Thai tourism industry: 'Martial law killing arrivals'

[brewsterbudgen]

I doubt the many tourists from China, Japan and other countries in Asia have been affected by the murders that are obsessing the western media, but martial law and a coup must have impacted.

[rebelplatoon]

Ok. So. . You come to Thailand and wanna do all the 'special' stuff: rafting, trekking, elephants, beach. And then when its night, on your holiday, you wanna party. Possible, except in Chiang Mai at 1.00 the police comes in and forcefully closes everything and throws all the youngsters out on the street. Great idea!

So there they are having a good time hoping to party till 4 ish (as anywhere else) and now they re on the street. Have a great holiday! Mind you I am a non drinker non party goer, but I understand the mindset. It s your holiday, you spent a lot of money to get here, now you wanna see it all. These people will NEVER come back.

[saramsland]

TOURISM

'Martial law killing arrivals'

Suchat Sritama

The Nation

Tourism industry bodies desperate for a boost amid weak bookings

BANGKOK: -- The tourism sector is reiterating its call for the government to lift martial law in the face of losses due to the continued drop in tourist arrivals.

Key tourism groups - Thai Travel Agents Association (ATTA) and Thai Hotels Association (THA) - voiced their concern over the decline in arrivals despite the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)'s many campaigns to woo visitors in the wake of the coup.

ATTA has strongly advised the government to lift martial law, while THA is calling for measures to boost confidence in terms of safety and protect tourists from scams.

Between January and September, international arrivals at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport stood at 9.1 million, down from 11.3 million in the same period last year, according to the Immigration Police Bureau. This shows a 19-per-cent decline.

The bureau also reported that visitors from all regions, with the exception of Eastern Europe, had plunged by 5 to 30 per cent. Visitors from Northeast Asia recorded the biggest decline of 30 per cent, followed by East Asia (29 per cent) and Oceania (16 per cent). Visitors from east European nations, namely Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Commonwealth nations posted a growth.

Arrivals at the two airports in Bangkok - Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang - account for about 60 per cent of total arrivals in the Kingdom. Though the number of arrivals at Suvarnabhumi has continued to drop, Don Mueang recorded a significant increase this year due to the relocation of major budget airlines, such as Thai AirAsia, Nok Air and THAI Smile.

Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn, president of ATTA, said the drop in tourist arrivals was mostly due to the martial law and that many tourists were choosing to travel to other countries.

"Foreigners are still unsure about their safety in the country and feel uncomfortable about coming here at a time when martial law is in force. The only way to return confidence would be to lift this law," he said.

According to the Foreign Ministry's website, as of Tuesday some 50 countries had issued travel advisories in relation to Thailand.

ATTA also predicted that the number of arrivals this year would drop by 15 to 20 per cent judging by less bookings in the high season. If the prediction comes true, then the country stands to lose 20 to 30 per cent in revenue from tourism.

Other than political chaos, the sector was affected by the curfew after May 22 - which is now lifted - as well as the recent earthquake in the North.

Pornthip Hirunkate, a member of one of the panels at the Tourism Council of Thailand, said the industry would continue facing difficulty due to the martial law.

"During the high season from October to January, there should be some 10 million visitors or up to 40 per cent of total arrivals. However, we need to await and see what happens this year," she said, adding that operators may gain some business during the Christmas, New Year period.

Supawan Tanomkieatipume, THA's vice president for marketing, said advance bookings at hotels in Bangkok during high season this year had not risen compared to those in Chiang Mai, Phuket and Koh Samui.

She said tourists from key markets such as Japan, India, Russia and Europe were still worried about the unrest but would consider returning if martial law was lifted.

Thailand earned some Bt1.3 trillion from tourism this year and was ranked seventh - ahead of all Asean nations and after only China - rising from last year's ninth position in global rankings.

This year, TAT projected getting some 25.6 million international arrivals, a slight drop over 2013. However, visitor expenditure is expected to rise 2.2 per cent to Bt1.23 trillion.

