PM Prayut wants quality tourists to visit Thailand

[emilymat]

prayuth seemed to be doing a good job for the first three months but now the power seems to have gone to his head and without proper feedback due to censorship he is in danger of becoming delusional.

It seems that he should have handed over to a quality statesman like Anand Panyachun who understands things like economic reform and foreign relations. Prayuth could have retained power behind the scenes in the NCPO and taken credit if things went well.

You raise a very good point. when the coup took place many on this forum applauded the general - they were entitled so to do, but I was not one of them.

The problem is that after a period, anyone with absolute power begins to believe their own propaganda and the messages fro their officials, designed to 'please' the leader.

History shows it has happened all over the world. Very sad but true. I, for one, will be leaving early next year after seven years - simply because I believe things will get worse and more bizarre. Sad really but..........

You never applauded the General because of denial re--PTP ??? Thaksin--amnesty---thought he had absolute power----BUT .

Why didn't you think about leaving during the diabolical Yingluck era. ????? far worse than this, and now you believe it will get worse and bizarre. ???

Just a tad biased I think.----your pigeon.

That is quite outrageous of you. Making assumptions about other people. I have no involvement or particular view about previous administrations, but at least that government was elected by the Thai's, even if you appear not to recognise that. I'm afraid you're the bigot.

[ScubaPhuket]

I don't know why people are so intent on bashing Russians, I know a few very well & they're some of the nicest people I know. They can appear generally abrasive & rude to some but you have to take into account their customs & the environment & system that they grew up in. Get past that & you'll be able to get to know them for the good people that they are, assuming the language barrier doesn't get in the way. There are some bad eggs of course but they don't make up the majority.

As for his worship, does he realise that he just insulted millions of visitors at a time when the TAT is crying out for help.

Don't bite the hand that feeds you sir.

[mania]

Simple truth is if poor quality tourist come for ....mmmm services that attract them......

Then a government allowing those supposedly illegal services should cut those off & of course the customers seeking those services would stop

coming......But truth is those services are bought as much or more by local Thai's so no cutting that off

Also tourists in general are not big spenders per se'....Most have a vacation & it has its limits.

Thailand attracts those with lower limits because of perceived value per $

Of course a place like Monte Carlo will attract bigger $$$ tourists with its services that require bigger $$$

But really a country that wants more.... needs to give more.

I am not saying it would be a good result but most countries that want more investment, allow investing...meaning

Allow purchase of real estate, allow setting up of business etc. where the one investing capital feel safe, secure, has rights,protection by laws in place

While these things may be semi legal to some degree now they are not considered safe &

not really attractive to $$$$ investors at this stage

Edited October 15, 2014 by mania

[mommysboy]

Maybe worth looking at it from the Thai point of view, a small minority come to Thailand and act in all sorts of ways: vulgar to downright dangerous, it's not fun, it's not hedonism, and it leads to chaos, and sometimes tragedy. Take Pattaya for instance, personally I think the place is great, and I wouldn't want a single bar or venue closed, and hope things pick up. But I don't want drunken stupidity spilling out on to the streets, or loud garish behaviour, brainless morons on motor bikes druggies or farang vagrants, or sadly, people that come with a death wish which they often accomplish one way or another! And think of the effect on some of the Thais, at least part of the reason why Thais go off the rails too. All this gives Thailand a bad name for something which isn't all their fault.

So a badly worded statement...again, but I see the point. Nobody criticesed Spain when they were afflicted by drunken British yobs puking in the street.

Equally, the site of rats on the beach at night, and pickpocket ladyboys, are but 2 examples of where the Thais themselves really need to think about 'quality' too.

[realenglish1]

What I am reading between the lines is this. " No one has any idea what to do with Tourism since the coup and murder on the Island. Tourism is hurting and everyone including the Prime Minister are grappling for a way to get back the lost tourists.

You need to first reform the TAT and get some Westerners on board so they can better target the Western Markets where tourism is falling .

People from China don't really care about the coup. They have a totalitarian government so pay little attention to politics. As for Westerners I don't need to go into it.

but you get the picture.

[Fat Haggis]

More hot air from the worn out old soldier.

