Is the current climate destroying the tourism industry?

[spidermike007]

I have been doing a lot of traveling around Thailand, and speaking with a lot of people that are in the hotel, restaurant, retail, and other tourist related businesses, and they all seem to be saying the same thing. That business is down significantly this year, and that the general trend the past two years have been downward. And I am talking about gals working massage, in spas, in shops, at malls, in restaurants, bars, hotels, etc. All seem to be saying the same thing. In Bangkok, Pattaya, Samui, and Hua Hin. I was on Cha-am beach yesterday. Peak season. It was very quiet. The locals working there are stumped. They are wondering where all the people are. Most hotels had very low occupancy levels. And this is the busiest time of the year for them.

I have my theories. When I refer to climate, it is the political climate I am referring to. The leadership here seems to be doing a great job of killing the tourism sector. They are scaring people away, with their silly, churlish statements, and pronouncements, and of course the recent arrests and trials have not helped to ease those worries and fears. The local economy seems to be hurting. You can blame it on the world economy, but people are always going to travel, right? I do see busloads of Chinese tourists, but that does not seem to be much of a solution according to most. And I know the Russians just cannot afford to travel anymore, unless they are quite affluent, with the ruble at 74 to a dollar! But, it does seem to me that the general answer to this question is fairly simple. Any opinions?

Edited January 7, 2016 by spidermike007

[HooHaa]

whats wrong with the climate, the weather is lovely

[MaeJoMTB]

The western world is changing.

And they have less desire to visit a whore house.

It's as simple as that.

[MaeJoMTB]

whats wrong with the climate, the weather is lovely

Smog arrived in CM this morning, I can no longer see the mountain.

It'll probably remain like this or worse until Songkran.

[thaipod]

I don't think it has anything to do with the Govt as tourists should feel safer. Thailand has lost it's charm.

[JohnnyJazz]

The western world is changing.

And they have less desire to visit a whore house.

It's as simple as that.

Not all tourist are sexpat and that's maybe the problem.

A lot of people who use to come to Thailand for the beach and the culture are now going to Myanmar. Not because it's cheaper or the political climate, but because it's new.

And there are the Chinese tourists. Those who say that Chinese don't spend money obviously never visited a King Power outlet. But the girly bars and all the associate business that target the male western tourists are of no interest to them. Chinese represent the future and they have the power the west never had to change Thailand. But they will change it to their taste. If you don't like dim sum or Sichuan cuisine it's maybe time for you to look for somewhere else

Edited January 7, 2016 by JohnnyJazz

[mesquite]

"Is the current climate destroying the tourism industry?"

I hope so.

[yellowboat]

George Soros and others have said it is looking like 2008 all over again. Many want to spend more time in the surrounding countries.

[jacko45k]

I don't think it has anything to do with the Govt as tourists should feel safer. Thailand has lost it's charm.

I believe you are closer to the reality.

That along with the increase in overall costs and Westernisation of Thailand.

Western tourists are losing interest in Thailand and being replaced by a different group of tourists who have different needs.

The old style tourist oriented businesses will have to move towards the new tourists and there will be fallout.

[Colabamumbai]

Thainess has changed so much in 40 years, that could be a big factor.

[ggt]

If it is the climate...it is the climate of uncertainty fostered by officials who change the rules at every whim...

Going to a foreign country as a tourist is daunting enough without an air of unnecessary drama to content with...

Stability is the key...(we will not go to the other issue here...since we are speaking of climate)

[watso63]

What are you waffling on about? You obviously aren't in touch with reality???

[domdom]

Hello

I came back to Thailand in March after living here 3 years from 2001 to 2004.. Lots of things have changed.. I still like it as I live outside Pattaya in a location I love..

I pass everyday in front of the floating market on Sukhumvit road and Monkey elephant park.. in March when I reached, it was full of buses.. from July onwards it came down.. Now is high season and I hardly see any bus any day.. I imagine the chinese tours don't have it anymore on their tour program..

According to me, tourism and activity is much lower than 10 years ago.. I go out every morning to go to 3rd Road, Tai and Klang.. Ten years ago after 10 (and even in March when I reached) the roads were packed and you had hard time to reach second road or beach road, very easy now..

Supermarkets sales are 20% lower in 2015 versus 2014 apparently..