The agency had previously announced a series of marketing campaigns in a bid to woo tourists and will be running its "Discover Thai-ness" promotion next year. It is also set to launch "24 hours Enjoy Thailand" and opt for viral marketing to boost visitor arrivals despite martial law.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Martial-law-killing-arrivals-30245420.html

-- The Nation 2014-10-14

It seems so easy to blame Martial Law for a drop in tourists..

Forget list anything like

Rapes

Murders

Suspect Investigation Procedures

Dual Pricing

Over Charging

Assaults

Visa Crackdown

Corruption Among Police

Jet Ski's

Corrupt Politicians Protesting Against More Corrupt Politicians

The most of these criminals getting off with virtually a slap on the wrist

So on and so on. Surely gives an image of a country out of control.

Thailand is one of many supposedly cheaper holiday destinations but some others don't have the known criminal intent that Thailand currently has and has had for sometime but somewhat less known by the average tourist. I know many people that have came and would never return and others that often visit and will visit again but remain upset with a number of items as above and just try to stay clear of known issues.

Perhaps if ATTA, THA and TAT did something to help a cause rather than provide excuses for declining numbers then tourism may rise again.

How many businessmen simply blame their surroundings and go for a cuppa when times are gloom.. Only the ones that go out of business.

Time for Thailand to get something done about their problems and I for one in my foreign worthless opinion believe that holding Martial Law at this time is not a bad thing and understanding what he is up against, The new PM is doing a good job and keeping tactical. Don't expect miracles overnight but in time.

None of the things you mention have not occurred in the past. The only thing different this year is political unrest / martial law. Most people outside Thailand don't obsess about the news here and if they do read it they most likely read the news in their own country too and realize awful things happen everywhere. People don't come to Thailand because they want a perfect, clean and law abiding society ... if they did they would go to Singapore.

The only other sure thing beyond tourism continuing to grow in Thailand is that there will always be people who prey on taking advantage of tourist's lack of knowledge ... be it Thailand or just about anywhere else that has large number of tourists. Even New York tourists get mugged, killed, raped, sold counterfeit goods and scammed and that is not an inexpensive city to visit. Even in NY tourism number dropped a year due to 9/11 and then in 09 when the economy took a hit but like Thailand tourism continues to grow and like Thailand they had record number of international visitors last year and most years since 2000.

When you say Martial Law to most people in first world countries they panic -- when you say crime they generally don't bat an eyelash as they see this in the news every day. Ebola, Sars, Tsunami, Ongoing Riots are also things that tend to scare people.

I know many items are not new to Thailand but they are being broadcasted alot wider now since some recent occurrences.

And again, support fixing issues and show that Martial Law does help is better than allowing it to be misunderstood.

After all, what does a Law Abiding Tourist have to fear from Martial Law.

[yellowboat]

Maybe they should think twice before deposing a popularly elected government without due process. Or install a process of impeachment instead of massive sit in and having armed soldiers roaming the streets afterwards. This is what puts off tourism.

[Strangebrew]

Actually TAT killing arrivals with it's concern more on baht than safety of tourist. Discover Thainess Where farangs are only good for there money. Stay at our top hotels see the view as your pushed out window to make way for richer guest. Visit lovely Koh Tao where a beer and murder our top attractions. But don't bring Bikini. Our police will treat you with respect if you have enough baht to pay them.

[newcomer71]

A bit of advice for who stresses on the fact that everyday life is normal under martial law... you should see things in perspective.

For who is a tourist coming to visit here, being Thailand under martial law means no insurance coverage for certain incidents...

That sure doesn't help... Oh but TAT want to even promote the splendor of Martial Law!

[patricev]

It does not matter exactly how many tourists we lost, we lost enough of them to affect hotel prices and airfares. The real concern is the declining value of the median spending per tourist, that is going down even faster. Note that the only region showing an increase is Eastern Europe, but that is in percentage term, in actual numbers it is insignificant. It is the lowest disposable income sub-region of Europe. More are coming because the price of Thailand has come down to their range of affordability. We keep getting fewer Chinese tourists while Korea and Japan are getting more because the ones coming to Thailand are the lowest income, the former zero-cost tours, while Korea and China is getting the middle-class who is spending some real shopping money. Not talking about the media non-sense about Chinese buying luxury watches by the dozen, just regular younger Chinese buying cosmetics in Korea and trendy fashion in Japan.

