Thai govt's effort to boost tourism: Special report

[Srikcir]

"international tourist arrivals in Thailand now stand at 29.5 million, exceeding the target of 28.8 million set at the beginning of 2015."

Largely due to a swell in Chinese tourists.

Bans on drinking alcohol and smoking will likely affect tourism from key countries using wikipedia ranking data:

No. cigarettes per adult Alcohol consumed per capita

Russia #4 France #3

So. Korea #13 Germany #9

Japan #17 Australia, UK #15

China #21 So. Korea #21

Indonesia #43 USA #22

Australia #50 Canada #25

USA #51 Japan #27

On the plus side I'm sure these bans will be welcomed in the muslim Malay-Thai South.

[Si Thea01]

Let's ban the lot, No smoking, No alcohol, No tourists, No Thailand, what is wrong with these people? They already have no smoking bans in place for restaurants, malls, food outlets and no alcohol within close proximity to schools and other educational venues, whilst the sale of the latter is banned on certain days, isn't that enough. They ought to teach their citizens how to drink and act responsibly and if tourists act as drunken slobs, then apply the law. I'm a non smoker and have the occasional drink but defintiely no wowserand it was my understanding that tourists came to a country to enjoy themselves, within the realm of reason, spend money and now someone wants to be the party pooper. I'd wish they would grow up and stop treating everyone like children.

[NongKhaiKid]

No alcohol or smoking at tourist sites ?

That'll really have visitors rolling in !

Does this include beaches, markets and bars ???

Yes, is this more ' open mouth without engaging brain ' type talk to make it sound good then have to think about it later ?

Brought to you by the people who made it illegal to sell alcohol near a school but didn't bother to define ' near '.

Edited November 30, 2015 by NongKhaiKid

[gandalf12]

This could lead to the setting-up of multiple Speakeasies.

Now that could cause a boost in tourism...

There is a business idea. Set up a bar based on the speakeasy style. No gogo dancers just like it was in the prohibition era of the USA

[lucky11]

Its a good idea, to generate the tourism industry and focus on new tourist or a specific country for their people to visit the LOS, but the real challenge or goal is to get those people to return next year and for them to tell their freinds and family to come back and to continue to return.

And for me the main way to do that is to have the tourists to enjoy thier stay and not feeling that they just got ripped off by a street vendor, taxi driver etc... in a place that has dirty streets and Rowdy expat hayhoos, who are frequently seen peeing and mis behaving in the middle of the street.http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/855936-urinating-brits-visit-pattaya-police-station-following-viral-facebook-video/

Espessialy if you want people from Singapore to visit as they will be comming from a country that has clean streets, public toilets, strict and enforced rules on public behaviour, I have spoken to a few tourists from Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau who have visited the LOS and they all sing that same tune, Its dirty, got ripped off, didn't trust the taxi driver, scary bad street behaviour, didn't feel safe at night.

Thats what they need to focus on and the only way to do that is to start with a big broom and start sweeping out the tourist areas of these issues.

Stop smoking in public areas and street drinking yes, but don't stop drinking and smoking in tourist areas e.g in pubs, clubs, resturants and places of entertanment unless you completely want to change the type of people you want touring the LOS

Thanks for taking the time to read my post

The headline is misleading, it is only for the duration of this 5 day ASEAN festival.

I think Pattaya might object to stopping smoking and drinking, put it this way, walking street might be a little bit empty peak season!!

[dageurreotype]

No alcohol or smoking at tourist sites ?

That'll really have visitors rolling in !

If someone wants to stand in a nature reserve with a fag in one hand and a beer in the other they'd be better situated at one of the many beer bars here. However, it does appear from the wording that the message that Thais are oblivious to their surroundings and throw their rubbish everywhere appears to have got through, which can only be a good thing.

[maderaroja]

Finally, I will feel comfortable to visit many of the tourist locations that I have avoided because of smoking and alcohol abuse. Thailand can become more like Singapore and that will make it a healthier and safer country.

[maderaroja]

I think Pattaya might object to stopping smoking and drinking, put it this way, walking street might be a little bit empty peak season!!

It won't be empty. Now that smoking and alcohol abuse will be curtailed, I may go to see what is so special.

[torpedo1970]

The ways to promote tourism should also be adjusted in response to the demand of the new generation.

According to TAT Governor Yuthasak Supasorn, the festival will provide a platform to raise awareness of Thai culture, traditions, heritage, and simple ways of life.

Who need comedy show when we have TAT

[JGV]

Who thinks up these ideas - Focus on important issues like tourists feeling safe and emphasis on value for money not taxi drivers and bus operators who want to maximise money by lies, threats of violence and tourist lack of knowledge.

This is what puts off tourists. Also poor service - I am sure we all have stories of restaurants saying mai mee or food arriving at different times - buses that detour to accomodate the drivers personal business plan.

