Is the current climate destroying the tourism industry?

[bbbbooboo]

Several unpleasant changes in Thailand in recent years and tourists are simply voting with their feet. It's not rocket science

[spidermike007]

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

Well, as far as the cloudy part goes, I will take that every day, if possible. It is so much cooler and so much more pleasant when cloudy. This heat this year has been like nothing I have ever experienced here in 10 years.

As far as the rest of what you say, I completely agree. In Samui, where I lived for nearly 10 years, the prices skyrocketed. And the most disappointing aspect of the increasing prices, is that there was NEVER an increase in service, there was hardly ever an improvement in the restaurant, renovations to the bathrooms, an improvement of the food, an increase of the portions, etc. Just an increase in prices. Some of the attractions are just way too overpriced, relative to what they are. I visited an elephant park recently. It was 1200 baht for two people to take a 20 minute ride on the elephant and see a short show. That is not much value. I do believe there is a large segment of the tourists worldwide that are losing interest in Thailand. Part of that is due to the fact that Thailand on a certain level, is losing interest in itself, in a sense that there is such a general lack of pride in the tourist areas, by both the government and the local operators, and such a dearth of desire to do the job right, and make the tourist happy. Not so in the smaller towns, where there seems to be more pride and sense of community. Also, the current government seems to be doing everything in its power to sabotage the tourism industry, and Little P. continues to utter the most ridiculous drivel a leader could possible say, on a daily basis. People are getting really tired of him, and many of the tourists who do not have to deal with him, and run the risk that close proximity entails, choose not to.

Also, I think the Thai people generally have less money to spend. So, even the Thai tourists are tightening their belts. I think a lot of the foreigners are getting wiser to Thailand. Many will simply not spend ten times the price of a local for entrance into a park, or 700-1500 baht for entrance into a Muay Thai stadium. That is some real nonsense. No wonder these stadiums are 90% empty most of the time. The government is always going on and on about how low inflation is. So is the World Bank, the harbinger of misinformation. Yet, we see prices going up all the time, with the exception of gasoline, at the moment. Movies cost double what they did five years ago. Groceries are a lot more expensive. Taxis, and public transport has gone up. About the only thing that has not gone up has been hotels, and that is due to lower demand, thankfully.

Then you have to factor in the fact that world tourism is down, in general. People have a lot more choices these days. You can make an argument that the Thais, and certainly the government are not trying hard enough, and are not operating with enough wisdom, vision, and pride. A job well done is a job worth doing. This attitude is limited to a small number of Thai people.

Edited January 8, 2016 by spidermike007

[lumply]

whats wrong with the climate, the weather is lovely

Political climate

[Ricardo]

A friend's family own a guesthouse, near the Tha-Pae Gate here in Chiang Mai, he tells me they're full right now, same as every year.

The country-mix & interests & spending-patterns of tourists have probably changed, I came here originally for a cheap bamboo-hut & simple Thai food, on a reasonable beach with clean-enough water, I didn't go by tour-bus to the major attractions & shopping-malls, couldn't afford to ! And I used bus or train to get around, the LCCs didn't exist, back then.

My old Thailand is mostly gone now, my tourist-travel here is for different things because I'm 30+ years older, than I then was. But I doubt that I'll ever stay at the 5-star hotels/resorts, just not my style or interest.

Short-term political problems don't affect my touring, and given the continuing rise in total-arrivals from overseas, they're clearly not putting-off the types who now come here.

Which isn't to say that any thai government makes it that easy to come here, or stay longer and spend money, they've always had a desire to control visitors & see a more-hiso customer, with no real idea how to achieve that ! Same same not different !

[mrmicbkktxl]

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

Well, as far as the cloudy part goes, I will take that every day, if possible. It is so much cooler and so much more pleasant when cloudy. This heat this year has been like nothing I have ever experienced here in 10 years.

