Martial law in Thailand more bad news for embattled tourism industry

[diehard60]

Well you can thank suthep for all of this. if he had kept his word (which he did not) in the beginning whenthe Pm dissolved Parliment non of this would have happened. But he is just too greedy and wants to be the supreme commander of Thailand in a dictatorship similar to North Korea

[impulse]

That picture in the OP is priceless.

Come to Thailand and go home with a snappy in a real Jeep, complete with .30 cal machine gun.

I was thinking an M60, but perhaps my eyes (and the times) have changed. 7.62mm

7.62 is NATO for .30 cal.

Edited May 21, 2014 by impulse

[Baerboxer]

Well you can thank suthep for all of this. if he had kept his word (which he did not) in the beginning whenthe Pm dissolved Parliment non of this would have happened. But he is just too greedy and wants to be the supreme commander of Thailand in a dictatorship similar to North Korea

Give it a rest. TV have announced a zero tolerance policy on blatant propaganda.

Why do you think the former disgraced PM dissolved parliament? Perhaps if PTP had acted honestly and within the law none of this wouldn't have happened?

Stop trying to blame others for the real cause, which everyone here knows.

Edited May 21, 2014 by Baerboxer

[TonyChiangMai]

I am on a very popular island right now. It's literally a ghost town. Incredible. Bands playing to empty venues. Not a person there enjoying the music. I feel sorry for the locals.

Try the business owners, bills still coming in, wages still need to be paid, only no income at all

In Chiang Mai, the only people left are the expats and the Chinese. The other tourists are hard to find.

[Scarpolo]

And know doubt the economy will suffer like hell the rich will get richer the poor will be a lot poorer and the baht will get weaker but should the latter happen I will not complain more baht in my pocket !

what websites do you guys use for up to date BAHT exchange?

[Runamile]

Let's be clear - you can't compare now with 2006.

The tourists are different, not "ballsy" Europeans. Thailand has been marketing more and more within Asia. Are Chinese people, terrified of their own shadows, as a national pastime likely to come? Of course not, especially given that since MH370, they're frightened of getting on a plane. Fancy a Malaysian Airlines flight out of Shanghai in an hour, no problem!

To a lesser extent that applies to Japanese, Vietnamese, etc. The decline in Indian numbers was very clear, already, when I was in Bangkok in February. Indian's don't find demonstrations fun, like to get involved, as I saw so many Westerners doing. Then the Arabs, who are now, often, family tourists. I just don't see it all happening for Thailand.

That's particularly true when your foreign office is giving heavy warnings against travel, and if your travel insurance has become invalidated.

I just don't believe TATs figures on decline. What I was seeing was way greater, even earlier in the year.

[brit1984]

spent most of the last 2 days reading cancellation emails from tourists who do not want / cannot (because of insurance) visit Thailand "due to martial law"

very sad especially for the service sector workers (e.g. hotel housekeepers and restaurant waiters) who have a very uncertain (although inevitably unpleasant) next few months

i can understand the army is trying to keep peace but surely would have been better just to say they are offering their resources to help the police control protesters, rather than declaring martial law

[TonyChiangMai]

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Well you can thank suthep for all of this. if he had kept his word (which he did not) in the beginning whenthe Pm dissolved Parliment non of this would have happened. But he is just too greedy and wants to be the supreme commander of Thailand in a dictatorship similar to North Korea

Give it a rest. TV have announced a zero tolerance policy on blatant propaganda.

Why do you think the former disgraced PM dissolved parliament? Perhaps if PTP had acted honestly and within the law none of this wouldn't have happened?

Stop trying to blame others for the real cause, which everyone here knows.

Hitler did the same as Suthep back in Germany when he became Fuhrer. World history teaches us the lessons of that.

[JSPS]

Things might pick up if they can get the Coyote Girls dancing on the tanks again. Heavy metal and skimpy bikinis. What more could you ask for?

[marko kok prong]

I hope Russia has also put out a travel warning.

[Mentors]

"Is this the beginning of the End or the end of the Beginning?"

(Black Sabbath)

[madmitch]

The big issue for this is that travel insurance will not cover people in countries under martial law. This will turn many off coming here while it is enacted. It also means those that have booked are covered to cancel their trips. The real effect on tourism may be much higher in a few months if still in place

I don't think this is right.

This type of insurrection may be a part of the war exclusion clause but you would still be fully covered unless your claim directly or indirectly arises from such insurrection. So if you are taken ill, have something stolen or need emergency repatriation you would be covered under normal circumstances. However if you get involved in a riot, whether intentionally or not, get run over by a tank or decide you need repatriation because of the political situation then the war exclusion would apply.

Exclusion wordings do vary so it is worth reading the small print.

Edited May 21, 2014 by madmitch

[Mentors]

A friend of mine changed his route yesterday on Friday. Instead holidays in Thailand he will take a flight at Suvarnabhumi right away to Vietnam.

i guess he is not the only one.

