Thai tourism: Foreign visitors soar 22 percent in April, more coming

[SoilSpoil]

There are indeed more Chinese tourists here in Jomtien. Right now my Thai wife and her niece are here. We paid 100 baht per chair, 100 baht for a flotation device and are ordering food when they open at 9am. Not a big deal but does put money in the local economy.

Chinese are out on the beach and according to the Thai guy who rents chairs he said they don't pay. They don't buy food or rent flotation devices.

More arrivals of cheapskates.

Well for 100 baht a chair (really?), yesterday's left over seafood and inflatable floaters to enter the crystal clear waters of the pristine Pattaya bay, I can't really blame them.

Same with a lot of Thais travelling abroad in tour groups. Guess what they will all put in their suitcases? Mama noodles. As stingy as the Chinese.

[NongKhaiKid]

There are indeed more Chinese tourists here in Jomtien. Right now my Thai wife and her niece are here. We paid 100 baht per chair, 100 baht for a flotation device and are ordering food when they open at 9am. Not a big deal but does put money in the local economy.

Chinese are out on the beach and according to the Thai guy who rents chairs he said they don't pay. They don't buy food or rent flotation devices.

More arrivals of cheapskates.

Well for 100 baht a chair (really?), yesterday's left over seafood and inflatable floaters to enter the crystal clear waters of the pristine Pattaya bay, I can't really blame them.

Same with a lot of Thais travelling abroad in tour groups. Guess what they will all put in their suitcases? Mama noodles. As stingy as the Chinese.

Didn't YL's regular trips overseas include taking their own food so they didn't have to eat any foreign muck while she was promoting all things Thai including food ?

[Cabra]

That's great news for the Thai tourist industry. A week ago I almost started to worry about the Thai economy with Chamber of Commerce and academics raising the alarm on exports, low tourist numbers, increased household debt (with low mortgage ratio), fishing and aviation bans, and low domestic spending.

But in good old Thai style, the government managed to turn the tables, and the future now looks rosy again. Tourist arrivals are up a whopping 22%.

Shame the journalist failed to mention what its up against. 22% of what? Against last year's April with the unrest in Bangkok? Against March?

Too - Shay....

[Alwyn]

87.67% of all statistics are made up

[Fat Haggis]

87.67% of all statistics are made up

And the remainder are just lies!!

[laocowboy2]

Two million foreigners visited Thailand during April 1-27, an increase of 22 per cent. The number is expected to soar next week due to the long holiday . . .

How does a Thai holiday increase the number of foreign visitors? Are people going to come to Thailand to watch Thais not work?

Especially as you can do that year round

[Chicog]

Yes, yes, yes. but do they spend any money? Speak to the businesses and they will tell you no. In fact everywhere I have been the last year in Thailand all businesses are saying the same. they are down on income by 25-50%.

The TAT love to spew figures on numbers but it doesn't mean anything if they don't spend. More Orwellian rubbish from the worse paper in Thailand.

I was down in Kata (Phuket) in February and the road which used to be my old stomping ground was as dead as a doornail and many former bars and restaurants were boarded up.

I asked why they weren't still ticking along with all the Chinese and Russians supposedly coming, and the answer came that they do not drink or eat in bars and restaurants as a rule; if they haven't got it free in the hotel, they buy it from the shops where it's cheaper.

[Fat Haggis]

But but but the graphs, the graphs don't lie!! ?

[sapson]

Why doesnt Thaivisa spare its loyal readership and stop bombarding us with these daily articles, of meaningless statistical sewerage spewing from the various Thai ministries of utter twaddle!

It merely encourages total ridicule of our mis understood hosts.

Edited April 30, 2015 by sapson

[Thunderbirds20]

The number of visitors is up, but the demographic has changed. Far less tourism money is getting in to the Thai economy as Russians and Chinese tourists tend to patronize Russian and Chinese tour groups, restarants and hotels

[Just1Voice]

Got a Thai couple that I know fairly well. They have a 200+ seat buffet they open for lunch. They got placed on the "tourist bus list" as one of the restaurants where the Chinese can eat. That lasted about two months, and they demanded to be taken off the list. The tour company paid the the lunches, but she said the noise and nasty habits of the Chinese drove off 99% of their normal lunch crowd, and it usually took them a good half hour to clean the place up and mop the floors after each group left. Now they are trying to get the old customers back, but not doing so well.

