Thai tourism industry: 'Martial law killing arrivals'

[kkup]

Blame the BIB on the tourist slump.

[koosdeboer]

So martial law has no effect on bookings in chiang mai, phuket and koh samui? Only Bangkok reading this story.

[NativeSon360]

As was quoted in a previous post, Chinese, Russians, Japanese etc don't spend money in Thailand apart from the flights, hotel and tours.They will walk about all day/night never venture into a bar, take photographs then go back to their hotel and eat food and drink they have bought from the Supermarket. Another thing they don't do is tip, went on a tour the other day and nowhere did they leave a tip. Spain is suffering the same with the influx of Chinese/Russians, bars are all empty, it's not in their culture to sit in a Bar or Restaurant and spend money.

Obviously you've never been to either China, or Russia. Both are big-time bar boozing people, with the Chinese taking the Silver Medal. The difference is that they don't wash their dirty laundry in public places, as much as most westerners from the UK, US, and some Western Europeans do.

[h90]

That news just made it on the prisonplanet.com webpage......but not even they know what to make with these news....

[NativeSon360]

So martial law has no effect on bookings in chiang mai, phuket and koh samui? Only Bangkok reading this story.

It doesn't matter, either way. The really rich western people visit Thailand once. They buy a T-shirt, but never return. Most constant tourists to LOS are working-class (for wages) poor people, who book their flights to SEA 6-months in advance. They cannot afford to pay the cost of cancelling, or re-routing their holiday destinations. They have no choice, regardless of street-crime level, or the political atmosphere. Western tourists are still traveling to Little Odessa, in the Ukraine. An internationally-known "war-zone". Go figure!

Edited October 14, 2014 by NativeSon360

[kaobang]

they forgot to add the visa crackdown for long term tourists ...which is one of the reasons like it or not

That is a ridicules statement. To the best of my knowledge a long term tourist can get a double 60 day entry and in some cases a triple entry. Each one capable of extending it's expiry date by 30 days to give a long term tourist 180 days and in some cases 270 days. I don't believe you are talking about long term tourists you are talking about people trying to live here with out declaring it.

i said like it or not give me a break.whatever this people are long term tourists or people trying to live here with out declaring it...they will move to an other country where they can stay without nuisance thats it

Edited October 14, 2014 by kaobang

[dunks]

The figures are flawed. The place is dead and it will continue through the high season. Even free flights wouldn't bring in the masses here the way things are. They are in shit street and they know it.

So many problems, ample time and opportunity to have done something about it. Just a complete lack of any desire by anyone to actually do anything about the problems. Nothing but contempt for any non-Thai.

I hope the numbers of visitors and the money they spend are massively decreased for a while. Perhaps then the message may get across.

SOM NAM NA.

[merlen10002]

The hotel where my wife works in Pattaya is 4 star it has 700 rooms, from March till now only 100 or a little more occupied most of the time, the reason,, protests , coup, martial law, most to blame, most group booking are three months in advance and pre paid, this is why it took a few months to take affect, the hotel is in a great position with its own beach, and a nice hotel. Travel agents in overseas countries are advising against holidays in Thailand because of this reasons. so the hotel manager informed my wife. maybe the manager may just know.

[fab4]

The usual mixed messages from the tourism sector. Of course ATTA and THA represent those who are actually financially involved whereas TAT is an official organisation living in it's own world where everything is positive. I know who I'm more likely to believe.

Well in the years I have been here your comments have been the normal run of the mill comments. Regardless of the fact that tourism has grown considerable. Posters keep on repeating the same thing. We are at the outset of the high season let us look back on it after the season for a change rather than before it. As for martial law I wonder how many of the posters would even be aware of it if they weren't constantly reminded of it on Thai Visa. I know it in no way affects my life or any one I know. It is my understanding that the bar scene is affected because they are being made to obey the law. What is the problem with that? If you are a bar hanger on yes you are going to be reading all kinds of doom and gloom into it. But I don't believe there is really that high a percentage of tourists that just come here to drink every night all night long.

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.

Oh perleeease tell me how you can present Martial Law as a positive boost to Tourism?

http://www.9news.ph/news/world/2014/05/20/thailands-armed-forces-declares-martial-law

Edited October 14, 2014 by fab4

[NativeSon360]

In a land where a working person gets 300THB or less a day, the only thing cheap is labor. Hotels are too high, property is too high, food and shopping is too high. Even this so called cheap sex is too high, Sorry Ladies I Love you all !!