For me season is very low.. Also I find a huge climate change versus 10 years ago.. It was normally sunny every day at this time of the year and rains would have stopped long bacK We still have rain and weather is very cloudy

Have a nice day

[Dellie]

The answer is very simple. To the big masses of beach tourists that visit places like Phuket, Samui and other popular islands the prices have skyrocketed over the last 10 years and no Im not talking about a pad thai on the corner. Im talking about flights, hotels, day trips, food in nice restaurants, etc. Thailand used to be attractive to European tourists because it was cheap. At the moment with many European currencies weak against the baht there are nicer more developed places where you can actually walk around a nice little town with beautiful shops and restaurants at night (yes the average beach tourist/family cares about this)options to travel to that are just as cheap.

Edited January 8, 2016 by Dellie

[kjun12]

whats wrong with the climate, the weather is lovely

Inane comments like this only prove that some people post here because they have nothing going on in their lives.

[jesimps]

You nailed it when you said "General trend"

[kjun12]

Of course it has to do with the present government. Westerners view a military run government suspiciously, at best. And this one is no better than any other military government. Add that to the fact that Thais have become very bad rip-off artist and you get less tourist.

[TheCruncher]

Hello

I came back to Thailand in March after living here 3 years from 2001 to 2004.. Lots of things have changed.. I still like it as I live outside Pattaya in a location I love..

I pass everyday in front of the floating market on Sukhumvit road and Monkey elephant park.. in March when I reached, it was full of buses.. from July onwards it came down.. Now is high season and I hardly see any bus any day.. I imagine the chinese tours don't have it anymore on their tour program..

According to me, tourism and activity is much lower than 10 years ago.. I go out every morning to go to 3rd Road, Tai and Klang.. Ten years ago after 10 (and even in March when I reached) the roads were packed and you had hard time to reach second road or beach road, very easy now..

Supermarkets sales are 20% lower in 2015 versus 2014 apparently..

For me season is very low.. Also I find a huge climate change versus 10 years ago.. It was normally sunny every day at this time of the year and rains would have stopped long bacK We still have rain and weather is very cloudy

Have a nice day

Also I find a huge climate change versus 10 years ago.. It was normally sunny every day at this time of the year and rains would have stopped long bacK We still have rain and weather is very cloudy

On 14 January 2008 I took acceptance of a new motorbike. I wasn't able to do a trip with it until the end of March, because it rained virtually every day. I remember I attempted a trip to Issaan somewhere end of February, started early morning and turned back l( gave up ) ate afternoon in the neighborhood of Chantaburi, as I had experienced rain all day

Edited January 8, 2016 by TheCruncher

[emilymat]

What I would really like to see is this.

Go back a few years, before the massive Chinese influx.

Take the total tourist figure at that point.

Take the current figure but only include, say, 10% of the Chinese.

Compare the two sets of figures.

With all the propaganda from TAT I cannot tell if 'tourist' figures from the rest of the world are up or down for,say, the last 10 years.

A military government is not going to deter those from China.

[Langsuan Man]

Double pricing

Tourist scams

Transportation dangers

Taxi rip offs

Jet skies

Beach Umbrellas

Boating accidents

Do the authorities really think that the rest of the world it not watching, reading and hearing about all of this ?

If you were a travel agent and your business depended upon repeat business for annual vacations would it really be in your best interest to recommend Thailand to your

clients ?

[DrTuner]

Hordes of Chinese, inflated prices, oppressive government, generally an old bag of tricks. You got to be Chinese to love that kind of climate.

[sanukjim]

Most tourist do not come here for the climate ( except Euros freezing their nuts off in the winter),they come here for temples,beaches(not Pattaya) mountain treks ,jungle trips on elephants,.Of course some come here for the abundance of pretty women and cheap booze.I came here originally for the latter.

[Guy360]

It is not just Thailand. Newly-published figures have revealed that world tourism is currently down 8% this year on the same time last year. As per why this is so, just pick your own poison as it is a combination of many of the reasons posted here and not just one thing.

Many tourists have been to Thailand many times and want to try someplace new and exciting that they haven't explored yet. Several of my friends who have been here before tell me they would rather go to Malaysia or Myanmar and want me to meet them there. Why? Because they say about Thailand: " Been there, done that. Want to try something new." Therefore repeat tourism will suffer.

Others only think about the military takeover and do not realize that it has little to no effect on the vast majority of those coming to Thailand. The economy has also had its effect as either money is becoming tighter and many fear the future of a looming depression. Pick the poison of your choice and you are more than likely to have touched on one or the other reasons for reduced tourism.

Today it is the Chinese tours that clog the Sois and Sais of Pattaya and Bangkok. Before it was the Russian tours. Before that the Scandinavians. Expect the Indian tours to begin in the near future as they are already starting. Who is after that? The future will tell. Everything is cyclical and sooner or later most of the Europeans will head off to Asia to escape the Muslim invasions in their own countries.

[mrmicbkktxl]

The western world is changing.

