Going Down: Businesses on Phuket’s famed Bangla Rd suffer as clientele dries up

[fekman]

No wonder, if you know how much the rents are - landlords are totally insane and greedy to the bone.

Zero business sense, they have. Landlords here....

Only try to get the most out of a property without considering that the rent may make any business unprofitable on this crappy little soi, and it will be a revolving door of tenants with lots of vacancies.

[MockingJay]

You raped your "clientele" to death, now - stop whining!!!!!

[Headgame]

Big problems with the Chinese economy which will quickly impact Chinese tourism in TH. Soon the streets will be empty.

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[fekman]

The greedy fools brought it on themselves. I saw it coming.

I was in Phuket-Pathong last September and was astonished from everything overpriced.

A cut of fruits (Mango, water melon, pineapple), 60-100 baht.

A short ride, even 50 meter with a tuk-tuk, 200 baht.

The food without comparison to Bangkok or other parts of Thailand.

The stupid mafia of the tok-tuk force them to keep these outrageous prices and you can see them standing idle by the curbs because few pay them these price.

They shot themselves in the leg and now they are whyning.

let them eat their own dish.

Agreed. I was there for 3 weeks last year. Was a near ghost town in Phuket. Hotels and restaurants even so brazen as to post 'For Sale' signs right in the front of their business. LOL.

No sympathy from me. I ate Indian food almost every day. Was really good there. If Im going to pay 200=300 baht for lunch, its not gonna be pad thai dish that I buy for 50 baht in BKK.

I walk a lot anyway, so I didn't mind engaging tuk tuk drivers in conversation when they shouted at me for rides. I would laugh at them when they would ask for 300 baht for a 2km ride. Losers.

[biplanebluey]

Well to me ,all girlie Bars were "going down" businesses

[kiwikeith]

Thais need to learn to treat tourists as customers , we do not appreciate being ripped off robbed and cheated when we go on vacation. You h have the Chinese good luck with that, only chinese benefit .

Having worked in tourism/ driving mainly chinese and Korean tours in NZ I can confirm without a doubt that their money is accounted for, they are steered to shopping and eating and accomodation by the tour gides.

Their venues are controlled by chinese and in this case it would be chinese / Thai interests.

They dont go to bars or indulge in the lady life unlesss you get the odd freelance tourist but even they mostly tour with the GF in hand, they are mean spenders and argue the toss with Taxis and tuk tuks all the time.

Phuket can have them.

They leave a trail of ciggy butts and rubish behind them wherever they go, they walk over the top of people in their path (just look at their behaviour at the swampi).

Then there is the mafia gansters and crime and that seems to have had some effect along with the BK bombings and the B2 case.

The world Isis problem and unemployment and havoc in most countries is also telling.

But not to worry no ISIS in the south so feel safe.

[Weblo]

Couldn't be happier, how long did they think thy could rob tourists

phuket can rot in hell

[Advocate]

Ya that's funny. You can only rape, rob and murder your clientele for so long than the word gets our and your all finished

sorry your Bullshit is over..

You sound like a perpetual victim that keeps returning to the scene of the crime.

[asdecas]

Tourists boom dries up because of tackiness/ripoffs/overpricing/lack of security/scams. It's been that way worldwide since mass tourism reared its ugly head in the 1960s, so what else is new?

In other news, the Pope remains in Rome.

[harleyclarkey]

I thought I'd never see the day when finally some good news to come out of Phuket.

Edited January 23, 2016 by harleyclarkey

[phantomfiddler]

The same thing has been happening in Pattaya over the last 12 years, a steady decline in the number of worthwhile customers, while the number of worthless tourists from the world,s cesspits seems to be on a steady rise ! Not helping also is the greed of the landlords, steadily increasing rents until the tenant can barely keep his nostrils above the waterline Thailand alas is pricing itself out of the market, and the attitude of the locals becomes more avaricious by the day

[Kered]

Perhaps the PM has to rethink his attitude towards tourism and relax the regulations as in other tourist destinations.

[Spock]

Couldn't be happier, how long did they think thy could rob tourists

phuket can rot in hell

I worked and lived there for 6 months in the late 1990's after 6 years in Bangkok. I hated it, particularly the locals Phuket people who were greedy for money. If the tourism business is drying up I won't be shedding a tear for those Thai people affected on the island. Karma at work.

[inaktive]

I think roughly 8 years ago the taxi mafia was not outragous. Then roughly 7 years ago all the taxi prices went from 20 to 200. At this point i promised myself i would never set foot on phuket again and i started telling the same to all my friends and basically anyone i.could find. Looks like i was not the only one.

Also i think flight prices from europe have increased the last couple of years.

I know my numbers are off bare with me

To be honest even 10 years ago the Taxi/TukTuk Prices in Phuket where already insane. I do know for a fact that 10 years ago a TukTuk after dark didnt move even inside on Patong for less than 200 THB. If you where a couple and the TukTuk driver thought the girl didnt look like she wanted want to walk even 5 minutes (High Hells or a nice dress) it was more like 400 THB.

But at that time i did get decent food close to the beach or at the beach for 35-50 THB in the evening ... the same place wanted 150-200 THB for smaller portions this year!

And the planeticket prices did go down a lot since then at least flying from europe. I can now fly there with several arab airlines direct to phuket and not have to change planes in BKK so its still 1 stop but in 2 around 6h parts and not 11h to BKK and then 1h to HKT.

The only airline that did increase their prices was Thairairways.

i did already see many of the shops at beachroad pretty much doing no business and some where even closed up and it doesnt look like anything new will move in. Perhaps some more international francised food places will go there but how many McD or Burgerkings or Subways do you need at Beachroad ?

