Tourists flooding into Thailand - some islands "twice as much as last year"

[oldlakey]

1 hour ago, mcfish said:

Not a huge Deal. Tourists down grade hotels etc.. Cheaper hotels sure beats the hell out of a European winter!!!

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WRONG

It is a big deal, in fact its a very big deal for some

The easiest thing in the world is to up grade, down grade not quite so easy

European winters or not

Edited December 13, 2016 by oldlakey

[tomacht8]

26 minutes ago, fruitman said:

 

The worst thing in a crisis is the locals stopping spending money...that's why they act like nothing is happening.

 

If all locals saw a crisis coming they would save up money for harsh times which can speedup the process of becoming in a real crisis.

 

The motoexpo sold much less new cars than last year, immediatly they said it will be back to normal next year....that's another clear sign of a crisis around the corner....but they always try to wave any bad news away....(more countries use this trick though).

 

So they are kidding all Thai, if they stop spending there will be a crisis for sure and very soon....If you want to buy something big than better wait for the crisis to come first, saves you a lot of money when it's half price.

I feel the same.
Business is bad for many,  not only in the tourist business.
When talking to the ordinary people, I unfortunately hear a lot of pessimism.
One of the best crises indicators: Even the bar and massage girls offer now great discounts,
just because there are not enough customers running around. 
The pressure to make some business is absolutely there.


 

Edited December 13, 2016 by tomacht8

[Dumbastheycome]

10 minutes ago, oldlakey said:

I dont fancy sitting next to you on a 12 hour non stop flight

Hopefully you feel better now

Other  than  accomodating where necessary those who  suffer incontinence due  to  imbibing  in flight  beer  or  similar/alternative  cause I  generally avoid  conversation  with  other  than  attractive  young  females just  to  stroke  my ego.  So sitting  next to me  on a flight  of  any duration  would be  guaranteed peaceful  if not  boring .  :)

[fruitman]

3 minutes ago, tomacht8 said:

I feel the same.
Business is bad for many,  not only in the tourist business.
When talking to the ordinary people, I unfortunately hear a lot of pessimism.
One of the best crises indicators: Even the bar and massage girls offer now great discounts.




 

 

Yup prices are going down already, more freebee's if you do a big deal....some companies even do projects at cost-level just to stay in business. The baht will drop, just wait for it and so will prices.

 

But Thailand was famous for massage girls and bars, well that's all cheaper in Germany these days, yes in Germany  with it's high standards....

 

It will be good for thailand though to have a crisis, prices will drop, baht will drop, bad companies disappear, crime might be higher though. They might get more respect for tourists, improve things, get real police maybe, improve safety and so on.

 

It's easy to fool the Thai people though, they believe all officials and for numbers with many zero's nobody can calculate them himself.

 

I haven't seen the airports/malls busy for more than a year (with tourists that is), they can claim what they want but where would those tourists have to be if we don't see them?

 

And why don't they mention which island has twice as much tourists this year? Maybe it's a very small abandoned island somewhere?

 

More bad news is to come though, let's see what mr Trump is gonna do and who will follow him. 

 

Not investing in development is gonna cost thailand a lot from now on, ricefarming should be done on large scale or is not worth the effort. I mean with machinery and huge ricefields. All the small shops and markets also can't last much longer, big shops (or internet) will replace them. It's time the Thai see it coming because it will hurt if the truth tells them by empty wallets.

 

 

[George Graham]

2 hours ago, tukkytuktuk said:

Brexit hasn't bankrupted the U.K. The reason there are no tourists is because of the headline news about many negative stories that have happened in Thailand over the past 5 years even 10 years. The media jumps on every negative story and catapults it into millions of peoples living rooms back home. I know cause friends and relatives know more about whats happening in Thailand than I do. The tabloids love Thailand frontpage sensations. This is why no one comes much now and goes to Vietnam instead. How many negative stories do you hear of Vietnam? I can't think of one.

I can think of one. I am here in Danang and it's raining and bloody freezing.