[NongKhaiKid]

Got a Thai couple that I know fairly well. They have a 200+ seat buffet they open for lunch. They got placed on the "tourist bus list" as one of the restaurants where the Chinese can eat. That lasted about two months, and they demanded to be taken off the list. The tour company paid the the lunches, but she said the noise and nasty habits of the Chinese drove off 99% of their normal lunch crowd, and it usually took them a good half hour to clean the place up and mop the floors after each group left. Now they are trying to get the old customers back, but not doing so well.

I've posted before about an official from the Phuket tourist people who gave an interview last year in which he said many businesses were so dependent on the Chinese that if there's a downturn in that market those businesses will fail.

They lost their Thai and other foreign tourist customers because of the attitude and behaviour of the Chinese and these customers simply went elsewhere..

Edited April 30, 2015 by NongKhaiKid

[Jim walker]

if this comes from the Junta TAT then it must be true a general will be on TV later to confirm that Thailands worries are now over and the golden goose is back again so make hay while the sun shines and get the tourists ripped off for every Baht possible starting at the airport taxis can run without meter and no one will care, its happy days once again.

[ExPratt]

TAT announces results of study Chinese high value tourist market

BANGKOK - The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has announced the results of a detailed China market research study that will help it better fine tune its marketing and promotional strategies towards a growing generation of high-value visitors.

The research was conducted in eight of China’s most populous cities; Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Kunming, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Xi’an and Shenyang, with a sample base of 2,400 respondents. These cities were chosen because they have direct flight connections to Bangkok.

Full article

http://www.traveldailynews.asia/columns/article/50007?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TraveldailynewsAsiaLatest+%28TravelDailyNews.asia+Latest+News%29

[konying]

Just wondering what long holidays next week are they referring to and how is long holiday in Thailand affects international tourists?

[Fat Haggis]

Slightly off topic but right now I'm sat in a bus in the middle of an oilfield that's full of Chinese workers eating.... The sound and noise they make is disgusting....chomping away with their mouths open and shouting at each other.

I know how that Thai restaurant couple feel!!

[jamesjohnsonthird]

Why doesnt Thaivisa spare its loyal readership and stop bombarding us with these daily articles, of meaningless statistical sewerage spewing from the various Thai ministries of utter twaddle!

It merely encourages total ridicule of our mis understood hosts.

Agree. Stop posting "news" from The Nation.

Look what The Nation headlines have done to some Thai Visa members.

They drank the koolaid and actually support a SE Asian Military Junta!

[ExPratt]

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Slightly off topic but right now I'm sat in a bus in the middle of an oilfield that's full of Chinese workers eating.... The sound and noise they make is disgusting....chomping away with their mouths open and shouting at each other.

I know how that Thai restaurant couple feel!!

I spent 2 years in PRC mate , wait until they get on the Noodles

Edited April 30, 2015 by ExPratt

[louialive]

I went to Thailand on the 16th April and came home on the 28th April. Flight into Thailand via Eva was full, arrived at Swampy and airport was dead, This was Friday afternoon, straight through passport control, no queue.

Went to Phuket with my wife (she was already in Bangkok on business as she flew out a few weeks before me). Got taxi at airport to hotel and after a few miles the drive said to my wife he had to stop to let someone know he had a fair (I was not aware of this until he stopped outside a shop as I don't speak Thai). Next thing a woman comes out and starts talking to my wife about tours. Whilst I couldnt tell him directly the driver knew I was not impressed with his scam attempt (we had already paid for the taxi at the airport otherwise I would have got out).

Phuket was full of Chinese (as was our hotel)for the 6 days we where there. Not so many europeans though Phuket version of walking street was busy at nights. Drinks were expensive as was the rest of Thailand we visited. My wife also said she found things expensive compared to our last visit.

While the beach was clean in Patong the whole place seems set up to be extract all they can from you. All taxis and tuk tuk fixed price (expensive) comapred to elswhere. We did see Chinese going to restuarants but it was mainly those that catered for chinese/thai food. At breakfast they made sure they had a good fill.

At the market where you can buy fresh fish etc and then go up stairs to pay someone to cook it for you was very busy and 90% of the people were Chinese.

[NongKhaiKid]

Breakfast in Hong Kong, the sight and sound of someone picking up a runny fried egg on a knife blade and sucking it up in one !

[Local Drunk]

Slightly off topic but right now I'm sat in a bus in the middle of an oilfield that's full of Chinese workers eating.... The sound and noise they make is disgusting....chomping away with their mouths open and shouting at each other.

I know how that Thai restaurant couple feel!!

Most of the Thais that I know who have visited mainland China would agree with you. Even Hong Kong doesn't want them.

[ExPratt]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

I went to Thailand on the 16th April and came home on the 28th April. Flight into Thailand via Eva was full, arrived at Swampy and airport was dead, This was Friday afternoon, straight through passport control, no queue.

