Russian Tourists Stranded Including 340 In Phuket

[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.......

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

So, what you are saying is that you've never seen whites (other then Russians) here on vacation with their families ?

Bear in mind, I have been here 30 years.....

Note : I also despise the drunken, tatooing, motorbike racing girl crazy falangs.

Might be one reason that I live in an area with no falangs and no tourism.....

Edited February 6, 2012 by SouthernMan3

[mayday49]

This is the ongoing distribution of Graft that fuels corupt behavior......some call this emulsion Babalon..............some can bearly hear the Words

[ableguy]

"The sitting guides were hired at a rate of 800 baht per day to ride along with the tour group in order to meet Thai labor law requirements, the source said."

The law exists before they started business, Farang cannot be a tour guide in Thailand. They should have invest the money into training Thai guides understand Russian, not used Russians working illegally.

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.

Russian hookers are working in Pattaya openly so why not tour guides in Phuket ???????

[merlen10002]

I have a business in a hotel in Pattaya, most of the customers are Russian in the hotel, some european, Thai and Chinese, the europeans spend a little, the Thais and Chinese spend nothing, the Russians are great customers and spend a lot and easy to please, I love the Russians the more the better, had a Russian G/F for 26 years, she was sensational, most marriages don't last that long.

[healthcaretaker]

I have a business in a hotel in Pattaya, most of the customers are Russian in the hotel, some european, Thai and Chinese, the europeans spend a little, the Thais and Chinese spend nothing, the Russians are great customers and spend a lot and easy to please, I love the Russians the more the better, had a Russian G/F for 26 years, she was sensational, most marriages don't last that long.

Reminds me of Julie Guesthouse and Daret Guesthouse who don't welcome Asians guests.

[spidermike007]

Soopakij Chearavanont, Russian Honorary Consul for Greater Phuket,and resident Thai genius has made a case that Russians will not be hurt over this, since they all have travel insurance, but the resorts are the ones who will truly suffer. Someone should explain to this simple minded goombah that many of the Russian tourists booked a package tour, as their funds were very limited, and that most travelers do not get travel insurance. Meanwhile the resort operators are faced with the hardship of only building one new resort this year, as they have lost a little bit of cash on this deal. At 60% of the rate, they are still covering their expenses, while the Russian travelers will probably never recover one baht. Typical Thai reasoning, with zero common sense.

Do you know the Russian requirements? Maybe a travel insurance is compulsory there for these trips.

On this deal they seem to have lost all cash. Where did you get the 60% from?

That was from the quote of Soopakij Chearavanont, Russian Honorary Consul for Greater Phuket,and resident Thai genius. He asked that the hotels take a discounted rate, and I am suggesting that a 40% discount would be more than likely what they would accept.

[spidermike007]

Thailand Tourism Authority needs to really step up and make things right with these people 100%. Otherwise, the slogan "Amazing Thailand" will be changed to 'Unbelievable Thailand"

You didn't get the memo? It is now "Miracle" Thailand

No, the best motto is "Amusing Thailand". It always seems to fit the bill, no matter what the circumstances are. And it is the best attitude for us all to maintain.

[spidermike007]

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.

Putin could have used his personal cash for this, if he wanted. with over 20,000,000,000US in banks overseas, it would have meant nothing to him.

[LivinginKata]

Time to get rid of the 'spelling police' trollers. 3 posts gone ...