Thailand's tourism shrinks by 2%-3% in first half of 2015

[hutchings1963]

Now i know why my hotel is empty.

[Chicog]

due to lower public purchasing power caused by tourists’ careful spending.

Which of course means any solutions are out of their hands.

And thus they don't have to do anything but once again point the finger at farang!

[amdy2206]

It would be good if businesses reacted to the markets, but they don't. Many time I have been to tourist and other areas when they gave been quiet (mid-week, low season etc) and been quoted a price at a hotel/guest house which was only partially occupied. With ready cash available and asking for reduction you get response of 'people may come'. No discount! Hardly surprising people don't bother. Most ( not all, admittedly) would rather have empty rooms than give reduction. If I had a guest house I would rather the place full and used (plus spending in bar/shop) than keep it empty. People will ways attract more people.

[amdy2206]

It would be good if businesses reacted to the markets, but they don't. Many time I have been to tourist and other areas when they gave been quiet (mid-week, low season etc) and been quoted a price at a hotel/guest house which was only partially occupied. With ready cash available and asking for reduction you get response of 'people may come'. No discount! Hardly surprising people don't bother. Most ( not all, admittedly) would rather have empty rooms than give reduction. If I had a guest house I would rather the place full and used (plus spending in bar/shop) than keep it empty. People will ways attract more people.

[JAG]

STOP SCAMING TOURISTS !!! For every one scamed here they tell all their friend back in their country which then just NOT even bother to come here for the first time ( jetskis, police distortion for tea money, higher entry prices for foreigners at beaches, parks which comes down to discrimination) and MAYBE the tourists numbers will pick up....

Westerners are NOT stupid TAT !!! Get your house in order !!!

Westerners may not be stupid. TAT however...

[sambum]

2 - 3 % is nowhere near the true figure.

Living in Jomtien I have seen that it is pretty well empty of tourists and Pattaya also.

Loads of empty hotel rooms and apartments.

From what I hear from friends in Phuket it is the same.

Makes a change to see a negetive figure though, can't remember ever seeing that from TAT.

You can add Koh Samui to that list. And if TAT are posting a negative figure (which I also can't remember ever seeing) you can be sure that the figures are a lot worse than - 2 - 3%!

[AG1]

2% to 3% is in my opinion a gross understatement. The fact that they are admitting any slow down at all is a sign that things are bad but they won't tell you just how bad.

I live in Pattaya and maybe it has been hit harder then some areas but it seems far more then a slight drop of 2% to 3% to me.. The restaurants, bars and shopping malls are empty and have been so for a long time.

I spoke to a restaurant owner who has been here for many years and he told me that his business was down over 40%. I also spoke to the garage that service my motorbike and he said there are just no customers this year and he is barely surviving,,,

I wish the government would just stop chasing people around from the previous government, stop with the populist policies and silly statements and just focus on getting the country on track to a recovery. Thailand is falling behind neighbouring countries for sure and losing lucrative contracts as well as tourism, it needs to wake up fast.

That's true, I can not remember to see so many Shops in Pattaya vacant. Even in good Locations like 2nd Road, or South Pattaya Road many Shops are available for rent since long Time, and Rental Prices falling.

I don't blame the Junta for the current Problems, they just try to clean up the Mess. In my Opinion the Downfall was caused by several Factors like Economy Problems in many Countries, including Currency Fluctuations (especially the russian Ruble) and reduced Spending Power from Tourists and Residents. And internal Factors are also plenty to identify like difficult Visa Regulations, endless Scams and the ineffective Police.

[cadle1]

2 or 3% I do not believe this! I look at Pattaya it is very quiet now and has been for a long time, shops not making money, some bars for sale I do not know where these figures come from...

[ozyjon]

domestic tourism declined by 2-3 percent

You are wrong you falang infidel,

i order you to take book and pencil

count everyone who enter country

you will see these numbers are wrong.

Is it opposite day today, oh that makes

sense now.

[FredNL]

Was in Pattaya / Jomtien last weekend. The Grand Jomtien was fully loaded with Russians and Chinese.

Everywhere I went those white people talked to me in Russian. I know those Russians and Chinese won't spend money outside the hotel. The Chinese came by busses (more than 10) around 9 PM and left the following morning with there busses around 10 AM. There was no place to park in the vicinity of the hotel because those morron busdrivers parked their busses anywhere around, even blocking complete roads.

Frankly I don't give a $#!t about Pattaya / Jomtien and their tourist. The less, the better I would say !!!

[elgordo38]

Nooooooooooooooo!

I believed everything was ok, that all the indexes were fine and it was go go GO! Now they admit that they have been fudging figures, deceiving, deluding me the diligent reader Who Wants To Believe!.

I am left with a profound sense of betrayal, loss and alienation from TAT.

Yeah the TAT figures are starting to blow up so stand back. Watch out for hot air blowback.

