Bangkok to reorganize Khao San street vendors on Oct 15

[webfact]

BMA to reorganize Khao San street vendors on Oct 15

BANGKOK: -- The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration will reorganize street vendors on the tourist-destination Khao San Road on October 15 following complaints of business operators and residents of the Khao San community, Pol Maj Gen Wichai Sangprapai, an advisor of the BMA governor said Thursday.

Wichai said the Khao San community complained that the street vendors made the road dirty and untidy, and thus causing the number of tourists to decline.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/BMA-to-reorganize-Khao-San-street-vendors-on-Oct-1-30244095.html


-- The Nation 2014-09-25

[SPB65]

The real problem is the same in most walking/shuffling streets in Thailand, too many vendors and not enough space to walk.

[54321]

???? they will stop the police allowing street vendors to operate for a few thousand baht a month, whilst property owners/renters pay much more. never in a month of sundays the police are too corrupt

[jacky54]

everything back to 'normal' then on Oct 20th

[SoFarAndNear]

Will the fake passport and ID sellers get their own area?

[Alwyn]

I thought the street vendors were half the attraction of Khao San with the majority of tourists visiting there?

[Commerce]

Damn it. My PhD is supposed to be ready 16th.

[surinderek]

Damn it. My PhD is supposed to be ready 16th.

only a PhD what about passport .driving licence and ID card, much cheaper in a package deal ?

[Deli]

Don't touch the copy cats, I am one of their loyal customers !

[oztaurus]

I thought the street vendors were half the attraction of Khao San with the majority of tourists visiting there?

Yes, Khaosan is often one of the first destinations for young travellers. It is seen as an exotic, yet safe way to begin travels during "gap" years etc. How many people have good memories of Thailand from their experiences in Khaosan and years later come back with their families and stay in more upmarket resorts, spend a whole lot more baht and are the type of tourists that TAT really wants to attract.

Kill that seed and the crop will never grow. Turn Khaosan into another sanitised Orchard Road and what is the reason for coming here at all?

Another point - many of the tour operators there are geared up to send travellers off to their own family owned hotels in the provinces. This actually spreads the wealth more to the grass roots than any government organised system ever could.

Much of Thailand's population is only one or two steps removed from a producer . vendor . consumer model. It supports vast numbers of people and keeps prices low. Control and regulate it like a western middleman dominated society and prices go up, uniqueness disappears and you need to raise taxes to fund a welfare system to support all the newly unemployed former entrepreneurs.

Yes tidy is nice, but how many TV member would pull up stumps totravel to or move to Albuquerque - America's tidiest town ... simply because of its tidiness?

[Searat7]

Silom Road day market is supposed to end starting October 1. Will be interesting to see if it actually happens. They really need to start the night market later. It is largely set up before rush hour with carts blocking one lane of Silom Road.

[Nuddy]

I can tell u a story about street vendors.

IN my town 7/11 made a deal with the local furniture shop to rent/lease the corner street position of a very busy intersection.

It was a success and the 7/11 is hugely popular. The furniture shop people are happy as they get great lease money and as well can still operate their business with all these extra people coming to this corner (7/11).

The pavements were clear. We could park and walk along the pathways to there 7.11.

now 2 years later there are food business's and mobile food sam laws and so on

You can not now walk on the pavement because it is occupied by shops and food vendors.

Maybe these new pavements shops have a licence but as i say they obstruct the 7.11

Someone must be paying someone for this privilege.

Why would u start a business in Thailand when some official will sell it from under you?

[mcfester]

The real problem is the same in most walking/shuffling streets in Thailand, too many vendors and not enough space to walk.

Thats the idea, to slow the pace so you don't miss a bargain.

[Emster23]

Did they survey any tourists regarding their impression of street vendors there, or is this crackdown "influenced" by the other businesses? I would guess the latter....

[Alwyn]

I thought the street vendors were half the attraction of Khao San with the majority of tourists visiting there?

Yes, Khaosan is often one of the first destinations for young travellers. It is seen as an exotic, yet safe way to begin travels during "gap" years etc. How many people have good memories of Thailand from their experiences in Khaosan and years later come back with their families and stay in more upmarket resorts, spend a whole lot more baht and are the type of tourists that TAT really wants to attract.

Kill that seed and the crop will never grow. Turn Khaosan into another sanitised Orchard Road and what is the reason for coming here at all?

Another point - many of the tour operators there are geared up to send travellers off to their own family owned hotels in the provinces. This actually spreads the wealth more to the grass roots than any government organised system ever could.

Much of Thailand's population is only one or two steps removed from a producer . vendor . consumer model. It supports vast numbers of people and keeps prices low. Control and regulate it like a western middleman dominated society and prices go up, uniqueness disappears and you need to raise taxes to fund a welfare system to support all the newly unemployed former entrepreneurs.

Yes tidy is nice, but how many TV member would pull up stumps totravel to or move to Albuquerque - America's tidiest town ... simply because of its tidiness?

You make a good point Oz. It seems to me that all of these bright ideas that the government are coming up with, with a view to improve tourism are actually more detrimental than good. A lot of Thailand's touristic appeal is being flushed away which is a shame and difficult to comprehend.

[SoiBiker]

Turn Khaosan into another sanitised Orchard Road and what is the reason for coming here at all?

Unless they demolish the entire area and rebuild it, there's not much chance of Khaosan becoming another Orchard Road. Odd comparison to make.

[SPB65]

The real problem is the same in most walking/shuffling streets in Thailand, too many vendors and not enough space to walk.

Thats the idea, to slow the pace so you don't miss a bargain.