Make the roads safe and rid us of the maniacs who drive so senselessly

Alcohol and smoking are for a minority habits that they do on holiday so don't focus on driving them away just introduce smoking only areas and restrict use of alcohol inside government sites - outside having lunch no problem having a beer under the hot sun

JGV

[Borneo Baron]

Wow .

[Dustdevil]

I wish the government would propose..no Chinese tourists. Not that I dislike them; I have dated almost only Chinese for 35 years. It's just that they have taken ove my favorite Chiang Mai hotel and they're sold out for two months straight for Chinese NY

Edited November 30, 2015 by Dustdevil

[SiSePuede419]

Ministry of Rules for Silly Farang.

Smart Farang stay away from tourist traps.

555

[spidermike007]

Not sure who are the people that propose all of these silly and stupid idea? who are they? people who knows

crap all about tourism? people who want to ruin Thailand tourism? people who grew in temples

and monasteries? (not that they any better than the average man in the street when it come to vices)

or just a bunch of shit for brains bureaucrats? and the most astonishing fact is that people in the government

even considering such crazy ideas.

When you have a country that appoints ministers solely based on who they know, their family name, how much they contributed to the campaign (in the case of an election, what a concept) it is difficult to find any talent, skill or experience. When you appoint former massage parlor owners as vice PM, or former shoe store owners as Tourism (and sports, as if tourism was not enough of a challenge by itself) Minister, what can be expected? Until Thailand becomes a meritocracy, where people are awarded positions based on talent and experience in their chosen field, they will continue their tendency to place very mediocre individuals into important positions, that they will fail at. Mediocrity is something that is a result of poor effort, coupled with a tremendous lack of skills, something we see now, and something most of us have seen for our entire time here in the LOS. The only former minister I can recall that was qualified was Korn, as finance minister. At least he had experience in the financial industry. Not saying he was a great minister, but at least he had some idea what he was doing. The rest of them? In way, way over their heads, and mediocre at best. Total and complete failures at worst. Just look at the AOT, the TAT, the current Finance Ministry, Immigration, the Marine Fisheries Dept, etc, etc. All in way over their heads.

[Familyaffairs]

The consequence of this is surely to decrease tourism ?

[beammeup]

I think Pattaya might object to stopping smoking and drinking, put it this way, walking street might be a little bit empty peak season!!

It won't be empty. Now that smoking and alcohol abuse will be curtailed, I may go to see what is so special.

Why dont you go visit North Korea then, I hear they are opening up for tourism. Oh and by the way you wount find much special about Pattaya without people enjoying themselves having a smoke and drink

[JulietLima]

Bravo ! This is a good move !

[Crazy chef 1]

15-20 years ago Thailand had its peak in western tourist and they spent money...

It was a tropical exotic place which was cheap and bit seedy.not much in matter of service but cheap though value was given...

Though stop to pretend what you are not- a high quality destination...

[charmonman]

Before everyone panics, the article says "tourist sites". Does this not equate to temples, palaces, museums, public parks and so forth? I don't think they are talking about Walking Street and Soi Cowboy here.

[Shaunduhpostman]

Another nonsense declaration that will be forgotten next week. What is meant by a tourism site? A marina? Soi Cowboy?

At most of the main tourist sites, that really qualify as genuinely interesting and world class, such as Wat Pra Kaew...or...uh...numerous other temples, anyway, at those sites I never noticed that tourists were stumbling around with beer cans and flasks. Thailand doesn't have any noteworthy museums, not that anyone busts out six packs at the Louvre or anything anyway.

Aside from some temples and shopping malls where people are already not allowed to drink or smoke inside of anyway, your tourist sites would be beaches, and it doesn't seem very practical to keep everyone from smoking or having a beer or two there.

[NickJ]

What a bonus....and we get to pay ten times the price for the National Parks as well........

[slipperylobster]

No alcohol or smoking at tourist sites ?

That'll really have visitors rolling in !

Perhaps the healthier ones..but not your bar flies and cancer stick people

[slipperylobster]

What a bonus....and we get to pay ten times the price for the National Parks as well........

Certainly the international parks are still the same price for tourists...

[LukKrueng]

Its a good idea, to generate the tourism industry and focus on new tourist or a specific country for their people to visit the LOS, but the real challenge or goal is to get those people to return next year and for them to tell their freinds and family to come back and to continue to return.

And for me the main way to do that is to have the tourists to enjoy thier stay and not feeling that they just got ripped off by a street vendor, taxi driver etc... in a place that has dirty streets and Rowdy expat hayhoos, who are frequently seen peeing and mis behaving in the middle of the street.http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/855936-urinating-brits-visit-pattaya-police-station-following-viral-facebook-video/

Espessialy if you want people from Singapore to visit as they will be comming from a country that has clean streets, public toilets, strict and enforced rules on public behaviour, I have spoken to a few tourists from Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau who have visited the LOS and they all sing that same tune, Its dirty, got ripped off, didn't trust the taxi driver, scary bad street behaviour, didn't feel safe at night.

Thats what they need to focus on and the only way to do that is to start with a big broom and start sweeping out the tourist areas of these issues.

