Tourist arrivals in Thailand soar from Jan-Dec 2013

[webfact]

Tourist arrivals soar from Jan-Dec 2013

BANGKOK, 24 December 2013 (NNT) - The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has reported higher growth in many foreign tourist markets in Thailand during the first ten months of 2013. The numbers of foreign tourists from many countries grew in leaps and bounds.

TAT Deputy Governor Phongsathorn Ketsamli said tourist arrivals and revenue from tourism during the ten months expanded by 22% to 21.74 million people and 942 billion baht respectively. The number of tourists from China increased the most or 84%, followed by Russia 36% and countries in ASEAN.

As for the European market, it grew by 13% despite economic slowdown in many countries, the official said.

Mr Phongsathorn also predicted that the country's tourist growth this year would hit target with projected 17% and 20% increases in foreign tourists and revenue respectively.


-- NNT 2013-12-24

[MaiChai]

So the protests are not affecting tourism?

By some Thai comments recently i get the impression some Thais are tired of seeing foreigners in Thailand? Thus i can assume not all Thais like increased tourism numbers?

[LuckyLew]

And now for the daily TAT BS report ..............

All is great in Thailand, tourism is way up ...

Tomorrow the hotel association will be complaining that hotel occupancy rate is way down

The day after we will here TAT make another "all id great announcement

TIT

[PaullyW]

TV should really have a feature that links up these bi-weekly conflicting TAT announcements so that we an easily see how they are conflicting and nonsensical.

Aren't they embarrassed?

[tonytigerbkk]

Does TAT have a different spokesperson for every day of the week?

One day we are being told that tourist figures are down and the next that they are up.

How do they come up with the target numbers of tourists each year?

How do they calculate the actual tourists, I know that this should be easy but no two spokespersons (or newspaper reports) from TAT give the same figures.

Has this been a good year for tourism or not?

I’m confused by all the conflicting reports.

[EricBerg]

The news that one can get 15 years in jail for picking mushrooms will not encourage tourists to go Thailand...

[hanno]

I have it from colleagues working in Thailand that tourist numbers are indeed up for the first 10 months (read the original article). The same colleagues have told me that they are taking a hit in December......

[worgeordie]

Yet more BS from the ever optimistic TAT, just say it and

it will be so.

regards Worgeordie

[casindonet]

Right on time.....TAT never fails!!

Sent from my GT-I9200 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[millwall_fan]

TAT's budget depends on increasing tourist numbers - so they work very hard to ensure that the tourist numbers go up every year. Whether the actual number of arrivals goes up doesn't affect the budget so who cares?

[andygunther]

And now for the daily TAT BS report ..............

All is great in Thailand, tourism is way up ...

Tomorrow the hotel association will be complaining that hotel occupancy rate is way down

The day after we will here TAT make another "all id great announcement

TIT

What you expect... this is Thailand

I don't know who or what the authorities are trying to fool.

[andygunther]

The news that one can get 15 years in jail for picking mushrooms will not encourage tourists to go Thailand...

First she got 30 years

[Yunla]

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has reported higher growth in many foreign tourist markets in Thailand during the first ten months of 2013.

Before the nation began to nosedive into bitter factionalism and political implosion. After which point the tourists went elsewhere for their Hols.

[hanno]

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has reported higher growth in many foreign tourist markets in Thailand during the first ten months of 2013.

Before the nation began to nosedive into bitter factionalism and political implosion. After which point the tourists went elsewhere for their Hols.

Not all that bad. Again, I have many friends in the industry and whilst they have less arrivals then budgeted, the hotels are far from empty. I was in BKK last week and the hotel I stayed in was booked out on one of the two nights I was there. I then moved to Hua Hin for a couple of days and the hotel was pretty busy. Not everybody gets scared as easily as say American travelers.

I do wonder how many people here that bash TAT actually work in the industry;-)

[Tatsujin]

TV should really have a feature that links up these bi-weekly conflicting TAT announcements so that we an easily see how they are conflicting and nonsensical.

Aren't they embarrassed?

