Thailand: International tourist arrivals may decline 15-20 per cent

[webfact]

Tourist arrivals may decline 15-20 per cent

BANGKOK: -- The number of international arrivals this year is expected to drop by 15-20 per cent, judging from slow bookings for high season as foreigners are avoiding a country still under martial law.

Supawan Tanomkieatipume, vice president for marketing at Thai Hotels Association, said tourists in more than 40 countries were still worried about their security and safety under martial law.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Tourist-arrivals-may-decline-15-20-per-cent-30244539.html


-- The Nation 2014-10-01

[draftvader]

Supawan Tanomkieatipume, vice president for marketing at Thai Hotels Association, said tourists in more than 40 countries were still worried about their security and safety under martial law...

...and because there are still murder/rapists on the loose with a penchant for foreigners....and because the police are blatantly complicit....and because your resort owner/bar owner might well have less than your best interests at heart....and because it would appear that Thailand's tourism front-men close ranks when it comes to protecting their own over the tourist who pays the bills.

I love Thailand and love living here....I just don't live in one of the tourist areas....

[tullynagardy]

Tourists not big on military dictatorships, who`d have thought!?

Interestingly hotel prices are going up rather than down despite demand going down and supply going up. A couple of years back 1000 baht got you a decent 3* hotel in Bangkok whilst 2000 baht got you a 4* or even 5* hotel such as the Rembrandt where we always stay at when in town.

Looking at prices for our next trip the Rembrandt is 5000 baht a night!? Talk about making a bad situation worse! When we were last there is June there was about a dozen other customers.

[JOC]

Got nothing to do with martial law, but people are getting fed up with the fake smiles, double-pricing, dangerous roads, a policeforce corrupt beyond belief and a in general quite violent society!!

Get your house in order, and people will come back!

[Eddy B]

Supawan Tanomkieatipume, vice president for marketing at Thai Hotels Association, said tourists in more than 40 countries were still worried about their security and safety under martial law...

...and because there are still murder/rapists on the loose with a penchant for foreigners....and because the police are blatantly complicit....and because your resort owner/bar owner might well have less than your best interests at heart....and because it would appear that Thailand's tourism front-men close ranks when it comes to protecting their own over the tourist who pays the bills.

I love Thailand and love living here....I just don't live in one of the tourist areas....

I totally agree. Thailands tourism farse of a ministry has no idea. Prices of hotels, taxi's, places to visit are going up and are no where cheap anymore. Either they start lowering costs for foreigners or they will just visit other countries. I feel Thailand has lost the appeal it once had as a place to go and relax. Now people are getting killed here and the lax ability of the police farce is in the spot-light of the world!! Thailand has entered its twilight years as a paradise destination!

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

Maybe time to look for a new TAT boss ???

[DLock]

"...foreigners are avoiding a country still under martial law.".

It's not martial law that's keeping people from coming here....but why do I get the feeling you know that already?

Personally, I am more than happy that tourism is down, and assuming tourism is 10% of GDP, then 20% down is a 2% swing in GDP. Significant in the global sense, but dire for the many tourism related business that will suffer greatly.

The Thai's need a wake up call to clean this place up on so many levels.

[bazza5335]

Or maybe even 50%, with a bit of luck, and some more exciting police investigation work....

[salavan]

that will proberly make the baht stronger

[AGareth2]

they will turn to crime

[mauGR1]

... Just wait for the tourists reading about the wristband story, guess they'll be excited

[ramrod711]

“When tourists check-in to a hotel they will be given a wristband with a serial number that matches their I.D. and shows the contact details of the resort they are staying in so that if they’re out partying late and, for example, get drunk or lost, they can be easily assisted,” Kobkarn told Reuters.

“The next step would be some sort of electronic tracking device but this has not yet been discussed in detail.”
She added that a “buddy system”, pairing tourists with a local minder at tourist destinations, was also being discussed.

Hmmm, I wonder if it may have something to do with this?

[Tboy928]

Another ting , What they do about deny people from Africa come and spread the Ebola virus ???

[ldnguy]

“When tourists check-in to a hotel they will be given a wristband with a serial number that matches their I.D. and shows the contact details of the resort they are staying in so that if they’re out partying late and, for example, get drunk or lost, they can be easily assisted,” Kobkarn told Reuters.

“The next step would be some sort of electronic tracking device but this has not yet been discussed in detail.”

She added that a “buddy system”, pairing tourists with a local minder at tourist destinations, was also being discussed.

Hmmm, I wonder if it may have something to do with this?

I doubt it very much, because bookings have been down long before this was announced. But I don't suppose it will help. Who wants to go on holiday and be treated like a criminal?

[ldnguy]

Another ting , What they do about deny people from Africa come and spread the Ebola virus ???

