Thailand: Push for more European tourists

[JOC]

Thailand doesn't deserve more European tourists. There are better countries to go to like Burma or Cambodia. Considering the appalling attitude of the government with regard to recent events i'd like to see the country stagnate.

You have clearly never been to either Burma or Cambodia!! They are lightyears behind Thailand. As for safety, try to take a walk in Phnom Penh at night!!

[JOC]

The euros don,t come here for culture. They come here for two reasons. Can you guess what ? And yes Vietnam is far better for culture. Thailand has the idea cover every square inch with Euros , girly bars, foreign restaurants and resorts. Zero charm and no American or Canadian with any brain cells left, that is not already married to a Thai would think of staying or visiting here. i did not move to Thailand twenty years ago to be around millions of very questionable Euros granted not all are bad but i think the majority of Thais have had enough of the Euros, Russians and the middle east types.

As a European, please allow me on behalf of my fellow Europeans to thank you, for confirming, what we already knew about the American level of "knowledge".

What a load of BS!!

[Schimi]

Stop those stupid border runs and more will come and spend winters in Thailand, Schimi

What? After giving the developed world the two fingers and chasing Chinese and Russians, they want to now get their quality tourists back?

Amazing Thailand.....

Judging from the article,they seem to rate them not much different than Cambodian tourists ... this is just one small part of tourism efforts. Beyond Russia, the top ten tourist arrivals by country this year probably won't include a European nation. Despite record breaking tourist numbers and revenue last year, the UK was 10th last year with less visitors than Australia and about 1/5th of that of China. Of the 26 Million visitors last year less than 3 Million were from Europe (excluding Russia)and remember how so many here love to say these numbers are not accurate because of border runs. Point being is I am sure they would love to see a higher increase than they saw last year with European tourists but it is just a piece of the pie. They were right to focus on China as they were able to capitalize on economic timing and increase Chinese visitors about 3 fold in as many years. While UK visitors over the last 10 years has been fairly steady with just a slight increase in this period. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_Thailand#Top_20_arrivals_by_nationality

These numbers are all over the place from analysing tourism. Malaysia is normally first and Laos is in the top 10.

They all know the Europeans spend the most. No harm in admitting it.

They chased Russia, now the ruble is in the pan. They chased Chinese with zero cost tours. Boom. They chased Indian weddings.

Meanwhile the humble European sexpat got f*****d, except not IN Thailand.

Clean up Hua hin, samui and one other and make them really 5 star. Striftly zone phuket, turn patong into pattaya and clean up the rest. Let pattaya go back to what it does best.

Don't mix sex with family tourists.

Europeans spend the least per day but they stay longer than other countries ... an average of 16 1/2 Days compared to about 7 Days by Asians and a total average of 10 Days for all countries. So yes, overall they leave the most money here.

[maidee]

in the thai people's mind, ko tao has been resolved and people are invited back to come spend their money, as if nothing happend ...

[JOC]

Hope they are successful, with so many ordinary Thais dependant on the tourist-industry for their livelihood!!

No they deserve utter failure until they clear Koh Tao murders and get honest police

So you think that Somchai, Chang, Lek, Mok and Pom and small business-operators should pay the price for the failure of Thai politicians??

Doesn't make sense to me!!

Well they "did" have a vote

So did the people working in the mining-sector under Margareth Thatcher!!

Or did they deserve it too??

[Shaunduhpostman]

I'd go so far as to say that actually, no, Thailand does not want more European tourists, tourism isn't terribly important to this country as far as contributing to the economy. It is only ever around 6 percent of the GDP, if I'm not mistaken. Developing manufacturing and agriculture is and should be their priority if they want to improve the standard of living, tourism is in some ways a bit like kow towing and grovelling to foreigners and has a pretty low ceiling in terms of enriching people.

Thailand wants more European tourists. It's kind of like if I kick back in my lounge chair with a nice relaxing glass of white wine and some wonderful music on and gazing off into the sunset say, "I'd like a million dollars." If I really wanted 1 million dollars I'd do what needs to be done to at least have a shot at getting it, but I don't. What I really seem to want is to enjoy sunsets with a glass of wine as opposed to working in my office to develop a business or what have you to get that million dollars. Of course they want European tourists now that they seemed to have worked out they will get the most money from them, and I want 1 million dollars to materialize in my bank account. Actually, no make that 10 million dollars.

