Patong is dead.

[madmitch]

13 hours ago, BernieOnTour said:

I think, you are right.

 

And what will happen, is, what some people in tourism call the DomRep effect:

In times long gone, Dominican Republic had a lot of small restaurants, hotels and guesthouses.

Then the big chains "discovered" DomRep:

- building/purchasing bigger hotels 

- bringing in package tourists

- even offering "all-inclusive" packages

 

The tourist numbers rose tremendously,

however, the money ended up in the  coffers of the international chains,

driving a lot of local businesses into bankruptcy,

former self-employed, independent locals ending up as staff of the big hotels.

 

The all-inclusive model has yet to hit Thailand, with the odd exception such as Club Med who've been in the business longer than anyone. I'm sure one day someone will experiment with this, particularly as food and drink prices are rising.  If there's one success, you know that many more will follow the trend and, as you say, this could be a disaster for the small tourist operations. I don't envisage it happening in Phuket just yet but with hotels concerned about lower occupancy rates then who knows?

[madmax2]

Personally i think club med caters for all the people who want all inclusive holiday packages

Members of my family own and have very busy businesses and on occasions like to go for short

holidays where everything is catered for and they sit around and do nothing at least once or twice a year

Most longer holidays (2 weeks to 2 months) its flights, transfers, and hotels with breakfast and maybe a couple of tours but even these we usually arrange ourselves once at the holiday destinations.

If going somewhere like Africa and doing safari tours etc they are usually completely pre-paid packages as you do the same things if you prepay or not and prepaying is cheaper usually by a lot if all inclusive

A lot of older people who come to phuket for annual holidays and other holiday destinations do and i believe always will just book and prepay their airfares and arrange everything else they need or want to do here themselves before or when they get here as they know the best deals and where everything is located

[SooKee]

On 25/01/2017 at 2:41 PM, xylophone said:

RESURRECTION OR LATE BLOOM?

 

A few things to comment on, although one swallow does not a summer make, perhaps there are some hopeful signs, because feedback I've had from a few bar owners (yes, those places which are less frequented these days) suggests that patronage is up, although still a little bit scratchy, however last night one bar I was at, had about 12 to 14 customers in it, when another 54 French folk on a tour party suddenly descended upon the place, and although they only stayed for about 40 minutes, drinks were purchased.

 

My bar owner friend said although that was unusual, of late he had been experiencing an upturn in customers? A few others have seen hopeful signs. 

 

Then, over the past week in between a few quiet days there have been days of almost pandemonium when seemingly hundreds of Chinese have disembarked from an aeroplane which must have landed on the roof of Jungceylon, because they came from nowhere and after a few days disappear back into that plane on the roof and go, only for this to be repeated a few days later!

 

During this time my favourite Starbucks outlet becomes packed with low rent Chinese with screaming children and clothes resurrected from the bottom drawers of old wardrobes, taking the place over whilst some of them ordered drinks and the rest of them sleep.

 

And a new take on some statistics I quoted earlier......... late last November the turnover at Big C was down on the previous year, but then December proved to be a bumper month and the increase in turnover made for a positive result for the whole year, this in single digits though.

 

Looking back, I remember times when there were hordes of Chinese almost fighting over the free cardboard boxes provided by Big C, all of them trying to cram in their purchases of dried things, spices and whatever else was on the shopping list and carrying box loads of this stuff out with them. Although cheap individually, the volume of this stuff must've helped to tip the turnover into positive territory.

 

As for this January, well it is proving to be a little better than last January so far.......

 

Maybe the "peak season" or "high season" has moved, or maybe this is just an aberration? Whichever, I can't wait for the low season to come round so I don't have to put up with the chaos, poor driving, cheap, noisy and rude tourists, but then again I have to remember that this is a tourist destination although it doesn't always seem like it with the laws which are, or are not enforced to assist them!!

The feeling I get is that all of these "things may be on the up" type posts are merely blips in an otherwise grim landscape for businesses in Patong.  In respect of many of them my feelings are largely tough - you had it coming :)  I do however feel sorry for the businesses bought in good faith with people trying their best to deliver, in a scam free, non rip-off way, good services and products who find themselves unable to cope or having to put up with even more inventive ways to bleed them dry as the cashed-up free spending tourists of yesteryear look to pastures new where they don't have to worry that scraping up a pile of sand on a beach to form a pillow, in light of the ill thought out and inadequate services on Phuket's beaches, will attract military or police intervention!  I mean, seriously??  The absolute last place for a beach holiday IMO is Phuket, more like an endurance test.