Went to Phuket with my wife (she was already in Bangkok on business as she flew out a few weeks before me). Got taxi at airport to hotel and after a few miles the drive said to my wife he had to stop to let someone know he had a fair (I was not aware of this until he stopped outside a shop as I don't speak Thai). Next thing a woman comes out and starts talking to my wife about tours. Whilst I couldnt tell him directly the driver knew I was not impressed with his scam attempt (we had already paid for the taxi at the airport otherwise I would have got out).

Phuket was full of Chinese (as was our hotel)for the 6 days we where there. Not so many europeans though Phuket version of walking street was busy at nights. Drinks were expensive as was the rest of Thailand we visited. My wife also said she found things expensive compared to our last visit.

While the beach was clean in Patong the whole place seems set up to be extract all they can from you. All taxis and tuk tuk fixed price (expensive) comapred to elswhere. We did see Chinese going to restuarants but it was mainly those that catered for chinese/thai food. At breakfast they made sure they had a good fill.

At the market where you can buy fresh fish etc and then go up stairs to pay someone to cook it for you was very busy and 90% of the people were Chinese.

That is exactly how I feel about Patong. I wanted to book an airport pick up from hotel , they told me I had to pay with CC first. Blatant rip off

[berybert]

Two million foreigners visited Thailand during April 1-27, an increase of 22 per cent. The number is expected to soar next week due to the long holiday . . .

How does a Thai holiday increase the number of foreign visitors? Are people going to come to Thailand to watch Thais not work?

They don't need to come on a Thai holiday to see that.

[JAG]

They doing this now along the beach and yelling something. Any translation?

ImageUploadedByThaivisa Connect1430365935.894659.jpg

"Tomorrow belongs to us"?

[AZBill]

These reports can't be believed .

[Ricardo]

The UN report is all lies, damn lies, Khartoum Ken, the unofficial Junta spokesperson will not allow dissent to be spoken, despite the fact many who are currently in Thailand, and reside in tourist locations, seeing it with their very own eyes and keep stating that the venues are quite empty, revenues down, hotels not full, etc.

Please stop lying and distorting the truth, the TAT stats and BOT graphs are all that matter, resistance is futile, you will be assimilated !!

"resistance is futile"

Did you previously work as a Vogon Captain, on board a Vogon Constructor Fleet vessel, perhaps ?

[kimamey]

That's great news for the Thai tourist industry. A week ago I almost started to worry about the Thai economy with Chamber of Commerce and academics raising the alarm on exports, low tourist numbers, increased household debt (with low mortgage ratio), fishing and aviation bans, and low domestic spending.

But in good old Thai style, the government managed to turn the tables, and the future now looks rosy again. Tourist arrivals are up a whopping 22%.

Shame the journalist failed to mention what its up against. 22% of what? Against last year's April with the unrest in Bangkok? Against March?

Yes more numbers from people with degrees that I noticed were meaningless as I was reading them. I didn't even have to think about it and I'm not well educated.

In other news Siam Paragon reported a 100% increase in shoppers when they opened the doors this morning.

Mind you I'm in the UK right now and we've got even better educated idiots saying things that aren't based on facts or make any sense.

[mrfaroukh]

Yes it is a good news but as I read somewhere else they are mostly from China. They do not spend the way western do. They all go to the hotel, together buy bus do the sight seeing etc. I seen them in walking street. They just walk around with the guide and see everything and go back to hotel. Not a drink, go go etc. Well I don't know how much that help. At least some hotels are making money.

[nakhonandy]

These statistics are interesting!!

Songkran in Jomtien was about a quarter of what it used to be.

Hardly any Europeans well except us that live there. negligible Russians and oddly very few Chinese, other than in buses.

So curious as to where the 22% comes from.

[moobie]

As a visitor/tourist I've been considering my next trip out to Thailand and have noticed that the Dubai to Bangkok (and return) elements of flight(s) use the 777's rather than the bigger capacity A380's which they used to do. Prices "now-ish" and for this Summer are reasonable enough (around £470) but those around this coming Christmas are already in excess of £1000. However, my usual hotel which is based on Sukhumvit's soi 11 is now a base for Indian bus tourists so any savings on a Summer flight would be lost as I grade up on accommodation levels to avoid them. As for Christmas time, although the flight is affordable enough, I don't find Thailand reasonable enough to justify the cost. Time and events may change my mind but the World is a big place and offers many alternatives.

As for the information/communications I am currently receiving out of Bangkok, it would seem that trade is slow in the Western bar and restaurant scene. Can any of you folk with "boots on the ground" confirm this situation?