[mok199]

quality tourists can only be attained and maintained with quality service,something thailand knows nothing about....thailand knows only the tour groups ,who come for 5 days to get bused from the hotel to the crocidile farm then to the all you can eat seafood buffet...thailand has lost its charm,and it will take years for them to ever get it back.....sawadee no crap

[oztaurus]

Like they say in real estate:

"position, position, position"

This was the scenario in my email notification of top stories on TV today ....

[VINCENT2012]

easy... .

just give us tourist visa run like they gave to the high quality tourist russians , or do they prefer europeen now ???

in thailand they want (the elite...!) everything for them and giving nothing in return, well it doesnt work like this actually

time will tell

[mancub]

Problem with US is they live to work, while Sweden and Australia work to live:))

Nah. Problem with the US is that we can get anything we want in a 4 hour (or shorter) flight.

And can get 95% of what Thailand has to offer without even getting a passport...

So why is Mr 5% here??

Cobra Gold and a few who thought they were going to Taiwan ?

[Jungle Jim]

i think the knowledge you guys have is beer ,beer , cheap bar girls and more beer

The euros don,t come here for culture. They come here for two reasons. Can you guess what ? And yes Vietnam is far better for culture. Thailand has the idea cover every square inch with Euros , girly bars, foreign restaurants and resorts. Zero charm and no American or Canadian with any brain cells left, that is not already married to a Thai would think of staying or visiting here. i did not move to Thailand twenty years ago to be around millions of very questionable Euros granted not all are bad but i think the majority of Thais have had enough of the Euros, Russians and the middle east types.

As a European, please allow me on behalf of my fellow Europeans to thank you, for confirming, what we already knew about the American level of "knowledge".

What a load of BS!!

[Jungle Jim]

not enough booze after 1 am ? So why are they dislike by the vast majority ? Perhaps obnoxious drunks by the millions.

If I was a tourist seeking a short break from monotonous work I would not want to spend my hard earned break in a place where the bars close at 1.am

Where gambling [even watching] is against the law and where food/hotel prices for usually substandard quality is on even par with Europe.

Where crime is now on the increase and the tourist is seen as a cash cow and disliked by the vast majority..including those ripping him off.

[DekDaeng]

Tell us another one.

I like the way this James Bell geezer thinks that tourist decline is only due to the coup.

He couldn't be more wrong. There are many contributing factors.

Murder, corruption, bad security for tourists (no interest), crimes against tourists being released ever more regularly. Appalling human trafficking record now world news.

There are lots of things that contribute to people shying away from here. There are thousands of places to choose from to travel to. They just need to be made aware of these places through the travel agents authorities worldwide. That is what put Thailand where it was.

They didn't help themselves when two reps from the Australian Association of Travel Agents were attacked and one murdered a couple of years ago.... These are the things you can not reverse. Once you lose support from these organizations, it is game over.

Could they possibly appreciate the effect of having not insignificant numbers of whiteys here, goodmouthing the place?

No.

Also, need some reasons for goodmouthing -

[Jungle Jim]

boom boom and you forgot booze number one priority

Problem with US is they live to work, while Sweden and Australia work to live:))

Nah. Problem with the US is that we can get anything we want in a 4 hour (or shorter) flight.

And can get 95% of what Thailand has to offer without even getting a passport...

So why is Mr 5% here??

Boom Boom!

[EnglishJohn]

It's quite amusing to watch the merry-go round with Thai officials :

Step 1: Things going well, officials get arrogant and think they don't need farang

Step 2: Over confident officials make new rules based on their bizarre Thai logic

Step 3: After a while they realise the money is drying up

Step 4: Change the rules back to how they were

What's amazing is how this cycle is repeated across many facets of society here : I'm at the conclusion Thais are simply incapable of learning from experience. Each new person in a job thinks they know best and have to learn the hard way.