Edited January 31, 2017 by SooKee

[happyas]

Two years ago today and 1745 posts later, this was the OP;

Anything changed for better or worst since?

Posted January 31, 2015 · Report post

I rarely venture down to Patong but my son wanted to go bowling at Jungceylon.

What amazed me is that Jungceylon was so quiet, I mean low season quiet which is unusual for January and a Saturday. Only one other bowling lane taken the whole time we bowled 4 games. No people around at all and the lack of traffic getting in and out of Patong was great.

It's easily the quietest high season I've ever seen.

[NamKangMan]

51 minutes ago, happyas said:

Two years ago today and 1745 posts later, this was the OP;

Anything changed for better or worst since?

Posted January 31, 2015 · Report post

I rarely venture down to Patong but my son wanted to go bowling at Jungceylon.

What amazed me is that Jungceylon was so quiet, I mean low season quiet which is unusual for January and a Saturday. Only one other bowling lane taken the whole time we bowled 4 games. No people around at all and the lack of traffic getting in and out of Patong was great.

It's easily the quietest high season I've ever seen.

 

Many expats have stated they don't care if Patong dies, and believe they would not be effected if it did, however, tourism is Phuket's main industry, and it's the tourism industry that allows expats here to enjoy availability, variety and choice. 

 

Take a large section of the western tourism market away form Patong / Phuket, and that availability, variety and choice,  diminishes significantly.

 

I have given "the Sunday roast" example before, but the bowling activity is another example.  For how long can the bowling alley keep the doors open with such low patronage?  I haven't been to see a movie for a while, perhaps the cinema is suffering as well. 

 

There's simply just not enough expats on Phuket to keep the amount of availability, choice and variety, that we have enjoyed here in the past, sustainable.  This is particularly compounded by the fact that many of the long term expats from the boom years are aging, and it appears will not be replaced by the next generation of expats / retirees. 

 

Using your example, the bowling alley, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that bowling alley. It's as good as a bowling alley anywhere else in the world.  It's all the Phuket BS and issues that surround the bowling alley that is repelling tourists from Phuket, and therefore, the bowling alley.

 

They can build all the nice new shinny and big things they want here, but western tourists with money to spend will not come back here whilst as soon as they leave their hotel / resort, they are confronted with many of Phuket's "issues" which are distasteful for them to deal with, especially whilst on holiday. 

[madmitch]

5 hours ago, NamKangMan said:

 

Many expats have stated they don't care if Patong dies, and believe they would not be effected if it did, however, tourism is Phuket's main industry, and it's the tourism industry that allows expats here to enjoy availability, variety and choice. 

 

Take a large section of the western tourism market away form Patong / Phuket, and that availability, variety and choice,  diminishes significantly.

 

I have given "the Sunday roast" example before, but the bowling activity is another example.  For how long can the bowling alley keep the doors open with such low patronage?  I haven't been to see a movie for a while, perhaps the cinema is suffering as well. 

 

There's simply just not enough expats on Phuket to keep the amount of availability, choice and variety, that we have enjoyed here in the past, sustainable.  This is particularly compounded by the fact that many of the long term expats from the boom years are aging, and it appears will not be replaced by the next generation of expats / retirees. 

 

Using your example, the bowling alley, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that bowling alley. It's as good as a bowling alley anywhere else in the world.  It's all the Phuket BS and issues that surround the bowling alley that is repelling tourists from Phuket, and therefore, the bowling alley.

 

They can build all the nice new shinny and big things they want here, but western tourists with money to spend will not come back here whilst as soon as they leave their hotel / resort, they are confronted with many of Phuket's "issues" which are distasteful for them to deal with, especially whilst on holiday. 

Whilst I agree with most of your sentiments, NKM, the fact is, and I've said this before and I'll say it again, the vast majority of tourists to Phuket have a thoroughly enjoyable holiday, don't encounter the scams and rip-offs and many will continue to return year after year.

 

But I do believe that many of the old-hands are now going elsewhere.

 

As an aside, Karon and Kata have been very busy since Christmas, just a different demographic with Chinese and Russians seemingly having surpassed the Scandinavians as the main visitors.

[Bulldozer Dawn]

Having escaped (with my life) from Phuket some 2 years ago, the thought of going back there now, for whatever reason, literally makes me sick.  What pray tell has Phuket got to offer, that cannot be found elsewhere in Thailand, at a cheaper price, and with less risk to your personal safety?