As far as the rest of what you say, I completely agree. In Samui, where I lived for nearly 10 years, the prices skyrocketed. And the most disappointing aspect of the increasing prices, is that there was NEVER an increase in service, there was hardly ever an improvement in the restaurant, renovations to the bathrooms, an improvement of the food, an increase of the portions, etc. Just an increase in prices. Some of the attractions are just way too overpriced, relative to what they are. I visited an elephant park recently. It was 1200 baht for two people to take a 20 minute ride on the elephant and see a short show. That is not much value. I do believe there is a large segment of the tourists worldwide that are losing interest in Thailand. Part of that is due to the fact that Thailand on a certain level, is losing interest in itself, in a sense that there is such a general lack of pride in the tourist areas, by both the government and the local operators, and such a dearth of desire to do the job right, and make the tourist happy. Not so in the smaller towns, where there seems to be more pride and sense of community. Also, the current government seems to be doing everything in its power to sabotage the tourism industry, and Little P. continues to utter the most ridiculous drivel a leader could possible say, on a daily basis. People are getting really tired of him, and many of the tourists who do not have to deal with him, and run the risk that close proximity entails, choose not to.

Also, I think the Thai people generally have less money to spend. So, even the Thai tourists are tightening their belts. I think a lot of the foreigners are getting wiser to Thailand. Many will simply not spend ten times the price of a local for entrance into a park, or 700-1500 baht for entrance into a Muay Thai stadium. That is some real nonsense. No wonder these stadiums are 90% empty most of the time. The government is always going on and on about how low inflation is. So is the World Bank, the harbinger of misinformation. Yet, we see prices going up all the time, with the exception of gasoline, at the moment. Movies cost double what they did five years ago. Groceries are a lot more expensive. Taxis, and public transport has gone up. About the only thing that has not gone up has been hotels, and that is due to lower demand, thankfully.

Then you have to factor in the fact that world tourism is down, in general. People have a lot more choices these days. You can make an argument that the Thais, and certainly the government are not trying hard enough, and are not operating with enough wisdom, vision, and pride. A job well done is a job worth doing. This attitude is limited to a small number of Thai people.

I agree with all you said except hotel rates.3-4 years ago I went often to Chantaburi[Chao Lao Beach] got a 3star hotel for 1000-1200,now same hotel ask for 2500bt,same in Pattaya a few years ago I stayed for 600-800BT,now same hotel is asking for 1500 up.Rates might be the same upcountry,but sure not in destinations with non thai tourists

.

[Thaidream]

Thailand is just not the same place it used to be. The prices of everything have crept up but there has been little upgrade in service or quality to account for it. It is simply greedy owners capitalizing on what was once a sure tourist market. In addition, almost all of the standard tourist areas are overbuilt and damaging the overall environment. The beaches of Pattaya, Phuket and Hua Hin are polluted and simply not worth the tourists time and money. In addition, Thailand has been overrun with Tourists in the past- simply too many and this has damaged the environment. Couple this with a slowdown in the World economy and you have those people who travel going to new destinations. Many of those that used to travel to Thailand are going to Vietnam and Burma. Even the sex industry is struggling- Too many bars selling overpriced beer and staff that sit around looking at Facebook. The fun is gone and so are the tourists. Why do you think so many establishments have their businesses up for sale and so many condo's are available. There are several ways to turn it around but that takes innovation and work, instead of raising prices when business is bad.

[callaway]

I think a big part is people read about the violence in Thailand. I would expect a holiday in Beruit for a month would be safer than a Patts and Phuket and island jaunt for a month. People do not want to holiday where just the slightest glance at some locals can mean being bashed (by many) or shot. It is lawless. 500 baht for assaulting a cop? Says it all. Where is the deterrent.

[jacksam]

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)

Rubbish. The typical tourist could not care less about the political situation in a country you are visiting as long as it is stable and safe.

Thailand is both. On top of that los offers visa exempt to so many countries. Cambodia, Vietnam, loas etc do not.

What rules have changed affecting tourists . And don't say the METV.