With no criminal record checks for short term visitors, and visa free entry, how on earth will this be done in practice? Ah I got it - visas will be needed by everyone. As if tourism wasn't totally screwed already, this guy is trying to make it a whole lot worse.

There's always the recent suggestion of Martial Tourism, I guess. Watch them come over in droves!

Name dropping------what about comparing Chalerm antics, The PM can run rings round him. Had PTP organized themselves and run the job according to the vows they took, there would be little work for the PM to do.

Talk about name dropping??? How does your coffee taste in the mornings with having your tongue so far up a rectal passage ????

You have nothing constructive to add but just point out the previous governments failings and you didn't leave in all the other botch jobs either, in case you've had your head in the same place as your tongue, your hero has shown poor diplomacy and tact over the entire Koh Tao incident.

Your hero is no politician he needs to step aside and let people with knowledge start running the show, the General had hid moment as coup maker, he's NOT the right man to lead Thailand, he's making brammers every week and making himself look like a buffoon, he's had his day, wanting to be PM is going to be his own downfall, as he will not heed any advice to think before he speaks.

Most Thais I speak to that speak English don't see any changes for the better, unfortunately they can't speak out or else they have to go to "education " camps, that's not very warm and welcoming in the peace and reconcile moment is it?

And still I see short sighted and narrow minded people harp on about backpackers as if an ordinary tourist is a total saint!!!

[Seekingasylum]

This man quite plainly hasn't a clue.

The TAT and successive governments over the past 30 years have pushed a policy of mass tourism. The entire industry is founded upon that policy and the only factor driving it is the desire to see those numbers increased year on year. Achieving the projected targets is the only imperative since that is what translates into revenue contributing to GDP.

Five thousand tourists spending a week in 5 star accommodation is no different in terms of receipts than, say, 50,000 staying in backpacker rooms etc but, arguably, their expenditure will be more and distributed across a broader spectrum of service providers.

In terms of prostitution etc, although impossible to quantify easily, it is a given that foreign remittances received by members of the leisure entertainment sector in Thailand arising from holiday visits by the single man demographic amounts to the millions of baht annually.

This wooly minded nonsense of " quality " tourism is daft in the context of Thailand which caters to all sectors of the market, each of which is as important as the other.

Incidentally, the Thai charge d'affaires who attended the Foreign Office meeting in London was summoned under the protocol dictated by the Vienna Convention. Stating that it was a mere invitation is nonsense.

The summons was a rebuke for the disgraceful behaviour of the Thai who deliberately placed a lie in the two English language daily newspapers published in Bangkok falsely claiming that the British Ambassador, Mark Kent, had stated he was satisfied with the conduct of the Royal Thai Police in their investigation of the murder case of Koh Tao and that the British government would not seek to involve itself in the investigation. The concocted quote, since withdrawn by the Thai PBS, was used by the current Prime Minister as further so-called evidence of international confidence in the Thai police.

Appalling conduct and not what one expects from responsible government.

[transam]

If thats what they want they must first install "quality" police protection and learn how farangland has moved on to protect and not extort.........

[littlebw]

Maybe he wants more people like Tim so that they can rob and set up?

https://www.facebook.com/timshark?fref=ts

[RickvanHeijningen]

Another example of discrimination, Tourist and expatriates are discriminated against everywhere access parks etc..

[outsider]

I have a few well-to-do friends - these are people who have successful businesses or have worked to the point where the residual income allows them to be jobless AND well-fed, probably for the rest of their lives. And they travel with their backpacks. They don't stay at fancy 18-star hotels and resorts, they don't eat food fit for emperors, they take the bus and train like everyone else and they go places on their own instead of in an 18-star luxury coach. The last time they were in BKK, they stayed at some budget hotels next to the BTS line. I took them around and they specifically said they wanted to be exposed, explore, understand and appreciate local culture and Thai people. So, no river cruise dinners, no Siam Paragon, no over-priced seafood chains.

They bothered to understand and respect local culture and customs, even attempted to speak some Thai, to the amusement of the local people they came across. The experience was completely positive - I think the locals appreciated my friends for their sincerity, and my friends enjoyed some real Thai hospitality in return.

