Well, has it?

It sure has. Tukom not 50% of people from last year. Shop-owners tell me business terribly bad. Just check latestay.com or similar. Plenty of vacancy in many hotels.....MS>

If it cost double $ to be a tourist here would anyone arrive..

Obvious answer is obvious.

It sure has. Tukom not 50% of people from last year. Shop-owners tell me business terribly bad. Just check latestay.com or similar. Plenty of vacancy in many hotels.....MS>

You still believe show / business owners anywhere in the world ?

They all are liars and I am one of them 1

Russians 70% have cancelled their visit to Pattaya.

As above post suggests, Rooble halved in value, therefore double the cost of everything.

Yes much fewer than last year, miss the women but not the dudes.

Yes, very much!

If it cost double $ to be a tourist here would anyone arrive..

Obvious answer is obvious.

Depends on when hotel, flight, tours etc were booked and paid for. It may be long before the crash for peak season bookings. Even at double the price, the rest (food, shopping, booze) would still be cheap here compared to Russia.

Already discussed to death over at least 5 recent threads

If it cost double $ to be a tourist here would anyone arrive..

Obvious answer is obvious.

Depends on when hotel, flight, tours etc were booked and paid for. It may be long before the crash for peak season bookings. Even at double the price, the rest (food, shopping, booze) would still be cheap here compared to Russia.

Well if they paid 8 months back then it didn't cost double, which probably accounts for most of those that have made the trip..

I really do not think that any one would find double prices here cheap compared to their home countries..

If cost of living here was doubled then it'd be more expensive than my home country

Go check the cost of living in Moscow, which is fairly affluent, and you won't find it much different to here.

Other parts of Russia is much less expensive.

Obviously, the financial crisis in Russia has an impact on tourists arriving here.. why wouldn't it.

Obvious answer is obvious.

If it cost double $ to be a tourist here would anyone arrive..

Obvious answer is obvious.

Depends on when hotel, flight, tours etc were booked and paid for. It may be long before the crash for peak season bookings. Even at double the price, the rest (food, shopping, booze) would still be cheap here compared to Russia.

Well if they paid 8 months back then it didn't cost double, which probably accounts for most of those that have made the trip..

I really do not think that any one would find double prices here cheap compared to their home countries..

If cost of living here was doubled then it'd be more expensive than my home country

Go check the cost of living in Moscow, which is fairly affluent, and you won't find it much different to here.

Other parts of Russia is much less expensive.

Obviously, the financial crisis in Russia has an impact on tourists arriving here.. why wouldn't it.

Obvious answer is obvious.

1. The Russian Rouble didn't start to plummet significantly until October this year. i would have thought most Russians would have booked their foreign holidays by then, espcially in peak season for Thailand.

2. You should Google 'Cost of Living in Moscow' it has been one of the most expensive cities for living for several years before the financial crisis. Russia is an expensive place all over - mainly due to the 'resource curse' - ie. depending too much on oil and gas for supporting its economy.

Am I hearing right.Russia is getting cheaper to live than in Thailand.You might see more people going there for their vacation.

Watching a BBC interview today and one of the "experts" mentioned Russians were being told to stay home and not travel overseas on holidays.

Am I hearing right.Russia is getting cheaper to live than in Thailand.You might see more people going there for their vacation.

I would NOT advise it if you are from the west, homosexual, Jewish or a liberal thinker.

If it cost double $ to be a tourist here would anyone arrive..

Obvious answer is obvious.

Depends on when hotel, flight, tours etc were booked and paid for. It may be long before the crash for peak season bookings. Even at double the price, the rest (food, shopping, booze) would still be cheap here compared to Russia.

Well if they paid 8 months back then it didn't cost double, which probably accounts for most of those that have made the trip..

I really do not think that any one would find double prices here cheap compared to their home countries..

If cost of living here was doubled then it'd be more expensive than my home country

Go check the cost of living in Moscow, which is fairly affluent, and you won't find it much different to here.

Other parts of Russia is much less expensive.

Obviously, the financial crisis in Russia has an impact on tourists arriving here.. why wouldn't it.

Obvious answer is obvious.

You might be good to read on Internet but it's clear that you know nothing about cost of life in Moscow...

The mass of Russian package tourists seems to have evaporated but here's a few locations where Russians have been seen very recently in significant numbers.

The driving license office near Regents had a fair few the other day when a friend was making his MC license.

By all accounts, the previously quiet and leisurely Thai Consulate in Savanakhet, Laos is besieged by many Russians seeking visas these days.

I heard a story about a condo development having big issues as Russians cancel there orders. I guess the ones getting DL's and visas were either the 'first wave' that discovered LOS many years ago and bought property or, they are a different demographic with either hard cash (or access to it) and the ability to ride out the Russian financial crisis OUTSIDE Russia?