Edited January 8, 2016 by jacksam

[Shaunduhpostman]

If a country has real appeal as a tourist destination, few are going to be deterred by what they might consider an unpleasant government. Most people going on holiday are probably disgruntled with their home regimes, and when thinking of getting away, the last thing they are going to do is start researching the grim details and shortcomings of the government of the country they feel compelled to visit. Until there are major catastrophic events, most are not going to be focused much on the government of whatever country they are thinking of visiting and will instead be looking at all the appealing attractions that await them.

There are so many other factors going against Thailand as a tourist destination, or at least the kind of destination it was: a cheap place for westerners to have an exotic get away. In a nutshell, it's not cheap anymore, seems to be on par now with many cheaper European countries to visit, and with the world economy being pretty dire, I would disagree that people are just going to travel anyway. It's not too exotic anymore either, Thailand has become a westernized consumer society for the most part, and add to that that so many people have already been here before and it's just not the most interesting place to want to travel to. For westerners who want to travel to someplace that is going to fit the cheap and exotic bill a trip to Myanmar or even Indonesia would fit the bill.

Edited January 8, 2016 by Shaunduhpostman

[KMartinHandyman]

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.

I think the highbrow humor escaped you entirely.

You might want to hold your quick to judge trigger as to avoid embarrassing yourself so frequently.

The OP holds the key if you actually read it and are capable of a child's game called connect the dots.

[rct99q]

Op - I realize you have taken an informal poll in the places you have visited and come up with a particular view point on tourism. Living outside of Thailand now for two years after being a long term Thailand resident I am going to provide you with my opinion on what is going on with Thai Tourism.

My findings come from people travelling from the US and/or Canada

In a nutshell it is as popular if not slightly more than it was say 5 years ago. Why? The US and CAD $$ still goes a long way in Asia. Flights are more $$ but you get a bigger bang for your buck in Asia (no pun intended). Young travelers those under 25 have no idea about the "political climate" and nor do they really care. They read & hear about Thailand and all the good stories from their friends, facebook, family. I have no official stats but airlines such as Air Canada and Westjet are seeing international flights outpacing domestic flights by at least 13%. New routes to Europe, Asia, South America....what it boils down too is that there are just as many travelers wanting to visit far away places as there ever has been.

Even with the economic downturn in North America one of the prime travel groups, 18-35 year olds, are seeing the world in larger numbers then ever before. Do they hang out in the same places as you visit? maybe not. mexico is still big on their list but they are still traveling in large numbers to all destinations.

Regardless of what you feel is happening in Thailand or Cambodia, Vietnam etc...kids are packing their bags and traveling. The 40 plus crowd who visited Thailand 20 years ago as teenagers are keen to return....just in perhaps a higher quality of luxury then as teenagers.

I spent nearly 15 years in the Travel business between 1992-2007 saw the twin towers come down...wars....random killings in Mexico....Norovirus on cruise ships....Rainforest destruction....Hurricane Katrina....jet ski ripoffs in the Caribbean.....drug problems in Jamaica.....too many tourists flooding the great pyramids of Egypt...corruption in South America....Shining Path kidnapping tourists...overcrowding in Venice....price gouging everywhere....all these instances may have slowed things down a bit...but the tourist keep going.

With very few exceptions (North Korea and a few others) and even there people are still lining up to visit if they can in......true Tourist Destinations will survive and some will even grow.....why???

Last stat I read (2014 I think) nearly 26% of the worlds population is under the age of 15....in Canada it is 16%...that means from Canada close to 6,000,000 kids over the next 5 years will be starting their "adult" lives. How many of them will travel? Who knows but I assume quite a few. How many will pick Thailand? roughly %17 percent of those people surveyed who are considering taking a trip overseas would consider South East Asia as a destination.

