Yingluck Urges T A T To Attract More ' High-End Tourists' Into Thailand

[Martstar]

This might be actually the first bit of thinking that she has done by herself... get more high end spenders... decrease the low end riff raft ... that will be good for all of the vendors... less people spending the money on the 'local Thai' experience, more spending money at places where the mafia S family has shares.... more evidence of how this group doesn't really give a flying 'f' about the masses.... until they need to use them as canon fodder for a couple of hundred baht each.

[Suffinator]

Well I'm sure the TAT can fabricate some figures for her, they are after all pretty adept to it. When will the Thais learn that you cannot attract high-end tourists to a S*** hole where scams and crime if rife? Unless this country seriously cleans up its imagine it is doomed to the massive of package tours of Chinese and Korean visitors.

If any of these clowns running the country had an iota of common sense they would clearly see the writing is not only been on wall clearly for a long time the paint is beginning to flake off.

[rct99q]

I guess this means that TAT will stop all further advertising programs in the UK...

[laobali]

Laos is waiting in vain, even willing to let go of the entry visa regulation.

they don't mind high end tourists, everybody feels welcome!

In vain? Chinese investors are being handed everything on a plate.

[kevvy]

I want more tourists!!!!!!!!!! do you know how much more rice could be eaten , and how much more our hard working police can help them , as well as all our other services , jet ski's, taxi's , tuk tuk's,

[sandhurstmolonski]

I agree that its quite amazing that they get 20 % ..... I really dont want to see too many " High end " tourists , I really reckon there are too many already . You see some ridiculous prices here and there ..and think ..What ? Are you kidding ? . I really like to be away from all this stuff ..

But I've noticed this thought process become stronger over the past few years . They going to try and make Bangkok into Hong Kong ??

Man ..I hope not .

As a previous poster said ..The high dude , will tend to Rarely leave the Resort , except for maybe a Couple of High end tours at Crazy prices organised by the Resort . He / She , will have no idea of what Actually happens out there ..Maybe thats what they want ??

[harryfrompattaya]

how can you attract high end tourist if you dont have anything to attract them .... that's the question they should ask themselves .

Thailand has so to offer First and Foremost the Thailand great way of doing things. If you were Thai you will understand

[UbonOz]

How is she going to stop the 10% low end from coming if increasing high end to 30%?

[Guest]

Next TAT could introduce an Thailand wide prepaid card for the tourist.

When an tourists is entering the country, they are required to purchase cards which 3000, 5000, 10000 and 25000 per each day of the visit. The cards are color coded. All the expenses are paid with these cards during the stay. No refunds given.

Immigration will have it's own lines for each of the spending groups. The Hi-So tourists can see the lower class visitors on their long queues. The same apply for taxi queues, in country flights etc. Local hotels and 7-11's can see how valuable their customers are, just by looking the cards people are using.

That should make people to spend lots of money while in Thailand as nobody wishes to be shown as a cheap charlie..

[harryfrompattaya]

They are complaining that the average tourist only spends $100 a day ! That is more than enough for a

comfortable day. We have never spent more than that on average for 2 people and that includes 3 star hotel, food, drink and transport over a 2 or 3 week period. Oh Dear ! They only want us to stay for 6 days now.

I am sure some people have had enough after 5 days.

Wow you live very high on the hog you must be a big sport.

[jayceenik]

Maybe reduce the somewhat bizarre 2,000 THB littering fine which is so enthusiastically enforced on travellers to the kingdom.

It is truly weird to observe the almost furtive machinations [hushed radio calls, coordination which would win praise at a secret squirrel convention], of a team of officers waiting to catch the desperate criminal fraternity known as the cigarette end depositor. A crime so heinous that their immediate and surprisingly public [see lower Sukhumvit for example] capture, castigation and fiscal redistribution is a wonder to behold.

And no I've not been a victim of such enforcement, in case someone wonders. Remember dodgy gems good, litter bad.

Welcome to TAT approved Thailand.

I was in BKK a couple weeks ago. Waiting for a bus at the Nana bus stop other side of the Post Office on Sukhumvit I watched as an unfortunate foreigner was nabbed and fined by the thugs sitting in wait in front of the McDonalds. His crime was to have disposed of his cigarette butt in the street gutter ... You should have seen the triumphant smirk of the officer as he retrieved the delictuous object.

I often wait for a bus there and watch the going-ons with these guys. The deal is pay cash = lower fine with no receipt or bigger fine and get receipt. If you're not happy they'll take you to the police station.

What a disgusting racket !! I dislike litterers but BKK is not Zurich, for chrissake !!

They station those gangs exclusively, I'm sure, in tourist areas. Like in front of the Marriott, by the Queens Park, etc.

[Arkady]

And once she's successfully done that she'll be wanting to unload some of the low end stuff off the bottom, particularly the cheap charlie retirees scraping by off devalued sterling pensions. I can see higher retirement and marriage extension financial requirements coming up, along with compulsory health insurance or a deposit for emergency medical care.

The PM herself did nothing to acquire her wealth apart from being born with the right brother.

