Cut ties with Bangkok tours, mayor tells travel agents

PATTAYA:--Pattaya’s mayor wants the city’s tourism industry to cut ties with problem-plagued Bangkok and create original tour packages focusing on the sea, sports and families.

Saying the city is facing a 30 percent drop in tourism due to the historic depreciation of the ruble, Pattaya must come up with creative ways to offset the loss of its usual number of Russian visitors.

The plunging ruble - which earlier hit all-time lows against the dollar, euro and other currencies - has forced Russians to stay at home. Year on year, Russian arrivals to Thailand tumbled 23.2 percent in November and 23.2 percent in October. For the year through Nov. 30, Russian arrivals are down 4.9 percent.

While Russians comprised just 6 percent of visitors to all of Thailand, they represent a much-larger share for Pattaya. Itthiphol indicated hotel bookings are off 40 percent due to the Russian decline.

The other reason for the decline is Pattaya’s connection to Bangkok-based tours. Many of the package tourists from Pattaya’s other big markets - China and India - travel on group tours that first make stops in the capital. But with this year’s political protests, military coup, international travel warnings and martial law, Bangkok has lost its appeal for most of North Asia and the Subcontinent.

- See more at: http://www.pattayamail.com/localnews/cut-ties-with-bangkok-tours-mayor-tells-travel-agents-44145#sthash.MKMrcBIP.dpuf

-- Pattaya Mail 2015-01-09

Bangkok has lost its appeal, Pattaya is THE spot!

Anyone noticed the Ruble exchange rate the past 2 weeks?

The Russians will be back very soon.

Anyone noticed the Ruble exchange rate the past 2 weeks?

Yes, me.

No big improvement to the Thai Baht.

Cash rates in Thailand:

Commercial banks today 0.4 Baht/Ruble.

Booths in Pattaya yesterday 0.45 Baht/Ruble.

Small improvement compared to Mid December.

Last year more than 0.9.

Value halved.

No quick rush to be expected.

1 year chart (higher rates from foreign exchange trading):

1 month chart:

Along with the proposed rise in low cost air fares, this has to be the stupidest story today.

Why not encourage appealing packages for visitors and promoting them properly.

Bangkok has lost its appeal, Pattaya is THE spot!

Bangkok can't hope to match the levels of sleaze and crime in pattaya.

But the beach in Bangkok is is better.

It seems to me all these people in authority must have vested interests in the hotel business. Apart from the airport tax and the hotel bookings ''mostly cheap sub lets run by Russian's, housing up to 8 people per room'' most have a daily budget of approx 100 baht. I know this is true because i have owned several gift shop orientated business. In general they spend very very little.

The percentages of tourists coming and actual drop in bookings is very disjointed. Looks to me like they have no idea... AGAIN

Pattaya will never be able to compare itself to Bangkok. Pattaya seems to be a very one dimensional city from my point of view. Water sports? Get the jet ski operators under control first. Trips to the local islands? Try to enforce safety standards that prevent the ferries from sinking. Encourage more Russians to visit? Not when their currency is half of what it used to be, and prices are going up daily, without an improvement in services. Cut ties to Bangkok? Is this some sort of mutiny or civil war?

Cut ties to Bangkok ?

More than 70 percent of Pattaya’s visitors are foreign, but Thais make up a growing number of tourists and now account for almost 30 percent of all visitors, he said. - See more at: http://www.pattayamail.com/localnews/cut-ties-with-bangkok-tours-mayor-tells-travel-agents-44145#sthash.MKMrcBIP.GCTl9IV5.dpuf

Thai Tourist don`t book expensive tour packages,

but thai "tourist" cars from Bkk are causing a much bigger traffic jam in Pattaya,

and it`s all about the traffic jam,

that makes the selling of tour packages a hard job.

So, what is the concept for Pattaya tourism,

when the Sukumvit / Central Road construction is starting,

and causing much more traffic jams,

selling a tour package to stand in a Pattaya traffic jam for hours ???

Does the mayor or one of his family have a new tour business? Or an existing one that need a bit of a push?

Anyone noticed the Ruble exchange rate the past 2 weeks?

The Russians will be back very soon.

Uhhhh... not.

Maybe the if the next round up of Beach Road should concentrate on the old and Ugly Ones instead of the first 50...