tea.....hard luck!

Many, many tourists, in fact a vast majority, come here with a family and enjoy as a family.

Yea, Russians are "the only ones".

Uh huh.......

[Basil B]

Russia lashes back at greedy hoteliers

Major Russian tour operators will no longer deal with hotels and companies in Thailand, Vietnam and India who were extorting money from the clients of the financially troubled Lanta Tour Voyage firm.

On January 27 Lanta Tour said it was canceling its work effectively stranding over 3,000 Russian vacationers abroad with the managers of the hotels they stayed at trying to charge them double.

(TASS)

http://english.ruvr....4/65324632.html

I think as already quoted, hotels do not get paid in advance by the tour operators, so presume they are asking the clients to guarantee payment as it is normally many weeks after that thay get paid, so really it is the Thai hoteliers who should be upset and not want to deal with Russian tour operators, as usual we see the Russian blaming the rest of the world for their problems.

It has always been customary for hotels to ask for a card guarantee to cover potential costs such as room service for the duration of the stay.

Edited February 6, 2012 by Basil B

[michael888]

Russian market, which is now the single largest source of inbound tourists to Phuket.

Wow must be a lot of Russians running phuket now

Isn't there always

[waza]

Russia lashes back at greedy hoteliers

Major Russian tour operators will no longer deal with hotels and companies in Thailand, Vietnam and India who were extorting money from the clients of the financially troubled Lanta Tour Voyage firm.

On January 27 Lanta Tour said it was canceling its work effectively stranding over 3,000 Russian vacationers abroad with the managers of the hotels they stayed at trying to charge them double.

(TASS)

http://english.ruvr....4/65324632.html

I think as already quoted, hotels do not get paid in advance by the tour operators, so presume they are asking the clients to guarantee payment as it is normally many weeks after that thay get paid, so really it is the Thai hoteliers who should be upset and not want to deal with Russian tour operators, as usual we see the Russian blaming the rest of the world for their problems.

It has always been customary for hotels to ask for a card guarantee to cover potential costs such as room service for the duration of the stay.

I give you a news item and you counter it with unrelated gossip

[Jimi007]

Russian market, which is now the single largest source of inbound tourists to Phuket.

Wow must be a lot of Russians running phuket now

Isn't there always

No, not until this high season, at least in my area. This year they seem to be everywhere on the entire island.

[moskito]

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has instructed a state bank to bail out a bankrupt travel company that has left thousands of Russian tourists stranded abroad.

Russia's VTB bank has confirmed it will issue a loan to Lanta-Tur Voyage to ensure that the tourists in Thailand, Vietnam, the Dominican Republic and other countries holding worthless travel vouchers from the company can return home.

"We need to help this agency pay its foreign partners so our citizens can complete their vacations without any worry and return to their homeland according to their contracts with the agency, for the money they already paid," said Putin, who is the frontrunner in upcoming presidential elections scheduled for March 4.

Putin instructed Russia's sports and tourism minister, Vitaly Mutko, to personally intervene in the case.

http://www.rferl.org...r/24469945.html

AHHHH GOOD ONE ---- THANKS MR. Vladimir Putin ... hope the idiots which are always complaining you are a gangster are healed now.

Show me ONE politician in the western world having the nuts and the skills doing something like this .... Russia is closer to the most Europeans as the USA is btw....

[moskito]

Russians are practical people, who do not go bonkers with their money when they see women in Shorts or somone dancing around a pole. They also do not take crap for granted. They are the only ones who come here with a family and enjoy as a family! The gogo scene is not their cup of tea.....hard luck!

Many, many tourists, in fact a vast majority, come here with a family and enjoy as a family.

Yea, Russians are "the only ones".

Uh huh.......

absolutely and I like that. Russians are the only ones you can see with a lot of kids around always....while the western guys and girls are more intrested in tattoing their bodys or racing the Thaistreets in Tourism Centers with Motobikes. May be they are not so open minded like most of the other Nationalities coming to Thailand but they just starting travelling the world...and ME for example met until now just normal people one can talk with from Russia...sometimes they seem a little bit arrogant but thats mostly because there is no English at all....

Bad luck for the Thais, the only people making money with them are the Hotels and the Supermarkets....like WE 20 years ago we liked to sit toghether in the evening drinking and talking....WE did not need bars or who_res to having some fun. Anyway, TaT should overthink its politics...if they ever had a clue....I doubt it since years...watch the traffic...TATs fault too....no power = wasted energy

[moskito]

Note to ThaiVisaForum web masters: How about including a Spell Chacker with the text editor ?

It is apparent that many contributors do not have time to check their valuable and erudite contributions before hitting the SEND button.

Why do you not just switch to the NEXT post if you dont understand what people talking or typing about? Would you like to type in Thai? or German? or Italian or French?

[housepainter]

At least the German population in Phuket benefit. The Russians won't be coming anytime soon. Then again: The Russians are staying! The Russians are staying!

[bkk_mike]

I must say Congrats to Putin for stepping up and sorting things out.

I hope the Russian tour agencies are forced to do something similar to ABTA and develop and pay into an insurance fund so that a failed operator never results in stranded tourists again.

As for why there are so many tourists from Russia. The simple reason is that they can get a visa on arrival and there are still lots of countries they can't fly to.