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

[Tatsujin]

<yawns and breaks out traditional Thai costume to get free entry to the National Parks this weekend>

[Thaddeus]

Wait until someone at TAT realises that 2 is twice as big as 1.

And watch the headlines soar.

[Cake Monster]

I wonder if all the " 1 night stop overs " that are put up in Hotels count ? prior to being shepherded back to the Airport for their onward flights.

I guess that a 1 night stop-over is counted, as they technically have entered the Kingdom

[Dannyboy666]

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.

. I thought it was 60 baht a chair, wth

[wabothai]

That woman just securing her job. Her luck is that no one is questioning her.

[DennisF]

Another load of TAT cr4p

[smedly]

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?

all I see are tour buses with bored looking Chinese running around and little else, you can't spend money sitting in a bus, the bar/restaurant scene is looking rather sad, there are even quite a few rooms at my condo building remaining empty which is also unusual, Hau Hin is a ghost town as are Phuket Koh Samui and Koh Toa according to some friends that were there, I just don't see anything upbeat about tourism at all

[Fat Haggis]

Stop lying you guys who are out there on the ground seeing things with your very own eyes, the Man from Sudan will be along with more graphs than a maths test and more figures than a book of logarithms to prove your all wrong !!!

As I've said before all very well having the punters come to your shop, but unless they buy stuff, you're going to end up closing Down !!

[ExPratt]

I have no doubt there are plenty of Chinese here and on the way. But they are not anything like western tourists. Even in there own country they travel and are herded into huge groups , normally all wearing the same T shirt or hat so there is nor fear of mixing in with another group with each tour leader with a flag and a whistle . So it does appear empty in the bars and restaurants because that's not their scene as we all probably know. So even though the figures are 22% of something up it is not going to help small business people with Bars , restaurants or even people renting condo's., so the resorts are going to look even nicer with deserted Bars and restaurants

If they re-invested some of the Money coming in from Tourism they could tart the area up a bit, Naklua road reminds me of Forest gate in East London as does 2nd Road , the roads in Patong other than beach road and most other resorts are the same they look Tatty and run down.If they could make those areas pleasant and Pedestrian and traffic friendly they would imo without doubt attract the "Quality" tourists they crave. They have a beautiful country and beautiful beaches but in many places it looks like a Council estate along with the Tip have been erected next to them

Edited April 30, 2015 by ExPratt

[Srikcir]

"an increase of 22 per cent. The number is expected to soar next week due to the long holiday"

Increase compared to what? What is the increase in terms of REVENUES?

If it was a comparison to number of Thai tourism in April 2014, I doubt the increase is meaningful for April 2015. However, if tourism revenues can increase 22% for each of the remaining months in 2015, it could make up for the lack of GDP growth rate that government investment in infrastructure was to contribute.

But Thai tourists will have to spend like they're on a Disneyland vacation, no penny-pinching to generate significant revenues.

Exports contribute 70% of GDP, government spending 20%, and the remaining 10% is domestic consumption including tourism. Export and government growth rates are virtually flat. That leaves domestic consumption to fuel almost 100% GDP growth. Given the "highest increase of household debt in the world" (Finance Minister Sommai Phasee, 04-01-2015) and a five-month low for the Industrial Index, increase in tourism revenues alone in 2015 would have to drive the nation's ENTIRE GDP growth.

That being the case, maybe TAT should take over the entire government.

[marko kok prong]

Another long holiday which will result in more figures including supposed domestic ' tourism '.

Can i ask my fellow posters if any have Thai family, friends or neighbours who actually go on what may be regarded as a holiday ?

For my part, and I've said this before, none of my neighbours use breaks for anything other than going to stay with relatives. My immediate neighbours have decent jobs such as government officials, teachers etc yet I've never known any of them to go, for example, to Bkk for a ' chopping ' trip or to any tourist destinations, it's visit family or stay at home.

Agree mate, a holiday to my Thai family is usually a day trip somewhere,or if longer to visit family,the other,year i took my wife and stepkids to Chiang mai,and Pai,the trip was to be about a week[7 days],on day four my wife told me,she missed the house,so day five was spent all day to get back.i was in Koh chang over songkran at a very quiet spot,and while some thai familys did come,2 days was the max any of them stayed.