And they have less desire to visit a whore house.

It's as simple as that.

Not all tourist are sexpat and that's maybe the problem.

A lot of people who use to come to Thailand for the beach and the culture are now going to Myanmar. Not because it's cheaper or the political climate, but because it's new.

And there are the Chinese tourists. Those who say that Chinese don't spend money obviously never visited a King Power outlet. But the girly bars and all the associate business that target the male western tourists are of no interest to them. Chinese represent the future and they have the power the west never had to change Thailand. But they will change it to their taste. If you don't like dim sum or Sichuan cuisine it's maybe time for you to look for somewhere else

Nothing to do with Myanmar or political climate.Most tourists are coming for the beaches or cheap sex and because it was cheap a few years ago.I stay near Chonburi City the next clean beach is 200 km away[Chantaburi]if I go the other direction the next swimmable clean beach is Ao Manao if no jelly fish season.Most beaches in Thailand are dirty or full with jelly fish[thanks to over fishing]Sex is not cheap anymore,a few months ago I was with some friends in a beer bar in Pattaya near walking street,I asked a service girl how much she wants for'short time"?3500bt was the answer that's almost 100Euros,for 100 Euros u can take 2 girls in Berlin,Germany for short time.Hotels tripled their rates in the last 10years.On top all the scams with Thai government employers involved.Most tourists don't know nothing about prayuth or yingluk or the crazy laws here,and why should they know?If they go to Spain or Italy they feel safe and feel like home,because those Countries take care their visitors because they have enough brain to think a year ahead.Here in Thailand all is short term thinking and about extortion of visitors.

[Krataiboy]

With seven years of austerity across Europe and the Bric nations and China starting to run out of steam, this is to be expected. And all the indications are that it is only going to get worse. And of course those at the bottom of the food chain will suffer most.

The Thai tourist authority keeps spouting nonsense about how tourism is about to take off at the same time as the World Bank is bemoaming an almost stagnant global economy which could slide back into recession at any time..

If it wasn't for a tame, corporate-owned and run mass media which keeps kidding us all is well (spend, you beggars, spend!), most people would see what is coming, give up on the idea of taking any kind of holiday, stock up on essentials and salt whatever savings they have away somewhere their government cannot impound them when they need to prop up the next lot off failed zombie banks.

Sorry!

(It's being so cheerful that keeps me going),

[Roota]

What are you waffling on about? You obviously aren't in touch with reality

It is one reality. If you go to the kind of places where Western tourists went ten or 20 years ago (or where most Western expats still live), yes, tourism is down. But if you go the big hotels of Ratchada or Huay Kwang, or the countless shopping malls of Bangkok, the tourism business has never been better, mostly thanks to Chinese and other East Asians. That's the problem with anecdotal evidence, and why some people here have such trouble accepting that the overall numbers are still growing quite nicely.

[Just1Voice]

On the trips I've made into the city here in Chiang Mai, I've noticed a major drop in European type tourists. And honestly, I really haven't seen that many tour bus convoys, even for the Chinese. My wife has friends who own businesses in town and, according to her, they are saying this is the worst year in memory for "high season".

Reasons? Hell, take your pick from the long list, and one is just as good as another. Either way, it really has no bearing on me or my life, so I really don't care one way or the other.

[hbullinger]

If you blame the junta for falling tourist numbers, then you should extend this blame to the western media who are waffling on about bringing democracy back, without understanding what 'free and fair elections' really mean in Thailand and what type of government would return. I have been an expat for nearly 10 years and I have never felt safer than in the present situation. But if you want a government with a cloned sister of a criminal refugee, who is pulling the strings from outside Thailand, then elections with the North and Northeast running the show based on their larger share of population would be the right thing for you. For me - no thank you!

[spidermike007]

What are you waffling on about? You obviously aren't in touch with reality???

Screenshot_2016-01-08-09-11-48.png

And that is definitely not reality. The tourist arrival numbers are about as reliable as Obamas unemployment figures.

[TheCruncher]

My experience when I ask anyone at home, even the ones that come visit me here, is that at least 90% has no idea who is in power in Thailand or has any knowledge about Yingluck and Prayut.

So for sure that has no influence at all about the tourist numbers.

For those that have just exited their cave to read this thread, we are several years already building up to what will be called the mother of all economic crashes.

Don't blame TAT for inflating the numbers, it are your own governments that are throwing sand in your eyes, when they say the economies of their respective countries are recovering.

How many million on food stamps in the US, and not anything better in Europe, and all that while the interest rates are near zero.

Hold tight, because you're in for a very rough ride this year, and expect to lose the majority of value of your assets if you don't cover yourself in the right way.