The only other thing reasonable is the Taxi, when you use the Meter. Motorcycle Taxi are good. Tuk Tuks and truck taxi like Pattaya are too high, although I ride one every now and then just for the fun of it.

Marial Law has nothing to do with it except the media runs their mouths. I have lived here 11 years and it is the same only more expensive. The only way Martial Law has bothered me is they interupt my Elglish Speaking TV with this Thai explanation of what they want to do to improve the lives of all elimnate corruption.

I first returned to Thailand in 94'. The Bangkok Taxi Cab "regulated" base-rate was 35bht. It remains 35bht., 20-years later. The Tuk Tuks and Songklaos are not "meter" regulated. Perhaps that the reason for the fare difference. Your guess, as to the reason why, is as good as mine. My opinion: Thailand still gives the overall best bang, for the buck, when compared to other retirement locations, on a global scale. Cheers

[a99az]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

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.

Give the soldier time and he too will soon discover ways to enrich his life.

[NativeSon360]

The usual mixed messages from the tourism sector. Of course ATTA and THA represent those who are actually financially involved whereas TAT is an official organisation living in it's own world where everything is positive. I know who I'm more likely to believe.

Well in the years I have been here your comments have been the normal run of the mill comments. Regardless of the fact that tourism has grown considerable. Posters keep on repeating the same thing. We are at the outset of the high season let us look back on it after the season for a change rather than before it. As for martial law I wonder how many of the posters would even be aware of it if they weren't constantly reminded of it on Thai Visa. I know it in no way affects my life or any one I know. It is my understanding that the bar scene is affected because they are being made to obey the law. What is the problem with that? If you are a bar hanger on yes you are going to be reading all kinds of doom and gloom into it. But I don't believe there is really that high a percentage of tourists that just come here to drink every night all night long.

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.

Oh perleeease tell me how you can present Martial Law as a positive boost to Tourism?

http://www.9news.ph/news/world/2014/05/20/thailands-armed-forces-declares-martial-law

Governments are the same, all over the world. The imposed Martial Law statutes_in Thailand have absolutely no impact on "universally" Law Abiding global citizens, regardless of whatever country they may come from, either as a tourist, or expat visa resident. Obey the law! Respect the ways of the culture (like them or not) . Have no serious problems. Done deal

Edited October 14, 2014 by NativeSon360

[tonypace02]

All of this is sheer crap. Not one professional study nor one serious poll has been undertaken to give credence to any proposed reason for the drop in tourism. So I will give the only reason that is supported by all the evidence and speculation. Tourism in Thailand is dropping BECAUSE IT IS.

[NativeSon360]

they forgot to add the visa crackdown for long term tourists ...which is one of the reasons like it or not

That is a ridicules statement. To the best of my knowledge a long term tourist can get a double 60 day entry and in some cases a triple entry. Each one capable of extending it's expiry date by 30 days to give a long term tourist 180 days and in some cases 270 days. I don't believe you are talking about long term tourists you are talking about people trying to live here with out declaring it.

i said like it or not give me a break.whatever this people are long term tourists or people trying to live here with out declaring it...they will move to an other country where they can stay without nuisance thats it

I can guarantee you, with absolute certainty, that Thailand is as good, as it will "ever" get, for a western expat living in SEA.

[NativeSon360]

All of this is sheer crap. Not one professional study nor one serious poll has been undertaken to give credence to any proposed reason for the drop in tourism. So I will give the only reason that is supported by all the evidence and speculation. Tourism in Thailand is dropping BECAUSE IT IS.

Your comment "Tourism in Thailand is dropping BECAUSE IT IS." , was quite sufficient, sir! All the comments on this forum (including my own) are, for the most part, made by expats, just like yourself, who are attempting to bring a little rhyme & reason "activity" into their not very exciting expat lives_in LOS. Otherwise, this forum would be like a total ghost-town. However, you're absolutely right! Tourism in Thailand is dropping BECAUSE IT IS

[Soiyamoto]

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.

agree

[connda]

Killing tourists is killing arrivals.

