Plans to persuade more Japanese to visit Thailand

[webfact]

Plans to persuade more Japanese to visit Thailand
By Digital Content



BANGKOK, Dec 29 -- The number of Japanese tourists visiting Thailand in 2014 declined considerably in relation to revious years, but Thailand plans to encourage more Japanese to tour this country in the coming year, according to Anek Srichivachart, president of the Thai-Japanese Tourism Promotion Association.

Mr Anek, also vice president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA), said the nuthe mber of Japanese tourists visiting Thailand this year declined slightly from 2013 due to political turbulence in Thailand earlier this year.

There are signs that tourists from Japan visiting Thailand in 2015 would increase as several plans have been prepared, he said.

The plans include launching public relations activities informing the Japanese to better understand the situation in Thailand, inviting senior executives, tourism marketing and sales officers to visit Thailand, and to conduct roadshows in Japan through cooperation with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.

Conversely, however, the number of Thai tourists visiting Japan this year rose sharply to about 700,000 compared to only 100,000 in 2013.

On tourism business in Thailand, Sugree Sithivanich, deputy TAT governor, said more Thais are expected to travelling during the upcoming New Year celebrations. Eighty to 90 per cent of hotel rooms nationwide have been booked.

Expressing satisfaction, Mr Sugree said that this is probably due to the five-day holidays, starting December 31, which has persuaded more Thais to travel. He said this is a positive sign for the tourism business in 2015. (MCOT online news)


-- TNA 2014-12-29

[Somtamnication]

Not much of a choice for the poor Japanese: Choice of either a yakusa tour guide or a Thai jet ski/ tuk tuk driver.

[Assurancetourix]

" On tourism business in Thailand, Sugree Sithivanich, deputy TAT governor, said more Thais are expected to travelling during the upcoming New Year celebrations. Eighty to 90 per cent of hotel rooms nationwide have been booked. ( I think I-San isn't in Thailand...)

Expressing satisfaction, Mr Sugree said that this is probably due to the five-day holidays, starting December 31, which has persuaded more Thais to travel. He said this is a positive sign for the tourism business in 2015. (MCOT online news) "

if I understand all well , give a year of holidays to thai people and they will travel every day ...

Coué's method

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autosuggestion

[Loles]

The Japanese tourists are vulnerable in TH.

They are naive and can't take care of them-self in a country like Thailand.

[thhMan]

Cleaning up the tourists spots, fixing attractions and getting rid of the fleas (Tuk Tuk scammers etc), would go a long way to not only attract Japanese, but other countries as well.

Focusing on a single demographic is simple minded...

[worgeordie]

Do not send any old ones over as they could

end up at the bottom of the stairs in an "accident"

regards Worgeordie

[wvavin]

Thailand is simply too low in the travel list of the Japanese. They just don't feel safe enough to visit in particular Phuket and Pattaya. Well, this is the choice chosen by the Thai authority to relax immigration for the Africans, Russians etc.

[cup-O-coffee]

This comes across as nothing more than another look into the daily, routine mumbo jumbo thinking of the TAT. Who cares, really?

[samsensam]

the Japanese are the world's most safety and negative publicity concious tourists.

sort out and maintain the safety and negative image of thailand and the japanese will come

i'm not holding my breath.

[Emster23]

Clean up everywhere, both physical and moral. That ain't gonna happen. I would love to see some Japanese expressions when first encountering level of dirt and garbage here.

[Galacon]

Yeah , Thailand seems to be addicted to Japanese . They are the most welcomed tourists here .The other day i was having a convo with a bar girl at Spanky in Nana ..she said she like Japanese guys the most (I'm not a japanese).It's nothing related to handsome or skin color - It's just that they spend too much (foolish way) compared to other country people (which is what bar girls want) and now thai government wants Japanese tourists for the same reason i assume

[Lee4Life]

I thought Japan's economy was in the tank?

[Tony125]

Do Thai think the Japanese have not heard about the "Black Widow" who killed her to Japanese husbands? The murders and unexplained deaths in Koh Tao, jet ski scams, karyoke Bar scams and a military run Government? They have come over for cheap golfing and fun in the sun and don't think they don't come for the nitelife. I'm sure expats know about their " Japanese only " clubs in Bangkok.

[BangkokHank]

Removing the Japanese from Thailand's list of foreigners who can be killed with impunity would go a long way towards encouraging more Japanese to visit the country. But if they do that, then other foreigners will complain about still being on the list.

[webfact]

Japanese arrivals drop slightly this year but will pick up in 2015



BANGKOK: -- Japanese arrivals in Thailand this year declined slightly due to political instability in the first half, but will improve next year.

According to Anek Srichivachart, president of the Thai-Japanese Tourism Promotion Association, and also vice president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA), the number of Japanese tourists visiting Thailand this year declined slightly from 2013 due to political turbulence in Thailand earlier this year.

But he said there are now signs that tourists from Japan visiting Thailand in 2015 would increase as several promotion plans have been underway.

The plans include launching public relations activities informing the Japanese to better understand the situation in Thailand, inviting senior executives, tourism marketing and sales officers to visit Thailand, and to conduct roadshows in Japan through cooperation with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.

In the contrary however, the number of Thai tourists visiting Japan this year rose sharply to about 700,000 compared to only 100,000 in 2013.

Meanwhile, the deputy TAT governor Sugree Sithivanich said more Thais are expected to travel during the upcoming New Year celebrations.