 

In my experience a great bell weather for the popularity of anything, in any country at all, is how many pretty girls are around.

 

Great university = pretty girls

Great live band = pretty girls

Great restaurant = pretty girls

and so on...

 

Any one seeing an increase in the amount of pretty girls arriving and hanging out in Phuket?

 

What I am seeing is more male hiphopslims.

 

 

[prophet01]

I would absolutely support MM's statement that:

"the vast majority of tourists to Phuket have a thoroughly enjoyable holiday, don't encounter the scams and rip-offs and many will continue to return year after year."

 

I do so from a reasonably informed position in that I speak, on a daily basis, with so many customers of diverse nationalities, ages and demography dining at our restaurant.

Seldom do I hear from any customers of any negative encounters even when, as I often do, highlight some of the blatant, and not so blatant, scams/rip-offs.

 

 

[GiantFan]

Infrastructure is still the keystone.  Roads, water/sewerage, electricity, transport.  Get these right and the minor issues can be overlooked.

Drove down the coast road from Surin to Patong tonight.  Half the streetlights were out.  Nearly ended up in the ditch a few times.  Sure, the new guardrails are nice and newly paved roads without lines, but I prefer seeing where I'm going.

[garryjohns]

10 hours ago, GiantFan said:

Infrastructure is still the keystone.  Roads, water/sewerage, electricity, transport.  Get these right and the minor issues can be overlooked.

Drove down the coast road from Surin to Patong tonight.  Half the streetlights were out.  Nearly ended up in the ditch a few times.  Sure, the new guardrails are nice and newly paved roads without lines, but I prefer seeing where I'm going.

Whilst i agree with some of what you say here, this part really has me thinking.;   Half the streetlights were out.  Nearly ended up in the ditch a few times.  Sure, the new guardrails are nice and newly paved roads without lines, but I prefer seeing where I'm going.

 

Not sure what sort of vehicle you drive but i'm sure if you find your owners operating hand book, or even check on old faithful Google, you will find instructions on how to turn on the said vehicles headlights.

Guarantee you that that will solve your problem

If you nearly ended up in the ditch a few times, you were obviously not using common sense, and driving within the limits of your situation at the time.

Seriously, how on earth do you get on driving at night in remote areas?

[madmax2]

Obvious that some people have never driven on Phuket or in Thailand but like to have a opinion about something they no nothing about, no lines on a new road mean people do not keep to their own side of the road ( even when there are lines they don't) and you have problems seeing the outside edge of the road at night without working street lights and no white line to warn you

Probably the worse drivers in the world are in Thailand

[garryjohns]

31 minutes ago, madmax2 said:

Obvious that some people have never driven on Phuket or in Thailand but like to have a opinion about something they no nothing about, no lines on a new road mean people do not keep to their own side of the road ( even when there are lines they don't) and you have problems seeing the outside edge of the road at night without working street lights and no white line to warn you

Probably the worse drivers in the world are in Thailand

 Not sure if you are referring to my post, but i have visited Thailand on and off for 12 years,staying 3 month at a time , lived permanently 2  years now and ,yes put up with the lack of everything you mention re Phuket, so moved on.

Agree fully about drivers in Thailand, and not just Thai drivers.

Still doesn't change my opinion as posted earlier.

 

PS i was taught to drive to suit the conditions, and that applies everywhere, so anyone who is "nearly in the ditch a few times" is a danger to himself and all others [IOM}

Edited February 1, 2017 by garryjohns

[madmax2]

53 minutes ago, garryjohns said:

 Not sure if you are referring to my post, but i have visited Thailand on and off for 12 years,staying 3 month at a time , lived permanently 2  years now and ,yes put up with the lack of everything you mention re Phuket, so moved on.

Agree fully about drivers in Thailand, and not just Thai drivers.

Still doesn't change my opinion as posted earlier.

 

PS i was taught to drive to suit the conditions, and that applies everywhere, so anyone who is "nearly in the ditch a few times" is a danger to himself and all others [IOM}

You obviously have not driven on the road between Surin and Patong at night its bad enough to drive on in the daytime, tight bends and blind corners, no verge if you leave the bitumen

surface you are quite likely to end up in a metre deep ditch right next to the bitumen

so you move on, Gaintfan is right in what he said as anyone who has used that road would know, and you have not by your comments 

[garryjohns]

57 minutes ago, madmax2 said:

You obviously have not driven on the road between Surin and Patong at night its bad enough to drive on in the daytime, tight bends and blind corners, no verge if you leave the bitumen

surface you are quite likely to end up in a metre deep ditch right next to the bitumen

so you move on, Gaintfan is right in what he said as anyone who has used that road would know, and you have not by your comments 

Again you are making incorrect assumptions ..keep on making yourself look a little foolish, thats your choice.

