TAT adjusts next year’s tourism strategy to handle an expected listless market

[RubbaJohnny]

First it says focus on China and shortly after focus on Europe and America. Which one is it?

It's called multi-tasking

e.g. Smile and Lie

Ease and Sleaze

Amuse and Amaze

Buddhist pitti and cheat

Backward underdeveloped democracy bit hub of Democrat party that wont put up candidates

Home of speeding drink and very slow to appear on death drive charges

The lust is endless

[bigbamboo]

To try and get people to visit here with golf in mind, it should be understood that China has some amazing golf courses.....fully catered for tourists....hotels, 72 hole parks....cheap and great support services....

Thai golf courses, while pretty good, are very expensive.....

Have you been to China recently! the cost of golf there has gone through the roof ! Try playing anywhere in Guangzhou for less than THB 4000. In Xiamen there are 3 courses, THB 6000 - 8000 at weekends.

I'm a golfer but if I didn't live here golf isn't something that would attract me to Thailand. There are many better things to do in Thailand and many better place to play golf.

TAT should concentrate on using whatever influence it has on improving it's core attractions and protecting visitors from the tourist mafias.

[ChrisY1]

Oh dear!! that means the scams will get more expensive to make up for lost numbers,the BIB will want 500 a time for a minor traffic offense now.

Yep....quite right....scammers and cops ain't too happy!

It's starting to hit their hip pockets now and they're feeling it! )

[3NUMBAS]

no doubt thai tourism has developed a long term case of the blues and a bad smell around it ,may not be teflon any more

[DogNo1]

I will take Bangkok over Saigon any day and twice on Sundays. Have you driven in Saigon recently? Gone shopping downtown - especially in the "Tax" building at Le Loi and Nguyen Hue? Can't hold a torch to Central Chidlom, the Emporium or Siam Paragon!

[Yunla]

Mr. Thawatchai pointed out that the TAT needed to forecast and analyze what factors contributed to or affected tourism

Being blown-up and shot at on holiday is one tourism factor they should consider. It really dampens ones enthusiasm. The capital city being "shutdown" with traffic blocks and violent territorial mobs claiming areas for their supporters only, is another factor I would urge TAT to investigate.

[noitom]

Thais don't seem to get it. They better saddle up for a long ride. They really never had much to offer except cheap sex, counterfeit goods, and cheap street food. Who in their right mind would come here for a second trip? Just pick up a copy of the Nation any day and see what's going on. Thais are also oblivious as to what's going on in other countries and the disappearance of the middle class, Thailand's best consumer market.

[Benmart]

TATs and Thailands biggest challenges are the Internet and real time media. Gone are the days when rip-offs, scams, corruption, crimes, etc. took ages to circulate. Potential tourists have immense amounts of information at their finger tips and all the smoke and mirror "promotions" that TAT can conjure up will not deminish that.

In my opinion, TATs budget would be best spent promoting and improving established tourist venues, such as national parks, heritage sites and beaches.

Promoting Thailand as "Amazing" or the numerous "Hubs" label is meaningless unless it is aimed at promoting the amazing amount of trash laying about, the scams at certain beaches, Tuk-Tuk mafias, corrupt officials, etc.

[geriatrickid]

To try and get people to visit here with golf in mind, it should be understood that China has some amazing golf courses.....fully catered for tourists....hotels, 72 hole parks....cheap and great support services....

Thai golf courses, while pretty good, are very expensive.....

Have you been to China recently! the cost of golf there has gone through the roof ! Try playing anywhere in Guangzhou for less than THB 4000. In Xiamen there are 3 courses, THB 6000 - 8000 at weekends.

Golf courses consume enormous amounts of water. I believe that the estimate, depending on the location in Thailand, is between 3,000 and 4,000 m^3.per week.

Many golf courses in Thailand compete with farmers and people for scarce water supplies. A quick literature review indicates that between 65 to 75 per cent of golf courses were built on prime courses were built on farmland, with the remainder built on environmentally sensitive forest land. (Source Pornchai Termwaree, original 1991, updated 2007) . I don't think promoting golf in a country with serious water shortages is the most appropriate use of scarce resources. Added to that are the large amounts of herbicides and pesticides that are sprayed on the golf courses, running off and contaminating the water table. Perhaps Thailand should first consider cleaning up its act before promoting golf. If golfers knew how exposed they were to the toxic chemicals while out on the Thai golf courses, they might have second thoughts. I would expect that China being China, the issues are significantly more serious.

Apparently the Banyan golf course in Hua Hin sets an example with its selection of appropriate hardy turf and its collection of rainfall and groundwater for use throughout the year. They are also supposed to have proper supervision of the use of chemicals. If Banyan can do it, surely other golf clubs could do the same.

Edited March 26, 2014 by geriatrickid

[Tomtomtom69]

I will take Bangkok over Saigon any day and twice on Sundays. Have you driven in Saigon recently? Gone shopping downtown - especially in the "Tax" building at Le Loi and Nguyen Hue? Can't hold a torch to Central Chidlom, the Emporium or Siam Paragon!

I have driven in Saigon recently and despite the increase in traffic (nowadays there are far more cars and taxis than there used to be, but motorcycles and scooters still rule the streets) and at no time does one ever get stuck at a set of traffic lights for more than about 2 mins.

Ever tried finding parking at Paragon on a Sunday? It's impossible! The amount of stress just to find parking is not worth it. Weekdays are OK but weekends are a mess.

Oh and BTW, Saigonites nowadays shop at bigger shopping malls in the suburbs, which are (almost) as good as their Bangkok counterparts. You obviously haven't been outside downtown Saigon and take that to be representative of that city. Vincom center is much bigger and offers more types of shops than anywhere in downtown like Parkson's or what used to be the largest shopping mall in Saigon, next to the Notre Dame Cathedral, namely Diamond Plaza. Nowadays people go to district 7, the Japanese and Korean areas of town etc. which is following the same trend as in western countries - suburban shopping malls are the biggest most happening ones, not the downtown ones.

Even in Bangkok there's some truth to that. Did you know that Fashion Island Mall on Raminthra Road near Minburi is actually said to be Bangkok's biggest mall? Although some claim it's now Mega Bang Na. What's certain is that it's not tiny Central Chidlom, I can tell you that!

[Jonmarleesco]

The first I knew the TAT actually HAD a strategy.

[RubbaJohnny]

Prizelist less yes.

However easy for wealthy farang visitor to not care.

Tourist numbers support millions of poor families.

The pittance that country girls make here as maids,cooks and waitresses decides whetehr the kids attend school or granny gets the medicine etc.

On a larger scale the Hotels in resorts are large income earners as are cabs tourist guides and buses,dive tours.

many foreigners have relatives partners in hospitality.

Any long term resident is familiar with TAT and its clueless undimplomatic clangers,its freebie jollies for hi-sos given soft jobs by important folks.

The state of emergency and actual violence can only deter family holidyas honeymooners,golfers the very hi spending market desired.The mongers,unwashed $5 a day world travellers wont be affected.