Bangkok Blasts Seen Not To Spoil Tourism

[Nisa]

$200 per day is not impossible, however, they are just estimates.

I know lots of tourists spend that much just on their human sex toys, the shorter their stay the more per day - plus factor in the necessary Viagra for a session every couple waking hours.

If you're dreaming that such tourists are a small fraction, find some accurate stats if you can on the relative number of single male foreigners entering as opposed to couples and women. Very few countries' stats are as skewed as Thailands. . .

They are a small fraction. Females make up 40% of tourists, which is standard for distant locations since males in general travel a lot more, whether as tourists or businessmen who are counted as tourists. Thailand actually get a higher percentage of female visitors than destinations like China and India. If you think they are some huge majority just go visit the half empty bars in Nana Plaza one night and then go to Khao San Road and see the enormous crowds of people.

Do you have any link to show the stats of men vs. women tourists in Thailand?

[DP25]

Do you have any link to show the stats of men vs. women tourists in Thailand?

Yes

from here http://123.242.133.6...ourism.php?id=4

Here are the stats for the first part of 2011, 2.1 million out of 5.3 million tourists were female, just under 40%

http://www.tourism.g.../Sex-Travel.pdf

Site also has breakdown by country

[DP25]

For comparison here is China

http://www.cnta.gov....9-35-66724.html

8.7 million out of 24.3 million tourists were female, which is 36%

[IsaanUSA]

$200 per day is not impossible, however, they are just estimates.

I know lots of tourists spend that much just on their human sex toys, the shorter their stay the more per day - plus factor in the necessary Viagra for a session every couple waking hours.

If you're dreaming that such tourists are a small fraction, find some accurate stats if you can on the relative number of single male foreigners entering as opposed to couples and women. Very few countries' stats are as skewed as Thailands. . .

I don't know any stats regarding the mongers, but I imagine mongering can be expensive.

Entertainment, Shopping, Prostitution, Dining, Massages, Domestic Flights can easily cost an average of $50 to $100 per day, but the long term expats on this web forum have a hard time grasping that concept since they do not partake in many of those activities.

Edited February 23, 2012 by IsaanUSA

[Nisa]

Do you have any link to show the stats of men vs. women tourists in Thailand?

Yes

from here http://123.242.133.6...ourism.php?id=4

Here are the stats for the first part of 2011, 2.1 million out of 5.3 million tourists were female, just under 40%

http://www.tourism.g.../Sex-Travel.pdf

Site also has breakdown by country

Thanks - but something seems wrong with these stats. It wants us to believe that a significant more number of women come from Europe and America than men.

Europe

Women: 89,350

Men: 53,645

The Americas

Women: 10,440

Men: 8,963

Obviously my perceptions and beliefs could be way off but I think these numbers are incorrect.

Edit: Could it be that the men stay here longer and you simply have more women arriving for shorter periods???

Edited February 23, 2012 by Nisa

[DP25]

I'm not sure what you're looking at? The pdf I linked has for the first part of 2011

Europe 1,007,062 males 746,038 females

Americas 158,895 males 92,651 females

[Nisa]

I'm not sure what you're looking at? The pdf I linked has for the first part of 2011

Europe 1,007,062 males 746,038 females

Americas 158,895 males 92,651 females

Now I have no idea what the hell I was looking at either ;-)

Edit: That is so freaking odd. I didn't make up those numbers but cannot find where I pulled them from on any of those links. However, it could have been something to do with outbound travel because I do see those numbers are higher for women (Thais leaving the country). Strange .. anyway, very cool link with interesting data. Thanks for sharing.

Edited February 23, 2012 by Nisa

[Nisa]

$200 per day is not impossible, however, they are just estimates.

I know lots of tourists spend that much just on their human sex toys, the shorter their stay the more per day - plus factor in the necessary Viagra for a session every couple waking hours.

If you're dreaming that such tourists are a small fraction, find some accurate stats if you can on the relative number of single male foreigners entering as opposed to couples and women. Very few countries' stats are as skewed as Thailands. . .

I don't know any stats regarding the mongers, but I imagine mongering can be expensive.

