The End Of The Phuket Tuk Tuk

[Phronesis]

I live full time in Phuket, and after several years of quiet observation and reflection, I would like to suggest that there is a ray of hope on the horizon regarding the end of the tuk-tuk strangle hold on this island.

The end of tuk tuks on Phuket will not come abruptly, in the wake of a island wide shake down on corruption.

Anyone who thinks that such and intervention will occur is deluded.

But do not lose hope, because as I type, the end of the Phuket tuk tuk is already underway.

There is a subtle but relentless change taking place right now in Phuket. It is the profile of the type of tourist that are visiting.

The Scandies have moved on to more environmentally pristine destinations. The Europeans and Yanks are broke. And the Australian bogans that are still arriving in droves are about to have the value of their mortgaged homes clipped by more than 50 percent. Upside down mortgages are going to be the new fashion in bogan ville Australia and the cry of "OI OI OI" in Bangla road will fade to a distant memory.

Phuket's new mass tourism source markets are the likes of working class Siberian Russians, Iranians, Indians, Chinese and Koreans.

And in case you need reminding these are the types of tourists that:

• Order hot water from reception to prepare one minute noodles in their room
  
• Buy all of their beverages at 7 Eleven
  
• Buy all of their groceries for their two week holiday at Tesco
  
• Rent a single room and have 12 people stay inside
  
• Are too cheap to buy sunscreen for their kids (Russians)
  
• Make bids to freelancers in hundreds, not thousands, of THB
  
• Haggle over the price of a happy meal at the Mcdonalds at Bang Tao
  
• etc...
  

Someone who prepares their own noodles in their room, certainly is not going to pay a tuk tuk driver 200THB per person for his family to be driven 800 metres.

And so with the inevitable change in the socio-economic profile of its mass tourists, so too will come the end of the Phuket tuk tuk.

As the revenue of the tuk tuk drivers steadily declines the opposition to, and violence against, other operators, such as the Russian tour operators at Karon, will continue to steadily increase.

And, under the stark light of falling demand, the oversupply of tuk tuks will be manifestly obvious, and the drivers, already having violently culled all the legal transportation competitors on the island, will start to feed on themselves.

Thai authorities need not intervene to rid Phuket of its tuk tuks, the free market is already doing it for them.

Edited January 13, 2013 by Phronesis

[Guest]

And, under the stark light of falling demand, the oversupply of tuk tuks will be manifestly obvious, and the drivers, already having violently culled all the legal transportation competitors on the island, will start to feed on themselves.

After this, we'll have a few thousand uneducated men who are used to do little work and get well paid for it roaming on the streets of Phuket. Then what?

[madmitch]

Sorry but the Thais don't work that way.

Thai thinking: not enough jobs for the tuktuk drivers; lets increase the prices.

[Phronesis]

Sorry but the Thais don't work that way.

Thai thinking: not enough jobs for the tuktuk drivers; lets increase the prices.

Thais will have no say in the matter.

They have zero control over the disposable income and subsequent spending power of the new mass tourists in Phuket.

[Phronesis]

And, under the stark light of falling demand, the oversupply of tuk tuks will be manifestly obvious, and the drivers, already having violently culled all the legal transportation competitors on the island, will start to feed on themselves.

After this, we'll have a few thousand uneducated men who are used to do little work and get well paid for it roaming on the streets of Phuket. Then what?

It is not just the tuk tuk drivers that will be out of work.

As anyone who has stayed on Phuket for a period will know, there are thousands of Thai family businesses that consist of little more than buying comsumables (think Pringles) at Tesco or the big Supercheap and then reselling those goods with a margin at the beach fronts and other tourist hot spots. From what I have seen, the Russians and the other "new" mass tourists arriving in Phuket rent a bike and then head inland to the nearest Chain grocery store (mostly Tesco but increasingly at the big Super Cheap).

Don't believe me...go and try to buy a single tube of Pringles at the big Tesco at Bang Tao. Let me know how you go...

The days of sitting by the beachside with a foam box full of ice, waiting to sell a can of coke for 35 or 40THB to a fat, lazy, but cashed up Australian, are numbered...