Stop smoking in public areas and street drinking yes, but don't stop drinking and smoking in tourist areas e.g in pubs, clubs, resturants and places of entertanment unless you completely want to change the type of people you want touring the LOS

Thanks for taking the time to read my post

So basically what you are saying is that nobody wants to visit Thailand as it is, but they (or you?) want a tailored made "Thailand" to suite you....

[merlen10002]

That the way it is in Australia, no smoking in public places like football match, in all restaurants and not within 5 meters of a restaurant or food selling place. I know because I had a restaurant in Australia. no smoking in any public place where people gather, Australia is very stick on smoking, many restaurateurs said they would go broke if people could not smoke in the restaurants but the opposite happen many more customers came. same with places like at a football match more people came, in most countries much less that 50% of people smoke, and the ones that don't smoke can not stand the smelly stench of smokers.

I don't know why anyone would want to smell like that. this is only about smoking not drinking.

[Bangkok Barry]

better off just banning the Thai Goverment

The military already did that.

[merlen10002]

"international tourist arrivals in Thailand now stand at 29.5 million, exceeding the target of 28.8 million set at the beginning of 2015."

Largely due to a swell in Chinese tourists.

Bans on drinking alcohol and smoking will likely affect tourism from key countries using wikipedia ranking data:

No. cigarettes per adult Alcohol consumed per capita

Russia #4 France #3

So. Korea #13 Germany #9

Japan #17 Australia, UK #15

China #21 So. Korea #21

Indonesia #43 USA #22

Australia #50 Canada #25

USA #51 Japan #27

On the plus side I'm sure these bans will be welcomed in the muslim Malay-Thai South.

I not sure what this means, but I know that well under 30% of people only smoke in Australia , maybe this means the ones that do smoke have 50 per day or something ???

[gandalf12]

"international tourist arrivals in Thailand now stand at 29.5 million, exceeding the target of 28.8 million set at the beginning of 2015."

Largely due to a swell in Chinese tourists.

Bans on drinking alcohol and smoking will likely affect tourism from key countries using wikipedia ranking data:

No. cigarettes per adult Alcohol consumed per capita

Russia #4 France #3

So. Korea #13 Germany #9

Japan #17 Australia, UK #15

China #21 So. Korea #21

Indonesia #43 USA #22

Australia #50 Canada #25

USA #51 Japan #27

On the plus side I'm sure these bans will be welcomed in the muslim Malay-Thai South.

I not sure what this means, but I know that well under 30% of people only smoke in Australia , maybe this means the ones that do smoke have 50 per day or something ???

I think it means the realative ranking in each of the activities. Australia is 50th in the list

[carter1882]

The Thai bashers just jump on one sentence out of context to bang on with their predictable agenda. I too saw the headline and wondered what that was all about. A little reading and a little thought shows that this is by and large a reasonable directive to improve tourism focusing on making life better for the tourist. This is not an apologist's view, it is rational as the article is. Is it really beyond the basher's intelligence to think that the smoking and drinking might refer to inappropriate places, like parks temples, wandering down the street. Thailand enjoys one of the most massive tourist industries of anywhere on earth and for good reason. To listen to the bashers one would think it was all going to end tomorrow. I am afraid Thai people are much smarter and much kinder than them, the very reason so many return here again and again.

[tigermoth]

Its a good idea, to generate the tourism industry and focus on new tourist or a specific country for their people to visit the LOS, but the real challenge or goal is to get those people to return next year and for them to tell their freinds and family to come back and to continue to return.

And for me the main way to do that is to have the tourists to enjoy thier stay and not feeling that they just got ripped off by a street vendor, taxi driver etc... in a place that has dirty streets and Rowdy expat hayhoos, who are frequently seen peeing and mis behaving in the middle of the street.http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/855936-urinating-brits-visit-pattaya-police-station-following-viral-facebook-video/

Espessialy if you want people from Singapore to visit as they will be comming from a country that has clean streets, public toilets, strict and enforced rules on public behaviour, I have spoken to a few tourists from Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau who have visited the LOS and they all sing that same tune, Its dirty, got ripped off, didn't trust the taxi driver, scary bad street behaviour, didn't feel safe at night.

Thats what they need to focus on and the only way to do that is to start with a big broom and start sweeping out the tourist areas of these issues.

Stop smoking in public areas and street drinking yes, but don't stop drinking and smoking in tourist areas e.g in pubs, clubs, resturants and places of entertanment unless you completely want to change the type of people you want touring the LOS

Thanks for taking the time to read my post

I agree with many of your comments, particularly with the cleanliness of public facilities, although there are very few public toilets antwhere and the very few that are around you wouldn't take you dog to sh... in.

I strongly disagree with allowing smoking in pubs and restaurents. The vast majority of population do not smoke now and that those that do can walk outside for a smoke. In Australia and New Zealand, much larger tourist destinations than Thailand, smoking in pubs, restaurants, shops and many outdoor public spaces is banned and, what this country does not do, is the laws are strictly enforced.