Entertainment, Shopping, Prostitution, Dining, Massages, Domestic Flights can easily cost an average of $50 to $100 per day, but the long term expats on this web forum have a hard time grasping that concept since they do not partake in many of those activities.

I resent that implication. Long terms expats engage in just as much whore mongering but we simply have found how to keep the price down and how low the ladies will go.

[Scott]

One off-topic post has been deleted.

I have never been able to make much sense out of the Tourist numbers, I wonder what impact the people who live here on multiple tourist visas have on those numbers?

There is often a disconnect between what TAT reports and hotel occupancy, for example.

These blasts will likely be only a blip on the radar screen for most people. There are not too many destinations these days that aren't subject to some dangers and the past events didn't produce much international news. It was hardly up there with the London, Madrid or Bali bombings.

[IsaanUSA]

One off-topic post has been deleted.

I have never been able to make much sense out of the Tourist numbers, I wonder what impact the people who live here on multiple tourist visas have on those numbers?

There is often a disconnect between what TAT reports and hotel occupancy, for example.

Aren't the tourist numbers just a count of border crossings? Many "tourists" own condos, or stay with a Thai resident, so they would not effect the hotel occupancy rates.

[Scott]

Good point. Can you buy a Condo if you are on a tourist visa?

My point is the numbers always seem to be high and it doesn't seem to correlate with what the tourist industry is saying.

I just get suspicious when they announce that tourism numbers are 'not affected' by something and then hotels report a drop in occupancy rates.

It doesn't affect me one way or the other, but the reports in the media seem to be conflicting at times.

[spidermike007]

A total of 10,000 copies of the travel guidebook will be made available. To get a free copy, visit the TAT head office on New Petchburi Road and show your identification card at the registration counter, or download an electronic version at www.tatbangkok.com.

Anyone who tried and found the electronic version? I can' find it on either the Thai or English pages

( http://tatbangkok.com/th/index.php or http://tatbangkok.com/en/index.php )

I found e-mags on the TAT Bangkok sites at http://www.tatbangkok.com/E-MAG-TAT_2 & http://www.tatbangkok.com/TAT50_E-MAG - seems strange though that both e-mags are available in Thai language only!

Can we assume from this that TAT Bangkok don't want to encourage foreign visitors!?!?

No, that would not be a correct assumption. But, you can assume a total, and complete lack of competency, on the part of every single employee at the TAT. It is the Thai way. Why hire competent people? The farengs are stupid people, and why should we go out of our way to attract them? They will come anyway, despite any problems we are having here. Everything in Thailand is fine. Everyone wants to come here because we are so nice, and the place is so lovely, and the hotels are so cheap, and the food is so good. No political problems can change that. No flooding can change that. No tourist scams can change that fact. Why should our government be concerned that anything negative happening here will discourage tourism? Why should be devote any capital to the pursuit of tourism?

[DLock]

After every negative event in Thailand, the Minister invariably comes out with a similar press release a week or so after the event stating that the even will not affect tourism numbers, and in every case, he is correct.

Thailand is as close to "tourism proof" as you can get, and it's not going to change anytime soon.

[Nisa]

A total of 10,000 copies of the travel guidebook will be made available. To get a free copy, visit the TAT head office on New Petchburi Road and show your identification card at the registration counter, or download an electronic version at www.tatbangkok.com.

Anyone who tried and found the electronic version? I can' find it on either the Thai or English pages

( http://tatbangkok.com/th/index.php or http://tatbangkok.com/en/index.php )

I found e-mags on the TAT Bangkok sites at http://www.tatbangkok.com/E-MAG-TAT_2 & http://www.tatbangkok.com/TAT50_E-MAG - seems strange though that both e-mags are available in Thai language only!

Can we assume from this that TAT Bangkok don't want to encourage foreign visitors!?!?

You want to assume this because of one booklet designed for Thai consumption? Like many other countries, Thailand also has a great many domestic tourists and they too spend money and are marketed to .... A capital city is often a very big domestic tourist spot.

[Nisa]

Good point. Can you buy a Condo if you are on a tourist visa?

My point is the numbers always seem to be high and it doesn't seem to correlate with what the tourist industry is saying.

I just get suspicious when they announce that tourism numbers are 'not affected' by something and then hotels report a drop in occupancy rates.