[Jungle Jim]

Israelis worried about military rule. give me a break. They are pros at it.

I have talk to friends friend who were Israelis when I visited Tel Aviv, say that they will never come to Thailand because there was a coup and its under a General rule. I told them that its safe and the protest were nothing, apparently they think a General rule is very dangerous place to be, more so than being in Israel with constant rocket firing and missile alarms going off. News can truly distort people's views, even if their friends tell them its safe, etc

[Meatwadism]

Thailand doesn't deserve more European tourists. There are better countries to go to like Burma or Cambodia. Considering the appalling attitude of the government with regard to recent events i'd like to see the country stagnate.

You have clearly never been to either Burma or Cambodia!! They are lightyears behind Thailand. As for safety, try to take a walk in Phnom Penh at night!!

Of course I have! My step mum is Burmese and I have connection there and I have visited Cambodia a few times. They might be light years behind and have problems of there own. But I wanted to make a point that if Thailand continues to turn a blind eye and do nothing to make this country a better place for tourists, why should they come here. Tourists should spend there money elsewhere. Saying one country is better might not be the best terminology. Btw I am Thai not that it matters but i'm sick of hearing all these murders, scandals, corruption while this country does nothing about them.

[nudgerman]

In a nutshell learn the great teachings of Buddha ---------- annihilate your egos, smash them and emerge into a quality nation and country that people will flock to come to.

All the negatives murder, corruption, greed, face that exist now will wither away.

Can you do it Thailand?

[VINCENT2012]

The euros don,t come here for culture. They come here for two reasons. Can you guess what ? And yes Vietnam is far better for culture. Thailand has the idea cover every square inch with Euros , girly bars, foreign restaurants and resorts. Zero charm and no American or Canadian with any brain cells left, that is not already married to a Thai would think of staying or visiting here. i did not move to Thailand twenty years ago to be around millions of very questionable Euros granted not all are bad but i think the majority of Thais have had enough of the Euros, Russians and the middle east types.

As a European, please allow me on behalf of my fellow Europeans to thank you, for confirming, what we already knew about the American level of "knowledge".

What a load of BS!!

i am also europeen and i agree with that comment from joc.

white americans should remenber that they where invaders first, and slavers too, and that their roots are most of them from europe, (poor guys, men out of jail, sent to america to colonize indians...you are immigrants...nothing else )

i worked in america, so i met many americans and it was incredible to see, talking to them that they have mainly no idea of nothing outside of america ....and this jungle jim whatever looks exactly the same, a man with no idea about what he is talking about....poor man !

[AyG]

I'd go so far as to say that actually, no, Thailand does not want more European tourists, tourism isn't terribly important to this country as far as contributing to the economy. It is only ever around 6 percent of the GDP, if I'm not mistaken.

You are mistaken. Tourism used to account for around 6.5% of GDP. However, now it's 8-9%. (Source: http://www.thaiwebsites.com/tourism.asp ) It's also a major employer, both directly and indirectly.

Developing manufacturing and agriculture is and should be their priority if they want to improve the standard of living

Should, yes. Is, no.

If Thailand were serious about developing manufacturing it would improve the education system to provide the workers needed in that industry. The lamentable state of Thai education and the complete absence of any prospect of it improving given the Thai authorities' nimbyism show that it's not.

Growth of manufacturing here is also hampered by the restrictive rules over ownership and control of businesses by foreign entities - rules which it is now proposed will be tightened up further.

As for agriculture, techniques are dated, there is very little innovation, and as a results agriculture here is inefficient and yields are comparatively low. Production of commodities such as rice and rubber is only possible with government subsidies, and still the working farmers remain heavily indebted and desperately poor. Spending just a fraction of what is spent on subsidies on education in better methods of production and encouraging growth of alternative crops would actually make a real difference to the farmers' lot. It just isn't happening enough.

Oh, and serious land reform would be a great idea, too. Give the land to the people who work it; don't let it stay in the hands of a few obscenely wealthy families.

[DieterWiehe]

Hope they are successful, with so many ordinary Thais dependant on the tourist-industry for their livelihood!!

well if the would stop the double pricing (Farang vers Thai) for everything many People would come a second and third time

[reggaebkk]

Then they may want a few more Burmese workers as well, just in case there is need of more scapegoats.