[mancub]

Come on chaps: These latest figures only relate to DOMESTIC TOURISM....and are essentially meaningless !

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

Until over a week ago, Chinese and Koreans made up 50% of the passengers on the Pattaya-BKK bus. Both terminals were teeming with travellers. I do this run 3-4 times a month. Last Saturday they made up maybe 15%. Same on my Sunday return. The stations looked almost abandoned. The interval between buses stretched to a half hour from the usual 10-15 minutes.

I will see what happens this Thursday on my next trip. But international traveller numbers are sinking. Most of the passengers were Indian, Pakistani, farangs and Thai.

Oh, the bus fare was cut to 115 baht.

Edited August 25, 2015 by Kaoboi Bebobp

[Jessi]

STOP SCAMING TOURISTS !!! For every one scamed here they tell all their friend back in their country which then just NOT even bother to come here for the first time ( jetskis, police distortion for tea money, higher entry prices for foreigners at beaches, parks which comes down to discrimination) and MAYBE the tourists numbers will pick up....

Westerners are NOT stupid TAT !!! Get your house in order !!!

Very true!!!

The problem is today we have social media, people complain on facebook etc etc a thousand people will see it where before a tourist that was scammed would tell 5 of his friends back home.

The word is getting out about Thailand...Dont come here because they only want your money.

So once again the foreigners are to blame for all of Thailand's trouble.

[Ricardo]

Tourism-spend down ... so much for the focus on 'high-quality tourists' then !

Although Chiang Mai has seemed quite busy, for low-season, in my recent experience. And there are still lots more flights to/from China, than we had only a couple of years back, so demand there must have increased ?

Perhaps try to encourage businesses to offer better value-for-money, and get the TAT to try to encourage lower-spending longer-staying tourists, once again ?

And ease the restrictions at Immigration, show that Thailand does want visitors, and won't throw needless barriers in their way anymore.

[Cake Monster]

So many reports that Tourist numbers had inreased significantly.

TIT, I now have a headache and am going for a lie down.

[DrTuner]

OMG, TAT said tourism is down!!!! THE END IS NIGH!!!!

[dageurreotype]

Didn't thought it was possible to get negative news from the Propaganda machine called TAT ...

Some sweepings will just not stay under that bloody carpet.

[dageurreotype]

Tourism-spend down ... so much for the focus on 'high-quality tourists' then !

Although Chiang Mai has seemed quite busy, for low-season, in my recent experience. And there are still lots more flights to/from China, than we had only a couple of years back, so demand there must have increased ?

Perhaps try to encourage businesses to offer better value-for-money, and get the TAT to try to encourage lower-spending longer-staying tourists, once again ?

And ease the restrictions at Immigration, show that Thailand does want visitors, and won't throw needless barriers in their way anymore.

Dream on.

[hugh2121]

Yesterday at Pattaya's Big C Extra. Check out staff still standing at the tills waiting for a customer to check out.

[Ricardo]

Tourism-spend down ... so much for the focus on 'high-quality tourists' then !

Although Chiang Mai has seemed quite busy, for low-season, in my recent experience. And there are still lots more flights to/from China, than we had only a couple of years back, so demand there must have increased ?

Perhaps try to encourage businesses to offer better value-for-money, and get the TAT to try to encourage lower-spending longer-staying tourists, once again ?

And ease the restrictions at Immigration, show that Thailand does want visitors, and won't throw needless barriers in their way anymore.

Dream on.

"You've got to have a dream, if you don't have a dream, how you gonna have a dream come true"

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

Yesterday at Pattaya's Big C Extra. Check out staff still standing at the tills waiting for a customer to check out.

That reminded me I saw the same thing yesterday. Big C X always used to be very busy on a Monday. I, at first, didn't know what to do because there were several empty checkout lanes. That was a weird feeling.

[Thunderbirds20]

I think your number of people is up from other years, but your revenue is way down, ...Chinese Tour Groups do not leave much cash in the Thai economy

[GAZZPA]

Was in Pattaya / Jomtien last weekend. The Grand Jomtien was fully loaded with Russians and Chinese.

Everywhere I went those white people talked to me in Russian. I know those Russians and Chinese won't spend money outside the hotel. The Chinese came by busses (more than 10) around 9 PM and left the following morning with there busses around 10 AM. There was no place to park in the vicinity of the hotel because those morron busdrivers parked their busses anywhere around, even blocking complete roads.

Frankly I don't give a $#!t about Pattaya / Jomtien and their tourist. The less, the better I would say !!!

Chinese tend to move round in pre arranged tours taken to "OFTEN NEW" Chinese operated businesses but Russians do spend in the local economy, they are much more independent people and behave pretty much like tourists from anywhere in Europe or the US. So, lack of Russian tourists is a bad thing for the economy for sure.

If you dont give a s*#t good for you but the fact remains that it is harmful and people and businesses are hurting. Less is certainly not better for the people trying to earn a living.