Most of South East Asia will never run out of tourists as the world keeps producing children....and most don't give a rats ass about whose in charge of the Government....they want beaches..booze...fun...sun and surf...perhaps a little culture thrown in along the way.....good food. They wont be in one spot long enough to see all the problems....hell you still see tourists going to Haiti and they are still trying to recover form the earthquake, political unrest and what not...

The land border between Nong Khai and Vientiane is a busy as ever judging from the occupancy rates in Nong Khai and from reports I hear from family in the tourism business. Company called free and easy traveler out of Canada has over 100 combination trips covering SEA nearly all with stops in Thailand taking bookings into 2018...caters to kids 18-25 and they sell out most of their tours every year.

I recall a year ago or so them stopping the tubing in Vang Vieng....oh the outcry....nobody will come....Vang Vieng will die...no tourists will come now.......and yes it did appear that tourist numbers did drop off....but funny thing is happening.....they are coming back.....in what i hear are larger numbers then ever....people who did not like the party atmosphere are returning in droves.

so goes to show that whatever we may think or see or try to predict what may happen.....people have a funny of surprising us.

[mercman24]

lots of indians . pakistanis now in soi 4 bars, i think the RAJA hotel must be full, (and why do they like walking in the middle of the 88kin road) ? can smell em a mile off, he, he.

[KMartinHandyman]

"elections with the North and Northeast running the show based on their larger share of population would be the right thing for you."

That's hysterical,,,called democracy,,one person one vote. So you want a military junta representing an elite minority running the show. Whew

[1FinickyOne]

Thanks for the update on Cha'am - maybe I will think of spending a week there…

I do think it is the economic situation in most countries - that would be my guess as to major contributor, but it all gets confusing as they are predicting a large increase… again, I can only guess that is China and with the new Year market collapse, that may get dicey too…

[Baerboxer]

The western world is changing.

And they have less desire to visit a whore house.

It's as simple as that.

Nope. There are still plenty of neanderthals in the Western World who think sex tourists and the sex districts of Thailand are the be all and end all of Thai tourism and Thailand.

Of course the bar stool bridging whore using same mentality types who they continually associate with reinforce that view for them.

Sad really but some farang are indeed as simple as that.

Edited January 8, 2016 by Baerboxer

[Baerboxer]

"elections with the North and Northeast running the show based on their larger share of population would be the right thing for you."

That's hysterical,,,called democracy,,one person one vote. So you want a military junta representing an elite minority running the show. Whew

All in favor of one man one vote. It's how that is then interpreted into parliamentary representation that needs analyzing.

For instance in the UK more people vote UKIP than SNP but the SNP have around 50 parliamentary seats compared to the UKIP 1. Seems somewhat distorted like in Thailand where the largest minority of votes translated into a massive majority of parliamentary seats for PTP.

Hardly representative of the one vote one person ideal.

Don't know what the answer is a proportional representation seems to produce stalemates in some parliaments and constant elections.

Edited January 8, 2016 by Baerboxer

[MorristheRunt]

Thailand has lost it's mojo.

Nothing to do with red, yellow shirts or the army.

People and trends change, Thailand is out.

Costa Rica is one place that is becoming the new Thailand.

[Shazdeb]

Im happy to see a lot of comments above get it, some are still way of the mark. The political environment has little to nothing to do with it, I for one feel happier here under the army they are trying to fix things but any one that thought it would be a quick fix is living in a dream world. I have a hotel in Phuket and tourist numbers are way down last 2 years no matter what is reported. biggest factor for this is the weak currency exchange, in a nutshell tourists go where they get more for there money, add in the fact that Thailand ( as evidenced by the amount of paperwork here lol ) just hasn't seemed to get the whole concept of computers and the internet, EVERYthing that happens here is reported everywhere and usually distorted to sell stories and im afraid Thailand just keeps presenting them with fodder. Yes also people are not as stupid as they were, their sick of being ripped off, their sick of being treated as below everyone else and please there is no reason to keep throwing the " falang " term about every 2 mins, we realize its meant rudely by most were not fooled. The country rightly loves the King, get him to make public announcements and posters to clean up the Country and dont litter because no matter how many times its said a lot of the littering is locals not tourists, Add in that Government doesnt control building, anyone can build anything anywhere, Thailand is very fast loosing its beauty to buildings, I mean how many Hotels ( when the ones here are empty ) does a square mile need ?? leave empty space for car parks, add back trees and greenery, the simple addition of public waste bins would be good, public benches for people to rest, a lot of the problems are simple fixes.