I actually lived at Laemsingh Villas and traveled the very same road near every night, to and from Patong..Okay!

So, you are very wrong..

I agree that it can be a challenging road at best of times, and possibly moreso at night..BUT, if, as i said you drive to suit the conditions as any normal educated person would, then there is no extreme danger.

You must be aware and alert at all times, as you do anywhere in the world when driving/riding..simples huh?

Again, to reiterate.."you drive to suit the conditions" mate.

End of.

[xylophone]

On the subject of "Patong is dead", I see that the property/timeshare/fractional ownership touts are still out and about, so they're hoping that Patong isn't dead of course.

 

Yesterday I noticed one of the "outside people chasers" trying to convince the couple that he had stopped, that they had won a prize on one of his scratch tickets (and all they had to do was to attend a presentation to get their prize – – you know the score). It looked like he was having a hard time of persuading them it was kosher.................

 

Then just today I was sitting in a coffee shop and behind me a youngish (mid 30s) guy was trying to convince a young Chinese couple of the benefits of purchasing an apartment here. The deal he was trying to close consisted of an apartment which would give them 7% return and had a 90 year lease on it!

 

After he had asked the question whether they would be interested in looking at something on this trip, and they replied no maybe next time, he cooled off quite considerably.

 

So this place is still the wild west as regards much in the way of property and the people selling it; corruption, jet skis, the taxi Mafia, drugs and poor infrastructure as well as insane rules about things that you can and can't take on the beach!

 

Bearing everything in mind, Patong is certainly trying to die with the help of the folks who are quite content to "kill the goose that lays the golden egg" but they just can't see it.

[schlog]

Yup. Years ago they "killed" the quality spenders. Now they are "killing" the budget guys.

But never mind every exodus delivers a new start. Only a matter of time.

[DrDave]

2 hours ago, xylophone said:

On the subject of "Patong is dead", I see that the property/timeshare/fractional ownership touts are still out and about, so they're hoping that Patong isn't dead of course.

 

Yesterday I noticed one of the "outside people chasers" trying to convince the couple that he had stopped, that they had won a prize on one of his scratch tickets (and all they had to do was to attend a presentation to get their prize – – you know the score). It looked like he was having a hard time of persuading them it was kosher.................

 

Then just today I was sitting in a coffee shop and behind me a youngish (mid 30s) guy was trying to convince a young Chinese couple of the benefits of purchasing an apartment here. The deal he was trying to close consisted of an apartment which would give them 7% return and had a 90 year lease on it!

 

After he had asked the question whether they would be interested in looking at something on this trip, and they replied no maybe next time, he cooled off quite considerably.

 

So this place is still the wild west as regards much in the way of property and the people selling it; corruption, jet skis, the taxi Mafia, drugs and poor infrastructure as well as insane rules about things that you can and can't take on the beach!

 

Bearing everything in mind, Patong is certainly trying to die with the help of the folks who are quite content to "kill the goose that lays the golden egg" but they just can't see it.

The timeshare touts may still be about, but it's getting more and more difficult to sell timeshares as time goes on.

Thanks to the rise of social media, many of the timeshares have been exposed as the scams that they are. Anyone doing any sort of due diligence will find a wealth of information on the internet relative to why they shouldn't buy a timeshare. 

 

In years past, is was difficult for the average sucker to determine whether or not a particular timeshare was on the level and well as secondary market (resale) prices. These days, a quick Google query will lead the prospective buyer to information that will most likely stop them dead in their tracks as far as considering a timeshare purchase.

 

One very prominent Patong businessman recently changed the name of his timeshare company, presumably because it got so much bad publicity on social media.

 

[AJBangkok]

If ( or should I say when) Phuket starts to attract the wealthy independent Chinese travelers then I would say real estate will boom. Both Hk and Singapore have enacted measures to curb Chinese buying of property so their options are limited if they want to take some money out of China and invest in property in their backyard region. Yes  Bangkok will benefit the most and it already is from Chinese buying but Phuket is much smaller and it won't take a lot of money ( on the Chinese scale) to have a serious impact .