True enough but not sure about the bargain part of that.

[Kasset Tak]

I actually thought about getting a "new" drivers license there before as my original dl was stolen! To get a new dl sent to Thailand would be over 10,000 Baht and a copy 5-800 Baht!

[chotthee]

OMG.

All those illegal English teachers will be affected.

[noitom]

Khao San road should be closed by the army. Main business turnover there is from counterfeit merchandise and counterfeit documents. It is a stain on Thailand's military dictatorship.

[rijit]

in terms of crowding at least you can walk there unlike around Siam where there were far to many street vendors they made it absolutely horrible, dirty, far to noisy and generally you cant walk in more than single file,,,,totally unbearable and IMO dangerous

Edited September 25, 2014 by rijit

[faza]

Don't fix what is not broken..

[namdocmai]

Since the Indian streetvendors are in Kaosarnroad the sphere has changed. Those sellers are very annoying, like to stand in your way and won't give up trying to convince a customer.

I visit the area once a year and have always been wondering what's so special about kao sarn road? They sell illegal presscards there since 20 years, can't believe they also sell copy passports because that would be very illegal.

[joebrown]

I can tell u a story about street vendors.

IN my town 7/11 made a deal with the local furniture shop to rent/lease the corner street position of a very busy intersection.

It was a success and the 7/11 is hugely popular. The furniture shop people are happy as they get great lease money and as well can still operate their business with all these extra people coming to this corner (7/11).

The pavements were clear. We could park and walk along the pathways to there 7.11.

now 2 years later there are food business's and mobile food sam laws and so on

You can not now walk on the pavement because it is occupied by shops and food vendors.

Maybe these new pavements shops have a licence but as i say they obstruct the 7.11

Someone must be paying someone for this privilege.

Why would u start a business in Thailand when some official will sell it from under you?

Same, same thing happened near where I live in Sattahip. Sometimes it's almost impossible to enter 7/11 with all the food stalls, boxes of produce, motorcycles and pick-ups owned by these traders. Even worse, the 'brain-dead' 10bht taxi drivers have started to park outside on Sukhumvit Road touting for business, blocking the entrance to an already overpopulated parking area. TIT

[oztaurus]

Turn Khaosan into another sanitised Orchard Road and what is the reason for coming here at all?

Unless they demolish the entire area and rebuild it, there's not much chance of Khaosan becoming another Orchard Road. Odd comparison to make.

A couple of years back the BMA was saying that it was going to clean up the city and make it efficient and businesslike - to compete with Singapore.

At about the same time Singapore was trying to convince the world that it was just as much fun as Bangkok.

[Jonmarleesco]

Marvellous. Wonder when they will get around to Thonglor. Specifically soi 18, which, despite being a cul de sac, seems to attract ever more vendors to set up stall, invariably completely blocking the pavement.

I do have a suspicion that the soi is family owned, so they are likely flogging space, regardless of residents' views ... though God only knows what custom the vendors seriously expect to generate. And a few short years ago, the pavement was occupied by muslim vendors selling the miscellaneous, but only in the morning, and only on certain days of the week. Yet they were turfed out.

[SinCityGr8One]

I thought the street vendors were half the attraction of Khao San with the majority of tourists visiting there?

Yes, Khaosan is often one of the first destinations for young travellers. It is seen as an exotic, yet safe way to begin travels during "gap" years etc. How many people have good memories of Thailand from their experiences in Khaosan and years later come back with their families and stay in more upmarket resorts, spend a whole lot more baht and are the type of tourists that TAT really wants to attract.

Kill that seed and the crop will never grow. Turn Khaosan into another sanitised Orchard Road and what is the reason for coming here at all?

Another point - many of the tour operators there are geared up to send travellers off to their own family owned hotels in the provinces. This actually spreads the wealth more to the grass roots than any government organised system ever could.

Much of Thailand's population is only one or two steps removed from a producer . vendor . consumer model. It supports vast numbers of people and keeps prices low. Control and regulate it like a western middleman dominated society and prices go up, uniqueness disappears and you need to raise taxes to fund a welfare system to support all the newly unemployed former entrepreneurs.

Yes tidy is nice, but how many TV member would pull up stumps totravel to or move to Albuquerque - America's tidiest town ... simply because of its tidiness?

Who's really going to go to Albuquerque for any reason??

[Alwyn]

I thought the street vendors were half the attraction of Khao San with the majority of tourists visiting there?

Yes, Khaosan is often one of the first destinations for young travellers. It is seen as an exotic, yet safe way to begin travels during "gap" years etc. How many people have good memories of Thailand from their experiences in Khaosan and years later come back with their families and stay in more upmarket resorts, spend a whole lot more baht and are the type of tourists that TAT really wants to attract.

Kill that seed and the crop will never grow. Turn Khaosan into another sanitised Orchard Road and what is the reason for coming here at all?

Another point - many of the tour operators there are geared up to send travellers off to their own family owned hotels in the provinces. This actually spreads the wealth more to the grass roots than any government organised system ever could.

Much of Thailand's population is only one or two steps removed from a producer . vendor . consumer model. It supports vast numbers of people and keeps prices low. Control and regulate it like a western middleman dominated society and prices go up, uniqueness disappears and you need to raise taxes to fund a welfare system to support all the newly unemployed former entrepreneurs.

Yes tidy is nice, but how many TV member would pull up stumps totravel to or move to Albuquerque - America's tidiest town ... simply because of its tidiness?

Who's really going to go to Albuquerque for any reason??

Not me! The only reason I know the name Albuquerque is that it's mentioned in an old Glen Campbell song!!