And so too are the businesses of thousands of Thais who have nothing to do with the tuk tuks...

Edited January 13, 2013 by Phronesis

[bubblegum]

A couple of decades ago the "all-Inn" vacations in Turkey were immensely popular till the Russians came.

A few years later most of the resorts banned all Russians from their grounds, for many it was too late.

[Sharp]

I live full time in Phuket, and after several years of quiet observation and reflection, I would like to suggest that there is a ray of hope on the horizon regarding the end of the tuk-tuk strangle hold on this island.

The end of tuk tuks on Phuket will not come abruptly, in the wake of a island wide shake down on corruption.

Anyone who thinks that such and intervention will occur is deluded.

But do not lose hope, because as I type, the end of the Phuket tuk tuk is already underway.

There is a subtle but relentless change taking place right now in Phuket. It is the profile of the type of tourist that are visiting.

The Scandies have moved on to more environmentally pristine destinations. The Europeans and Yanks are broke. And the Australian bogans that are still arriving in droves are about to have the value of their mortgaged homes clipped by more than 50 percent. Upside down mortgages are going to be the new fashion in bogan ville Australia and the cry of "OI OI OI" in Bangla road will fade to a distant memory.

Phuket's new mass tourism source markets are the likes of working class Siberian Russians, Iranians, Indians, Chinese and Koreans.

And in case you need reminding these are the types of tourists that:

• Order hot water from reception to prepare one minute noodles in their room
  
• Buy all of their beverages at 7 Eleven
  
• Buy all of their groceries for their two week holiday at Tesco
  
• Rent a single room and have 12 people stay inside
  
• Are too cheap to buy sunscreen for their kids (Russians)
  
• Make bids to freelancers in hundreds, not thousands, of THB
  
• Haggle over the price of a happy meal at the Mcdonalds at Bang Tao
  
• etc...
  

Someone who prepares their own noodles in their room, certainly is not going to pay a tuk tuk driver 200THB per person for his family to be driven 800 metres.

And so with the inevitable change in the socio-economic profile of its mass tourists, so too will come the end of the Phuket tuk tuk.

As the revenue of the tuk tuk drivers steadily declines the opposition to, and violence against, other operators, such as the Russian tour operators at Karon, will continue to steadily increase.

And, under the stark light of falling demand, the oversupply of tuk tuks will be manifestly obvious, and the drivers, already having violently culled all the legal transportation competitors on the island, will start to feed on themselves.

Thai authorities need not intervene to rid Phuket of its tuk tuks, the free market is already doing it for them.

Totally agree with your statement also I've been living here over a decade and it is going to change be it slowly it's certainly going to happen...

Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa app

[DaveHKT]

And, under the stark light of falling demand, the oversupply of tuk tuks will be manifestly obvious, and the drivers, already having violently culled all the legal transportation competitors on the island, will start to feed on themselves.

After this, we'll have a few thousand uneducated men who are used to do little work and get well paid for it roaming on the streets of Phuket. Then what?

Then what....well see a massive increase in petty (& not so petty) crime. Time to 'beef up' security on all properties.

[pagallim]

I also agree with your analysis, and as witnessed already by the forced closure of the Russian owned tour offices and blockade of Karon Police Station in protest at Russian tour buses, it's definitely already started. Wonder when the first Pegas bus driver is going to be dragged off his bus and filled in.

I'm afraid that 'sustainable tourism' isn't yet fully understood here in spite of it being continually quoted. Sustainable means a holiday destination that people want to return to and where quality and service levels are maintained. What quality did exist has diminished to the point that it's going to take a major national government (forget local government) effort to get it back.

All that said, as a resident and not a tourist or user of tourist facilities, I'm still happy here.

[KarenBravo]

....uneducated men who are used to do little work and get well paid for it....

I count myself among them.

An uncanny description of myself.

Have we met?

[JetsetBkk]

....uneducated men who are used to do little work and get well paid for it....

I count myself among them.

An uncanny description of myself.

Have we met?

I can vouch for what KB said.

