Will The Western Tourist Return in Droves?

[smotherb]

I hope they never come back, but of course they'll be back. Why wouldn't they come back? The joint will be cleaner and far better run now that they've cleaned up the cesspool of corruption that was Phuket and the other destinations. This coup was the best thing that ever happened to Thailand. No beach chairs, umbrellas and drinks on the beach jeopardizing "The tourist experience'? ...Please.

#1 Reason: Thai girls. Oh Buddha, I love em.

You hope they never come back? Is this because you feel superior to tourists in your little ivory tower? Or is it because you want Thais who rely on tourism to go without? You sound like a closet Thai hater. an arrogant one at that.

Perhaps it is more realistic to surmise it is the tourists who keep driving up prices, condoning poor service, and fostering ripoffs.

[citizen33]

I'm in Pattaya for the first time in a while and it doesn't seem as much fun as I remember. I'm just looking to wander around and have the odd chat and drink (rather than purchasing the services of the ladies of the night), but despite the lack of customers the staff don't seem that friendly. Perhaps part of the problem with tourist numbers (even at the low end) is that the service isn't what it once was.

[tso310]

Time for the girls in the resorts to drop the English and German lessons and pickup on Mandarin and Russian.

[Alwyn]

I hope they never come back, but of course they'll be back. Why wouldn't they come back? The joint will be cleaner and far better run now that they've cleaned up the cesspool of corruption that was Phuket and the other destinations. This coup was the best thing that ever happened to Thailand. No beach chairs, umbrellas and drinks on the beach jeopardizing "The tourist experience'? ...Please.

#1 Reason: Thai girls. Oh Buddha, I love em.

You hope they never come back? Is this because you feel superior to tourists in your little ivory tower? Or is it because you want Thais who rely on tourism to go without? You sound like a closet Thai hater. an arrogant one at that.

Perhaps it is more realistic to surmise it is the tourists who keep driving up prices, condoning poor service, and fostering ripoffs.

A bit like every tourist area in the World then? If people don't like tourists they should live somewhere else where it isn't 'touristic' maybe?

Edited July 25, 2014 by Alwyn

[benbear]

As long as there is cheap sex, tourist's from all over the world will continue to flock here.

The way tourist demographics are changing, it will be even more of a buyers market for westerners.

sex is no longer cheap in lieland.... even the buffaloes want 1k for short time.... it seems the thai logic that if turnover decreases then they put the price up...

no wonder pattaya is like a ghost town

Good job we don't live in Lieland then, hey?

[Loptr]

Considering that the world's economies are in worse shape today than in 2008, the underlying factor is not whether people want to visit, but their ability to afford a holiday to Thailand...

One chart to support my case:

[Robert2006]

I think it will never return to the really heady days. Western economies will remain weak for at least a decade with high unemployment especially in the younger age groups. The £, $ and Euro are weak v the THB and even with a coup and all of the troubles this remains the same. Prices are rocketing, more restrictions on holiday fun.

Then there is the fact that other previously less accessible destinations are opening up and becoming prime holiday areas.

The times they are a changing, we were lucky to have been here in the heady days (well those that were here were )

Spot on!

[gigman]

Mixed feelings on this one. I don't think LOS is going to see the "droves" of European and American tourists it had in the past. I think those days are gone, as many of those are looking for other options. However, I think there will be an increase in Asian tourists, mainly Chinese and Japanese. But the Chinese will in no way spend the money the American and European tourists spent.

Something else that is going to hurt is Myanmar. Laugh if you want, but their tourists numbers had doubled in the past couple of years, with no sign of letting up. Keep in mind that 1/3 of Myanmar's land mass is unspoiled, unpolluted ocean front property. Virgin territory just waiting to be developed. Some investors have already started, and more will follow. As that grows for them, it will definitely have an effect on Thai tourism. TAT can massage the numbers any way they want, and say whatever they want, that won't cover the actuality of the number of tourism related business that have had, and will continue to, close up shop.

But, hey, I could be wrong.

I don't think you're wrong, I think you're right on the money. I've said it in other posts but Thailand just doesn't seem to get the fact that the countries around them which used to be off-limits for tourists are now developing rapidly and learning from Thailand's mistakes. I've known many people who have relocated their businesses or lives to Cambodia and Vietnam and have sworn off Thailand. Once tourists start to see what they can get for their money -- in terms of environment and experience -- what are the real reasons to keep come back?

There will be more Chinese and Russians for sure, but they're not big spenders. Those who are increasingly see a country that goes through rounds of coups as less attractive than it once seemed. Plus, the beaches here -- one of Thailand's claims to fame -- need some serious attention. The amount of pollution -- in terms of trash and human riff-raff -- aren't present in other countries, at least nowhere near the same extent.

I think if Thailand really wants to ensure that people will come -- and come back -- they have to not just clean up the streets but really start an educational campaign that changes attitudes about foreign visitors. Not just tolerate them as some necessary evil (not all Thais think this way obviously but many do) but realize that if it were not for them the country will be a lot worse off.

I don't care what Thai nationalists and self-loathing Western TV members may say, tourism and foreign expats form one of the pillars of Thailand's economy. If Thais don't take them seriously the country is in for a rude wakeup.

You're right...

I just wanted to add one thing ...that Thai people must be prepare for different type of cultures to learn.

I personally see much of ignorance and rudeness from Russians is just the way they treat them self in Russia .I had many occasions to see them in "action" in many places in Thailand.

I am sorry for Thai people but they must learn now that westerners at least spent money in their country.

Simply , to many bad things happened and it is not easy to fix past .

To be honest I can not agree with Thai law discriminating those who are married to Thai and must be fighting for visa every year over and over even having Thai born kids .