Do something about those horrible not finished buildings, change the laws your so good at changing for the betterment of the Country and enact something along the lines of " If you dont do work on a building for a period of time the Government takes it, sells it and uses the money to better the Country and its people " first thing is use it to fix the power lines !! I could go on and on there are so many reasons but everyone is fixable I love this Country but they need to get over themselves and realize that without Tourists you have nothing, so stop driving them away. Thailand is in a great position to get some great ideas from its expat population, we are from all over the world and know what tourists want .. use us form a committee to use our knowledge and ideas, I would love to contribute but they need to get over there " Thai knows best " attitude, there is always room in everyone for improvement and learning ...... Come on Thailand get it together before you slide too far

[MorristheRunt]

Im happy to see a lot of comments above get it, some are still way of the mark. The political environment has little to nothing to do with it, I for one feel happier here under the army they are trying to fix things but any one that thought it would be a quick fix is living in a dream world. I have a hotel in Phuket and tourist numbers are way down last 2 years no matter what is reported. biggest factor for this is the weak currency exchange, in a nutshell tourists go where they get more for there money, add in the fact that Thailand ( as evidenced by the amount of paperwork here lol ) just hasn't seemed to get the whole concept of computers and the internet, EVERYthing that happens here is reported everywhere and usually distorted to sell stories and im afraid Thailand just keeps presenting them with fodder. Yes also people are not as stupid as they were, their sick of being ripped off, their sick of being treated as below everyone else and please there is no reason to keep throwing the " falang " term about every 2 mins, we realize its meant rudely by most were not fooled. The country rightly loves the King, get him to make public announcements and posters to clean up the Country and dont litter because no matter how many times its said a lot of the littering is locals not tourists, Add in that Government doesnt control building, anyone can build anything anywhere, Thailand is very fast loosing its beauty to buildings, I mean how many Hotels ( when the ones here are empty ) does a square mile need ?? leave empty space for car parks, add back trees and greenery, the simple addition of public waste bins would be good, public benches for people to rest, a lot of the problems are simple fixes.

Do something about those horrible not finished buildings, change the laws your so good at changing for the betterment of the Country and enact something along the lines of " If you dont do work on a building for a period of time the Government takes it, sells it and uses the money to better the Country and its people " first thing is use it to fix the power lines !! I could go on and on there are so many reasons but everyone is fixable I love this Country but they need to get over themselves and realize that without Tourists you have nothing, so stop driving them away. Thailand is in a great position to get some great ideas from its expat population, we are from all over the world and know what tourists want .. use us form a committee to use our knowledge and ideas, I would love to contribute but they need to get over there " Thai knows best " attitude, there is always room in everyone for improvement and learning ...... Come on Thailand get it together before you slide too far

You make some great points.

The litter and filth here is getting terrible, and I would love for people who can't be talked about to get involved. If they did I believe the problem could be cured almost overnight.

Also, Thailand please stop using concrete on every project. It's cheap, it's strong but also one of the most boring, unimaginative, dullest building materials ever.

If the powers that be, made The Thai tourist industry become "green" and echo friendly the tourist's would return.

Edited January 8, 2016 by MorristheRunt

[northernphil]

All the above reasons for lack of tourists . When I arrived here in early 2005 my house was built at a cost of 73B - pound sterling. Now I am getting 54. Hua-Hin was very busy with tourists at that time , you could barely find a bar that wasn't packed. Went back last year for a break and the bars were empty. We went south to Pranburi and our hotel on the beach only had us there. Politically........ in my provincial town way up north 2 years ago the bar I frequented was still busy at 2am. The same bar last night only had me and a ladyboy inside and the owner outside with 3 old buddies trying to sell food under a street light. The consensus i get here when I ask why is " People don't come out they are not happy " So, 2 different reasons.