We are getting far fewer affluent tourists and our average take per tourist keeps declining. That's the real concern. It takes 8 Chinese tourists on a low-cost tour to make up for one average Western European or American tourist (who stay much longer), 4 or 5 to make up for a Korean or Japanese (because their stay is shorter than that of westerners).

[jmccarty]

It's a hard sell at the moment and TOT is making the best of it or will be out of a job.

The base culture has not changed what-so-ever and there is no will to change it to make it more tourist friendly than it is now. And it is tourist friendly for people that bring money to spend and stay below the radar of many an accident waiting to happen. Be it on the road, behind a pub down a dark soi, on whatever you smoked or put in your drink or popped at a beach party. There is a lot of things tourists get up to here that they would not do where they live in the developed world.

The collective voice of TV may have some impact on others decision to visit here or not. It used to before I lived here and I visited Cambodia, Myanmar and the Philippines for many visits instead of spending money here. My previously favorite Mom Tri's in Phuket, Shangrila in Pattaya missed my dollars spent because it just became too much of an effort to get stuck several more days than intended a few years ago in Phuket when the protesters blocked the airport.

Then my company moved me here, I lost many thousands of dollars on 2 cars that I owned mostly and could not bring into Thailand, that was the price to pay to stay employed. My wife can not find work in Thailand to make her own money, so she no longer has any income. But we get to live in Thailand!

My wife and son are busy every day with school activities, a nice gym for the wife, we eat well and it does not cost too much. The house cost is the same we paid in previous long term country of residence, but it is 4 times the size with my own private pool.

We don't feel threatened by the military or the police though sometimes we are stopped and ticketed, not sure why. Other days the cops are telling all to turn left on that red light and no idea why speeding at 80kmh on the highway is really considered speeding and I am asked to pay 1,000bht one day, and the next I am going 140 past an idle highway patrol car and he just sits there with his lights flashing. Maybe I should have stopped and turned myself in?

Ranting, sorry. No solution to the situation, but it is not much different in Malaysia, Costa Rica, Panama, Indonesia...

Edited October 14, 2014 by jmccarty

[Dogmatix]

I thought it was mafia gangs in league with local police that were killing tourists after gang raping them. Martial law should be protecting them but isn't because soldiers are too scared of corrupt police to do anything about it.

[ScotBkk]

It would take some innovative thinking but I believe that if presented properly Martial Law could be presented as a positive. I believe it could be done. To be honest I don't think the TAT has the ability to think innovatively any more than the average Thai Visa poster.

So true. Especially and particularly people like yourself being prone to sarcasm and never a nice word to anyone.......

[northernjohn]

Come On, 99% of tourists don't know there is Martial law in effect in Thailand

What effect has it had on your life in the last , say month living here in Thailand.

True that. The effect that Martial law has had, in reality, has been positive in the lives of folung tourists.

There is now no fear or rival groups of protesters clashing in the streets, disrupting traffic, creating problems.

The government is now able to get on with governance, Impossible before Martial law was nonviolently proclaimed.

Various illegal operations have been eliminated, taxis are much less extorsionist in problem areas (phuket for one)

Illegal "deck chair operations" charging to sit on beaches -gone. Illegal structures built on public beaches-gone,

Jet-ski extorsion is way down, as are illegal logging,

criminallity of all kinds reduced as the police now have "assistants"

with bigger guns than they have, to remind them what they are there for.

Sadly foriegn presses with "agendas" are not focusing on these facts.

Much of the reason Thailand became such a tourist hotspot was the Thai people of 20 & 30 years ago.

"Everyone smiles at me", commonly heard everywhere. Thai people are so nice (polite kreng jai) & helpful.

The beaches were clean & there was much less trash, Plastic bags every where than today.

The other biggie was the cost. Every tourist was able to have a decent holiday for much less

than what a similar amount of time spent in tourist accomodation in there own country would cost.

For a long term traveller it was years ago less expensive to Tour an exotic far away land

with a helpful polite smilling population eating in restarants & living in hotels with laundry done

inexpensive massages, jungle trekking, skin diving corals.