There is no ebola in Thailand. Maybe you're confusing Thailand with USA. It has spread to USA so you'd better keep well away from there. In fact, you'd better stay in your room and not have contact with anyone.

[ldnguy]

that will proberly make the baht stronger

There will be less demand for baht, so that should make it weaker not stronger.

[simon43]

5 or so years ago, I would get room bookings as early as June for my Phuket hotels, for the Christmas break. Customers booked early to ensure that they could get a room.

Over the past few years, peak season advanced bookings have tailed off, although the number of guests staying during the peak season has remained the same - people just leave it to the last minute to book, (I assume either because they think the hotels will not be booked out, or they wait until the last minute in case there is another coup/ghastly murder/ flood/ ebola etc etc in Thailand).

[kalbo123]

Certainly this must be a mistake, TAT will come soon with new numbers that will show exactly the opposite.

[englishoak]

Interestingly quite a few of of our Thai friends overseas are giving Thailand a miss too, they arnt happy or impressed with the image at the moment rather than going home a lot seem to be finding alternatives.

Its not just farang who are skipping Thailand, even its own overseas arnt keen to visit the way things are right now. Most I know are putting things off for this and next year.

Cant say I blame them. The Thai men overseas i know are pretty embarrassed but at least they accept and seem to be and almost 100% in agreement those murders were probably done by a Thai and that its never been safe for tourists in Thailand, and more so its really not safe for women.

Whatever the danger to farang is on holiday, its far far greater for Thai women and they know it.

15 - 20% ? I think its going to end up a lot higher than that in reality

[JOC]

they will turn to crime

The tourists??

[fobuff]

good job great leader

[nong38]

The years and years of rip offs/scams etc have come home to roost and nobody saw it coming! Well no worries there are loads of Chinese on the way, the problem is they are all on packages tours with no time to riped off apart from those on route who are also waiting to prey.

It will be a good day when the Thais that count on tourists start to look after them rather than fleece them, then they might come back.

[slipperylobster]

So, twenty percent more fun.

[falangjim]

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Another ting , What they do about deny people from Africa come and spread the Ebola virus ???

There is no ebola in Thailand. Maybe you're confusing Thailand with USA. It has spread to USA so you'd better keep well away from there. In fact, you'd better stay in your room and not have contact with anyone.

Why deny Africans when southern Thai Muslims travelling to Saudi Arabia for El Haj will surely bring ebola back to the Kingdom here.

[trogers]

Tourists not big on military dictatorships, who`d have thought!?

Interestingly hotel prices are going up rather than down despite demand going down and supply going up. A couple of years back 1000 baht got you a decent 3* hotel in Bangkok whilst 2000 baht got you a 4* or even 5* hotel such as the Rembrandt where we always stay at when in town.

Looking at prices for our next trip the Rembrandt is 5000 baht a night!? Talk about making a bad situation worse! When we were last there is June there was about a dozen other customers.

This is the proof. Lower quantity but higher quality. I expect backpackers to hold their full moon parties elsewhere. Edited October 1, 2014 by trogers

[scavenger]

A 20% drop just because of martial law? Wait unitl they read about the wristband and tracking, the violent taxi drivers back behind their wheels on the streets of Phuket, and of the immigration raid at Punspace in Chiang Mai...

Edited October 1, 2014 by scavenger

[organic]

Tourists not big on military dictatorships, who`d have thought!?

Interestingly hotel prices are going up rather than down despite demand going down and supply going up. A couple of years back 1000 baht got you a decent 3* hotel in Bangkok whilst 2000 baht got you a 4* or even 5* hotel such as the Rembrandt where we always stay at when in town.

Whenever there's a decline in tourism, Thai landlords put up the rents on commercial properties in the tourist sector, leaving the operators the choice of putting up their prices or go bust, so usually it isn't just hotel prices that escalate.

I've got a visit planned for December.

[Ralf61]

No idea about tourism. I live in a silent village, doing my work, lovely neighbours around. Use to spend my tourism-money to Lao, Malaysia, Vietnam aso. Looking for some clues regarding Myanmar. Planning a trip to China. And I feel lots of Farangs around the world think the same...

[SPB65]

I'd like to see some more detailed figures of which nationalities are dropping off and which are increasing their numbers to Thailand. I'm guessing westerners will show the sharpest decline whereas Russia, India, middle east and China will show greater numbers travelling to Thailand. Without getting high and mighty about it I believe most Thais do still prefer western visitors in terms of behaviour and manners. When I ask my Thai wife if she likes the Russians "god no, they look terrible", Indians "no, too smelly", Arabs, "no !" and Chinese "omg, no"., westerners "yes, I like them". Sums it up really. Not that we're racist of course......

[namdocmai]

Another ting , What they do about deny people from Africa come and spread the Ebola virus ???

With all the open food on markets the ebola would spread very fast in Thailand.

But Thailand has the medicine to stop ebola