[Global Guy]

I have lived in Thailand on and off since 2001. To me, some generalizations I have noticed are the tourist areas are no longer a great bargain like they used to be. Also, the people in the tourist areas are not as friendly as they used to be. The girls are not nearly as friendly as they used to be as well. Hotels, restaurants service is horrible. Pretty much anywhere you go in tourist areas it's just not an enjoyable experience. They treat you like you should just drop off your wallet at the door and leave.

As a tourist on holiday budget I don't mind spending money, but I don't want to feel like I'm getting ripped off everywhere I go. Overcharged food and water down drinks that cost as much or more than in the West, staff anywhere I go (restaurants, markets, bars, etc) acting like as a customer I'm a bother to them, and overall everywhere I go just not nearly as fun as 5/10/15 years ago.

While living in Jomtien, we stopped going anywhere near Pattaya because of the the daily and nightly police check points that focused on foreigners that got out of hand. My gf and I stopped going far from where we lived and stuck around our neighborhood to avoid the daily harassment.

Now, you don't have to post your wonderful experiences because we all have those stories too, but that's not what this post is about.

Living in Thailand, I still notice how it's just not as great a place to live either. It's still better than living in the West, but as the OP posted, Thailand has lost a lot.

I was considering buying a hotel or guesthouse but have put that on hold because of the business and government landscape has been too unstable. In fact, I've put any thoughts of investing anything in Thailand because of the instability and the unwelcome attitude of the government.

Again, it's still better than living in the West, just not as good as before.

Edited January 8, 2016 by Global Guy

[Baerboxer]

I don't think tourists care about whose in government. They don't pretend to come here to ram their nations official ideas on democracy, free speech, foreign policy or anything else. They come to enjoy a holiday. Whether for the beach, sea and sun, activities, culture trips, nature, partying or the sex tourists. They want prices they deem reasonable and service levels, food choices, entertainment, and accommodation that is nice and perhaps a bit more luxurious than at home.

Prices in Thailand have increased, air fairs have increased and the baht has strengthened. Roughly 52 baht to the GBP whereas 12 years ago was getting 71 baht and paying lower prices.

The tourism industry has also become less customer focused, demanding higher prices for a lower service and less friendly and warm too. Add to that the issues with the world economies and geo-political situation and the amount of factors with the potential to influence tourist numbers is considerable.

The newer tourist market - the Russians and Chinese are both being hit hard economically. The Middle East has to contend with the low oil prices and political climate whilst most of the Indians, Pakistani's etc will always be cheap charlies.

Your opinion, I believe is far too simplistic. And nor do I believe vast swathes of potential Western tourists are put off by the current government, anymore than they were by previous ones.

[Nowisee]

If by climate you want to mean the attitude and business approach of those who make up the thai tourist industry, I would say yes.

In some places the business people, not directly related to tourism, that are successful and have full restaurants understand value fair pricing.

Taking a look at some well run food/restaurants in CM.. either foreigner or locally owned and operated. They usually have a happy or smiling worker(s), good tasty food are full of happy customers and those customers post good reviews.

They increase their margins based on related costs and still strive to provide a good experience for the customer.

On the opposite side is the greedy business owner who increases prices, lowers quality and usually quantity and offers no other upgrade in customer experience.. their work force is unhappy, untrained and high turnover, they lose customers and eventually the business and scratch their heads and can't figure it why.

Poorly run places are failing in this environment, hotels, restaurants, stores, shops, ect.

Maybe the experienced tourist and expat is away now for the smokey season... it seems to have arrived about a week ago.

Time to head out... which means not spending money here.