Than to stay home, do your own laundry cook yer own meals while watching tv

& getting less smiles in a month than the general population of the country gave a folung in a day.

Things have changed. The travellers of years gone who usually understood

that they were no longer in there own country,

and that different rules of conduct applyed here,things you could do at home with no repercussions would be a big problem here. different laws.

The famous Thai Smile is seen much less everywhere, Soccer yobs, and other yobs of every description started visiting

& spreading their brand of behavior which became expected of folung ending the smiles.

Helpful has been replaced with opportunistic. The prices have skyrocketed.

The time cannot be turned back we live today. planing for the futune (thought & talk) & preparation for the future (action)

can improve the tourist industry but it will take years of preparation... ... ...

Much of what you say is true to a degree. The scamming and lack of smiles or fake smiles occur in the tourist areas the same as any other country in the world. They have grown considerably because 20 or 30 years ago Thailand was not getting that many tourists. They now get a huge amount of tourists and it has created the scam artist business. Or shall I say raised it to a point where it is noticeable.

As for your price comparisons you talk like the prices in their home countries have stayed the same. Not true they also have had a considerable raise in cost so the difference in cost is still there.

[MexicanFarang]

Without Martian Law, the tourist industry of Roswell, New Mexico would be nothing...

[HUAHIN62]

I feel a lot more safe witht he army in charge rather than the police. The army leaders are a corrpupt as the police leaders, but at least the average soldier is not as dirty as the average police.

Where your life ever threatened before the coup? Have the murder rate in Thailand come down since the coup? Have the violence in the south stopped? Have corruption decreased ? Have the police started to do their work since the coup? no, no, no and no. There is no difference in the security situation since the coup, the so called security you are refering to is an illusion, the problems have been sweeped under the carpet.

[monspencer]

Tourism in Thailand is going to keep going up. As always there is going to be occasional yearly dips be it Political, Tsunami or Sars but last year still saw almost 3 times the number of arrivals than 10 Years ago. Tourism makes up about 9% of GDP and near 30% of this is from domestic tourism. While numbers dropped earlier this year, I would not expect much if any of a drop the rest of the year making foreign tourism down just a couple percentage points over the record high previous year. For sure the sky is not falling nor is tourism dying in Thailand as so many here have been predicting for at least the last 10 years.

The thing that will hit tourism the hardest in the coming years is modernization. Many people come to Thailand because it offers a glimpse into the past and is an adventure and cheap. Much of this is going away fairly rapidly. Be it police, Taxis, hotels, night life and so on, as laws and higher standards are enforced then costs and freedoms you can't experience at home will be less attractive. I expect neighboring countries will continue to steal these types of tourists away as Thailand continues to try to move toward more quality (higher spending) tourists while trying not to completely forget the nightlife and backpacking crowd.

Tourism in Thailand is going to keep going up. You tell that to all the tourism related businesses that are having to close down right now. I live on the outskirts of Pattaya and know of many bars and restaurants that have closed over the past few months due to "customer not come Thailand now" as one of the staff from a bar told me.

I also personally know two businesses that have produced Western style bread and cakes to restaurants and hotels for some time now, but both have recently gone because the demand is no longer there, despite high season looming round the corner.

[kimamey]

NO no no.... Martial Law is a tourist attraction i clearly remember TAT saying it yesterday .......

I think this is just the Thai way. Say something, anything, so long as it sounds good. Don't worry if it makes sense or if it's true just make a statement then people will think you're doing something.

Perhaps they should stage some brutal murders of foreigners and then have the police make a mess of the investigation. It worked on Koh Tao. The tourists are flocking back by all accounts.

Edited October 14, 2014 by kimamey

[lahgon29]

Tourism in Thailand is going to keep going up. As always there is going to be occasional yearly dips be it Political, Tsunami or Sars but last year still saw almost 3 times the number of arrivals than 10 Years ago. Tourism makes up about 9% of GDP and near 30% of this is from domestic tourism. While numbers dropped earlier this year, I would not expect much if any of a drop the rest of the year making foreign tourism down just a couple percentage points over the record high previous year. For sure the sky is not falling nor is tourism dying in Thailand as so many here have been predicting for at least the last 10 years.