[onni4me]

The number is expected to soar next week due to the long holiday

Umm...perhaps ban on alcohol and service industry closed = more tourists coming..?

I must admit my ignorance and admit that I have never planned my holidays or visits in this country according to local holidays...except avoiding one...Songkhran that is since I hate been soaked in water with my mobile and wallet...but that's just how boring I am.

[Praematura]

Here are your quality tourists too cheap to rent a chair. Water is packed.

[Benmart]

Just how many in the hospitality and service industries will be using their usual refrain " if there's all these tourists here where are they ? "

I suppose many businesses won't get much, if anything, from Chinese tourists whose tour groups are carefully organised.

I have a couple of friends who run small bar / restaurant businesses and they rely on their regulars as passing trade from westerners is non-existent.

Ditto. I have friends that own two businesses. Each says that if it weren't for the regular expat customers, they would have been closed long ago.

[jamesjohnsonthird]

The Nation printing more phoney headlines, propping up the bumbling Military Junta.

[i claudius]

well the low spending Russians have now been replaced by the no spending Chinese ,meet the new tourists worse than the old tourists

[thedude82]

absolutely fudged statistics....

[Praematura]

Nothing can replace a Chinese guy coughing up a lougie and spitting it where people walk under the umbrellas. He did this next to a thai lady renting a chair about 5 down from us. She looked so disgusted she looked like she had seen a ghost.

[DLP]

22% Increase. Where are they all ???? Amazing Thailand.

[ttthailand]

Here are your quality tourists too cheap to rent a chair. Water is packed.ImageUploadedByThaivisa Connect1430363669.723994.jpg

Last time I was at Koh Lan it was packed with Chinese and Indians. Too many people in the water and standing on the beach. Few were spending any money except for the boat ride. If this is the results from the increase of tourists than I think Thailand is in for a ruff road ahead. These are the type of tourists that chase people away. Edited April 30, 2015 by ttthailand

[Praematura]

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

[issanaus]

22% Increase. Where are they all ???? Amazing Thailand.

You appear not to understand

Most organisations do statistical analysis

TAT does sadistical analysis - they torture the numbers until they get the answer they want

Edited April 30, 2015 by issanaus

[lvr181]

Happiness for Thai peoples is hearing good news - true or not. Because the average Thai person never seems to query the accuracy of the "reporting" or in other instances, whether some realistic action is being taken when a "happiness announcement" is made e.g. we will reduce Songkran road toll with the announcement of 7 Virtues. Sounds great, nothing was done/achieved by the Police and the result was NO improvement. So sad really.

[orientalsf]

Good news. I for one am coming back. I use to do at least 2 times a year, but due to economic reasons not the coup, I could not come. But yes I love Thailand and will come this year.

[tracker1]

I am suffering from Vertigo just listening to the figures up down up !

[UncleE]

Again, the only numbers needed are total room nights booked and at what price, then you have RevPAR which is the only meaningful number in the hotel management business.

One Asian tourist stays 2-3 nights compared to the former Western tourists who stayed 2-3 weeks. So arrivals mean NOTHING. We'd need a 700% jump in Asian tourists to make up for the loss of the traditional Western tourists.

They always seem to find a bright spot somewhere in the middle of the mess.

The comment above is correct, total revenue is off by 25-50%, who cares how many arrivals there are.

[piewarmer]

Stop driving the Aussie mine workers away. They spend far more than the Chinese tight asses

[Fat Haggis]

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 !!

[Praematura]

For what it's worth on the beach in Ko Larn right now it's packed. 98% Chinese. I had my wife ask the vendors here and there is one Korean tour group and in front of me are4 Japanese guys.

The Chinese did pay for the beach chairs and buy food at 7-11 to bring to the beach, so they are spending something. I've seen more black guys here today than white farangs. I'd say the biggest group is Chinese followed by Thais. Rest are just a handful of Arabs, Japanese one white girl and my white ass.

Realistically the Chinese tourists around us probably spent 100 baht for the beach chair and whatever water and chips cost at 7-11. So while this beach was a zoo packed with Chinese they aren't spending more than $5.

[lamplaimattlad]

Pretty quiet when I flew into Swampy last Tuesday