Edited January 8, 2016 by Nowisee

[Ulic]

Op - I realize you have taken an informal poll in the places you have visited and come up with a particular view point on tourism. Living outside of Thailand now for two years after being a long term Thailand resident I am going to provide you with my opinion on what is going on with Thai Tourism.

My findings come from people travelling from the US and/or Canada

In a nutshell it is as popular if not slightly more than it was say 5 years ago. Why? The US and CAD $$ still goes a long way in Asia. Flights are more $$ but you get a bigger bang for your buck in Asia (no pun intended). Young travelers those under 25 have no idea about the "political climate" and nor do they really care. They read & hear about Thailand and all the good stories from their friends, facebook, family. I have no official stats but airlines such as Air Canada and Westjet are seeing international flights outpacing domestic flights by at least 13%. New routes to Europe, Asia, South America....what it boils down too is that there are just as many travelers wanting to visit far away places as there ever has been.

Even with the economic downturn in North America one of the prime travel groups, 18-35 year olds, are seeing the world in larger numbers then ever before. Do they hang out in the same places as you visit? maybe not. mexico is still big on their list but they are still traveling in large numbers to all destinations.

Regardless of what you feel is happening in Thailand or Cambodia, Vietnam etc...kids are packing their bags and traveling. The 40 plus crowd who visited Thailand 20 years ago as teenagers are keen to return....just in perhaps a higher quality of luxury then as teenagers.

I spent nearly 15 years in the Travel business between 1992-2007 saw the twin towers come down...wars....random killings in Mexico....Norovirus on cruise ships....Rainforest destruction....Hurricane Katrina....jet ski ripoffs in the Caribbean.....drug problems in Jamaica.....too many tourists flooding the great pyramids of Egypt...corruption in South America....Shining Path kidnapping tourists...overcrowding in Venice....price gouging everywhere....all these instances may have slowed things down a bit...but the tourist keep going.

With very few exceptions (North Korea and a few others) and even there people are still lining up to visit if they can in......true Tourist Destinations will survive and some will even grow.....why???

Last stat I read (2014 I think) nearly 26% of the worlds population is under the age of 15....in Canada it is 16%...that means from Canada close to 6,000,000 kids over the next 5 years will be starting their "adult" lives. How many of them will travel? Who knows but I assume quite a few. How many will pick Thailand? roughly %17 percent of those people surveyed who are considering taking a trip overseas would consider South East Asia as a destination.

Most of South East Asia will never run out of tourists as the world keeps producing children....and most don't give a rats ass about whose in charge of the Government....they want beaches..booze...fun...sun and surf...perhaps a little culture thrown in along the way.....good food. They wont be in one spot long enough to see all the problems....hell you still see tourists going to Haiti and they are still trying to recover form the earthquake, political unrest and what not...

The land border between Nong Khai and Vientiane is a busy as ever judging from the occupancy rates in Nong Khai and from reports I hear from family in the tourism business. Company called free and easy traveler out of Canada has over 100 combination trips covering SEA nearly all with stops in Thailand taking bookings into 2018...caters to kids 18-25 and they sell out most of their tours every year.

I recall a year ago or so them stopping the tubing in Vang Vieng....oh the outcry....nobody will come....Vang Vieng will die...no tourists will come now.......and yes it did appear that tourist numbers did drop off....but funny thing is happening.....they are coming back.....in what i hear are larger numbers then ever....people who did not like the party atmosphere are returning in droves.

so goes to show that whatever we may think or see or try to predict what may happen.....people have a funny of surprising us.