People who sacrificed own life in Thailand are treated like unwanted after spending 15 years in their country ??? it is more then unfair .(they should learn how other countries treat same scenarios)

No wander everyone is confused this days what really Thailand government wants from us ...;tourists or people who wants just peacefully spend rest of their lives in Thailand.

I love Thailand but they do everything that I must start thinking about different place for my retirement time and not to be scared of just individual officer and they mood...

It does not mean I will not come to Thailand but many things their government is creating is just another nail .....and I am to old to put my dignity under their feet.

I wish all Thai's well but there is many places in the world to go under more stable conditions for foreigners

[garyinhuahin]

Mixed feelings on this one. I don't think LOS is going to see the "droves" of European and American tourists it had in the past. I think those days are gone, as many of those are looking for other options. However, I think there will be an increase in Asian tourists, mainly Chinese and Japanese. But the Chinese will in no way spend the money the American and European tourists spent.

Something else that is going to hurt is Myanmar. Laugh if you want, but their tourists numbers had doubled in the past couple of years, with no sign of letting up. Keep in mind that 1/3 of Myanmar's land mass is unspoiled, unpolluted ocean front property. Virgin territory just waiting to be developed. Some investors have already started, and more will follow. As that grows for them, it will definitely have an effect on Thai tourism. TAT can massage the numbers any way they want, and say whatever they want, that won't cover the actuality of the number of tourism related business that have had, and will continue to, close up shop.

But, hey, I could be wrong.

Yes Myanmar's number have gone up, but starting from a very low base. The country has a lot of issues to resolve before it can entertain visitors on the scale that's routine for Thailand.

One is that race-rioting is prone to breaking out practically at any moment. Being there, it was clear to me that it's about race and ethnicity, not religion and that people's mood in many areas (not only the Rohingya zone in the West) is indeed ugly.

Another is that large parts of the country remain restricted, partly due to multiple ethnic armies running about the countryside and sometimes the towns. Not everywhere, but enough to chill large country-wide plans. This 3 years after the military released control. Maybe it will settle down. Not yet.

Myanmar has some great beaches I know, but calling it 1/3 of the landmass is silly. Look at a map. Wikipedia lists the length of coastline as about 400 miles (English measurement is the standard there). Let's be generous and say that anything within 5 miles a of shoreline is "unspoiled, unpolluted ocean front property". (It's not, but let's pretend it is.) That would give 5 x 400 = about 2000 square miles within a reasonable shuffle of the shore. The country's landmass is over 260,000 square miles, making the dubiously prime waterfront well under 1%.

As it is a lot of the good beaches are in restricted areas or require passing through such to reach. But a lot of the coastline isn't beach at all. The shorelines within striking range of Yangon, for example, are estuarine mud flats. Mile after mile of them. Will probably be good for prawn farming someday... Subtract the non-beach shoreline (really don't know how much that is, but I saw a lot of it and not much beach in my last visit). Then consider that 'oceanfront' realistically means, well, oceanfront and not a few miles inland. Not a lot left.

Also, if you object to double pricing in Thailand get ready for sticker shock in Myanmar. My bus fare to my friend's hometown was boosted to 6x that of hers, at the point of boarding with pre-purchased ticket in hand. "Sorry, sir. No good. You're a honkey."

There are ongoing noises about shifts in visa and legal status for foreigners who want to stay. From I've seen, I will guess that the arrangements that eventually emerge will be significantly more mercenary and restrictive than what we are used to here.

So no, I don't see it as a big issue for Thailand in foreseeable future. But by all means, get it on the ground floor. It can only go up!

[smotherb]

I hope they never come back, but of course they'll be back. Why wouldn't they come back? The joint will be cleaner and far better run now that they've cleaned up the cesspool of corruption that was Phuket and the other destinations. This coup was the best thing that ever happened to Thailand. No beach chairs, umbrellas and drinks on the beach jeopardizing "The tourist experience'? ...Please.

#1 Reason: Thai girls. Oh Buddha, I love em.

You hope they never come back? Is this because you feel superior to tourists in your little ivory tower? Or is it because you want Thais who rely on tourism to go without? You sound like a closet Thai hater. an arrogant one at that.

Perhaps it is more realistic to surmise it is the tourists who keep driving up prices, condoning poor service, and fostering ripoffs.

A bit like every tourist area in the World then? If people don't like tourists they should live somewhere else where it isn't 'touristic' maybe?

I think that is what the OP intended, he likes Thailand, but would like it to be less of a tourist trap.

[Thongkorn]

I just think New tourist will come from India, China Korea, Maybe once they have been they will move on like most tourist do,

[bernd1616]

is quite simple. for them wich like to sell apartments, houses, buisiness and so on in thailand, to get at least a little bit money to take back home when they leave, is tourism in thailand always booming, even the numbers of tourist goes down to the level of the toilet as it is right now :-D

[Loptr]

Hopefully, Puttin has pissed enough folks off that the Russians might not be welcome.

Thais will never let anything come between them and a possible profit... Case in point is their continued support for both Palestine and Israel, announced publicly just this week... Your synopsis of the current situation is noted, but has little bearing on reality...

[Loptr]

I think it will never return to the really heady days. Western economies will remain weak for at least a decade with high unemployment especially in the younger age groups. The £, $ and Euro are weak v the THB and even with a coup and all of the troubles this remains the same. Prices are rocketing, more restrictions on holiday fun.

Then there is the fact that other previously less accessible destinations are opening up and becoming prime holiday areas.

The times they are a changing, we were lucky to have been here in the heady days (well those that were here were )

I made this point on another similar thread a couple days ago and it was promptly deleted... Just goes to show how some around here are quite narrow minded...