[BookMan]

Good analysis from the OP

[Guest]

....uneducated men who are used to do little work and get well paid for it....

I count myself among them.

An uncanny description of myself.

Have we met?

Not exactly. It's just your aura which is radiation all over the island.

[theblether]

Eh......when I go on a beach holiday I want a local to approach me and offer me drinks, coconuts blah blah. I don't want to go to a supermarket and cart them down to the beach with me.

Does that mean I'm fat and lazy? Or does it mean I'm on holiday and happy to spend a few quid?

Just askin'......don't shout at me.

[BookMan]

A couple of decades ago the "all-Inn" vacations in Turkey were immensely popular till the Russians came.

A few years later most of the resorts banned all Russians from their grounds, for many it was too late.

This Austrian resort is not keen on them either

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/feb/08/russia.austria

[12DrinkMore]

I have no idea why Phuket is still so popular, I guess the island is still surviving as a "paradise island", which it has not been for well over a decade.

http://phukettuktuks.com/

"hell island" is more appropriate.

[NamKangMan]

Eh......when I go on a beach holiday I want a local to approach me and offer me drinks, coconuts blah blah. I don't want to go to a supermarket and cart them down to the beach with me.

Does that mean I'm fat and lazy? Or does it mean I'm on holiday and happy to spend a few quid?

Just askin'......don't shout at me.

It's still cheaper to pay the expensive price for the coconut and/or drinks on the beach than getting a tuk-tuk to the supermarket to buy them yourself. You are actually saving a few quid, not spending a few quid, to pay more from the local offering it to you. Such is the transport situation here. :)

Certain businesses on the island have prospered from the tuk-tuk situation here. For example, accommodation that is walking distance to a beach, shopping and nightlife have better occupancy rates.

Motorbike hire businesses do well out of the tuk-tuk situation, so to does the hospitals. Usually from accidents, but sometimes from assaults by the drivers.

Car and motorbike sales and repair shops also do well. So to does petrol/gas/fuel sales.

Parking on "private roads" does well. Just look at Soi Sansabai every night. Hundreds of bikes parked there for a fee.

Many tourists are now spending some money to avoid using a tuk-tuk altogether when they are here.

[FireMedic]

I have thought about this long and hard since I've been here. I think you nailed it with your assessment. I would also like to compare the tuk tuk dynasty to the dinosaurs. It was a slow start, then for a really long time they were the biggest, baddest, and most dangerous predators this planet has ever seen. As time went on and the earth changed around them, they were unable to adapt and even the most fearsome creatures fell to the wayside. Tuk Tuks think they have control of the ever changing world of tourism. They have created their own monster and now they have to deal with it. The world will continue to change, however slow or fast. The tuk tuks got too big, too fast, and now have no way to sustain themselves. Like an army who wants to conquer Europe and Asia, no matter how many battles you win, you can't win the war when sustaining such a large army. Many ancient civilizations tried this and the largest empires in the world collapsed from within. The same will happen to the tuk tuks. Most tourists are getting smarter and are more aware of what is going on with tuk tuks. And as much as I dislike the Russians here, I'm glad they offer competitive rates and make the tuk tuks crazy. The tuk tuks may be slowly realizing they are losing control and will without a doubt, they will turn on each other, get even more greedy and desperate, and eventually they will collapse from within.

[jocko]

Into a black hole i hope .

I agree with the op it will happen but there heads are still neck deep in the sand.

Bring it on.

[hansgruber]

The old powers that be need to die before Phuket gets change.

[Chicog]

As long as people keep coming to Phuket without reading up on what a ripoff shitehole it is, the scammers will continue to scam.

[NamKangMan]

The old powers that be need to die before Phuket gets change.

I used to think that, but it appears a certain somebody's son is being groomed to succeed the throne. Phuket is similar to North Korea that way. :)

[Phronesis]

Every body agrees with my original post...but only two people have clicked on the like button????

There is no pleasing you TV guys...

[BOS2BKK]

.

The days of sitting by the beachside with a foam box full of ice, waiting to sell a can of coke for 35 or 40THB to a fat, lazy, but cashed up Australian, are numbered...