It doesn't affect me one way or the other, but the reports in the media seem to be conflicting at times.

I would agree that numbers don't always (often) add up especially regarding tourism numbers related to things like average amount spent and/or if they are including only international tourism or also domestic tourism and are the numbers counting airline arrivals, domestic surveys or tourist visas issue and are they also counting folks here on business but also do touristy things ... I'm sure Thailand is not the only country whose numbers don't add up when looking at different sources BUT I really don't believe there is any vast conspiracy by TAT to fabricate numbers, as some posters seem obsessed to believe. Just using what appears to be common sense ...

1) If TAT wanted a bigger budget they would scream about a decrease in tourism due to problems outside their control.

2) Putting out positive Tourism numbers in local news reports doesn't make tourist come here and in fact some people might be put off by not wanting to visit places filled with tons of people just like them. I think many of us try to go to beaches and places in Thailand with the least number of tourists.

3) All one has to do is look at the number of foreign airport arrivals from to see they continue to trend upwards significantly over the years.

4) Thailand is recognized globally as one of the top tourist destinations in all the Asia & Pacific region. If this was false then I believe places like Japan, Singapore and Australia would be screaming that the numbers are wrong and they actually get more visitors than some non-first world nation.

Edited February 24, 2012 by Nisa

[rubl]

A total of 10,000 copies of the travel guidebook will be made available. To get a free copy, visit the TAT head office on New Petchburi Road and show your identification card at the registration counter, or download an electronic version at www.tatbangkok.com.

Anyone who tried and found the electronic version? I can' find it on either the Thai or English pages

( http://tatbangkok.com/th/index.php or http://tatbangkok.com/en/index.php )

I found e-mags on the TAT Bangkok sites at http://www.tatbangkok.com/E-MAG-TAT_2 & http://www.tatbangkok.com/TAT50_E-MAG - seems strange though that both e-mags are available in Thai language only!

Can we assume from this that TAT Bangkok don't want to encourage foreign visitors!?!?

You want to assume this because of one booklet designed for Thai consumption? Like many other countries, Thailand also has a great many domestic tourists and they too spend money and are marketed to .... A capital city is often a very big domestic tourist spot.

You may be right. When in July 2011 a foreign magazine like "Travel & Leisure" had it's 16th annual World’s Best Awards readers’ poll select Bangkok as 'Worlds Best City' for the second year, it would seem clearly time for a local promotion booklet. Those foreigners already know what the locals might not

[waza]

A total of 10,000 copies of the travel guidebook will be made available. To get a free copy, visit the TAT head office on New Petchburi Road and show your identification card at the registration counter, or download an electronic version at www.tatbangkok.com.

Anyone who tried and found the electronic version? I can' find it on either the Thai or English pages

( http://tatbangkok.com/th/index.php or http://tatbangkok.com/en/index.php )

I found e-mags on the TAT Bangkok sites at http://www.tatbangkok.com/E-MAG-TAT_2 & http://www.tatbangkok.com/TAT50_E-MAG - seems strange though that both e-mags are available in Thai language only!

Can we assume from this that TAT Bangkok don't want to encourage foreign visitors!?!?

You want to assume this because of one booklet designed for Thai consumption? Like many other countries, Thailand also has a great many domestic tourists and they too spend money and are marketed to .... A capital city is often a very big domestic tourist spot.

Good point Nisa, who would expect a foriegn tourist to access the TAT website looking for information..........

[IsaanUSA]

Very good points fellas.

So let's assume the trend is upward. Hotels are complaining occupancy is down.

Have any new hotels been built every year? Certainly. Do beach bungalows build more units? Certainly. Do hotels make statements when occupancy is up? Noway.

I would assume that the trend is on an upward slope, and tourists are just changing their habits. They are staying at different hotels/guest houses/home stays. They are visiting different places. They are eating at different places. Somebody who manages a 40 year old guest house may see low occupancy rates because they have not renovated their rooms in 10 years. Word gets out thanks to the travel websites, people want to try new hotels, etc.

What if there are more couples visiting than ever before? In that case they only use one hotel room, but count as two tourists.

There are just so many variables, and since we are given very basic information, we can only guess what is actually happening. Not to mention the paranoid "Thais hate farangs" TV members that always come up with the most spectacular conspiracy theories.