While I do agree the political situation has no effect on European and Canadian travelers I am not sure about many

of the points you make. The Canadian dollar is down 20% to the baht in the past couple of years. Still a lot of great

deals if one knows the lie of the land. For lot of youth traveling is a right of passage. Young people used to take 6 months

to a year doing the Nepal- India- Thailand tour. Things used to be really cheap $3.50 for a night in a beach hut. Not

so cheap now. (understandably) Thailand used to have what at least looked like clean beaches and water. Now it

is filthy. Plastic and garbage all over the streets and beaches, water. Young people do still come, but now it is mostly for

3-6 weeks and on a tour. Helicopter parents can't stand there kids being away from them. World regional travel is

cyclical as well. Europe was hot and great value in the 50's- 70's, then Asia, then South America. Now parents like

to push Europe (safer, than Asia and South America). Asia will come back but not like before. Long gone are the

clean beaches and ultra cheap prices. As for bars/women well, what can I say. The girls will throw out a highball

price and see if the punter pays it. Bars have to pay bribes to stay open so the price of beer is not that cheap

any more. Everyone trying to squeeze more out of fewer "freelance" tourists. Package tourist like the Chinese

do spend a lot (per day) but the price has been negotiated by a tour company and they know how to drive a great

bargain for themselves and there customers. They also often come for 3-4 days mini junkets packed with activities. (You

know like the old Europe tours, 16 countries in 12 days. Go-go-go-go-go. follow the tour guide with the orange flag.)

Like elections for me the biggest reason for lower tourist numbers, "it's the economy stupid". Things are significantly

more expensive in Thailand and when combined with the Russian economy/currency tanking, Spain, Greece, Portugal,

Italy, etc.. etc.... people are just a little uneasy. Stay-cations, holidays in country or neighbouring countries. Saving

for a housing down payment or emergency. People are not so certain with a job for life. Education is more expensive.

It goes on and on and on and on. A whole bunch of little numbers that add up to a lot. What should Thailand do.

1/ Clean up the environment, both on land and in the water.

2/ End corruption and the drag it puts on the economy which is passed on the tourists and public alike.

3/ Put an end to all the scamming. From jet-skis-to tuk-tuk/ taxi mafia, scooter rental damage BS

#1 and #3 are relatively simple, #2 very difficult but very needed.

We shall see.

[manarak]

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.

I think world economy is to blame for 75% of the slump in Thailand tourism.

There is much less money around, and because of that people also cut on spending, instead saving money and working more.

Russians saw their currency fall by more than 50%, gone are days of droves of Russian tourists.

Australians also had to take a big cut in currency value.

Places which had their traditional tourist customer base in Europe, such as Koh Samui, are nearly completely dead so I heard.

Until now, the Chinese were still surfing the wave and their groups were filling up hotel rooms and tour buses for some low margin business, but now the Chinese economy is crashing, it seems their wave will ebb off soon.

Once the Chinese are gone, it's a bleak outlook for tourism in Thailand if you ask me.

The signal for revival will be given when (if?) the EU zone will post growth rates of 3%+.

[Phatbeets]

Falang kwai are not that stupid after all

[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)

Rubbish. The typical tourist could not care less about the political situation in a country you are visiting as long as it is stable and safe.

Thailand is both. On top of that los offers visa exempt to so many countries. Cambodia, Vietnam, loas etc do not.

What rules have changed affecting tourists . And don't say the METV.

You speak your rubbish...I'll speak mine...the stability you speak of is tenuous at best...I am not allowed to speak freely here as to the reasons behind the false sense of stability the country enjoys at the moment...nor am I allowed to assemble...or make signs with three fingers...not press the like button on Facebook...without the threat of internment and a come to Buddha meeting with the military showing me the error of my ways...

This is not stability...it is a recipe for disaster...IMHO

[elgenon]

I like Thailand still. I just wish they would stop talking about wanting more tourists then making it more difficult to stay here and spend money. Constantly fiddling with the rules.

[MaeJoMTB]

I like Thailand still. I just wish they would stop talking about wanting more tourists then making it more difficult to stay here and spend money. Constantly fiddling with the rules.

To be fair to them,

They say they want more tourists, not people staying here forever.

The Chinese are perfect, they come for two weeks then go back home.

[SoiBiker]

Is the current tourist industry destroying the climate?