The thing that will hit tourism the hardest in the coming years is modernization. Many people come to Thailand because it offers a glimpse into the past and is an adventure and cheap. Much of this is going away fairly rapidly. Be it police, Taxis, hotels, night life and so on, as laws and higher standards are enforced then costs and freedoms you can't experience at home will be less attractive. I expect neighboring countries will continue to steal these types of tourists away as Thailand continues to try to move toward more quality (higher spending) tourists while trying not to completely forget the nightlife and backpacking crowd.

You say tourism isn't dying there and put a "good Junta boy " twist on things-

But few here buy that-

Its very clear the message is people are consciously voting to boycott the place in far larger numbers.

Its silly to suggest hotels half empty all year are now in for a bumper recovery.

When the opposite is true

Doom and gloomers have been saying this for so long as tourism and arrivals continue to increase and most of them who say this are right here in Thailand and don't leave (sadly). As I said, there are down times like this year but the trend is has and will continue to go up as it has for decades.

JTJ...I notice your absence from the Koh Tao opinion pieces recently, as the torture accusations and other unsavoury aspects of the case emerge..Now, diplomats seem to be getting involved. Again, no comments from you on that post. You seem to think that anybody with a negative view on ANY aspect of Thailand should leave, as they spoil your view of Thailand as Paradise with perfect and angelic police, politicians, jetski owners, scammers, criminals.

Tourist arrivals have dropped. Fact. No tourist destination can post growth increases forever..Not even this perfect country...The truth is that tourists have a multitude of options, and will take the option that is best for them..

Try to be objective occasionally. You might feel good about yourself.

[northernjohn]

Come On, 99% of tourists don't know there is Martial law in effect in Thailand

What effect has it had on your life in the last , say month living here in Thailand.

You will find out in minutes that your holiday destination is under martial law, but it will take hours to find out if that will affect your holiday experience and insurance coverage.

Bottom line is that scares people away, no matter if it has a real impact.

You wouldn't care to tell us how much the insurance cost has gone up because of Martial law would you. Here today October 14, 2014?

It would be nice to see the degree of validity to your statement.

My money says it has gone down since Martial law was introduced.

[JohnThailandJohn]

It seems so easy to blame Martial Law for a drop in tourists..

Forget list anything like

Rapes

Murders

Suspect Investigation Procedures

Dual Pricing

Over Charging

Assaults

Visa Crackdown

Corruption Among Police

Jet Ski's

Corrupt Politicians Protesting Against More Corrupt Politicians

The most of these criminals getting off with virtually a slap on the wrist

So on and so on. Surely gives an image of a country out of control.

Thailand is one of many supposedly cheaper holiday destinations but some others don't have the known criminal intent that Thailand currently has and has had for sometime but somewhat less known by the average tourist. I know many people that have came and would never return and others that often visit and will visit again but remain upset with a number of items as above and just try to stay clear of known issues.

Perhaps if ATTA, THA and TAT did something to help a cause rather than provide excuses for declining numbers then tourism may rise again.

How many businessmen simply blame their surroundings and go for a cuppa when times are gloom.. Only the ones that go out of business.

Time for Thailand to get something done about their problems and I for one in my foreign worthless opinion believe that holding Martial Law at this time is not a bad thing and understanding what he is up against, The new PM is doing a good job and keeping tactical. Don't expect miracles overnight but in time.

None of the things you mention have not occurred in the past. The only thing different this year is political unrest / martial law. Most people outside Thailand don't obsess about the news here and if they do read it they most likely read the news in their own country too and realize awful things happen everywhere. People don't come to Thailand because they want a perfect, clean and law abiding society ... if they did they would go to Singapore.

The only other sure thing beyond tourism continuing to grow in Thailand is that there will always be people who prey on taking advantage of tourist's lack of knowledge ... be it Thailand or just about anywhere else that has large number of tourists. Even New York tourists get mugged, killed, raped, sold counterfeit goods and scammed and that is not an inexpensive city to visit. Even in NY tourism number dropped a year due to 9/11 and then in 09 when the economy took a hit but like Thailand tourism continues to grow and like Thailand they had record number of international visitors last year and most years since 2000.