[warrenmecca]

soom num naaa indeed...used to have a bar in Bangla...moved to Soi Bel Air....and my key money doubled up there also...happy trading and able to work in Vietnam....Thais lie, are greedy, lazy and hate the farangs....one day, no tourists at all...or just Indians trying for a free lady, Chinese, stocking their hotel rooms with noodles from Big C. or Israelis smoking their shisha pipes...ha ha greed breeds corruption, and your seeds are sowed....

[KimSamui]

Our Patong is dead thread seems to be right on the money after reading the above.

Yep,

I would think the high Bhat is beginning to bite for some tourists, Particularly australians.

[gandalf12]

Thais need to learn to treat tourists as customers , we do not appreciate being ripped off robbed and cheated when we go on vacation. You h have the Chinese good luck with that, only chinese benefit .

When you think of yourself as god you treat everyone else and s**t

[Doc46]

People are waking up to the treatment they are getting,Tourist are getting worried and smarter to the ripoff deals ,Soon there will be a lot less tourists there, they will be moving elsewhere,If they feel they are getting same treatment again Thailand will suffer badly.

[luckyman]

Due to its greed, corruption, scams and danger Thailand is slowly strangling itself

Bangla Rd is Thailand, right ?

[bazza40]

Have never been to Phuket, and from what I'm hearing have no desire to go there. Reputation does eventually either create a boom, or a depression in a tourist venue.

If the TAT is relying on Chinese to boost tourist income, they will be sadly disappointed. In Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, they are known as notorious skinflints. One business I know of refuses to deal with them. They got themselves banned from Wat Rong Kuhn for disgusting toilet habits.

I must be living in a different part of Thailand. A lot of the posts here seem to be dedicated to bashing Thais for their greed, corruption and laziness. Most of the Thais I deal with on a daily basis are honest and hardworking. It seems once a Thai reaches a certain level of wealth, the negative aspects take control. The corruption everyone complains of actually makes life easier - think of how much more expensive various traffic offences would become if one lived in a Western nanny state. The police are poorly paid, and have to pay for their own uniforms, weapons and radios.

I've been attacked before on Thai Visa by various Dudley Dorights for my attitude. To them I say - be careful what you wish for.

[HOOD Robin]

Even as we speak, prices are going up in Soi Cowboy. Yet, I hear the girls complaining that it is quiet. My personal response to the higher prices is to go less often.

When the mamasan tells me I have not been in much, I say too expensive now. I doubt she got my point.

i bet she did NOT

a human body without brains is worthless. Too many of them in land of scams....

Going on for decades

[msealey]

Hi native Chinese here but lived in the USA a wong time now.

Maybe time to try and make business for the Chinese market.. better i think yes.

Thailand have many lucky chicken foot soup, why not make the many more? it's wubly.

I think many of the bars in banglor could change to noodle bar. instead of too many lady, could have chicken foot? it's wubly.

Instead of so many Mai Thai boxing shows why not try some Kung ? it's wery good yes. And why Thailand have just two Panda Bear? <deleted> stupid that two panda bear, if Thailand want more luck with tourism maybe time to think about more Panda bear.

Everybody like chinese food so why not give it a chance? it's wubly. Instead of so many jetskit on the beach why not make a the shark fin soup, it's wubly.

[LivinginKata]

Due to its greed, corruption, scams and danger Thailand is slowly strangling itself

Bangla Rd is Thailand, right ?

Yes, to be exact the bar/sex center of Patong, Phuket.

[mogo51]

At least we finally have someone telling the truth that we have all know for a long time. As rightly commented on in the posts, Chinese and Sth Korean

tourists are an enclave - nothing leaves their wallet in terms of dollars for small/medium businesses

Thai Government and the Thai people themselves are now reaping what they have sown for many years.

Western expats here in Thailand are leaving in large numbers and soon I will join them.

[regfrancis]

Of course its quiet. The oil money has dried up. The cashed up tech savey Americans don't need to travel this far to exploit the third world.

But guys !--

Theres only non stop and continuous moaning.. from 99% the posting expats.

Come on--try and have a balanced and intelligent view---

Edited January 23, 2016 by regfrancis

[Nowisee]

I've never been there and never will because of crime, corruption and the fact that it's unsafe... but they can piss out anyway.

[Dan5]

Nah. Thailand is still a wonderful place and I've been here a long time.

This is mostly the result of a lot of western tourists being replaced with Chinese who don't spend much money on the night life. . Plus the new generation of politically correct western tourists not appreciating the night life because its politically incorrect.

[regfrancis]

I rest my case

[msealey]

I west my case.

[cyberfarang]

1. got too greedy and priced yourselves out of the market, same happened in walking street Pattaya

2. as above - price fixing cartels not allowing bars to drop their prices as they want too using threats and intimidation

3. The Chinese don't do bars, they might walk around looking but spend FA

Greed is destroying these places and the same patterns can be seen in Bangkok and Pattaya, as western visitors decline you will typically see the same destructive business pratice of increasing prices instead of rescueing tourism and the bar scene with reduced realistic pricing, supermarkets 7/11 and familymart are a good guide and a silid stake in the ground - if they didn't exist this country would be in ruins

fair pricing and your business will boom again

Great post and dead on the mark.

The bars and such like have got greedy and priced themselves out of the market. They cannot drop the fallacy that all Farlangs &lt;deleted&gt; cash and have bottomless pits of money believing whatever they ask the stupid Farlangs will pay, they don`t know where to draw the line. They hedged their bets on the Chinese and ended up backing a loser because the Chinese are not the last of the big spenders.

It`s become the same all over Thailand and foreigners are catching on that there is better deals to be had elsewhere.