[carter1882]

Having seen some of the tourists at an Eastern seaboard holiday resort recently it surely would appear that a drop in tourist arrivals has to be a good thing. This could be helped by charging considerably for visas. This free entry for all and sundry should be reviewed as a matter of urgency. Either that or stop charging for visas to visit cold and inhospitable places like the UK would at least be a good example of reciprocality.

[Thai Visa Service]

During Political crisis and unrest, even 2010, people kept coming and used our and other company Visa Renewal Service.

But since CRACK DOWN, all visa run related business is down by 50-80%.

No kidding.

You might want to mention that a lot of your service was 90 day reports. At the time you could just take a copy of the passport in. Now you have to take the pass port in so the customer instead of going to your place of business once a year has to go eight times a year. Many is the time I have gone in and it only took less than half an hour at the worst it was an hour and a half but that was only twice.

Also you for the most part are not dealing with tourist Visas you are dealing with permanent residents of Thailand with there multitude of needs. Business School marriage retirement and what not. It would be interesting to see if there has not also been an increase in the number of companies doing the same services.

Our business is 100% related to actual Visa Run Service. Day trips to Cambodia and the Visa application at the Royal Thai Embassy in Vientiane.

[fab4]

Governments are the same, all over the world. The imposed Martial Law statutes_in Thailand have absolutely no impact on "universally" Law Abiding global citizens, regardless of whatever country they may come from, either as a tourist, or expat visa resident. Obey the law! Respect the ways of the culture (like them or not) . Have no serious problems. Done deal

How naive. Just because they haven't enforced all provisions of Martial Law* (yet), doesn't mean they won't - and they don't care if you're a "universally law abiding citizen" or not.

* http://www.thailawforum.com/laws/Martial%20Law.pdf

Obey the Law! Respect my Authority!

[Nickymaster]

Governments are the same, all over the world. The imposed Martial Law statutes_in Thailand have absolutely no impact on "universally" Law Abiding global citizens, regardless of whatever country they may come from, either as a tourist, or expat visa resident. Obey the law! Respect the ways of the culture (like them or not) . Have no serious problems. Done deal

How naive. Just because they haven't enforced all provisions of Martial Law* (yet), doesn't mean they won't - and they don't care if you're a "universally law abiding citizen" or not.

* http://www.thailawforum.com/laws/Martial%20Law.pdf

Obey the Law! Respect my Authority!

Wwoaw, spreading fear. Well done Fab4. Showing your true colors.

[kaobang]

Having seen some of the tourists at an Eastern seaboard holiday resort recently it surely would appear that a drop in tourist arrivals has to be a good thing. This could be helped by charging considerably for visas. This free entry for all and sundry should be reviewed as a matter of urgency. Either that or stop charging for visas to visit cold and inhospitable places like the UK would at least be a good example of reciprocality.

reciprocality?what abou the 180 baht atm fee

[Wombat6]

It is time TAT stopped blaming other people/events for their shortcomings

[Wombat6]

Governments are the same, all over the world. The imposed Martial Law statutes_in Thailand have absolutely no impact on "universally" Law Abiding global citizens, regardless of whatever country they may come from, either as a tourist, or expat visa resident. Obey the law! Respect the ways of the culture (like them or not) . Have no serious problems. Done deal

How naive. Just because they haven't enforced all provisions of Martial Law* (yet), doesn't mean they won't - and they don't care if you're a "universally law abiding citizen" or not.

* http://www.thailawforum.com/laws/Martial%20Law.pdf

Obey the Law! Respect my Authority!

Wwoaw, spreading fear. Well done Fab4. Showing your true colors.

He has been showing his true "Red" colour for years

[tomyumchai]

"enjoy 24 hours of thailand" is what theyre really trying to promote. I:E come here for 24hours only but spend enough money for 1 year. they are making it very very difficult for us Brits to get a visa these years, ive given up on getting another O, the O-A can only be got by travelling on a 2 day 400 mile trip but to even get that i have to be tested for obsquere african diseases that no-one in the UK has even heard of. i can only get tested privately for those diseases in london.

that will work out at somewhere near £2000 just so i can come to thailand and spend 5 times what i spend in the UK in a year.

other friends of mine without ties to thailand are now going to the philipines or new zealand.

thailand, sort out the stupid visa requirements, unless you really do have a problem with British people entering the kingdom with leprosy and huge testicles that need to be carried in a wheelbarrow??

