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

[emilymat]

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......

Sounds a bit like my other half.

You Like Vietnamese ..No

You like Cambodians...No

You like Burmese......No

How about Laos?.....They are OK. Guess that's Issan for you!

[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......

Sounds a bit like my other half.

You Like Vietnamese ..No

You like Cambodians...No

You like Burmese......No

How about Laos?.....They are OK. Guess that's Issan for you!

It's the good old ethnic pecking order game. Everyone plays it whether they admit it or not.

[DrTuner]

1..2...3.. should be right about now that TAT announces 40% more tourists. These are always sequential.

[spidermike007]

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....

All well said. Taking responsibility is something many Thais will have to learn how to do, if they are to establish themselves, as a world class nation. The recent Koh Tao fiasco is a good example of an unwillingness to admit that the perps were Thai, and an unwillingness to go after a family that is above the law, due to their power, money, and political influence. Even the generals would not touch it. It proved how afraid even they are of rocking the boat, in a meaningful manner. The nearly complete lack of law enforcement does scare some people away. The inability to get health insurance, or to use your own health insurance, while traveling in a country under military control, is also a factor for many. But, the real culprit is the absolute unwillingness to address the many problems the tourism sector faces. And the unwillingness to go after the bad seeds who have cash to buy their way out of the pickles they create.

[Thai at Heart]

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......

Sounds a bit like my other half.

You Like Vietnamese ..No

You like Cambodians...No

You like Burmese......No

How about Laos?.....They are OK. Guess that's Issan for you!

Next question is of course" why don't u like them?"

[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......

Sounds a bit like my other half.

You Like Vietnamese ..No

You like Cambodians...No

You like Burmese......No

How about Laos?.....They are OK. Guess that's Issan for you!

Next question is of course" why don't u like them?"

Nobody likes anything equally. I like music but not all kinds of music equally, the same goes for food, movies, holiday destinations etc etc...why should people be any different ?

Unless you're a deluded ultra PC type.

[Thai at Heart]

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......

Sounds a bit like my other half.

You Like Vietnamese ..No

You like Cambodians...No

You like Burmese......No

How about Laos?.....They are OK. Guess that's Issan for you!

Next question is of course" why don't u like them?"

Nobody likes anything equally. I like music but not all kinds of music equally, the same goes for food, movies, holiday destinations etc etc...why should people be any different ?

Unless you're a deluded ultra PC type.

I don't think having a dislike or like of a nation is down to being PC. Liking people from a country isnt the same as liking your favourite beer.

Beer applies your physical senses, and endorphines. Nations much less so. Asking why someone doesn't like Vietnamese can see whether the like or dislike is rational or not.

If someone says they hate spiders is that rational or not, and this can in fact be coached out of oneself. So, is racism rational or not?

It is impossible for all Vietnamese to be unlikeable. I love this site. Undoing racisim is PC. What a world. meanwhile back in the ghetto.....

Edited October 3, 2014 by Thai at Heart

[DLock]

Over the years I've always scoffed at the "another nail in the tourist coffin" type sentiment.

Because in the past, no matter what happened, the tourism numbers always went up.

But this year it really does feel like things are changing for Thailand and the numbers will decline for the next few years.

There are many well documented reasons, but the people I talk to, the people that came every year have lost interest with Thailand - the scams, the risks, the cost and the fact that they want to try new, interesting places.

If I was in the tourism business, I would be looking to get out this high season. Post a few decent months, then sell out to some "Dreamer".

Maybe the boom days are really coming to an end.

I hope so.

[retsdon]

Thailand was once attractive because it was so different. Nowadays most every town in Thailand is just concrete, cars, and malls. This might be progress, but there's nothing 'amazing' about sitting in a traffic jam or eating at KFC. At least, not if you're western there's not.

[Thai at Heart]

Thailand was once attractive because it was so different. Nowadays most every town in Thailand is just concrete, cars, and malls. This might be progress, but there's nothing 'amazing' about sitting in a traffic jam or eating at KFC. At least, not if you're western there's not.

Certainly when the only logic is to make as much.money as possible with no planning or rules around it.

That basically ends up making the environment worse than the west that so many seem to want to leave. They build their malls and then then don't build roads.or sewers big enough to accommodate it. So it just gets progressively worse. Now that's not progress.

[DrTuner]

Thailand was once attractive because it was so different. Nowadays most every town in Thailand is just concrete, cars, and malls. This might be progress, but there's nothing 'amazing' about sitting in a traffic jam or eating at KFC. At least, not if you're western there's not.

Yeah. It's fast becoming an ugly concrete ghetto. Even in more rural areas the old nice looking wooden houses are disappearing. Not to mention beach bungalows being replaced by yet more piled up concrete boxes. Far from exotic.

[chooka]

Don't worry they will be flocking here next year now Thailand has the Tour De France. Wimbledon and all the other international sporting events will scooped up by Thailand as well.

[bongoz]

Welcome to Thailand...

[bongoz]

Don't worry they will be flocking here next year now Thailand has the Tour De France. Wimbledon and all the other international sporting events will scooped up by Thailand as well.

You seem to have forgotten the 2018 Winter Olympics...

Signed sealed and delivered!

Edited October 3, 2014 by bongoz

[hughben]

How many of these were visa runners?