Bleak prospects for Amazing Thailand sales

[webfact]

Bleak prospects for Amazing Thailand sales
Suchat Sritama
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Political tension is expected to further take a toll on the Thai tourism sector, including the upcoming annual shopping festival Amazing Thailand Grand Sales, which will kick off later this month.Air bookings to Thailand have seen a fall since the military took power and declared curfew last month.

The Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) has once again revised down the number of arrivals due to the continuing political tension. It estimated that 1.2 million tourists would skip travelling to the Kingdom over the next few months due to security fears.

This may have an enormous impact on the annual two-month shopping festival, scheduled to take place nationwide from June 13 to August 15. Hundreds of shopping malls, stores and related business will offer up to 70 per cent discount at the Amazing Thailand Grand Sales.

Tourism council vice president, Pornthip Hirunkate said tourist spending per head during the festival is usually more than an average of Bt4,000 per head, which means the country risks further losses.Rival competitors like Hong Kong and Singapore also hold similar events to attract tourists during the low season. And they are expected to benefit from the arrival of more tourists shifting from Thailand.

The council believes that inbound arrivals would drop more than 15 per cent during the shopping festival. A lot of tourists have security fears, as curfew is still enforced.The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has organised the annual shopping campaign 16 times in the past to lure heavy spenders, as well as to beat shopping-destination places like Singapore, Hong Kong, and Malaysia

The campaign mainly targets 12 nations, including China, Japan, Indonesia, Russia, India, and the United Arab Emirates.Thailand was projected to get 28 million visitors this year, but the TCT has reduced the figure to 26.8 million due to the political turmoil.

The revised number may exceed last year's figure of 26.7 million.Domestic tourism, meanwhile, should enjoy a growth rate of 13 per cent over the previous year. Domestic revenue is expected at Bt700 million while income from tourists will be lower than the projected Bt1.2 trillion.

According to a report from the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) meeting that took place in Doha last weekend, airline bookings to Thailand have collapsed since the Thai military took over the government on May 22 and declared curfew as well as imposed security measures.

To date, more than 50 countries have maintained their travel advisories, warning their citizens to avoid travelling to Thailand.

At least three countries, Korea, Philippines and Hong Kong have issued top-alert warnings to its citizens not to visit Thailand at this time.PATA members also predicted that Thai tourism, which accounts for 10 per cent of the economy, would take a hit because of the political issue.

On May 19, there were about 28,000 inbound bookings for Thailand every day, but on May 23, the daily tally was 5,000 cancellations.Thai travel operators said that advance bookings from short-haul countries such as China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea, and Japan dramatically dropped since last month.However, many tourists from long-haul markets like the United Kingdom, Germany, Scandinavia, and the US maintained their plans to visit Thailand.


-- The Nation 2014-06-03

[Bluespunk]

"annual shopping festival Amazing Thailand Grand Sales"

Never heard of it before this report.

[Payboy]

"annual shopping festival Amazing Thailand Grand Sales"

Never heard of it before this report.

Held every year between Amazing Grand Thailand Sales and Amazing Sales Grand Thailand.

[Bluespunk]

"annual shopping festival Amazing Thailand Grand Sales"

Never heard of it before this report.

Held every year between Amazing Grand Thailand Sales and Amazing Sales Grand Thailand.

So I gathered from the report, must have just passed me by over the last decade or so. Mainly due, I think, to the fact that a lot of the shops I pass appear to be having a sale all year long.

Edited June 2, 2014 by Bluespunk

[simon43]

Hundreds of shopping malls, stores and related business will offer up to 70 per cent discount at the Amazing Thailand Grand Sales.

Well if they really want to boost tourism numbers, they should have a Amazing Thailand Amazing Thailand Amazing Grand ... er... Amazing Sale (Amazing!!) in the go-go bars. I might even be attracted to one of those 'fatties' if there's a 70% discount

[chooka]

Maybe the news internationally about the Thailand crisis is totally different to the news in Thailand and that is why countries are warning their citizens to stay away.

[NongKhaiKid]

Maybe the news internationally about the Thailand crisis is totally different to the news in Thailand and that is why countries are warning their citizens to stay away.

Bad news is always bigger than anything positive and in Yahoo News for example some western reporters seem to be trying to sensationalise the protests in Bkk into something they are not.

On a very delicate subject, a friend in Wales tells me there's a lot of adverse reporting on a very, very Thai VIP currently in the west of England.

[sumtingwong]

Did somebody say 70% off massages?

[Halion]

This is pure chicken shit and the constant bleating from TAT is nothing less than pathetic.

[Ricardo]

I suspect that sales of 'Thailand Elite Cards' may also suffer, if they can possibly fall any lower ?

[Chang_paarp]

Tourism council vice president, Pornthip Hirunkate said tourist spending per head during the festival is usually more than an average of Bt4,000 per head, which means the country risks further losses.

Wow!! Tourists spending 4000B!!! Isn't that a mild night out?

