Tourist arrivals keep on rising
TTR Weekly


The number of international and domestic tourists to Phuket keeps on rising. Photo: AoT

BANGKOK: -- Airports of Thailand has reported its June data, which showed increases in both aircraft movements and passengers at the six airports under its management.

AoT this past week reported that all of its supervised airports handled 8,044,421 passengers up 37.79 per cent from 5,838,276 during the same month last year.

Overall aircraft movements also increased by 25.33pc from 45,189 to 56,636.

During the first six months of the year, the country main gateway Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport welcomed 26.75 million passengers followed by Don Mueang with 14.43mn and Phuket 6.43mn. Chiang Mai Airport handled 4.04mn passengers.

Suvarnabhumi Airport registered an increase of 22.12pc in international aircraft movements from 16,055 to 19,607, while domestic movements increased by just 2.75pc from 5,241 to 5,385 movements.

International passenger traffic increased 37.54pc from 2,406,987 to 3,310,668, while domestic passengers increased 8.30pc from 534,139 to 578,457. Overall, it accounted for a 32.23pc increase in passengers from 2,941,126 to 3,889,125.

The second aviation gateway, Don Mueang Airport recorded a 49.70pc increase of international aircraft movement from 3,294 to 4,931. Domestic movement posted a 42.21pc improvement from 8,739 to 12,428.

International passenger traffic increased 85.61pc from 381,988 to 709,013, while domestic passengers increased 47.95pc from 1,060,661 to 1,569,259.

Chiang Mai International Airport continued to show growth in June. Both international and domestic aircraft movements registered double-digit increases of 39.10pc (913 to 1,270) and 34.91pc (2,724 to 3,675).

International passenger traffic grew 78.89pc from 84,809 to 151,716, while domestic traffic gained 32.35pc from 344,953 to 456,535.

Phuket International Airport registered an increase of 11.23pc in international aircraft movements from 2,886 to 3,210, while domestic aircraft movements improved 20.98pc from 2,674 to 3,235.

International passenger traffic increased 21.15pc from 387,140 to 469,006, while domestic improved 29.95pc from 303,172 to 393,983.

Chiang Rai International Airport reported an increase in aircraft movements of 20.99pc from 786 to 951, while passenger traffic grew 38.87pc from 87,433 to 121,420.

Hat Yai International Airport reported an overall aircraft movement increased 3.57pc from 1,877 to 1,944 in June. Meanwhile, overall passenger traffic registered a 15.13pc growth from 246,855 to 284,364 passengers.

See original report here.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-tourist-arrivals-keep-on-rising-53387.php

-- Phuket News 2015-07-28

And if you believe this, you will believe anything.

Just open your eyes and have a look around. There has definitely been less tourists here over the past year or so.

I agree. However it doesn't look good for the Thai economy or Government to say that tourist numbers are falling.

And if you believe this, you will believe anything.

Just open your eyes and have a look around. There has definitely been less tourists here over the past year or so.

I'm not doubting the overall numbers but you are right in that you don't see them - unless you wander around arrivals and see the planeloads of Chinese tour groups being rushed out onto buses. The problem is that they simply don't spend as anyone in the industry will tell you. I was at the W on Samui a few days back and literally hundreds of tourists wandered in to the spectacular bar. Good for the hotel you might think - but not a single one bought anything. They took a few selfies with the view and then left.

Thailand's middle and high end tourist industry is a wreck, thanks mostly to the coup - the bottom end has a ton of people.

And if you believe this, you will believe anything.

Just open your eyes and have a look around. There has definitely been less tourists here over the past year or so.

You have to remember what they are comparing current figures to. Surely you remember the hordes of tourists that were everywhere last June that came to enjoy the curfew.

The numbers that the gov comes up with are always dubious, but these are year on year. More useful would be month on month.

Good news is required now, so expect these y-o-y numbers for the next several months.

And if you believe this, you will believe anything.

Just open your eyes and have a look around. There has definitely been less tourists here over the past year or so.

You may be looking in the wrong places for the wrong thing. Farang is not the typical tourist anymore and would not be surprised if their numbers are shrinking. However Asian Foreigners are coming in droves. Go to the malls or visit resorts and you will find them packed Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian and Koreans. I doubt combining UK, American and Australian arrivals even matches that of either China or Malaysia. Also would suspect Russian numbers are way down and they were the largest farang group to visit.