[zydeco]

The euros don,t come here for culture. They come here for two reasons. Can you guess what ? And yes Vietnam is far better for culture. Thailand has the idea cover every square inch with Euros , girly bars, foreign restaurants and resorts. Zero charm and no American or Canadian with any brain cells left, that is not already married to a Thai would think of staying or visiting here. i did not move to Thailand twenty years ago to be around millions of very questionable Euros granted not all are bad but i think the majority of Thais have had enough of the Euros, Russians and the middle east types.

As a European, please allow me on behalf of my fellow Europeans to thank you, for confirming, what we already knew about the American level of "knowledge".

What a load of BS!!

i am also europeen and i agree with that comment from joc.

white americans should remenber that they where invaders first, and slavers too, and that their roots are most of them from europe, (poor guys, men out of jail, sent to america to colonize indians...you are immigrants...nothing else )

i worked in america, so i met many americans and it was incredible to see, talking to them that they have mainly no idea of nothing outside of america ....and this jungle jim whatever looks exactly the same, a man with no idea about what he is talking about....poor man !

Vincent, as difficult as it might be for you to believe, those "many Americans" you met were not interested in you and where you came from because you and your country were probably just not important enough for them to notice.

[Suradit69]

What? After giving the developed world the two fingers and chasing Chinese and Russians, they want to now get their quality tourists back?

Amazing Thailand.....

"...they want to now get their quality tourists back?"

No they want Europeans. Preferably not the ones that the police have to capture for extradition or who fiddle with children or who beg on the streets (and then spend their donations in Pattaya bars).

"Quality" is not synonymous with race or nationality.

[catweazle]

If you don't scare people away in the first place, there will be no need to "push" for them to come back.

Western tourists staying away from Thaiand is the payback for the many clusterf#(Ks Thailand's officials created in the past year or so (with Koh Tao, Visa regulations, etc. just to name a few) along with the ever increasing anti-foreign (or shall I say downright racist) Thai sentiment in daily life and especially in regards to immigration and investment rules.

Good to see that people show they've had enough by not returning!

Perhaps Thailand is waking up now to the fact that there are several other and perhaps better tourism, retirement and investment destinations out there, but I won't be holding my breath.

Power to the people - give it to them, folks!

[robertthebruce]

Please don't get me started..

Here is three easy steps.

1. Clean up,the beaches,,the rubble and mess , are still,lying everywhere.

2. Provide decent public Transport, so,Tourists,don't need to rent Scooters and get themselves injured or,Killed.

3. Get rid of Jet Skis, they pollute the beach and are dangerous to swimmers.

This ain't Rocket Science...

[robertthebruce]

What? After giving the developed world the two fingers and chasing Chinese and Russians, they want to now get their quality tourists back?

Amazing Thailand.....

"...they want to now get their quality tourists back?"

No they want Europeans. Preferably not the ones that the police have to capture for extradition or who fiddle with children or who beg on the streets (and then spend their donations in Pattaya bars).

"Quality" is not synonymous with race or nationality.

Great holiday snap....

[zydeco]

What? After giving the developed world the two fingers and chasing Chinese and Russians, they want to now get their quality tourists back?

Amazing Thailand.....

"...they want to now get their quality tourists back?"

No they want Europeans. Preferably not the ones that the police have to capture for extradition or who fiddle with children or who beg on the streets (and then spend their donations in Pattaya bars).

"Quality" is not synonymous with race or nationality.

Looks like you found a hipster in its natural environment.

[impulse]

"Quality" is not synonymous with race or nationality.

You can expect to hear from my attorney regarding my upcoming defamation lawsuit...

[Wat dee]

Short term tactics ?

Does that include jacking up rates for accommodation to make up for dismal takings so far ?

As I posted before my great pal due here at the end of the month for an extended stay is being quoted up to triple the amount he paid last time. No discount for long stay, no deals of any description, take it or leave it.

I doubt there's even a word in thai for long term...for short time I think there's more than one.