When you say Martial Law to most people in first world countries they panic -- when you say crime they generally don't bat an eyelash as they see this in the news every day. Ebola, Sars, Tsunami, Ongoing Riots are also things that tend to scare people.

I know many items are not new to Thailand but they are being broadcasted alot wider now since some recent occurrences.

And again, support fixing issues and show that Martial Law does help is better than allowing it to be misunderstood.

After all, what does a Law Abiding Tourist have to fear from Martial Law.

So, you reckon the the stuff happening Koh Tao that started around 3 weeks ago had an effect on tourism earlier in the year? Koh Tao is not going to have any noticeable difference on tourism for the country. I really don't expect the high season numbers this year to be much off, if any, from last year and that is going to be due to martial law scaring people. Not murders on an Island they don't intend to go. Though Koh Tao tourism may pickup since it has been put on the map -- kind of like the Tsunami did for the Phuket region once it got cleaned up.

[robg1]

This article is a total exaduration and irresponsible journalism . It says also that many budgets flights have been moved to the other BKK aorport which may well account for much of the drop in figures.

"Though the number of arrivals at Suvarnabhumi has continued to drop, Don Mueang recorded a significant increase this year due to the relocation of major budget airlines, such as Thai AirAsia, Nok Air and THAI Smile"

[Daniel Boon]

world economy shrinking ... less disposable income ... rape and murder also impact along with Police integrity a perceived problem and martial law a perceived problem ...

If Peter Cosgrove took over (in Australia), there would be dancing in the streets ...

[saramsland]

It seems so easy to blame Martial Law for a drop in tourists..

Forget list anything like

Rapes

Murders

Suspect Investigation Procedures

Dual Pricing

Over Charging

Assaults

Visa Crackdown

Corruption Among Police

Jet Ski's

Corrupt Politicians Protesting Against More Corrupt Politicians

The most of these criminals getting off with virtually a slap on the wrist

So on and so on. Surely gives an image of a country out of control.

Thailand is one of many supposedly cheaper holiday destinations but some others don't have the known criminal intent that Thailand currently has and has had for sometime but somewhat less known by the average tourist. I know many people that have came and would never return and others that often visit and will visit again but remain upset with a number of items as above and just try to stay clear of known issues.

Perhaps if ATTA, THA and TAT did something to help a cause rather than provide excuses for declining numbers then tourism may rise again.

How many businessmen simply blame their surroundings and go for a cuppa when times are gloom.. Only the ones that go out of business.

Time for Thailand to get something done about their problems and I for one in my foreign worthless opinion believe that holding Martial Law at this time is not a bad thing and understanding what he is up against, The new PM is doing a good job and keeping tactical. Don't expect miracles overnight but in time.

None of the things you mention have not occurred in the past. The only thing different this year is political unrest / martial law. Most people outside Thailand don't obsess about the news here and if they do read it they most likely read the news in their own country too and realize awful things happen everywhere. People don't come to Thailand because they want a perfect, clean and law abiding society ... if they did they would go to Singapore.

The only other sure thing beyond tourism continuing to grow in Thailand is that there will always be people who prey on taking advantage of tourist's lack of knowledge ... be it Thailand or just about anywhere else that has large number of tourists. Even New York tourists get mugged, killed, raped, sold counterfeit goods and scammed and that is not an inexpensive city to visit. Even in NY tourism number dropped a year due to 9/11 and then in 09 when the economy took a hit but like Thailand tourism continues to grow and like Thailand they had record number of international visitors last year and most years since 2000.

When you say Martial Law to most people in first world countries they panic -- when you say crime they generally don't bat an eyelash as they see this in the news every day. Ebola, Sars, Tsunami, Ongoing Riots are also things that tend to scare people.

I know many items are not new to Thailand but they are being broadcasted alot wider now since some recent occurrences.

And again, support fixing issues and show that Martial Law does help is better than allowing it to be misunderstood.