And so too are the businesses of thousands of Thais who have nothing to do with the tuk tuks...

So what? These are the people who look the other way and tolerate the Mafias in their back yards. Maybe if these people would speak up and point out to the governor of Phuket that all the kickbacks he gets from the Mafias are worthless if tourists stop coming, maybe then he will listen. There are no innocent victims in this scam. Complacency and willful ignorace may very well be the Thai way, and then they have to live with the consequences. I have said it many times. Speak with our dollars. Let the Russians and Iranians have Phuket. It's too far gone to save.

[scorecard]

I live full time in Phuket, and after several years of quiet observation and reflection, I would like to suggest that there is a ray of hope on the horizon regarding the end of the tuk-tuk strangle hold on this island.

The end of tuk tuks on Phuket will not come abruptly, in the wake of a island wide shake down on corruption.

Anyone who thinks that such and intervention will occur is deluded.

But do not lose hope, because as I type, the end of the Phuket tuk tuk is already underway.

There is a subtle but relentless change taking place right now in Phuket. It is the profile of the type of tourist that are visiting.

The Scandies have moved on to more environmentally pristine destinations. The Europeans and Yanks are broke. And the Australian bogans that are still arriving in droves are about to have the value of their mortgaged homes clipped by more than 50 percent. Upside down mortgages are going to be the new fashion in bogan ville Australia and the cry of "OI OI OI" in Bangla road will fade to a distant memory.

Phuket's new mass tourism source markets are the likes of working class Siberian Russians, Iranians, Indians, Chinese and Koreans.

And in case you need reminding these are the types of tourists that:

• Order hot water from reception to prepare one minute noodles in their room
  
• Buy all of their beverages at 7 Eleven
  
• Buy all of their groceries for their two week holiday at Tesco
  
• Rent a single room and have 12 people stay inside
  
• Are too cheap to buy sunscreen for their kids (Russians)
  
• Make bids to freelancers in hundreds, not thousands, of THB
  
• Haggle over the price of a happy meal at the Mcdonalds at Bang Tao
  
• etc...
  

Someone who prepares their own noodles in their room, certainly is not going to pay a tuk tuk driver 200THB per person for his family to be driven 800 metres.

And so with the inevitable change in the socio-economic profile of its mass tourists, so too will come the end of the Phuket tuk tuk.

As the revenue of the tuk tuk drivers steadily declines the opposition to, and violence against, other operators, such as the Russian tour operators at Karon, will continue to steadily increase.

And, under the stark light of falling demand, the oversupply of tuk tuks will be manifestly obvious, and the drivers, already having violently culled all the legal transportation competitors on the island, will start to feed on themselves.

Thai authorities need not intervene to rid Phuket of its tuk tuks, the free market is already doing it for them.

Totally agree with your statement also I've been living here over a decade and it is going to change be it slowly it's certainly going to happen...

Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa app

And maybe the more recent and more specific anti-scam activities of the various amabassadors who seem to be putting the governor on the spot even making him squirm will help.

[Chicog]

Every body agrees with my original post...but only two people have clicked on the like button????

There is no pleasing you TV guys...

Is that why you write posts? Don't be so needy

[Old Croc]

Every body agrees with my original post...but only two people have clicked on the like button????

There is no pleasing you TV guys...

Is that why you write posts? Don't be so needy

If you want to collect "likes" go to the General forum where all the sycophants hang out.

Nobody likes anybody in the Phuket forum.

Incidently, I didn't particularly agree with your initial conclusions.

Just couldn't be arsed arguing the point.

Edited January 17, 2013 by Old Croc

[KarenBravo]

Every body agrees with my original post...but only two people have clicked on the like button????

There is no pleasing you TV guys...

Soliciting "likes"?

That is so sad in so many ways..........

[glassdude007]

....uneducated men who are used to do little work and get well paid for it....

I count myself among them.

An uncanny description of myself.

Have we met?

LOL your a hard worker but just every other month...

as for education ????

Hmmmm

do you say Z or ZED mate??

[manly100]

the end of the tuk tuk? please