Embarrassed? Never lol.

It's the usual Thai attitude of an "official" talking complete <deleted> but expecting it to be believed regardless of how insane it sounds, just cos it's from someone "important".

[ginjag]

TAT's budget depends on increasing tourist numbers - so they work very hard to ensure that the tourist numbers go up every year. Whether the actual number of arrivals goes up doesn't affect the budget so who cares?

Yes mate I think it's 5 billion Baht, wow what the hell do they do with it ????

It's time this shower of S##t was closed down and a real agency was created. 1 in a hundred posters agree with their figures, does that tell TAT something.???

To make your agency/franchise credible you have to give the tourist figures only, not other entries and add them to boost your false figures. I said before read the entry cards, and purpose of visit, not include arrivals---visa runs -cross shoppers - transits -workers-etc. IT IS EASY, do not treat everyone the same as yourselves, stupid.

You are getting to be too regular with your childish propaganda.

[samuibeachcomber]

tourism may well be up for the 1st 10 months of this year,but it will be interesting to see figures for dec/jan when they become available and see whether recent demo's in BKK will have put people off coming.

next years figures could see significant decreases if the politicians cant get their act together.

[AlexProBkk]

As an industry worker I can assure that numbers are way down. Especially with high-end sector.

Chinese tourists disappeared. They are now taxed back home for every purchase in Thailand...

From various business owners I can estimate a 20-50% drop.

Does TAT have a different spokesperson for every day of the week?

One day we are being told that tourist figures are down and the next that they are up.

How do they come up with the target numbers of tourists each year?

How do they calculate the actual tourists, I know that this should be easy but no two spokespersons (or newspaper reports) from TAT give the same figures.

Has this been a good year for tourism or not?

I’m confused by all the conflicting reports.

[soi41]

According to AOT (Airports of Thailand) arrivals are down in both the main airports>

So are those ever increasing tourists walking to get here??

[ginjag]

According to AOT (Airports of Thailand) arrivals are down in both the main airports>

So are those ever increasing tourists walking to get here??

TAT beams them up

[sirineou]

Every body likes to take pot shots at anything Thai, but this TAT announcement sounds right .

The report is for the first 10 months of 2013 if I remember correctly the protests did not start until October, so the protests could not have any affect on the first 10 months, further more there is a lag time to any negative affects because people make travel plans an reservation well ahead of time, so the last 2 months of 2013 were probably reserved well before the protests started,

Any loses of the last 2 months could be balanced by a beater than expected first 10 months

Sure there must have being cancellations but many of the people who travel to Thailand travel to areas that are not affected by the protests

I have no numbers to support my assessment but it makes seance, at least to me.

[Yunla]

Not all that bad. Again, I have many friends in the industry and whilst they have less arrivals then budgeted, the hotels are far from empty. I was in BKK last week and the hotel I stayed in was booked out on one of the two nights I was there. I then moved to Hua Hin for a couple of days and the hotel was pretty busy. Not everybody gets scared as easily as say American travelers.

I do wonder how many people here that bash TAT actually work in the industry;-)

I certainly don't have a horse in this race, or in any race for that matter. I have a mule and it is blind and lame too lol.

I live in Bangkok now for six years although I travel for Visas and family and soforth. This is the quietest winter I've seen here. Also I have two Thai friends reporting a ghostly silence in foreigners, one is manager of a large Hotel here, and one is an insurance agent specialising in English-speaking long-term customers. They both report their regular crowd stayed away this winter, and lower numbers of new accounts.

But yes, people will always travel for winter sun, and getting extra baht for your currency is also a bonus. However we did have reports of deaths in the streets, millions of people in the streets, gunshots, etc. and this kind of thing is very off-putting to casual family tourists.

[Deez]

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has reported higher growth in many foreign tourist markets in Thailand during the first ten months of 2013.

Before the nation began to nosedive into bitter factionalism and political implosion. After which point the tourists went elsewhere for their Hols.