 

I have no idea of the time frame but if Chinese tourism to Phuket continues at this pace it won't be long before the island is littered with real estate signs written in Chinese rather than English and Russian.

 

The other thing that must develop is more Chinese friendly local businesses. Chinese signage, menus, pricing, etc as if the Chinese have a higher comfort level that they can function in their day to day life they are more likely to buy a second property here. The Locals have adapted to service the Russians so I have no doubt they can do the same for the Chinese. 

[xylophone]

6 minutes ago, AJBangkok said:

If ( or should I say when) Phuket starts to attract the wealthy independent Chinese travelers then I would say real estate will boom

Not sure that wealthy Chinese will want to be in the same place that attracts the low-rent Chinese as the wealthy want to think that they are buying in an exclusive location with the like minded and class conscious Chinese, not the peasants.

 

If peasants can afford to holiday here it is no longer a desirable place to holiday/buy.

[Bulldozer Dawn]

Here is my prediction for what it is worth.  After our year of mourning has expired, I expect an announcement that a casino will be built in Phuket.  My guess is the yatch club at Nai Harn will be remodelled into first Casino for the island.

[LivinLOS]

http://www.thephuketnews.com/patong-crackdown-leaves-phuket-entertainment-hub-deserted-60882.php#j3l2BVu71V3ZA8t5.97

 

I posted elsewhere that the under / over on this sticking to the law would be a couple of days.. But the fact is I also never believed they would kill Chiang Mais nightlife the same way 3 years ago, and they have stuck firmly to it up here. We have lost large music venues, bars are scaping by losing money but its the vibrancy thats been lost. Before there were all night food places where after bar folks would be grabbing a jok alongside early starters.. On the roads outside of town there was food carts open until the small hours.. 1000s of small scale businesses simply vanished. I couldnt imagine it was going to last a month, then a few months, and now here were are, years later and its a done deal here. 

 

Juntas are not elected, hence have no one (few) to be accountable to.. So they dont have to care whose livelihoods they damage (much like Surin !!).

[SooKee]

If 1am became the norm in Patong I guess that'd be it for Patong as a party destination, final nail in the coffin as they start the "Book of stupid policies (Vol 2)".

[Lashay]

They have done this 1-2am enforcement thing, late Jan/early Feb for last 3 years now. Normally stop when big tea money becomes due.

Edited February 3, 2017 by Lashay

[xylophone]

Patong is dead – – no it isn't because there are a lot more people here – – may be, but they are not spending any money so it's no good for the economy or for small businesses – – property will be the next big thing, no it won't because it's already in a bubble and just about to go bust and, and, and..........

 

Well, where to start with this post other than the fact that so much has been happening over the last few weeks it will be difficult to try and précis it, however I could start with the fact that I believe this place is the epitome of Stupidity Corruption And Mismanagement (a useful acronym, SCAM).

 

The recent 1 a.m. closing crackdown is just but one aspect of this and although this has happened before and it is usually a SCAM to enable the BIB to collect more tea money, this time there are few other rumours flying around the place. One being that the larger entertainment venues are railing against the large amounts of tea money they have to pay every month in order to stay open late, and therefore have organised a petition to try and get a ruling on staying open to a certain hour, which of course will help them, but won't help the people who usually receive the tea money – – expect more problems here and not sure how this will pan out as there are two parties vying for the same income.

 

I'm also not sure what the potential partygoers who were streaming down Soi Sansabai on their way to Bangla this morning at about 12:50 a.m. would actually find, because if the crackdown was still in place, then they would be totally out of luck and very disappointed I would think. Just what you want when you're on holiday for a party week.

 

Talking of crackdowns, well the beach umbrella/lounger/chair fiasco seems to me to be pure madness and even more so when folks were unable to make their own "sunbeds" out of sand – – deemed to be illegal!!!! Then contrast that with the apparent video doing the rounds on Facebook which shows scenes at Paradise Beach upon which there are umbrellas, loungers and chairs, not to mention the illegal concrete structure, or all of which were supposed to have been cleared a year or two ago because of encroachment, yet nothing has happened............I wonder why?

 

Then a few weeks ago and article appeared in which an "organisation" wanted to increase the scope/reach of taxis and tuk tuks, even suggesting that bringing more onto the island would be a benefit – – yeah right, only to join the hundreds of other underused and illegally parked vehicles currently clogging up the roads of Patong. Nice work for the folk who control these organisations whereby every one of the vehicle owners has to pay them a few thousand baht a month just to be here!!! Stories of hardship amongst these vehicle owners are manyfold, so more vehicles certainly won't help – – would seem commonsense wouldn't it, but then again TIT.