.........buster gonads was a cartoon character in viz magazine.....none of us have that for real Fer FS!

Edited October 14, 2014 by tomyumchai

[NativeSon360]

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.

But, alas...all good things can come to an end....if not managed responsibly and effectively, just ask the rice farmers .

Short-sightedness and greed being just two of the prevalent factors that can accelerate a fall from grace.

JohnThailandJohn - You're absolutely right. The Richard Forbrain Society members abound in the western world. Regardless of how many sufficient "words to the wise" are given for free, a fool is born every minute, especially among the western male genre of "expats-to-sea".

[Arandora]

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.

To say that the last year has been a normal year for visitors booking their holidays to Thailand in times of greater global awareness of what has been happening in Thailand when reports have been more regular over the prolonged protest period, the ensuing coup and its fairly immediate impact on "ordinary" tourists on "ordinary" two or three beach holidays (not just removal of sunbeds and umbrellas but removal of beach restaurants, dining in the sand, massage places etc. all of which exist in competitive tourism countries) is naive and totally unrealistic. Take off your rose tinted glasses JohnThailandJohn and instead of attaching labels of "doom and gloomers" to those who have not been "saying this for so long" as there has never been as big a "potential" impact on the current thinking and planning of tourists as the events of the last year.

This time last year just before the protests in Bangkok started here in the UK Thailand was the most rapidly growing destination for UK tourists. Newspapers were full of "good news" stories and articles. Pages full of adverts for LOS. Major European based operator launches non-stop flights from London to Phuket, the only ones from UK, promotes package holidays for the first time in a decade. Flights over the Peak Xmas/New Year period were full. At the moment, only "bad news" reports, very few adverts for LOS except for the package company that has undoubtedly got far fewer bookings than it expected or planned for, and a series of "special offer" flight sales from the major airlines serving Thailand with still availability over the Peak Period. From friends in Germany and Scandinavia the story is the same. Oh, I forgot "quality tourists" from China and Russia will make up for that!

[seajae]

you gotta love the bullsh*t these people come up with while trying to cover up the fact that it is everything else happening that is actually killing it off. I have spoken to several people that have just visited and are going to visit, martial law has nothing to do with it, they say it makes them feel safer but what did worry them was all the crime, rales, killings, muggings, the taxi/tuk tuk mafia etc. They are more concerned with locals ripping them off than anything else and now with all the actual stories of what they are doing here in the news it is adding fuel to the fire. Thailand is a great country but their are too many corrupt people, when tourists know that they are going to be targeted simply because they are not locals they tend to back off, having to pay many times more for admission to several places, having to pay bribes etc to police for made up infractions, police backing the rip offs by the local taxi/tuk tuk/motor bike/jet ski hire places, then the rapes and murders that the police simply refuse to investigate properly or at all or blame the tourist seeing no thai would ever do anything that. They want to sort it out they need to stop all the corruption, tourists are awake to all the sh*t they are peddling now, thainess has been seen for what it is, a load of crap.

[fab4]

Governments are the same, all over the world. The imposed Martial Law statutes_in Thailand have absolutely no impact on "universally" Law Abiding global citizens, regardless of whatever country they may come from, either as a tourist, or expat visa resident. Obey the law! Respect the ways of the culture (like them or not) . Have no serious problems. Done deal

How naive. Just because they haven't enforced all provisions of Martial Law* (yet), doesn't mean they won't - and they don't care if you're a "universally law abiding citizen" or not.

* http://www.thailawforum.com/laws/Martial%20Law.pdf

Obey the Law! Respect my Authority!

Wwoaw, spreading fear. Well done Fab4. Showing your true colors.

Oh, oh, the junta punters have sensed blood.......................

[pjmansions]

Martial Law will certainly be a factor of low tourism but it is not the sole reason for a decline in tourists as i see it are

A military coup

Demonstrations (pre Coup)

High profile murder case on Koh Tao which many believe has been mishandled and the real killers are still at large

The Thai baht is being over valued making Thailand an expensive holiday destination

decades of unscrupulous Thai vendors/mafia being allowed to target holiday makers for various scams (now in the days of social media when someone has a bad experience in Thailand they post on social media sites such as FB and it is visible to all their friends and friends/friends resulting in people choosing an alternative holiday destination )

This creates the perfect storm and results in 2.2 million less tourists