Am sure Thailand is happy to get visitors who spend from anywhere but they may be pleased with this. Farangs have a way of making the news here in ways not typically associated with holidaying.

Maybe it will be even more quiet after the Chinese stock market slump...our poor ol' favorite 'classy' tourists (the chinese) will stop coming, just like our friends the Rushkies....Karma is wonderful.

By the way, are all the Russian TV channels still airing in Patts? Anyone?

So hopefully the expansion of Swampy is now progressing well, to cope with the rush, right ... which is why we're hearing so much about that, erm ...

....... another figure pulled out of a monkeys bum

In the mean time number of businesses closed also increasing

Now I'm waiting for the time when the TAT and AOT muezzin climb up the tower to proclaim their daily dose of propaganda 6 times a day...

Consider that this is a comparison of June 2015 to June 2014.

What was happening in June 2014?

That's right, the Junta was consolidating their power, and there was significant uncertainty about what would happen next.

If June 2014 was a depressed month, of course June 2015 will look wonderful by comparison.

AOT probably knows this, but couldn't resist reporting "the big increases" anyway.

We must be in one of those periods during the year when officials are vying for promotions or get sent to an inactive post.

Possibly 52 million people will travel through Swampy airport alone this year according to Aot?

A record ?... 8 million in one month. thats 96 million a year. Thats more than France or UK get.

Where are all these tens of millions of tourists hiding out?

I grant that Nth Asians and Malaysians are flooding in here but do they spend anything like what farangs do?

Its traditionally the farangs and japs who fill up the 4 and 5 star hotels and eat in the expensive restaurants.

Thailand appears to have replaced the mass farang tourist industry with another. Thats all !

They've now got millions of prepaid low spending chows coming here.

Apparently the Russians have all gone to rupee India.

How's Pattaya doing?

Tourist figures continue to defy gravity over on New Petchaburi Road.

And if you believe this, you will believe anything.

Just open your eyes and have a look around. There has definitely been less tourists here over the past year or so.

You may be looking in the wrong places for the wrong thing. Farang is not the typical tourist anymore and would not be surprised if their numbers are shrinking. However Asian Foreigners are coming in droves. Go to the malls or visit resorts and you will find them packed Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian and Koreans. I doubt combining UK, American and Australian arrivals even matches that of either China or Malaysia. Also would suspect Russian numbers are way down and they were the largest farang group to visit.

Am sure Thailand is happy to get visitors who spend from anywhere but they may be pleased with this. Farangs have a way of making the news here in ways not typically associated with holidaying.

I agree there are MORE Chinese coming now. BUT they will not buy things here as it is made in China and cheaper in China so why pay Thai taxes on top?

They buy cheap tours, hotels and little else.

they do not help locals like we westerners do.

Thailand welcomes these idiots who act terribly in most cases and they are welcome to them.

It is their country

More numbers through the door DOES NOT equal more revenue in the tills

The addition of Lion air may have skewed the figures a bit. While air passenger numbers may have increased, you have to also note if there was a decrease in land travel numbers. I am sure those bus companies are hurting - Transport company, Sombat Tour, NakhonChaiAir, Siam First, etc.

Where they all go? Business owners in Phuket, Pattaya, Hua Hin, Chiang Mai says it's quiet!

TAT reported EU tourists down 13% the first 5 months of the year compared to the terrible numbers in 2014. And TAT just paid Etihad airlines $1.2 million dollars to jointly promote Thailand. Getting desperate.

And if you believe this, you will believe anything.

AoT figures are about as good as it gets. They're directly from passenger manifests.

Got to admit, I'm amused to see how hard some people struggle to uphold their prejudices. 'Have a look around' . . . right.

And if you believe this, you will believe anything.

Just open your eyes and have a look around. There has definitely been less tourists here over the past year or so.

this is because you recognize only farang faces as tourists. usual Caucasian chauvinism

lol

....they are lying in their own pockets.......

And if you believe this, you will believe anything.

Just open your eyes and have a look around. There has definitely been less tourists here over the past year or so.

You may be looking in the wrong places for the wrong thing. Farang is not the typical tourist anymore and would not be surprised if their numbers are shrinking. However Asian Foreigners are coming in droves. Go to the malls or visit resorts and you will find them packed Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian and Koreans. I doubt combining UK, American and Australian arrivals even matches that of either China or Malaysia. Also would suspect Russian numbers are way down and they were the largest farang group to visit.

Am sure Thailand is happy to get visitors who spend from anywhere but they may be pleased with this. Farangs have a way of making the news here in ways not typically associated with holidaying.

