Can Thailand Tourism Rebound After Political Unrest?

[webfact]

Can Thailand Tourism Rebound After Political Unrest?
JAMES RUGGIA

THAILAND: -- With the demonstrations over in Thailand and the news cycle focused elsewhere, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is priming the tourism pump on several fronts. The Thai tourism juggernaut had surpassed 24 million arrivals in 2013 making it one of the UNWTO’s top 10 destinations.

Optimists were predicting 28 million arrivals. Then came the demonstrations and the subsequent suspension of democratically elected government. This year, international tourist arrivals to Thailand between January and August reached 15.7 million.

Tourism in the kingdom remains off track and the TAT is involved on several fronts trying to get it back on track by highlighting new destinations, new promotions and stimulating new niches.

On the promotional front a new TV ad campaign is running through November with smarTours in Los Angeles and Friendly Planet in New York. The 30 second commercials (78 in LA and 80 in NY on CBS and NBC) are designed to drive visitors to both the operators and a dedicated website (www.Na.TourismThailand.org).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsxA_ntIfpo

Culture, people and Thai life-style are being used to “paint a vivid picture of Thailand as a truly special place where travelers can experience first-hand our culture, beauty and, of course, the Thai people themselves,” said Srimala Waraphaskul, director of TAT’s New York office.”

Full story: http://www.travelpulse.com/news/destinations/can-thailand-tourism-rebound-after-political-unrest.html

-- TRAVEL PULSE 2014-11-11

[worgeordie]

There are a lot more problems for Thailand,that would deter tourists,

than just the coup,and they need to realize this.

regards Worgeordi

[namdocmai]

It is not only the state of emergency, now which westerner likes to be in a resort full of rude russians? I can't name any.

Also the scams should stop, the police has to be changed, the baht is too high, prices are too high, double pricing has to stop, number of roadaccidents has to decline, boats have to be more safe, slavery has to be stopped, poisoned food has to be stopped, farang wear bikini's , corruption has to be stopped.

Also there are many more holiday country's on the world who are cheaper and better.

[djjamie]

It is not only the state of emergency, now which westerner likes to be in a resort full of rude russians? I can't name any.

Also the scams should stop, the police has to be changed, the baht is too high, prices are too high, double pricing has to stop, number of roadaccidents has to decline, boats have to be more safe, slavery has to be stopped, poisoned food has to be stopped, farang wear bikini's , corruption has to be stopped.

Also there are many more holiday country's on the world who are cheaper and better.

And yet some of us choose to call this place home dispute all the negatives. With that said some of us have to base ourselves here for work. and would much prefer to be in our home country in a heart beat.

Anyway enough of this. I have to exchange some AUS$ with a nice man than said he would give me a great exchange rate so I can buy a seedless watermelon for 200 baht at the shops that I will ride my motorbike too without a helmet along the freeway. Of course if the police pull me over I will pay a 100 baht bribe and continue on my merry way.

Paradise!

Cya.

[konying]

It is not only the state of emergency, now which westerner likes to be in a resort full of rude russians? I can't name any.

Also the scams should stop, the police has to be changed, the baht is too high, prices are too high, double pricing has to stop, number of roadaccidents has to decline, boats have to be more safe, slavery has to be stopped, poisoned food has to be stopped, farang wear bikini's , corruption has to be stopped.

Also there are many more holiday country's on the world who are cheaper and better.

Russians smushiang-nonsense.

Thailand was a popular destination due to cheap prices and reasonable quality food and entertainment.

Quality of EVERYTHING stayed the same while prices have doubled if not tripled.

It is no longer value for money holiday destination for anything, be it shopping, girls, boys, or just chilling.

On top of rising prices, rising crime which made international news too many times, end result less tourists and nothing will bring them back but either cheaper prices or really good exchange rates to make it cheap again

[chainarong]

It is doubtful that the coup would be much of a deterrent , various other problems enter the race and one starting to compound is competition from other countries and prices , Thailand is not as cheap as it used to be and lets face it you can't stand still so natural progression and attrition dictates you will win some and lose some, a lot of people are hurting out there and will stay closer to home , Quite a few will have a look around there own beautiful country for the first time and the term dinosaur comes to mind, you can only ride on the tourists back for so long.

[Thailand]

I don't think that any of the many countries that recommended their citizens not to travel to Thailand since the coup and the military government have rescinded those recommendations?