He said 80-90 per cent of hotel rooms nationwide have been booked.

The increase in domestic travel is probably due to the five-day holidays, starting December 31, which has persuaded more Thais to travel, he said and added that it is a positive sign for the tourism business next year.

(Photo : Thai PBS File)

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/japanese-arrivals-drop-slightly-year-will-pick-2015


-- Thai PBS 2014-12-29

[richusa]

Dothe Thas realize that there are other destinations that won't take you to the cleaners, and maybe killed.

[Nemesis7]

TAT expects what not? Every after few weeks they will place a statement and fictitious statistics based on god knows what and making press conferences that "Thailand Tourism has improved a lot and it will bring billions of dollars this fiscal year....bla bla bla"

In reality its nothing like that. To thai Japanese Tourists are like jackpot. But with recent series of incidents related to murder of Japanese man married to Thai ( Black Widow case is an recent example) or Japanese Investors had accidental deaths, 02 Japanese tourists were shot by Thai guide in Chiang rai ( funny later the authority said the dead Japanese guy was a gangstar in Japan?? so what if he was? If any gangster visits Thailand he must be shot at??? he was just on holiday in thailand and Japan Govt confirmed no such history of that deceased, all these incidents made huge warning headline at Japan and they are being careful these days, so i heard from two Japanese friends of mine.

Oh well, reality and TAT are totally two different thing........

[maidee]

how can japanese compete with all them handsome farangs?

[jamiesilver]

do we really care?

[how241]

the Japanese are the world's most safety and negative publicity concious tourists.

sort out and maintain the safety and negative image of thailand and the japanese will come

i'm not holding my breath.

+1...They are usually careful travelers.

[Nuddy]

The Japanese are fastidious peoples.

They abhor dirt and shit like the plastic bags and unfinished jobs like which the municipal Authorities make of any road work or construction.

When I went there I saw huge numbers of people but no mess. Put one group of Thais into a picnic situation in a park and you get rubbish everywhere in the park including left over food.

Is it any wonder that they come here to see the way the animals live?

[RichardThailand]

While telling everyone Japanese arrivals will pick up I wonder if they bothered to check the exchange rate and noticed that the yen's lost 30% or so of its value recently. As it is now significantly more expensive for the Japanese why would anyone expect more of them to come here.

[sanuk711]

The Japanese tourists are vulnerable in TH.

They are naive and can't take care of them-self in a country like Thailand.

Wow some pretty nutty posts of late..........or is it just the Xmas cheer kicking in..................

Why There Are Many Japanese In Thailand? http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/548251-why-there-are-many-japanese-in-thailand-especially-in-bangkok/

------

Japan contributes the greatest number of tourist arrivals to Thailand.

According to Japan Tourism Marketing Co., 886,783 Japanese tourists visited Thailand in 2010. In addition, there are more than 7,000 registered Japanese businesses and over 47,000 registered** Japanese residents here BKK (the largest Japanese population in Asia outside Japan)

**Unofficial figures for Japanese living in BKK (registered & unregistered ) put it at 70,000+ the largest single foreign community in Thailand.

.

http://www.languageonthemove.com/language-consumerism/japanese-in-bangkok

Edited December 29, 2014 by sanuk711

[FangFerang]

Wow. Problem solved. Nothing to see here....move along.

[BestBitterPhuket]

The Japanese are the best tourists. Polite, honest, clean and high spenders.

[Commerce]

The Japanese are the best tourists. Polite, honest, clean and high spenders.

I don't think Roosevelt would agree with you... but there goes.

[Don Aleman]

Making any moves which usually include freebies/coupons/discounts may be yet another tourism goof ! Some Japanese, not well informed do, from time to time, stumble into Thailand but, if encouraged, and bunches come, see, and report back home on their " Amazing Holiday ", no more will grace Thai shores - ever !

Hiroshima and Nagasaki are in far better touring condition then Bangkok and surrounds.

[Xircal]

The Japanese are the best tourists. Polite, honest, clean and high spenders.

Yeah, but they're not stupid. If Thailand wants to attract the big spenders, then it needs to revoke its policy of adding exhorbitant import duty rates to virtually anything imported. These range from 35% to 60% plus the usual 7% VAT added on top.

I often wondered why the cosmetics department in Phuket's Jungceylon shopping mall was almost always empty regardless of the time of day. But you only have to compare prices with those back home to see why. I can buy perfume at 75% less in the Netherlands than the price they charge there. And the Netherlands has a VAT rate of 21%.

Also, this BBC News report highlights the fact that Japanese savings rates have turned negative this month with little prospect of any improvement taking place in the short term: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-30603313

It makes you wonder where Thailand gets these bright ideas from to persuade more visitors to come here.

[Tomtomtom69]

The Japanese are great tourists but really, this kind of article is just tiring and BORING. I've never seen or heard about a more tourism obsessed country than Thailand. Aren't there more pressing matters than constantly talking about how to increase tourism when an expected 24 million tourists managed to visit this country this year, despite the political troubles, the coup and some other regional/global factors such as the decline in the value of the Russian Rouble?

What's tomorrow's headline making news article going to be about? Oh let me guess, TAT plans to get more visitors from Vanuatu to visit Thailand. Wow, I'm so excited! Not...

[BuddhistVirus]

The Japanese are the best tourists. Polite, honest, clean and high spenders.

I don't think Roosevelt would agree with you... but there goes.

What do you mean?