Martial law in Thailand more bad news for embattled tourism industry

[Alwyn]

I'm all in favour of almost anything that will lower to tourist numbers.

That's nice.. Thailand depends on tourism for about 10% of it's revenue and you want that revenue stream to diminish effecting the incomes of tens of thousands of people and their families. What a nice chap you are.

[Kanthralak 1]

If Thais keep working hard for the common goal of ending foreign presence in the kingdom I'm sure they can do it.

Ban those border runners! Kick out those bum teachers! Get the land back from those retirees wives! Go Thailand! Yeah!!!!!

Xenophobia!!!!! Well seems Thai ladies prefer the way foreigners keep them happy.

[Scarpolo]

frankly, I think it affects hundreds of thousands, maybe more,

there is a massive all cash market that the tourists float to the lower echelon thais.

that never sees the official count and never hits anyone's books and records.

these people are 100% dependent on tips, and tourists/

this also doesnt count the push cart vendors, and even the tee short vendor, who is putting kids to school, etc.

thailand will need a massive bailout,

and if that happens, real reforms will be forced on the population, as well as a real tax system,

the elite will have had their day in the sun

or in this case,

their day in the a/c

[sandhurstmolonski]

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.

Reminds me when I did a Low season Internet booking in low season from a thai Web site , with a thai debit card .

700 Barht per night for two with the Full thumping breakfast , Pretty good . There were 4 rooms only occupied ..

Was using the nett at the Front , This European guy and his friend come is as Walk - ins ..How much you charge per night ?

he asks the Girl ..1800 Barht Sir ! needless to say , he and his mate walked off and stayed elsewhere . Surely in this

circumstance you'd try and grab the Booking ?

It just seems that this is often the way here ..You should be able to get the deal of a lifetime in Bangkok right now ..

Not an increased price .

[Igor]

Not sure about other towns but Pattaya is pretty empty

Here in Chiang Mai, you can't walk six feet without bumping into a Chinese tourist trying to make sense of some cheap, throwaway map.And since they all seem to speak a little English and no Thai, guess who they stop to inquire: "Where is night bazzar?" The little devil on my shoulder wants me to send them someplace naughty but the durned little goody two shoes on the other shoulder always hails a song taew before I get the chance.

Question: Anyone seen anything about what this is likely to do to the baht's value? I was surprised to see it's only changed a very tiny amount.

[MrY]

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.

Indeed - I have been called a fool for saying this would happen too. And much sooner than many may think possible.

I've seen some mock 'empty threats' of leaving LOS, and I'm putting my money where my mouth is.

I'm in KL for a visa to go back one more time, so I may get my belongings, and then I am off...

I think I'll check back in with this site for entertainment purposes, from time to time in the next couple of years.

And I'll of course add my visa experience to your blog when I find out the results of that.

Ladies and gents, there are other hot countries to explore (some with no ridiculous property / aircraft ownership laws too), also with nice beaches... Just a shame there is not a national sport of Muay Thai there also (the original reason for my coming to LOS).

This visa & military mess is going to hit the Thai everyday people so bad - Patong was a joke last Sat night. Not been in a year and it was a shadow of its former self, in terms of numbers of people.

And it is going to get much worse.

Bye 'yall...

I feel ya. It's a major issue holding back quality tourist from coming to Thailand. And try to buy a football team. Ha! It's made practically impossible....

[HooHaa]

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

chicken little lives and breathes.

[Jimbolai]

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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.

Could you name the island?

[MrY]

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.

Must be a dedicated band, playing at 8 in the morning!

He didn't say Thailand. It's the Caribbean.

[Jimbolai]

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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

Looks like Thailand and Myanmar swabbed places.

[Scarpolo]

Agoda is showing some much lower prices at Swissotel, about half their usual rate

[TonyChiangMai]

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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

I have a bar in Chiang Mai and yesterday was not as bad as the day before. I think it will take a few days for the news to impact people's travel plans. As for the sex-pats, they are still around. The rain is far worse than the army for driving them away.

Edited May 21, 2014 by TonyChiangMai

[empireboy]

Paradoxically the country is much better off for having the army in charge, the constant sense of uncertainty has evaporated and for the medium term things look better now than they have done for months..

People love certainty! Lets hope it's not another step in the removal of democratic process and the appointment of Bangkok elite's representatives..

[Benmart]

if 2013 was a bad year, it can not be tied in to the protests, in any way,

it is more likely that DEBT is the culprit

My restaurant owner friend did not say that 2013 was related to any political situation. Sorry if my post gave that impression.

He did say that last year was "bad"'...whatever the reason. Economics is a challege to understand, even for those better educated than myself or my friend. What is easy to see, even for someone like myself and my friend, are dwindling profits and raising operating costs, whatever the cause.

Keeping It Simple.

[harleyclarkey]

TAT will just say

"No problem Farangs. Soldiers, guns, tanks just movie set for Hollywood movie. No problem.....come enjoy real Thailand"

[Torrens54]

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.

Hope you're getting a Special Rate for all accommodation and your F&B.

[lovetotravel]

We made reservations a few weeks ago, but still got a very good deal here on Koh Chang. And no, that band was not playing at 8am this morning. 555555

Unfortunately, F&B is rarely discounted very much.

[Runamile]

I know with precision who was responsible. My friend ,Rashida, arrived in Thailand on holiday one day. Next day, Martial Law. It's Rashida Khanam wot done it!

Edited May 21, 2014 by Runamile

[Mister Fixit]

Edit: I'll have to flip the photo, because the wheel is on the wrong side- and I wouldn't want to be accused of faking it...

No, the wheel is on the RIGHT side, because Thailand, like many other countries, drive on the LEFT side.