[tonbridgebrit]

Let's get real.
Who are the tourists who are not turning up in Thailand because of this 'martial law' ?

Basically, Chinese and other Far East people in those Asian tour groups, back-packers and other non sex-tourists.
The men who turn up here, and actually drink in the bars and pay the bar fines, are NOT going to avoid Thailand !

As people were saying back in September 2011, and when SARS came about, nothing but a nuclear bomb will stop the customers of Nana Plaza going there again.

And yes, Thailand is pretty quite right now, not many tourists, but that, I reckon, is more due to the 'quite season'. It's normally this quite, anyway.

And no, I'm not a Suthep-sympathiser !

[sabaii69]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

The big issue for this is that travel insurance will not cover people in countries under martial law. This will turn many off coming here while it is enacted. It also means those that have booked are covered to cancel their trips. The real effect on tourism may be much higher in a few months if still in place

I don't think this is right.

This type of insurrection may be a part of the war exclusion clause but you would still be fully covered unless your claim directly or indirectly arises from such insurrection. So if you are taken ill, have something stolen or need emergency repatriation you would be covered under normal circumstances. However if you get involved in a riot, whether intentionally or not, get run over by a tank or decide you need repatriation because of the political situation then the war exclusion would apply.

Exclusion wordings do vary so it is worth reading the small print.

Better check your reservation. The BKK folks have gotten wise about cancellations and have 'no cancellation' clauses.

[jpeg]

there is going to be a lot of hungry mouths, crime will escalate, is this the beginning of the end for thailand

Oh Christ this is funny. This forum is one ongoing never ending rant re scams on tourists and now all the hand wringing about their not coming to be fleeced in the first place. Get a grip. 'Hungry mouths'. Where'd you get that from? Bob Marley? This is hardly Jamaica is it

[watso63]

That picture in the OP is priceless.

Come to Thailand and go home with a snappy in a real Jeep, complete with .30 cal machine gun.

I was thinking an M60, but perhaps my eyes (and the times) have changed. 7.62mm

The L7A2 General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) is a 7.62 x 51mm belt-fed general purpose machine gun which can be used as a light weapon and in a sustained fire (SF) role.

In the SF role, mounted on a tripod and fitted with the C2 optical sight, it is fired by a two-man team who are grouped in a specialist Machine Gun Platoon to provide battalion-level fire support. In SF mode, the GPMG, with a two-man crew, lays down 750 rounds-per-minute at ranges up to 1800 metres.

The GPMG can be carried by foot soldiers and employed as a light machine gun (LMG), although it has largely been replaced by the lighter 5.56 x 45mm Minimi in this role, in most regiments. A fold-out bipod is used to support the GPMG in the LMG role.

Versions of the GPMG are mounted on most Army vehicles and some helicopters.

Calibre 7.62mm

Weight 13.85kg (gun plus 50-round belt)

Length 1230mm (light role)

Barrel length 629mm

Muzzle velocity 838m/s

Feed 100-round disintegrating link belt

Effective range 800m light role, 1800m sustained fire role

Cyclic rate of fire 750 rounds per minute

Just try to be at least 2km away if the army starts playing with these things 555.

Edited May 21, 2014 by watso63

[sabaii69]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Let's get real.
Who are the tourists who are not turning up in Thailand because of this 'martial law' ?

Basically, Chinese and other Far East people in those Asian tour groups, back-packers and other non sex-tourists.
The men who turn up here, and actually drink in the bars and pay the bar fines, are NOT going to avoid Thailand !

As people were saying back in September 2011, and when SARS came about, nothing but a nuclear bomb will stop the customers of Nana Plaza going there again.

And yes, Thailand is pretty quite right now, not many tourists, but that, I reckon, is more due to the 'quite season'. It's normally this quite, anyway.

And no, I'm not a Suthep-sympathiser !

Q u i e t ? Backpackers are there; can't get rid of them. Kinda like thai relatives

[impulse]

L7A2 General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) nicknamed Gimpy, pronounced Jimpy.

Good info. Don't foresee a situation where it will come in handy, but good info nonetheless.

[watso63]

A friend of mine changed his route yesterday on Friday. Instead holidays in Thailand he will take a flight at Suvarnabhumi right away to Vietnam.

i guess he is not the only one.

Yeah, because Vietnam's nice and quiet at the moment...not!

[Scarpolo]

I didnt say I was going there, atlhough, I have heard it is now THE destination

[TimCM]

The big issue for this is that travel insurance will not cover people in countries under martial law. This will turn many off coming here while it is enacted. It also means those that have booked are covered to cancel their trips. The real effect on tourism may be much higher in a few months if still in place

I don't think this is right.