These people did not splurge unecessarily, but they did not stinge either. At the end of the day, most of the money they spent went straight into the pockets of the Thais. Not some global hotel chains, global tour operators or something along those lines. The only thing they did was hire a local guide (and this was procured through a trusted local contact) to help them along a little.

My friends also didn't arrive with a planeload of LV-branded luggage and looking like they stepped out of some magazine's fashion spread. In fact, they look like any ordinary backpackers. So General Sir, put a filter where the gap is and redefine 'quality tourist', will you?

Edited October 15, 2014 by outsider

[belg]

the only quality control will be : the seize of their wallets

[gemini81]

Was Yingluck this bad? Everyday something new, then the next day a contradiction to the previous day?

You yellow people are off your heads kowtowing to these ramblings?

As my wife said, "who is the new General"?

Rememder don't shoot the messenger.

Worse: she couldn't even put sentences together, and her mind possessed no ability to think.

[givenall]

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Tourists wants more quality Thais.

I guess for the tourist safety they would have to rich (high quality) so they can heir their own body guard to protect them against scams, mugging and murder

[Kru Baa]

Here we go again with t he "we want quality tourist". I once knew a meth head single mother of four (all from different fathers) living in a trailer park complaining that she can't find a quality man. I wonder if she would be interested in being the next PM of Thailand. Looks like we have another idiot at the wheel.

[Gweiloman]

Was Yingluck this bad? Everyday something new, then the next day a contradiction to the previous day?

You yellow people are off your heads kowtowing to these ramblings?

As my wife said, "who is the new General"?

Rememder don't shoot the messenger.

Worse: she couldn't even put sentences together, and her mind possessed no ability to think.

"her mind possessed no ability to think"

Neither does yours, judging from your posts.

[perdido]

...Thais just practising conceptual idealism;the world is constructed by words/mental concepts....'mental', being the operative word.....

[Seekingasylum]

Non quality tourists should be as follows: (1) Alcoholics millions here already. Easy to spot. Beer Lao wife beater T-shirts , red faces, dress like total slops. (2) Sex tourists= Alcoholics rid Thailand of these scum and things would greatly improve. (3) FMP Gap Year Idiots can spot them a mile away add (1) and (2) to that list. (4) Foreign Criminals again easy to spot. Better background checks are needed. (5) Hippie broke wannabes Khao San Road /Pai crowd. Thailand needs to copy Bhutan far fewer scum = better tourists and far fewer problems.

If Thailand wishes to offer a Mauritius or Seychelles like experience then there is a small matter of infrastructure. As far as I am aware there is no functioning controlled pedestrian crossing anywhere in Thailand. This is a minor issue to anyone living here but for most well heeled tourists of high net worth the crossing of a road in a city or town without the fear of imminent death is an expectation thwy rather take for granted.

Your shallow thinking is well demonstrated and not worth argument but I do have a question for you. How much do you think in a year the Full Moon parties generate from those young folk you affect to despise so much?

[rafish]

Perhaps there could be a compromise: Some quality tourists inexchange for some quality Thai's? Smug Gent isn't he?

[retsdon]

So has anyone defined what's meant by a 'quality' tourist?

[Prbkk]

This story is so, so old. Goes back to the time of Prem and before and raised again under Thaksin: Thailand shouldn't be seen as red light, down market, slightly sleazy, edgy but instead should go head to head with Singapore and Hong Kong as "quality" destination for "quality" tourists. Doomed to fail in that regard.

Thailand is a quality destination in its own right: great sights, interesting culture, vibrant night-life, good if not great shopping, the sex option for those wanting it, backpacker paradise and aging hippies in their element, good for drunks and tight-&lt;deleted&gt; , excellent food, cheap accommodation at 5 star and long term.

His focus should be on trying to provide better experiences for ALL those who CHOOSE Thailand as a destination rather than trying to select a certain sector of a very crowded and highly competitive market at the very top end.

I'm sure TAT is well meaning but they do appear to be clueless when it comes to understanding why tourists choose Thialnd and how to capitalise on the strengths and attractions it has NOW.

For some reason I'm reminded of Lee Kwan Yew and the haircuts for hippies program in Singapore , as a precondition for entry, about 40 years ago. let's hope it doesn't come to that.

[arthurwait]

Entry denied, quality status not approved.