[thesetat2013]

When will TAT ever understand tourists?

The drop in tourism is not based solely on the political situation. That is what made people examine Thailand more closely prior to planning a trip here.

Until the Thais offer real smiles instead of smiles for the money spent and until the police stop being gangsters and until Thailand offers cleaner,and safer travel destinations without exhorbant price increases for foreigners then tourism will slide even more.

[NeverSure]

Thailand has fewer tourists than Russia or Turkey and fewer than 1/3 what France has. LINK

[NeverSure]

When will TAT ever understand tourists?

The drop in tourism is not based solely on the political situation. That is what made people examine Thailand more closely prior to planning a trip here.

Until the Thais offer real smiles instead of smiles for the money spent and until the police stop being gangsters and until Thailand offers cleaner,and safer travel destinations without exhorbant price increases for foreigners then tourism will slide even more.

They could also clean up the garbage and rats and stop dumping sewage into the Bay. Thailand really shows that it's 3rd world.

[maddermax]

If anything, Thailand is a better place with the current junta in power. They seem to be doing what the 'democratically elected' government should have been doing. It TAT could get this message across to the world tourism may recover.

[CNXTim]

Not until genuine democratic elections are held.

[SoilSpoil]

Funny but also sad to say that during my last visit to the beautiful island of Ko Hong (national park?) we were disturbed by Chinese tour groups and especially their guides screaming through megaphones! The park rangers did nothing about it.

[Halion]

Truly Thailand has much more to concentrate on than tourism,however, the public now get inundated with nonsense news articles and trivialities and the endless succession of stories of things in progress which never seem to come to fruition. The country sadly lacks credibility in so many sectors of which the judiciary and law enforcement are major areas of of both national and international concern.

[tonysilly]

Maybe... Stop the scams! Eventually everyone will know and stop coming. Stop the dirty Tuk Tuk, dirty taxi. Over price vendors. Tourist police who scam on white people. Jet skis scammers. Stop making it hard to get Visa. Maybe

[JOC]

Funny but also sad to say that during my last visit to the beautiful island of Ko Hong (national park?) we were disturbed by Chinese tour groups and especially their guides screaming through megaphones! The park rangers did nothing about it.

"The park rangers did nothing about it"

Have you ever seen any Thai react to noise-pollution?? The noisier the better!!

All part of the famous Thainess!!

[madmitch]

I wonder if the author has ever been to Thailand himself? It's not written in a very personal way at all.

[moe666]

The usual nonsense post by the Thai haters, high season is underway in Chiang Mai the little cafe I go to was packed yesterday by two different tour groups coming thru Chiang Mai, usually just locals and a few individual tourist. The walking traffic of tourist has also increased and the long stay hotel I stay at is full. It is filled by the folks who have been coming for years and who stay up to 3 months for the winter season and the short term stayers of a few weeks or days.

My obsevations are not scientific but based on my own experience from living in this neighborhood for 5 years, the shop owners are all happy with the uptick in visitors and business. Sorry to disappoint the haters but it does appear Thailand is doing ok or at least our neigborhood is.

[EnglishJohn]

From what I can see, Thailand is moving more and more towards discriminating against farang for anything except spending their money. I assume the intention is to encourage them to just come here on holiday then get out.

If they are not careful, they will p!ss off their regular visitors who might try somewhere else nearby and realise the government is much more friendly. However knowing the Thai logic and ability to plan ahead, they won't worry about that until the damage is done.

I honestly think that the only reason they want to stop scams is because of the bad image they have created. Other than that they are quite happy with them because the benefits go up the chain.

[thesetat2013]

The usual nonsense post by the Thai haters, high season is underway in Chiang Mai the little cafe I go to was packed yesterday by two different tour groups coming thru Chiang Mai, usually just locals and a few individual tourist. The walking traffic of tourist has also increased and the long stay hotel I stay at is full. It is filled by the folks who have been coming for years and who stay up to 3 months for the winter season and the short term stayers of a few weeks or days.

My obsevations are not scientific but based on my own experience from living in this neighborhood for 5 years, the shop owners are all happy with the uptick in visitors and business. Sorry to disappoint the haters but it does appear Thailand is doing ok or at least our neigborhood is.

So you are prejudice against the people who tell about the bad things they see or experiences they had and call them all Thai haters? You are the hater here.

I live and love Thailand and my Thai wife and her Thai family and my half Thai kids. But i agree with almost everyone who posted in here except you.