After all, what does a Law Abiding Tourist have to fear from Martial Law.

So, you reckon the the stuff happening Koh Tao that started around 3 weeks ago had an effect on tourism earlier in the year? Koh Tao is not going to have any noticeable difference on tourism for the country. I really don't expect the high season numbers this year to be much off, if any, from last year and that is going to be due to martial law scaring people. Not murders on an Island they don't intend to go. Though Koh Tao tourism may pickup since it has been put on the map -- kind of like the Tsunami did for the Phuket region once it got cleaned up.

Nope.

Plenty of incidents that were publicised before Koh Tao and before Martial Law.

[JohnThailandJohn]

Tourism in Thailand is going to keep going up. As always there is going to be occasional yearly dips be it Political, Tsunami or Sars but last year still saw almost 3 times the number of arrivals than 10 Years ago. Tourism makes up about 9% of GDP and near 30% of this is from domestic tourism. While numbers dropped earlier this year, I would not expect much if any of a drop the rest of the year making foreign tourism down just a couple percentage points over the record high previous year. For sure the sky is not falling nor is tourism dying in Thailand as so many here have been predicting for at least the last 10 years.

The thing that will hit tourism the hardest in the coming years is modernization. Many people come to Thailand because it offers a glimpse into the past and is an adventure and cheap. Much of this is going away fairly rapidly. Be it police, Taxis, hotels, night life and so on, as laws and higher standards are enforced then costs and freedoms you can't experience at home will be less attractive. I expect neighboring countries will continue to steal these types of tourists away as Thailand continues to try to move toward more quality (higher spending) tourists while trying not to completely forget the nightlife and backpacking crowd.

You say tourism isn't dying there and put a "good Junta boy " twist on things-

But few here buy that-

Its very clear the message is people are consciously voting to boycott the place in far larger numbers.

Its silly to suggest hotels half empty all year are now in for a bumper recovery.

When the opposite is true

Doom and gloomers have been saying this for so long as tourism and arrivals continue to increase and most of them who say this are right here in Thailand and don't leave (sadly). As I said, there are down times like this year but the trend is has and will continue to go up as it has for decades.

JTJ...I notice your absence from the Koh Tao opinion pieces recently, as the torture accusations and other unsavoury aspects of the case emerge..Now, diplomats seem to be getting involved. Again, no comments from you on that post. You seem to think that anybody with a negative view on ANY aspect of Thailand should leave, as they spoil your view of Thailand as Paradise with perfect and angelic police, politicians, jetski owners, scammers, criminals.

Tourist arrivals have dropped. Fact. No tourist destination can post growth increases forever..Not even this perfect country...The truth is that tourists have a multitude of options, and will take the option that is best for them..

Try to be objective occasionally. You might feel good about yourself.

To be truly objective you have to stop with nonsense theories and actually read facts. You want to argue with me about tourism numbers dropping this year in a post I clearly state they did. You are going to see and believe what you want despite reality and if that is what makes your boat float then more power to you. As for your off topic nonsense, I have replied in those threads and you are once again spouting what you want to believe but suggest if you want to talk about that then you do it in those threads not try to hijack this thread for your personal issues with me or off-topic bs.

[JohnThailandJohn]

I know many items are not new to Thailand but they are being broadcasted alot wider now since some recent occurrences.

And again, support fixing issues and show that Martial Law does help is better than allowing it to be misunderstood.

After all, what does a Law Abiding Tourist have to fear from Martial Law.

So, you reckon the the stuff happening Koh Tao that started around 3 weeks ago had an effect on tourism earlier in the year? Koh Tao is not going to have any noticeable difference on tourism for the country. I really don't expect the high season numbers this year to be much off, if any, from last year and that is going to be due to martial law scaring people. Not murders on an Island they don't intend to go. Though Koh Tao tourism may pickup since it has been put on the map -- kind of like the Tsunami did for the Phuket region once it got cleaned up.

Nope.

Plenty of incidents that were publicised before Koh Tao and before Martial Law.

As they have for the last decade tourism numbers have tripled -- that is my entire point. What has changed this year and when tourism dropped is completely related to political turmoil.