So that is what they mean by quality tourists. Looking at the target markets such as "China, Japan, Indonesia, Russia, India, and the United Arab Emirates" they might like to review what constitutes a quality tourist.

[raybal5]

I suspect that sales of 'Thailand Elite Cards' may also suffer, if they can possibly fall any lower ?

2 million baht??? They are kidding themselves surely.

[noitom]

4,000 baht "per head." Tourists are always counted on a per head basis by Thais. Everything about foreigners is "per head."

[prakhonchai nick]

4,000 baht "per head." Tourists are always counted on a per head basis by Thais. Everything about foreigners is "per head."

Pattaya bargirls don't count heads!

[JoeThePoster]

No worries, amazeballs will come to the rescue.

[englishoak]

"annual shopping festival Amazing Thailand Grand Sales"

Never heard of it before this report.

Held every year between Amazing Grand Thailand Sales and Amazing Sales Grand Thailand.

So I gathered from the report, must have just passed me by over the last decade or so. Mainly due, I think, to the fact that a lot of the shops I pass appear to be having a sale all year long.

Takes place in the big plazas, robinsons, central etc

[noitom]

Thais don't get it. They perceive the rest of the world to be fools and treat them so.

[ggt]

Heaven forbid...if the Thais should have to start treating tourist with a little respect...not looking upon them as ATM machines that need to be abused...

[upena]

This is the TAT annual sale during the hottest time of the year geared towards Middle Easterners. Good luck finding something 70% off unless it has been marked up 200% first.

[keestha]

"annual shopping festival Amazing Thailand Grand Sales"

Never heard of it before this report.

Same here, though I am a tourism entrepreneur. But I figure both of us don't belong to the target group, this event is geared for tourists from Asia/Middle East/Russia. Westerners are less interesting when shopping is the name of the game.

[toybits]

What is bad for Thailand .... is good for its neighbors like Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.... Hmmmm... But, the "Right" guys are now at the helm, so NO WORRIES! Right? Nah!

[robblok]

Maybe the news internationally about the Thailand crisis is totally different to the news in Thailand and that is why countries are warning their citizens to stay away.

Yes the former PM and its minions have a good PR machine.

But we down here know that now loads more criminals are getting caught, there is no bloodshed no grenades no slaughter of anti government protesters by the reds. Its a lot safer as before.

The only bad thing is that there is a curfew.

[Lupatria]

What happened to the good old Thai-logic procedure: If there's less tourist- the rest must pay more to compensate?

[bigbamboo]

"annual shopping festival Amazing Thailand Grand Sales"

Never heard of it before this report.

Sounds like a Yingluck initiative.

[chooka]

Tourism council vice president, Pornthip Hirunkate said tourist spending per head during the festival is usually more than an average of Bt4,000 per head, which means the country risks further losses.

Wow!! Tourists spending 4000B!!! Isn't that a mild night out?

So that is what they mean by quality tourists. Looking at the target markets such as "China, Japan, Indonesia, Russia, India, and the United Arab Emirates" they might like to review what constitutes a quality tourist.

That would be the Aussies.

[NoThainess4U]

I noticed massive discounting in all malls of bkk, throughout the Dec-March period, indicative of declining sales

that was before the dictatorship started,

a retail sales calamity is on order

[wealth]

I always thought when you take Yingluck out off her extensive shoppings it will become a national catastrophy.

Here you have it.

[sumtingwong]

This is the TAT annual sale during the hottest time of the year geared towards Middle Easterners. Good luck finding something 70% off unless it has been marked up 200% first.

So this would be the 70% off scam?

[wandasloan]

What is bad for Thailand .... is good for its neighbors like Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.... Hmmmm... But, the "Right" guys are now at the helm, so NO WORRIES! Right? Nah!

It actually *is* amazing that it's such bad news that Thailand will *only* get 25 million tourists because of all that killing and soldiering that is going on. How many places would give up quite a lot to get *only* 25 million? Canada? Australia? Korea? Japan? Switzerland gets a little over a third of that "worrying" number of tourists to Thailand.

Success brings higher expectations, and that's a fact.

.

[tezzainoz]

Yes Thailand is really suffering with the present situation

6 friend from Australia are on the way over and asked me if it was safe, as all the Australian news are saying they are taking there very lives into their own hands

they where really suprised when I told them the streets are safer than ever to walk on, No body killed or injured by men masked. and we are all for the army bringing a new peace to Thailand

Air Asia does not think it is a problems as they have just increased most flights to Thailand by 20%

Put on a Sale to end all sales and increase fare prices was the word with Air Asia last Monday

Pattaya must feel Thais are about to invade the town as they have introduced a special extra fee of 100 baht plus, for any one who wants to book a room over the week end Friday Saturday Nights

and as far as Australia breaking contact with the Thais

Ha ha in Australia they can not even admit they are in trouble when they are 1 step away from bankrupcy, they stll feel they want to look after all the poor people in the world, and Banks owe every one a good life

From this Aussie, I would rather live in Thailand and smile than live in Australia and look like death warmed up

Edited June 3, 2014 by tezzainoz