I am sitting here at khaosan and for high season it is about half then what i have seen in other high seasons.

I also have seen the same on sukkhumvit and silom.

So i would think either your groups are chinese or you had a good day only. Reply when you can compare your opinions with your profit margin to last year you foreigner hater.

[noitom]

They're pumping, prying, pushing , puffing, luring, promoting, wishing, hoping, dreaming, that Thailand can comeback. They long for the days when tourists "flock" to Thailand and bring money. The Thais want that money back. They stand ready to convince you that everything is okay. You won't get deet in your cocktails, you won't succumb to cleaning chemicals in your hotel room, you won't be slashed or hacked to death by Thai taxi drivers. No need to worry about being bludgeoned to death with farm tools, leaping from a balcony, being hacked in to body parts. No need for concern. The Thais have fixed everything.

Jet ski scams no longer exist, you can still buy plenty of ivory, or slow loris. Counterfeit goods, pirated music and software are still all around easy to find. Nothing has changed with Thailand's specialty - the sex trade. You will not be put to death in a Thai cosmetic clinic by unlicensed unregistered people masquerading as doctors. If your casino is raided, you can still buy your way out. Counterfeit documents are readily available, dog meat and rat meat can be purchase almost anywhere, Amazing Thailand.

[wilcopops]

first of all people don't like to visit countries run by a junta....or where political unrest lies just under the surface. (for one thing they may not be insured).

Then people don't like to visit countries where they read about horrific crimes.

The murders on Koh Tao have probably done more to dent the tourist trade than the coup. It has opened the eyes of the world to the way in which Thailand is run - corruption nepotism and under punished crimes are rife.

Parents don't want their backpacker children visiting Thailand's islands - they've read about the "fails of influential people"...they read about scams and poor customer device in general.

Other parts of the world have encountered this sort of problems in the past...

they need to improve their international image....here are a few suggestions that spring to mind.....

• A democratic government would help.
• A well- trained/disciplined poise force.
• A tourist industry that has policies to make it sustainable.....infrastructure, planning and regulation
• Preservation of natural resources that tourism relies on. - for too long Thailand has been shitting in it's own nest.
• Training in the tourist industry in customer service.
• a more open and welcoming attitude to foreign visitors and a lewes pernickety visa system for visitors.
• a relaxation in the ways that foreigners and foreign companies can set up in tourist related occupations, would been more expertise coming into the industry and better managed facilities.
• Better control/regulation of wildlife attractions - many foreigners are horrified by zoos and wildlife shows here.
• better planning and regulation of resorts etc built around beauty spots to preserve what is left of Thailand's natural beauty.........

it remains to be seen if Thailand will rise to the occasion

[wilcopops]

The usual nonsense post by the Thai haters, high season is underway in Chiang Mai the little cafe I go to was packed yesterday by two different tour groups coming thru Chiang Mai, usually just locals and a few individual tourist. The walking traffic of tourist has also increased and the long stay hotel I stay at is full. It is filled by the folks who have been coming for years and who stay up to 3 months for the winter season and the short term stayers of a few weeks or days.

My obsevations are not scientific but based on my own experience from living in this neighborhood for 5 years, the shop owners are all happy with the uptick in visitors and business. Sorry to disappoint the haters but it does appear Thailand is doing ok or at least our neigborhood is.

hugely parochial and unobservant opinions largely based on personal prejudice rather than any reasoned thought?

[bruceybonus]

When will TAT ever understand tourists?

The drop in tourism is not based solely on the political situation. That is what made people examine Thailand more closely prior to planning a trip here.

Until the Thais offer real smiles instead of smiles for the money spent and until the police stop being gangsters and until Thailand offers cleaner,and safer travel destinations without exhorbant price increases for foreigners then tourism will slide even more.

They could also clean up the garbage and rats and stop dumping sewage into the Bay. Thailand really shows that it's 3rd world.

More like turd world

[reggaebkk]

Some day in the near future Thailand will gain a negative reputation on the European caprid market, The Thai government will replace this cow milk with chinese caprids and it will be the end of it.

Governments in Asia would rather do without us big egos big mouths, heads full of tv crap; goverments in Europe would rather see us stay home on welfare and watch tv... And vote accordingly...

Expat quality of life in Thailand has been on tue decline for the past 10 years, and dropping.

And in a few years from now it will be about impossible to live in another country. Well all have to plug in our tv sets in an appartment somewhere and wait for life to stop.