[TRicher]

Yes! Thailand is waking up a little bit. They have been promoting in countries that most citizens have little to no money. Great rates on round trip airline fares. What do you expect? The baht is double of what their money is worth. They spend 3000 baht, that is like 6000 of the visitors money. Stop these promotions, loosen the strings on the Thai Baht by allowing it to float a little, then the Dollars, Sterling, and Euro's may follow.

Thanks Khun Yingluck, you are certainly on the right road.

[yummypizza]

Trading the bread and butter for strawberry jam, well, you can't make strawberry jam out of pig shit!...an old Australian saying..

[madmitch]

Maybe Big Brother has just invested in some top-end hotels.

But seriously, same old crap regurgitated year after year after year!

[DiNiro]

She wants tourists to stay an extra day too.

Well, send her over. I'm sure she could talk me into it.

Cute!

[SICHONSTEVE]

Not sure this program is going well. Thailand seems to be flooded

with Chinese and Russians on budget tour packages, and then throw in

the Indians on top of that. Definitely would not make me want to

open a five star restaurant here.. :-)

Got any problems with Chinese, Russians and Indians?

With a moniker like that, I bet you are not Russian or Indian!!

[ZhouZhou]

And once she's successfully done that she'll be wanting to unload some of the low end stuff off the bottom, particularly the cheap charlie retirees scraping by off devalued sterling pensions. I can see higher retirement and marriage extension financial requirements coming up, along with compulsory health insurance or a deposit for emergency medical care.

The PM herself did nothing to acquire her wealth apart from being born with the right brother.

are you a communist?

some people have more money than others. lucky if it comes from the family, good if they earn it by their own.

and some people may have not enough money to live in a foreign country. learn to live with it.

[rfukata]

here is a interesting link summarizing world tourism rankings & variables by region

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Tourism_rankings

[Thai at Heart]

Well I'm sure the TAT can fabricate some figures for her, they are after all pretty adept to it. When will the Thais learn that you cannot attract high-end tourists to a S*** hole where scams and crime if rife? Unless this country seriously cleans up its imagine it is doomed to the massive of package tours of Chinese and Korean visitors.

If any of these clowns running the country had an iota of common sense they would clearly see the writing is not only been on wall clearly for a long time the paint is beginning to flake off.

The Koreans are starting to get a bit peeved already.

Had some colleagues horrendously ripped off at a golf course recently.

[mickjn]

This lady is as smart as they come

[Thai at Heart]

I agree that its quite amazing that they get 20 % ..... I really dont want to see too many " High end " tourists , I really reckon there are too many already . You see some ridiculous prices here and there ..and think ..What ? Are you kidding ? . I really like to be away from all this stuff ..

But I've noticed this thought process become stronger over the past few years . They going to try and make Bangkok into Hong Kong ??

Man ..I hope not .

As a previous poster said ..The high dude , will tend to Rarely leave the Resort , except for maybe a Couple of High end tours at Crazy prices organised by the Resort . He / She , will have no idea of what Actually happens out there ..Maybe thats what they want ??

What is high end? Does Thailand have any resorts left that have the complete high end package? Hotel, restaurants, beaches and food that make a complete 5 star experience?

[thaicbr]

Yingluck Urges T A T To Attract More ' High-End Tourists' Into ThailandI agree we have to many low end TouristsNext this Forum should have a Means Test ie No English Teachers etc

Huh. What have English teacher's got to do with it???

[me313]

"Fake it till you make it" economic policy.

[Soi Sauce]

Gonna be hard when the latest TAT TV ad shows a drunken yobbo literally screaming around Thailand and acting like a complete chav. Seems that's what they want to attract.

Why the change in direction?

[UbonOz]

Silk purse and sow's ear seems to ring a bell.

[dunque]

How about an improvement of services before Thailand thinks of increasing high end tourists. I should think that wealthy tourists aren't interested in dealing with the neanderthals lurking in/outside Suvarnabhumi for a start.

My word, the casual racism has started early.

[Pimay1]

This lady is as smart as they come

Can you please define "they"?

[Stjohnm]

"She also asked the TAT to introduce measures to extend tourists' length of stay from five days to six days

Last year, Thailand saw a record number of 22.4 million tourists. The number makes it the 11th most popular destination in the world, and the 3rd in Asia behind China and Malaysia.

However, the average spending of a tourist is only 3,000 baht, or about 100 US dollars, per day."

To think if there was a decent exchange rate tourists could spend ฿3500-฿4000 & still stick to their $100 budget. If the Baht was a tad weaker then perhaps tourist could hand around LOS for a day or two extra

Edited March 22, 2013 by Stjohnm

[Thai at Heart]

Gonna be hard when the latest TAT TV ad shows a drunken yobbo literally screaming around Thailand and acting like a complete chav. Seems that's what they want to attract.

Why the change in direction?

Undoubtedly because some pooyais have overbuilt.

There is barely a stretch of immaculate pavement in the country, and the waste water systems in all the resorts are shocking. Throw in regular electricity problems, and wine at 10 times European prices, that is enough to put off the really high end tourist. The trick for Thailand is to make a true 5 start experience 30 percent cheaper than Europe. Haven't found it yet.