I agree there are MORE Chinese coming now. BUT they will not buy things here as it is made in China and cheaper in China so why pay Thai taxes on top?

They buy cheap tours, hotels and little else.

they do not help locals like we westerners do.

Thailand welcomes these idiots who act terribly in most cases and they are welcome to them.

It is their country

More numbers through the door DOES NOT equal more revenue in the tills

Don't overrate yourselves too much. There are plenty of backpackers on budget. Many of very cheap hotels are filled with westerners. Even not Chinese groups on cheaper tours stay at that kind of hotel. Chinese tours come in with much much larger quantity of tourists. YES IT DOES equal more revenue. Empty room and seat don't generate any revenue. It adds up to significantly larger amount of money. Many of them do stay in very nice hotel and spend money. Why don't you walk into 5-star hotels and casually ask the hotel staff. I don't know any major hotel without chinese tourists. And most favorite customers aren't westerners or chinese but Japanese.

Remember, once you are in foreign country, you must spend money one way or the other. You CANNOT survive in any foreign country without spending money. You must sleep, eat, use transportation, and do something. Everything cost you. Those Chinese paid for their tours to come into Thailand. They already prepaid money to thai businesses.

Tourist arrivals keep on rising

Of course they do, everybody wants to come and spend money in Thailand. Thailand is special.

Has that awful woman whio ran the TAT a while back - you know, the one who got caught with her hand in the till... has she been prosecuted yet or does she have rich friends with influence in government and NGO's.

Because if she has, then that illustrates Thailands biggest and most intractable problem. Prayuth, who can only just manage to pick his nose, has no chance of brining meaningful change to Thailand. None at all. And his biggest backers will die soon (I'm surprised they lived this long but they do say the good die young). Then where will he be? A finger in search of a nose...

Then how comes that I hardly see any tourists on Koh Samui in comparison with ten years ago and more and more businesses are closing down? Sometimes I wonder who still believes these delusional fairy tale statements.

And if you believe this, you will believe anything.

Just open your eyes and have a look around. There has definitely been less tourists here over the past year or so.

I'm not doubting the overall numbers but you are right in that you don't see them - unless you wander around arrivals and see the planeloads of Chinese tour groups being rushed out onto buses. The problem is that they simply don't spend as anyone in the industry will tell you. I was at the W on Samui a few days back and literally hundreds of tourists wandered in to the spectacular bar. Good for the hotel you might think - but not a single one bought anything. They took a few selfies with the view and then left.

Thailand's middle and high end tourist industry is a wreck, thanks mostly to the coup - the bottom end has a ton of people.

Quote you " thank's to the coup" typical agenda, not a normal comment has to have the DIG. AGREE about the Chinese, spend what ?? nothing-----do not mix with Thai people---not take bar boys girls-- sit on towels on the beach to save money---not eat street food---use local bus or taxis NO-----the revenue is pre paid through tour companies and small profit margins.

A couple of previous posters have asked how Pattaya is doing. The answer...badly. Businesses and shops either quiet or closing down. The only thing that is busy are the roads with hundreds and hundreds of tourist buses (either driving round empty or with Chinese tourists who are not spending in the local shops, bars or restaurants) clogging up the traffic.

And if you believe this, you will believe anything.

Just open your eyes and have a look around. There has definitely been less tourists here over the past year or so.

Obviously your "looking around" method is much more scientific and accurate.

And if you believe this, you will believe anything.

Just open your eyes and have a look around. There has definitely been less tourists here over the past year or so.

More tourists, WHERE????? come to Pattaya and businesses are closing weekly if not daily because of the lack of tourists. It is starting to become a ghost town

And if you believe this, you will believe anything.

Just open your eyes and have a look around. There has definitely been less tourists here over the past year or so.

You may be looking in the wrong places for the wrong thing. Farang is not the typical tourist anymore and would not be surprised if their numbers are shrinking. However Asian Foreigners are coming in droves. Go to the malls or visit resorts and you will find them packed Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian and Koreans. I doubt combining UK, American and Australian arrivals even matches that of either China or Malaysia. Also would suspect Russian numbers are way down and they were the largest farang group to visit.

Am sure Thailand is happy to get visitors who spend from anywhere but they may be pleased with this. Farangs have a way of making the news here in ways not typically associated with holidaying.

You mean like accidentally being murdered, diving off balconies or ending up as 'roadkill'??