The first time they do this & it gets reported in international press, arrivals will drop by 30%

Will travel agents around the world start advising their clients to arrive here looking ' quality ' so wear designer clothes, have designer luggage and confirmed accommodation in an up market hotel / resort ?

Next part of the conversation will be possibly be about alternative destinations.

But you can wear all the illegal thai fakes on the way out.

[gemini81]

Everyone in office can't seem to resist reaching for those 'elite' cards to attract the highest quality...can see the rebirth of that coming soon...the ChiCom elite card, for wealthy Chinese investors/tourists......

[retsdon]

One thing about the backpackers. Their money pretty much all goes straight into local pockets. Most of the money spent by your international resort stayer goes into the pocket of a multi-national leisure corporation or travel business. All the locals get is low paid seasonal employment.

'Quality' is a moveable adjective.

[anselpixel]

The general is merely the smiling bureaucratic face that's been pasted over a ruthless establishment.

He is not paid to be thoughtful or gracious.

He is paid to maintain order by whatever means necessary.

So far, he's earning his paycheck.

[Thanet]

More hot air from the worn out old soldier.

With no criminal record checks for short term visitors, and visa free entry, how on earth will this be done in practice? Ah I got it - visas will be needed by everyone. As if tourism wasn't totally screwed already, this guy is trying to make it a whole lot worse.

There's always the recent suggestion of Martial Tourism, I guess. Watch them come over in droves!

Name dropping------what about comparing Chalerm antics, The PM can run rings round him. Had PTP organized themselves and run the job according to the vows they took, there would be little work for the PM to do.

Eh? Why on earth do you keep banging on about Chalerm and the PTP?

All we are talking about here is the effect that the present circumstances, and this proposed policy, are having on tourism.

[AloisAmrein]

And what about the quality of Thailand? Scams, martial law, murders of tourists, dirty streets, increasing criminality. The general should first care about this, number of tourists is down by more then 10% compared to last year.

[max72]

No quality tourist would have dream to go to the world's most corrupt country. Expect total destruction of the tourism industry, widespread desperation and famine coming in few months....and if this happens, Thais have already been told it clearly: the government will do nothing for you: go and die ! Welcome to the Land of Smile !

[max72]

One thing about the backpackers. Their money pretty much all goes straight into local pockets. Most of the money spent by your international resort stayer goes into the pocket of a multi-national leisure corporation or travel business. All the locals get is low paid seasonal employment.

'Quality' is a moveable adjective.

1000 backpackers together spend more than 1 super quality tourist.

It is a matter of mathematics. How ,many backpackers there are vs. "quality tourists"

And what defines a quality tourist ? Not to be in his 20s ? Not to wear a backpack ? How much money is he supposed to spend ?

You can't have cash with you in the airports more than 5000 or 10000 euros, so how can Thailand be sure in advance how much money one tourist on arrival will spend with his credit card ? I am not going to carry 30000 or 40000 euros which is forbidden, i always have my credit cards. They can't know if I am quality or not quality.

[max72]

Everyone wants quality....on both sides.

Quality security and fair play will bring the quality tourist.

The first step must be taken.

Ridiculous. Quality tourists do not stay away due to any security issue.

They stay away because there are better destinations for quality tourists to visit. Countries that are less commercially developed, have cleaner beaches, have cleaner city sidewalks, have less touts, offer safe activities for their children, offer more activities like golfing and sport-fishing, etc..

And less of a reputation as ground zero for sexual exploitation.

Thailand's tourism future is going to be Chinese (who are not bothered by heavy pollution) and Russian (who are bothered by neither pollution or corruption) and 20-something backpackers ( who are too drugged up to be bothered about much anything--even the need to use soap).

Cheers

Chinese don't want to go to a ultra violent, corrupt and racist country like Thailand. This year the biggest lost of tourists was from Chinese.

I have been in China and there are negative news and articles about Thailand all the time. Thailand is seen as a pariah country there, that's why Chinese prefer more decent destinations.

Yes, Russian mafia is welcomed , in fact Russians are free to do as many visas runs they want, together with their Nigerian mafia friends who took up whole parts of Sukhumvit and Prathunam.

Criminals and scammers are welcomed in Thailand, genuine tourists will be turned away . Great job !