[soalbundy]

It is not only the state of emergency, now which westerner likes to be in a resort full of rude russians? I can't name any.

Also the scams should stop, the police has to be changed, the baht is too high, prices are too high, double pricing has to stop, number of roadaccidents has to decline, boats have to be more safe, slavery has to be stopped, poisoned food has to be stopped, farang wear bikini's , corruption has to be stopped.

Also there are many more holiday country's on the world who are cheaper and better.

And yet some of us choose to call this place home dispute all the negatives. With that said some of us have to base ourselves here for work. and would much prefer to be in our home country in a heart beat.

Anyway enough of this. I have to exchange some AUS$ with a nice man than said he would give me a great exchange rate so I can buy a seedless watermelon for 200 baht at the shops that I will ride my motorbike too without a helmet along the freeway. Of course if the police pull me over I will pay a 100 baht bribe and continue on my merry way.

Paradise!

Cya.

carry on like that and your head may resemble a water melon, a smashed one

[soalbundy]

When will TAT ever understand tourists?

The drop in tourism is not based solely on the political situation. That is what made people examine Thailand more closely prior to planning a trip here.

Until the Thais offer real smiles instead of smiles for the money spent and until the police stop being gangsters and until Thailand offers cleaner,and safer travel destinations without exhorbant price increases for foreigners then tourism will slide even more.

They could also clean up the garbage and rats and stop dumping sewage into the Bay. Thailand really shows that it's 3rd world.

More like turd world

Are you Irish ?

[jpeg]

It is not only the state of emergency, now which westerner likes to be in a resort full of rude russians? I can't name any.

Also the scams should stop, the police has to be changed, the baht is too high, prices are too high, double pricing has to stop, number of roadaccidents has to decline, boats have to be more safe, slavery has to be stopped, poisoned food has to be stopped, farang wear bikini's , corruption has to be stopped.

Also there are many more holiday country's on the world who are cheaper and better.

I 'liked' this post as, living on Phuket, I see first hand the points raised in it pretty pertinent to this tourist centric island. It IS far too expensive now particularly with the artificially kept high baht. A visiting friend remarked 'third world country with first world prices'. Food prices are through the roof. Road accidents are a daily occurrence in just my one road. I've been here long enough that the locals know I can't be scammed, but if I'm out of my area they'll try it on and I never visit the beaches any more. The few tourists here ARE rude Russians and Chinese filling up 7/11s. God knows what it'd be like to be in a hotel/resort with them

And need it be said, again, the ongoing lack of ANY affordable public transport would certainly put me off holidaying here. A songtaew brimming with Burmese workers OR a 20 pound taxi ride to town and back. Your choice. But the army were supposed to have sorted all that out, weren't they?

But as other posters have pointed out, those who make up the overseers of tourism here have no bloody clue. Why? Because they're too stupid and arrogant to do so.

This will most certainly be THE worst 'High Season' ever. Good. Wake up time

[GAZZPA]

Thailand has fewer tourists than Russia or Turkey and fewer than 1/3 what France has. LINK

Its very true, its easy to forget that although Thailand has a sizeable tourist industry it is a long way behind the most visited, in fact it has only just made it into number 10 position.

France does indeed have a huge tourist industry, and its easy to see why. Rich culture, historical landmarks, museums, amazing cities (including the most romantic in the World), beautiful countryside and the 2 things for me are the language and of course the home of the worlds finest food and wine.

The downside? Its not cheap of course but over 80 million people thought it was worth the money during 2013 so clearly people still want quality.

Take note Thailand, if you want quality tourists look at what the best do,, you can start by dropping the obvious dislike for foreigners (farangs) and stop telling people you are the Land Of Smiles which you are clearly not,,, not sure Thailand ever was.

[Jim walker]

TAT is involved on several fronts trying to get it back on track by highlighting new destinations, Vietnam, Laos Myanmar, & Cambodia just to help them out a bit people who want to visit Asia don’t necessarily need to come to Thailand for a safe secure with a trusted police force if you have a problem you can turn to for help not for police getting a share of the scammers windfall, people do read Trip Advisor prior to booking a hotel in a resort and read about other people’s experience good and bad looks like more bad experiences mean less tourists going into the danger zones the goose is almost completely cooked now and most of the cashed in golden eggs spent. Tourists choosing with their feet now and its bye bye Thailand.