Russians 70% have cancelled their visit to Pattaya.

As above post suggests, Rooble halved in value, therefore double the cost of everything.

Wish they would halve the baht and then I woke up. Darn.

If it cost double $ to be a tourist here would anyone arrive..

Obvious answer is obvious.

Depends on when hotel, flight, tours etc were booked and paid for. It may be long before the crash for peak season bookings. Even at double the price, the rest (food, shopping, booze) would still be cheap here compared to Russia.

Well if they paid 8 months back then it didn't cost double, which probably accounts for most of those that have made the trip..

I really do not think that any one would find double prices here cheap compared to their home countries..

If cost of living here was doubled then it'd be more expensive than my home country

Go check the cost of living in Moscow, which is fairly affluent, and you won't find it much different to here.

Other parts of Russia is much less expensive.

Obviously, the financial crisis in Russia has an impact on tourists arriving here.. why wouldn't it.

Obvious answer is obvious.

You might be good to read on Internet but it's clear that you know nothing about cost of life in Moscow...

Sorry I hadn't realised this thread was about me. thats so cool..

Feel free to share your knowledge. Anything like some empirical data, or failing that, some meaningful anecdotal evidence would suffice.

Or is it you just want to appear more knowledgeable without actually saying any thing of meaningful?

Not that it matters - it is what it is. If you feel you want to support the assertion that even if Thailand were twice as expensive it'd still be cheap to Russians then clearly you know something no one else does..

The Russians I speak to tell me that Thailand is not that cheap compared to Moscow and, even before the current situation a good many Russians bulk at the price of a 5 star meal in LOS .

The data shows that the while there are some differences in costs between Russia & LOS, it is no where near half price. But, hey facts who needs them huh.

"Card", the Rouble's has been falling for over 1 year.. Between last Christmas (2013) and the beginning of March it had dropped >10%. Any Visitor to LOS getting 10% less (let alone 70% less) vodka tokens for their hard earned money would be thinking very hard about the affordability of a relatively expensive vacation. Especially so when the signs of forthcoming economic hardship are so startling obvious.

The Russian financial crisis started long, long October 2014..

In actual fact:Since early 2013 the Rouble has been in decline.

While recently it may have become more obvious to those lacking the facilities to analyse economics it has been there for some time. There is empirical evidence to support that assertion..

The obvious answer to the OPs original question remains obvious..

Of course the Russian Financial crisis has led to fewer Russian tourists in Pattaya..

The mass of Russian package tourists seems to have evaporated but here's a few locations where Russians have been seen very recently in significant numbers.

The driving license office near Regents had a fair few the other day when a friend was making his MC license.

By all accounts, the previously quiet and leisurely Thai Consulate in Savanakhet, Laos is besieged by many Russians seeking visas these days.

I heard a story about a condo development having big issues as Russians cancel there orders. I guess the ones getting DL's and visas were either the 'first wave' that discovered LOS many years ago and bought property or, they are a different demographic with either hard cash (or access to it) and the ability to ride out the Russian financial crisis OUTSIDE Russia?

I hear there is a great deal of dollar rich Russians investing abroad. Some of that may be "black" money. Its no coincidence that LOS has a poor reputation for money laundering.

I understand there a fair few normal working Ruskies that have bought property in Thailand and are no longer able to service their debts under the current economic situation.

I hope for them this changes soon. A lot of Thai owned businesses are suffering very hard times. The greater impact of this situation will be felt in LOS for a long time coming.

Duh, yes. It's already been widely reported.

Am I hearing right.Russia is getting cheaper to live than in Thailand.You might see more people going there for their vacation.

I wouldn't put a Rupel on it, would you?

Watching a BBC interview today and one of the "experts" mentioned Russians were being told to stay home and not travel overseas on holidays.

Aaah but really you should only believe what you hear from experts on RT. Everyone knows the BBC is biased...

consider it a welcome " Act Of God " !

Is this a bad thing? Guess those boiler rooms will be closing up shop soon.

From what I see in Pattaya and Jomtien, the Russian population all eat either in central festival food hall, Jomtien night market, and Pratumnak park. One sees lots of Russians carrying their take aways back to their rooms too. I suppose living / holidaying this way they manage ok. I think that future reservations a re going to be very bleak though. It's an awful situation that none of us would like to be in, true? Friends in Phuket have told me there are far less Russians there too. Though I beleive that it's not only Russians that are missing here, there's much less Europeans too.

I hope so

Yesterday, neice just back home from Pattaya where she has lived for years says she has never seen Pattaya so empty of tourists during the holiday season.

Am I hearing right.Russia is getting cheaper to live than in Thailand.You might see more people going there for their vacation.

Only if they like winter sports !

Good new sometimes comes in unexpected ways!

Yes God moves in mysterious ways.