[impulse]

Edit: I'll have to flip the photo, because the wheel is on the wrong side- and I wouldn't want to be accused of faking it...

No, the wheel is on the RIGHT side, because Thailand, like many other countries, drive on the LEFT side.

Here's a quick quiz, so I don't lose the rest of my credibility with the folks back home who think I'm a dufus anyway: Which of these belongs on Thai streets? After you've decided, go back and look at the OP.

Edited May 21, 2014 by impulse

[DrTuner]

Military vehicles here seem to have the steering wheel on the left side:

[NotMyUsualid]

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.

Indeed - I have been called a fool for saying this would happen too. And much sooner than many may think possible.

I've seen some mock 'empty threats' of leaving LOS, and I'm putting my money where my mouth is.

I'm in KL for a visa to go back one more time, so I may get my belongings, and then I am off...

I think I'll check back in with this site for entertainment purposes, from time to time in the next couple of years.

And I'll of course add my visa experience to your blog when I find out the results of that.

Ladies and gents, there are other hot countries to explore (some with no ridiculous property / aircraft ownership laws too), also with nice beaches... Just a shame there is not a national sport of Muay Thai there also (the original reason for my coming to LOS).

This visa & military mess is going to hit the Thai everyday people so bad - Patong was a joke last Sat night. Not been in a year and it was a shadow of its former self, in terms of numbers of people.

And it is going to get much worse.

Bye 'yall...

well, at least give some of us a heads up on the new upcoming places to consider moving too, where the US Dollar is strong, and we can still get massages for $3.00

If I find it, should I share it? I have a couple of ideas though.

Anyway, I'm a massage junkie too, I even have a loyalty card at my old parlour in Rawai. But it is 300 THB (300 Thai Baht equals 9.232 US Dollar), not $3 USD, but I do remember 150 THB, and getting 71 THB/ GBP, so I know what you mean.

Anyway, Visa was no trouble in KL, back in Kata safe and sound.

It didn't look good for a couple of other people in the Thai Embassy in KL though...

Overhearing the conversation, some guy had a Thai gf/wife, and child. He was proving his income, but they weren't happy with a bank statment, and requested a bank-headed letter from a manager confirming his income. Felt sorry for him really....

[Otis]

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.

.30 cal is abbreviation for .308 cal.

[Thai at Heart]

frankly, I think it affects hundreds of thousands, maybe more,

there is a massive all cash market that the tourists float to the lower echelon thais.

that never sees the official count and never hits anyone's books and records.

these people are 100% dependent on tips, and tourists/

this also doesnt count the push cart vendors, and even the tee short vendor, who is putting kids to school, etc.

thailand will need a massive bailout,

and if that happens, real reforms will be forced on the population, as well as a real tax system,

the elite will have had their day in the sun

or in this case,

their day in the a/c

Which elite is this?,

Thailand is not going to open itself up to competition so the elite can keep their dominance of the Thai market for many years yet.

These issues today are just a blip. If you had been charging western prices but with Thai costs for 20 years you could survive for a very long time.

[Runamile]

I think the effects of the collapse of tourism (and I believe it's a collapse - I prefer to trust my own eyes than TAT's figures) will be profound for ordinary Thai people.

The elites, as someone has said, have been salting it away for years - Western prices to customers, Thai wages to workers.

For ordinary folk, the story is entirely different. The effects, will spread way beyond those involved in tourism. Think transfer payments. For instance, what happens to a Bangkok bar girl's income? It's, largely transferred to Isaan. Back home in Isaan, maybe Ma and Pa won't now buy that new pickup-truck. Maybe, they won't be able to continue the payments on the existing one. Profound effects for a local economy that, itself, isn't tourist-based.

Better watch out, lads. The marriage market, notably the "dating" sites are about to ratchet way up!

[Runamile]

@ Scarpolo

I totally agree your post!

I think the point on the insurgency is profound. Thailand has been without Government for many months, now. During that period, there's, already, been a marked upsurge in the insurgency. If there's economic decline, that might act for the insurgent recruiters.

[Naam]

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

and the skies will fall on Chicken Little!

[impulse]

I think the point on the insurgency is profound. Thailand has been without Government for many months, now. During that period, there's, already, been a marked upsurge in the insurgency. If there's economic decline, that might act for the insurgent recruiters.

Has there been an upsurge in the insurgency, or an upsurge in the abuses committed on the people down there now that there's nobody holding the local governments accountable?

Could just be a land grab while nobody's looking.

[craigt3365]

Several off topic posts have been removed from view. Several were in violation of our zero tolerance policy. Please, be careful what you post.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/727616-zero-tolerance-for-disruptive-behaviour-during-the-present-crisis/

[elzach]

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.

Indeed - I have been called a fool for saying this would happen too. And much sooner than many may think possible.

I've seen some mock 'empty threats' of leaving LOS, and I'm putting my money where my mouth is.

I'm in KL for a visa to go back one more time, so I may get my belongings, and then I am off...

I think I'll check back in with this site for entertainment purposes, from time to time in the next couple of years.

And I'll of course add my visa experience to your blog when I find out the results of that.

Ladies and gents, there are other hot countries to explore (some with no ridiculous property / aircraft ownership laws too), also with nice beaches... Just a shame there is not a national sport of Muay Thai there also (the original reason for my coming to LOS).

This visa & military mess is going to hit the Thai everyday people so bad - Patong was a joke last Sat night. Not been in a year and it was a shadow of its former self, in terms of numbers of people.

And it is going to get much worse.

Bye 'yall...

well, at least give some of us a heads up on the new upcoming places to consider moving too, where the US Dollar is strong, and we can still get massages for $3.00

Philippines, Indonesia...just for starters.