Insight into the Russian tourism demographic and why it is younger

[Jingthing]

I found this item fascinating, showing the Russian cycle pattern of happiness related to age is so RADICALLY DIFFERENT than other countries (basically the opposite).

Over the decades, Pattaya has attracted different nationalities and age groups, but I'm sure I'm not the first one to notice that overall the Russian demographic is YOUNGER. (One reason -- the life expectancy is significantly lower there, especially as many know, among men.)

Also if people are as MISERABLE in Russia as indicated in this graph (and looking forward to worse and worse and never better) the Russian view of Pattaya (even with it's obvious filth and ugliness) as a Russian Paradise starts to make more sense.

Savvy marketers to Russians in Pattaya perhaps can gain some psychological insight about this target market. For one thing, forget about old age homes for Russians here ...

Also the NOT SMILING thing starts to make a lot more sense to.

In most countries, the happiness curve bottoms out somewhere around middle age - 47 in the U.S. and 41 in the U.K., for instance. This usually happens long before the average person is expected to die, with one major exception: Russia. In Russia the curve doesn't bottom out until age 91. Essentially, life under Putin is one continuous downward spiral into despair.

...

In Russia, the only thing to look forward to is death's sweet embrace.

Death's sweet embrace and a trip to PATTAYA that is!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/04/01/the-data-are-in-life-under-putin-is-a-continuous-downward-spiral-into-despair/?hpid=z4

Edited April 2, 2014 by Jingthing

[I Like Thai]

They go there because it's bitter cold in the Russian winter. Maybe life expectancy will increase now that more can afford to escape the winter

[Rajab Al Zarahni]

The two things that contribute most to their misery are the bloody awful climate and the absence of real ale.

[Jingthing]

They go there because it's bitter cold in the Russian winter. Maybe life expectancy will increase now that more can afford to escape the winter

"They" does not include very many OLDER Russian men. Because they're largely dead.

I understand better why the Russian ladies of a certain age are giving me the eye all the time.

I'm breathing!

[wooloomooloo]

Holding pens for Russians and baht bus drivers should do the trick at peak times.

[Jiu-Jitsu]

This doesn't make any sense, as they appear to be much happier than us, according at the graphs. Perhaps just becoming unhappy when they realise that they will pop their clogs after having such a great time.

Edited April 3, 2014 by Rimmer
Flame

[Jingthing]

They're quite happy when they're young, but perhaps look more closely at the graph comparisons. The difference to the other countries is very amazing as to what happens starting at middle age. For the non-Russians among us, perhaps we hadn't thought about the happiness typically spiking up in middle age in our cultures.

Edited April 2, 2014 by Jingthing

[wooloomooloo]

Perhaps the will to live evaporates once they've stood in the baht bus queue and witnessed ding dong falangs fighting the drivers over ten baht fares.

[Jingthing]

Perhaps the will to live evaporates once they've stood in the baht bus queue and witnessed ding dong falangs fighting the drivers over ten baht fares.

Russians "standing" in the baht bus queue. That's a funny concept.

[LennyW]

They go there because it's bitter cold in the Russian winter. Maybe life expectancy will increase now that more can afford to escape the winter

"They" does not include very many OLDER Russian men. Because they're largely dead.

I understand better why the Russian ladies of a certain age are giving me the eye all the time.

I'm breathing!

Be careful not to confuse "giving you the eye" with looks of curiosity!

[Jiu-Jitsu]

What a load....

[PattayaPhom]

Russians I know adore putin...

[Guderian]

I've often noticed that a lot of the younger Russian men seem to be married to, or at least partnered to, women who look old (and ugly) enough to be their mothers. I always thought that was one of the reasons they mostly look so unhappy and surly.

[noodle]

 

Russians I know adore putin...

What's not to adore cf the competition:)

Edited April 3, 2014 by noodle

[philliphn]

The Russians have short lives. Because. they drink themselves to death!

[morrobay]

The Russians have short lives. Because. they drink themselves to death!

Dont forget the at least equally deadly effect of very heavy cigarette smoking. Alot of them do not see 55 because of smoking and drinking.

[Lancelot]

Interesting topic. For me, Russian culture is similar to Thai, in that, I'm never going to really understand it

But I understand that the Russian girl are hot! That infusion of Viking blood sure improved the gene pool

[ebean001]

I livd one year in Russia. I made one observation while living there about 5 years ago. At one time, sex was in the air in Russia. Very easy, very cheap. That was 15-20 years ago. Average income was $300/month or $0/mont for many women. Now with Putin in control and the rich oil/gas fields finally producing (he put some bad guys in jail) the average income for a woman is now over $1000/month. Hummmm. What wold happen if high school gilrs could go to work at banks/etc for 35,000 bahts/month. The man was king in Russia. When I left about 5 years ago thedy were not kings over the women.