And back to the actual headline of this story. The bombing was portrayed in the US media as a bombing by Iranians targeted towards the Israelis. It's just so happened to occur in Thailand. There are so many Muslim radicals on the news everyday that most people just ignore it.

[DLock]

Very good points fellas.

So let's assume the trend is upward. Hotels are complaining occupancy is down.

Have any new hotels been built every year? Certainly. Do beach bungalows build more units? Certainly. Do hotels make statements when occupancy is up? Noway.

I would assume that the trend is on an upward slope, and tourists are just changing their habits. They are staying at different hotels/guest houses/home stays. They are visiting different places. They are eating at different places. Somebody who manages a 40 year old guest house may see low occupancy rates because they have not renovated their rooms in 10 years. Word gets out thanks to the travel websites, people want to try new hotels, etc.

What if there are more couples visiting than ever before? In that case they only use one hotel room, but count as two tourists.

There are just so many variables, and since we are given very basic information, we can only guess what is actually happening. Not to mention the paranoid "Thais hate farangs" TV members that always come up with the most spectacular conspiracy theories.

And back to the actual headline of this story. The bombing was portrayed in the US media as a bombing by Iranians targeted towards the Israelis. It's just so happened to occur in Thailand. There are so many Muslim radicals on the news everyday that most people just ignore it.

IssanUSA, in my observations, you are spot on.

There is no doubt that the increase in rooms, bars and restaurants, combined with the smarter people that renovate and do creative marketing keep the market in a state of constant flux.

Those that stand still will be left behind....and complain about it.

[IsaanUSA]

Those that stand still will be left behind....and complain about it.

Nice quote

[Nisa]

I found e-mags on the TAT Bangkok sites at http://www.tatbangkok.com/E-MAG-TAT_2 & http://www.tatbangkok.com/TAT50_E-MAG - seems strange though that both e-mags are available in Thai language only!

Can we assume from this that TAT Bangkok don't want to encourage foreign visitors!?!?

You want to assume this because of one booklet designed for Thai consumption? Like many other countries, Thailand also has a great many domestic tourists and they too spend money and are marketed to .... A capital city is often a very big domestic tourist spot.

Good point Nisa, who would expect a foriegn tourist to access the TAT website looking for information..........

Lets try again to make it a little more understandable.

Anyone looking at the site can easily determine...

a) It is specifically a site about Bangkok Tourism

b )It offers an English and Thai Version

c) it is still under construction / incomplete

d) Any foreigner with an ounce of sense would expect that a foreign website promoting tourism in its capital would offer content in its native language as well as "possibly" offering it in others and might offer different content for different audiences.

Anyone using common sense would know that ...

a) Bangkok Tourism is certainly not only about attracting only English speaking tourists

b ) Using one document directed at a certain segment of tourists to make the assumption they don't care about other segments of tourists is just silly.

c) Spreading such silly assumptions to encourage the "doom and gloom" & "I am superior than Thais" crowd is even sillier.

If the posters point was to get English information from Tat then ...

a) Visit the TAT site as it is available in about 30 different languages http://www.tourismthailand.org

b ) If you want specific information and pictures from TAT in English regarding Bangkok then go to Bangkok section of TAT http://www.tourismth...nation/bangkok/

But the point really wasn't wanting the information in English was it? It was about trying to act as if these folks are stupid and/or we are superior but often when we do this we tend to offer proof to the opposite..

Edited February 24, 2012 by Nisa

[Scott]

IssanUSA, thanks for the insightful reply. There are sooooo verrrrry many variables in the tourist industry.

I grew up in an area where the number 3 earners was tourism. That figure absolutely amazed everyone, since there was nothing to do or see. The figures were high because we were situated between a large population center and a large holiday destination. People did have to stop, eat, get gas etc. !

[rubl]

From the TAT history page:

"The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) was established on the 18th March 1960. TAT was the first organization in Thailand to be specifically responsible for the promotion of tourism.

TAT supplies information and data on tourist areas to the public, publicizes Thailand with the intention of encouraging both Thai and international tourists to travel in and around Thailand, conducts studies to set development plans for tourist destinations, and co-operates with and supports the production and development of personnel in the field of tourism.