Not all that bad. Again, I have many friends in the industry and whilst they have less arrivals then budgeted, the hotels are far from empty. I was in BKK last week and the hotel I stayed in was booked out on one of the two nights I was there. I then moved to Hua Hin for a couple of days and the hotel was pretty busy. Not everybody gets scared as easily as say American travelers.

I do wonder how many people here that bash TAT actually work in the industry;-)

Are you defending TAT? Thought I had heard everything

[NongKhaiKid]

TV should really have a feature that links up these bi-weekly conflicting TAT announcements so that we an easily see how they are conflicting and nonsensical.

Aren't they embarrassed?

Embarrassed? Never lol.

It's the usual Thai attitude of an "official" talking complete <deleted> but expecting it to be believed regardless of how insane it sounds, just cos it's from someone "important".

Great Post and oh so accurate. Thailand all over and not just the idiots at TAT but any ' official ' person who demands to be believed everytime they open their mouths. Face and the pecking order comes into play.

[theoldgit]

I'm currently in a smallish resort town on Phuket Island, and whilst I wouldn't say it's like a ghost town the number of tourists here are way less than I would expect for peak season.

Talking a a bar owner last night, in one of the few bars that had any customers, he confirmed that the numbers were less than he had ever experienced, the Chinese and Russian tourists were particularly low in numbers.

That said, my Nok flight yesterday was packed.

[soomak]

So the protests are not affecting tourism?

By some Thai comments recently i get the impression some Thais are tired of seeing foreigners in Thailand? Thus i can assume not all Thais like increased tourism numbers?

First 10 months of 2013, the protests started later.

[tonytigerbkk]

And another thing, who do they class as a tourist and how many times do they count individuals?

In other words, do they count every foreigner who enters Thailand?

If this is the case, do they count foreigners on visa runs meaning that one person who was here for a year could be counted 24 times?

The figures will be affected next year now that land borders are issuing 30 day visas again.

[Docno]

Well, before you dismiss the report, do note that it's referring to the whole year. The chaos we're seeing now has only been bad for a few weeks. It's also largely confined to Bangkok; other tourist destinations like Phuket and Chiang Mai are largely unaffected.

That said, I had a helluva time trying to find a hotel with available rooms in Bangkok for next week. Even the large Asia Hotel is out of double rooms. Maybe it's full of protesters visiting from the south? :-)

[stevehaigh]

can people on this forum not read? the story says 'first ten months of 2013.' the protests started towards the end of that period so clearly did not affect the numbers

[hanno]

Not all that bad. Again, I have many friends in the industry and whilst they have less arrivals then budgeted, the hotels are far from empty. I was in BKK last week and the hotel I stayed in was booked out on one of the two nights I was there. I then moved to Hua Hin for a couple of days and the hotel was pretty busy. Not everybody gets scared as easily as say American travelers.

I do wonder how many people here that bash TAT actually work in the industry;-)

I certainly don't have a horse in this race, or in any race for that matter. I have a mule and it is blind and lame too lol.

I live in Bangkok now for six years although I travel for Visas and family and soforth. This is the quietest winter I've seen here. Also I have two Thai friends reporting a ghostly silence in foreigners, one is manager of a large Hotel here, and one is an insurance agent specialising in English-speaking long-term customers. They both report their regular crowd stayed away this winter, and lower numbers of new accounts.

But yes, people will always travel for winter sun, and getting extra baht for your currency is also a bonus. However we did have reports of deaths in the streets, millions of people in the streets, gunshots, etc. and this kind of thing is very off-putting to casual family tourists.

I have no horse in this race either. A GM I know in Hua Hin told me that numbers are down this month compared to last year, from 80% to 70%. Certainly lower but not exactly panic stations yet.

I have worked in 4-5 stars in SE Asia for 20 years and there is always a lull after the first weekend of December to just before Christmas. I work in SIem Reap and we have seen no drop in arrivals (most of our guests come through BKK).

I am not denying that the protests will affect some (over cautious) travelers; I just have a problem with the instant Thai and TAT bashing by people that have no clue (and no Yunia, I do not mean you).