This type of insurrection may be a part of the war exclusion clause but you would still be fully covered unless your claim directly or indirectly arises from such insurrection. So if you are taken ill, have something stolen or need emergency repatriation you would be covered under normal circumstances. However if you get involved in a riot, whether intentionally or not, get run over by a tank or decide you need repatriation because of the political situation then the war exclusion would apply.

Exclusion wordings do vary so it is worth reading the small print.

I should have said may not cover as I implied in the later post. I can only say for the organisation I was working for (a big bank in Aust) but the same underwriter also worked for another bank so that would be around half of the coverage from banks in Aust. From my experience buying health cover in different countries I have lived in, there may be massive variance on travel coverage as well. Best to check with your provider

Most policies I have seen say conflict zone and specifically include martial law situations

Edited May 21, 2014 by TimCM

[kjun12]

I was checking the cost of hotels in Bangkok. It appears that the prices are going up, just when there is a drop in tourism.

This is the stupid Thai way: When business is bad, raise prices. Just more proof that they are not just uneducated but plain stupid.

[wvavin]

Well, Thailand had already made big bucks on tourism for decades. Time for the rest of the ASEAN countries to play host to the tourists now.

[bigbamboo]

Why would tourists not come now?

With the military in charge of security the country is a lot safer than with the police and unlike the police the military will not try to scam you. And should the numbers drop so should the prices. I know, TIT and that kind of business logic does not compute here!

Lower visitor numbers can actually be a boon to tourists. The Egyptian toursit industry is almost dead but there's never been a better time to visit the Pyramids.

[tonbridgebrit]

A friend of mine changed his route yesterday on Friday. Instead holidays in Thailand he will take a flight at Suvarnabhumi right away to Vietnam.

i guess he is not the only one.

Yeah, because Vietnam's nice and quiet at the moment...not!

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/vietnams-anti-china-riots-scaring-off-foreign-businesses-095605375.html#BASqiCU

Yes, it might be said that right now, it's more dangerous to be in Vietnam than it is to be in Thailand !

Still, the buildings being burnt down are owned by mainland Chinese companies, and the ones being killed are Chinese workers in those companies. So you should be safe if you're from Europe. But the violence might spread out of control, some Taiwan companies in Vietnam have been attacked. And Singaporean companies are a bit worried.

Hey, Burma is 'safer' than Thailand and Vietnam !

[Tanlic]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Let's get real.

Who are the tourists who are not turning up in Thailand because of this 'martial law' ?

Basically, Chinese and other Far East people in those Asian tour groups, back-packers and other non sex-tourists.

The men who turn up here, and actually drink in the bars and pay the bar fines, are NOT going to avoid Thailand !

As people were saying back in September 2011, and when SARS came about, nothing but a nuclear bomb will stop the customers of Nana Plaza going there again.

And yes, Thailand is pretty quite right now, not many tourists, but that, I reckon, is more due to the 'quite season'. It's normally this quite, anyway.

And no, I'm not a Suthep-sympathiser !

Q u i e t ? Backpackers are there; can't get rid of them. Kinda like thai relatives

Oh come on!!! there's a bit more to tourism than Nana Plaza and Soi Cowboy which are a very small part of tourism..........so I've heard

Seriously though, even the bars will be badly affected. Sure the regulars who know the place will still come but the 1st time visitors will drop like a stone.

Look what happened to Pattaya last time the Army stepped in...............One guy, being the only customer in the bar, asked the Go GO girls how much for long time?.........one girl shouted 1000 baht another 700 baht the 3rd shouted buy me a pizza

[elzach]

On Sukhumvit walking from Asoke to Prom Phong, Tuesday last week, about 2pm. The place was deserted, no Thais because of the holiday and I counted maybe 20 foreigners.

The drop of tourists in BKK could be over 25-30%.

Having said that, with martial law now, they can kiss goodbye a lot of the Chinese tourists INITIALLY. These are two words "dreaded" by the Chinese.

[watso63]

A friend of mine changed his route yesterday on Friday. Instead holidays in Thailand he will take a flight at Suvarnabhumi right away to Vietnam.

i guess he is not the only one.

Yeah, because Vietnam's nice and quiet at the moment...not!

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/vietnams-anti-china-riots-scaring-off-foreign-businesses-095605375.html#BASqiCU

Yes, it might be said that right now, it's more dangerous to be in Vietnam than it is to be in Thailand !

Still, the buildings being burnt down are owned by mainland Chinese companies, and the ones being killed are Chinese workers in those companies. So you should be safe if you're from Europe. But the violence might spread out of control, some Taiwan companies in Vietnam have been attacked. And Singaporean companies are a bit worried.

Hey, Burma is 'safer' than Thailand and Vietnam !

And who'd have thought that 2 years ago??? Anyway, not for me, I've seen Rambo V, or was it, III or IV. Can't remember!

[deepcell]

I was checking the cost of hotels in Bangkok. It appears that the prices are going up, just when there is a drop in tourism.

Quite normal, make your own price. You have plenty of options now. Supply and demand!