[JohnThailandJohn]

Tourism in Thailand is going to keep going up. As always there is going to be occasional yearly dips be it Political, Tsunami or Sars but last year still saw almost 3 times the number of arrivals than 10 Years ago. Tourism makes up about 9% of GDP and near 30% of this is from domestic tourism. While numbers dropped earlier this year, I would not expect much if any of a drop the rest of the year making foreign tourism down just a couple percentage points over the record high previous year. For sure the sky is not falling nor is tourism dying in Thailand as so many here have been predicting for at least the last 10 years.

The thing that will hit tourism the hardest in the coming years is modernization. Many people come to Thailand because it offers a glimpse into the past and is an adventure and cheap. Much of this is going away fairly rapidly. Be it police, Taxis, hotels, night life and so on, as laws and higher standards are enforced then costs and freedoms you can't experience at home will be less attractive. I expect neighboring countries will continue to steal these types of tourists away as Thailand continues to try to move toward more quality (higher spending) tourists while trying not to completely forget the nightlife and backpacking crowd.

Tourism in Thailand is going to keep going up.

You tell that to all the tourism related businesses that are having to close down right now. I live on the outskirts of Pattaya and know of many bars and restaurants that have closed over the past few months due to "customer not come Thailand now" as one of the staff from a bar told me.

I also personally know two businesses that have produced Western style bread and cakes to restaurants and hotels for some time now, but both have recently gone because the demand is no longer there, despite high season looming round the corner.

The fact is more international travelers coming and more domestic tourism over the years -- take a look at all the new hotels being built and the more upscale shopping centers. There is no doubt tourism numbers are down this year but no doubt tourism continues to grow significantly over the year in Thailand. More and more people are taking advantage of this growth and tourists are spending more and there is more competition to get their money. Tourism continues to make up a larger part of the GDP in Thailand. 5 Years ago it was about 6% of GDP and now it is closer to 10%.

I'd much prefer if this wasn't the case but it is.

[jamie2009]

Arrived in Thailand mid September, two weeks Pattaya, bars very quiet apart from ex pats who live ther, Lamai next, dead, no one about at night bars empty apart from bar girls, during the day it was like a ghost town. I am now in Bangrack, same here bars only have a few expats. Beachfront hotel, 4 Star advertising rooms with AC for 800 baht a night. I would say the Military thing does put people off, they think of tanks and soldiers patrolling the streets.

[Mister Fixit]

Well, I have said this before and will repeat it - I went to Swampy on 10 July to fly to the UK and the place was almost deserted, just a few hundred on the concourse, at most and that was at 6 in the evening, and normally the place would be packed about then.

On my return on 4 August it was about the same, although that was at midnight.

I think this lack of tourists has been going on for longer than is generally realised, and I think it will go on for longer than we think too.

[ingvar]

I think Thailand can capitalize on the RTP and military thing. Like a reality torture show. People will pay to get thrown into prison, tortured by police, spend a few weeks in an army camp re-education center and then happily fly home to their protected life in their home countries.

[smotherb]

saramsland certainly has a point. I doubt most tourists are really concerned about visa restrictions on long-timers or about martial law. However, the bad press on crimes directed toward tourists, tourist ripoffs, police corruption, as well as the unstable political turmoil does send a poor message on the LOS.

[Jim walker]

I have a friend who works in the tourist industry in Thailand for the last 5 years and he was saying the other day business was very slow for this time of year and they are already getting cancelations for bookings later on in the year which was a bigger fear for his company, things really need to improve quickly or the goose will be gone for good, tourists are just not a cash commodity they are people.

[John1thru10]

Hey...

Does anyone else here, remember all the people on this forum, who all kept repeating 'NO ONE WILL MISS YOU' to everyone who had a visa problem? I remember them.

Do you remember all the people who said over and over that tourism won't be affected at all, while defending all the crackdowns? I do. I remember them.

Remember when all the guys here said - with complete self assurance - that the economy won't miss them at all, while telling everyone to get out?

Well, all those people here, were completely wrong. All the crackdowns and picking on tourists DID affect the economy, and A LOT.

Edited October 14, 2014 by John1thru10