 

Adding to the above complete confusion and stupidity is the fact that someone from the government/tourist hierarchy in Bangkok decided to pay a quick visit to the island to make sure things were "okay" and in trying to ascertain this asked the very people in charge of this SCAM, exactly how things were and of course they received the usual, "no problems here, everything is fine". So tick the okay box and go back home (it was suggested by someone that this person actually asked if the toilets were working well in the new airport terminal, obviously a priority for the hundreds of people standing in line waiting to get processed by just a few immigration officials).

 

Ahh, but tourist numbers are up says TAT and a few other people on this forum, however more rational thinking folks understand that numbers don't equal spend or profit for that matter and that is certainly the case here.

 

That's the problem with numbers games because you can't control the quality and as has been mentioned many times before the low rent Chinese and Russians are here in ever-increasing numbers and just one example last night really gelled all the others that I have seen and often mentioned here – – five Russian folk (probably in their late 20s/early 30s) tried to get into a really heaving Smiley Bar last night and were refused admittance because they wanted to bring the drinks they already had in their hands into the bar with them, plus the plastic bag full of beers that they had just bought in the 7-Eleven opposite!! And they couldn't understand why they were not allowed to do that........low rent and some!

 

So there you have it, and anyone looking at this who wasn't familiar with the place, or was taking a helicopter view of it would think that someone was writing a novel or this was part of a comedy movie set.

 

The problem is that for businesses who are struggling, it's no joke.

 

[Old Croc]

Not Patong, but I understand a young Australian woman died in a jet ski crash at Kata late Sunday.

These dangerous, illegal, unsupervised machines, fostered by the corrupt, have claimed another tourist's life. 

Not likely to help bring quality tourists to the Island.

[KarenBravo]

Jet-skis and motorcycles are not the problem.

It's the behaviour of the people riding them.

 

For this to happen, they must have been coming from opposite directions at high speed, or, the lady got T-boned. Playing chicken with each other?

Irresponsible behaviour that ended in tragedy.

[madmitch]

1 hour ago, KarenBravo said:

Jet-skis and motorcycles are not the problem.

It's the behaviour of the people riding them.

 

For this to happen, they must have been coming from opposite directions at high speed, or, the lady got T-boned. Playing chicken with each other?

Irresponsible behaviour that ended in tragedy.

That's not the issue here. The point is that if it were not for corrupt police and officials, jet skis would not be available for rent on Phuket's beaches in accordance with the beach clean-up rules.

 

But there's another thread on this incident and it doesn't relate to Patong anyway.

[Old Croc]

10 minutes ago, madmitch said:

That's not the issue here. The point is that if it were not for corrupt police and officials, jet skis would not be available for rent on Phuket's beaches in accordance with the beach clean-up rules.

 

But there's another thread on this incident and it doesn't relate to Patong anyway.

Yes.

There wasn't yet a news thread when I posted this here.

My reasoning was to point out that these machines are dangerous, and detrimental to tourism, because of the corruption that allows them to flourish in unreasonable numbers, in the wrong places and without any safety guidelines nor practises.

I'm not personally against their existence here, but strongly consider that need to be regulated and confined to dedicated zones and not be allowed to operate on crowded swimming beaches.

[CantSpell]

On 2/5/2017 at 0:29 PM, xylophone said:

 

So there you have it, and anyone looking at this who wasn't familiar with the place, or was taking a helicopter view of it would think that someone was writing a novel or this was part of a comedy movie set.

 

The problem is that for businesses who are struggling, it's no joke.

 

Seems you have the wrong data again or you are maybe looking at obsolete business...

 

Anyway, here are some data that are not from TAT:

 

http://www.c9hotelworks.com/news/russian-rebound-tops-c9-hotelworks-new-phuket-update.php

 

[DrDave]

37 minutes ago, CantSpell said:

Seems you have the wrong data again or you are maybe looking at obsolete business...

 

Anyway, here are some data that are not from TAT:

 

http://www.c9hotelworks.com/news/russian-rebound-tops-c9-hotelworks-new-phuket-update.php

 

I think not.

C9 is a consultancy to high-end hotels and resorts, and as such they present a very narrow view of the hospitality industry. You would have to be blind to take a stroll through Patong and not see the number of small businesses that are bleeding.

A year over year increase in low budget tourist arrivals doesn't necessarily make for an overall improvement in the local economy.