Since the inception of the first local office of TAT in Chiang Mai in 1968, there are now 35 regional offices throughout Thailand. TAT has also established many overseas offices the first being in New York, which was opened in 1965. During the past 30 years, TAT has since established 15 more offices in different parts of the world."

http://www.tourismth....org/about-tat/

See also the Department of tourism website http://123.242.133.6.../home/index.php

The symbol for 'English' on the top right side of the home page points to the Thai version also somehow. Manually changing 'th' into 'en' in the URL gives a 404 Not Found

Edited February 24, 2012 by rubl

[Nisa]

See also the Department of tourism website http://123.242.133.6.../home/index.php

The symbol for 'English' on the top right side of the home page points to the Thai version also somehow. Manually changing 'th' into 'en' in the URL gives a 404 Not Found

It might be because this site is not currently used for public consumption or maybe they think using http://123.242.133.66 as their home page will help people remember the site.

I believe this is the official site (in English) of the Dept. of Tourism "about" page.. http://www.tourism.go.th/2010/en/about/index.html

Edited February 24, 2012 by Nisa

[Reasonableman]

A total of 10,000 copies of the travel guidebook will be made available. To get a free copy, visit the TAT head office on New Petchburi Road and show your identification card at the registration counter, or download an electronic version at www.tatbangkok.com.

Anyone who tried and found the electronic version? I can' find it on either the Thai or English pages

( http://tatbangkok.com/th/index.php or http://tatbangkok.com/en/index.php )

There is a glossy publication at http://www.tatbangkok.com/E-MAG-TAT_2/ . Cannot download it. It runs (in Thai language; must be only for local consumption) under Adobe Flash Player

Not Found

The requested URL /E-MAG-TAT_2/Download/YourFile.pdf was not found on this server.

Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.

[rubl]

See also the Department of tourism website http://123.242.133.6.../home/index.php

The symbol for 'English' on the top right side of the home page points to the Thai version also somehow. Manually changing 'th' into 'en' in the URL gives a 404 Not Found

It might be because this site is not currently used for public consumption or maybe they think using http://123.242.133.66 as their home page will help people remember the site.

I believe this is the official site (in English) of the Dept. of Tourism "about" page.. http://www.tourism.g...bout/index.html

Thanks Nisa, found it now..

The 'IP' site I got to by clicking on some links on the TAT tourismthailand.org site.

On the 'about TAT' - 'statistics' page where it says 'click here to website', click on the link gives an error 'no input file specified'. If you remove all to the right of the URL retaining only the base URL www.tourism.go.th you get to the 'IP' URL.

[Nisa]

A total of 10,000 copies of the travel guidebook will be made available. To get a free copy, visit the TAT head office on New Petchburi Road and show your identification card at the registration counter, or download an electronic version at www.tatbangkok.com.

Anyone who tried and found the electronic version? I can' find it on either the Thai or English pages

( http://tatbangkok.com/th/index.php or http://tatbangkok.com/en/index.php )

There is a glossy publication at http://www.tatbangkok.com/E-MAG-TAT_2/ . Cannot download it. It runs (in Thai language; must be only for local consumption) under Adobe Flash Player

Not Found

The requested URL /E-MAG-TAT_2/Download/YourFile.pdf was not found on this server.

Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.

From their home page and others ....

I think the site was never completed -- there is only a couple documents there and the calendar is a year out of date.

[IsaanUSA]

Hey guys, I just saw this on a certain Bangkok newspaper website:

"As of the third quarter of last year, there were a total of 30,815 hotel rooms in downtown Bangkok and a further 8,664 rooms in the pipeline to be completed by 2014, representing a 28% increase in existing supply."

"As of the third quarter of last year, the average occupancy rate for all hotel grades in Bangkok was 66.2%. In the five-star segment, the average daily rate in the third quarter of last year was under US$200 (6,112 baht), surprisingly low compared to five-star hotels in other Asian cities."

So to me, it looks like we can conclude that the rate of new hotel rooms being brought online is rising faster than the rate of arriving tourists. Of course some hotel owners / managers are going to complain because the over supply causes prices to decrease and competition to increase.