[ElenaBrighton]

A "no-smile" thing is cultural same as a "smile" thing is cultural to Thailand. Get over it already.

It used to be (and still is but they try to eradicate it) a norm in Russia to go into higher education which meant your shop assistant or a manicurist could well turn out to be certified specialists with diplomas at some field. Not something like the ignorant bliss of Isaan, heh? And having a different religion and approach to life than Thais people in Russia can't just say, 'Oh, whatever, there's always another life where I could be born in US' so they resort to drinking. Which Finnish also do by the way but being Euro and drinking heavily is one thing and being Russian and drinking is another, it seems.

Pattaya is simply cheaper and is a convenient holiday destination since Egypt isn't that safe but most Russians that I know hated it there (and they believed the whole of Thailand is the same)

And being old is going to be no fun in the years to come in any country.

[KKr]

the date this beautiful American analysis of the world article was posted is, guess, April 1 at 1:03 pm

LoL

[sawadee1947]

They go there because it's bitter cold in the Russian winter. Maybe life expectancy will increase now that more can afford to escape the winter

"They" does not include very many OLDER Russian men. Because they're largely dead.

I understand better why the Russian ladies of a certain age are giving me the eye all the time.

I'm breathing!

maybe not of certain age but of certain"profession"?

[zaZa9]

In Phuket I knew a Swede who had recently run night clubs in Moscow for 5 years.

He spoke fluent Russian and had his opinions on the people.

He said that the problem for Phuket was its proximity to Siberia.

Siberia was the home of a huge population of the roughest and most uneducated of Russians , according to him , and he called Siberians , 'the offspring of the Gulags ' ( so children of the Siberian prisoners).

He said their parents were brutalised and lived by corruption , and they had learnt to fight for anything they had , and that their environment was miserable as well.

BUT , with a massive thirst in neighbouring China for resources like coal and wood and ores , many Siberians now had decent paying work.

So they would naturally gravitate to somewhere cheaper and warmer than where they lived.

His views ring true where I live in Phuket.

There are cheap flats where Russian girls , most pretty and many with babies , live all year round.

The husband flies in once every couple of months , like a shift working miner does from Western Australia. Some of those Russian ladies think '<deleted>' is almost a polite word in English. They dont live it up , but they at least arent cold.But they stick to themselves.

The friend described the majority of Eastern Russians as generally ( not always ) , much more polite and it is my experience that St Petersburg and Moscovite students are nice kids ..

[atyclb]

I've often noticed that a lot of the younger Russian men seem to be married to, or at least partnered to, women who look old (and ugly) enough to be their mothers. I always thought that was one of the reasons they mostly look so unhappy and surly.

Some guys may find more compatibility with less slim better educated intelligent women from their own society/culture than certain expats do with often lowest end society slim good??? looking?(debatable) poorly educated financially parasitic women.

Spend a day at Koh Lan island (boat leaves from pattaya pier) and you'll see lots of attractive russian females often with male counterparts. They just may not frequent the sex venues in the evening or pour into walking street.

[dotpoom]

Very informative .......thank you. I have one more thing to add to my "Gratitude list"

[Basil B]

Is Russia about to annex Pattaya???

[wileycoyote]

Interesting Post

[HerbalEd]

They go there because it's bitter cold in the Russian winter. Maybe life expectancy will increase now that more can afford to escape the winter

Sweden, Norway, Finland are extremely cold also and people there have a high average life span and a high level of good health.

[Old Stud]

I've often noticed that a lot of the younger Russian men seem to be married to, or at least partnered to, women who look old (and ugly) enough to be their mothers. I always thought that was one of the reasons they mostly look so unhappy and surly.

I agree. In Pattaya I've seen so many handsome thirty-something Russian men wait up for their fat babushka wife waddling behind. And all these beautiful young Thai women on Walking Street enticing them to make a different choice. A bit of hell I'd say.

[Berkshire]

Is Russia about to annex Pattaya???

If their numbers keep growing, Russians in Pattaya may be able to pass a referendum to join the Russian Federation.

Edited April 9, 2014 by Berkshire

[Jingthing]

Is Russia about to annex Pattaya???

If their numbers keep growing, they may be able to pass a referendum to join the Russian Federation.

I'll remember to take care not to shove back too hard in defense at Russians when boarding baht buses, or the Putin might come in to "protect" them.