[oldlakey]

44 minutes ago, Dumbastheycome said:

Other  than  accomodating where necessary those who  suffer incontinence due  to  imbibing  in flight  beer  or  similar/alternative  cause I  generally avoid  conversation  with  other  than  attractive  young  females just  to  stroke  my ego.  So sitting  next to me  on a flight  of  any duration  would be  guaranteed peaceful  if not  boring .  :)

OK I think I can relieve any misgivings here, without the stroking of egos or anything else for that matter

I have not quite reached the incontinent stage yet, although I have gone for an aisle seat these last few years on medical advice

I do not qualify as an attractive anything

Boring possibly, but as far as peaceful is concerned I am not so sure, because I remember on a Virgin Atlantic flight some years ago,the woman directly behind me asked me very nicely if I could possibly turn the volume down a little on my headphones, I of course obliged

I feel it only fair to warn you that my hearing impairment has progressed somewhat 55555 over the years

To end on a more positive note though, I have no long haul flights planned within the foreseeable future

 

Edited December 13, 2016 by oldlakey

[mcfish]

WRONG
It is a big deal, in fact its a very big deal for some
The easiest thing in the world is to up grade, down grade not quite so easy
European winters or not

Dead wrong buddy. I'm in jomtien and guess what? The Russians have jammed packed it in, even with there currency in the toilet. A good mate owns a guest house in soi 12 and they come and fight with him for a discount every single day. Beats the hell out of a Russian winter!
Never ever underestimate Thailand. It's still the world's hottest tropical destination!!!

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[digibum]

I'm starting to become really concerned that I will no longer have access to these reports if Facebook starts blocking fake news stories.  

 

[DM07]

I feel the same.
Business is bad for many,  not only in the tourist business.
When talking to the ordinary people, I unfortunately hear a lot of pessimism.
One of the best crises indicators: Even the bar and massage girls offer now great discounts,
just because there are not enough customers running around. 
The pressure to make some business is absolutely there.


 

My office is on the corner of Patpong- have a look at the night market and you KNOW, that they are lying through their teeth about tourist numbers in general! Don't need to be an expert!


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[hawker9000]

Stuff like this must get posted in places where the readership doesn't get any other news and has no contact with the real world.

 

Either that or the job description must consist of just cranking the crap out on a schedule without actually having to convince anybody it's true.

[chickenrunCM]

Koh Samui, Koh Pagnan, Surrat Thani flooding, every tourist left there, so some other places will get some more, 

here in Chiang Mai, whole year is 50% of last year, not the peak season makes you money, the rest is important, when you loose there, than you can close. In Chiang Mai you will be able to rent and buy restaurants & guesthouses next year as i gues 30% will finish

[Mook23]

12 hours ago, BSJ said:

So I'll be back in a few days....will I be stamped in as a husband visiting his wife or a tourist?

They will stamp you in as "₩$@LL€T" 555

A special treat for "tourists" like you ?

[mcfish]

This thread is pure gold gold, Thailand reports double tourist numbers and farang report a crisis around the corner. It's freaking hilarious but outstanding entertainment non the less!

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[NongKhaiKid]

People flocking here to ' enjoy ' what may be the quietest, possibly most boring,  New Year on record ?

 

i may be very wrong but so far I haven't read anything about the Seven Dangerous Days and ' all ' the authorities will be doing to reduce road casualties etc.

Have the 7 DD been cancelled too ?

Edited December 13, 2016 by NongKhaiKid

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

2015 tourist season vs 2016 tourist season.
 

[theguyfromanotherforum]

Why would you base your tourist numbers on hotel availability as some members are trying to point out? Thailand has oversupply of hotels and it's quite possible that numbers have indeed doubled comparing to last year.

[Mickmouse1]

Actually I  was in Thailand last week and was shocked to see only few guys at the immigration counters.I must admit on my way out it was packed.Yes could be all those transfers n transit passengers.

Few restaurants in Jomtien have closed.my friends complained about the biz..well, maybe only Jomtien???am vack this weekend . let's see.

[oldlakey]

7 hours ago, mcfish said:

Dead wrong buddy. I'm in jomtien and guess what? The Russians have jammed packed it in, even with there currency in the toilet. A good mate owns a guest house in soi 12 and they come and fight with him for a discount every single day. Beats the hell out of a Russian winter!
Never ever underestimate Thailand. It's still the world's hottest tropical destination!!!

Sent from my SC-01D using Tapatalk
 

Well Russians, I should have guessed as temperatures have dropped to minus 53 degrees in Siberia last week

Good news indeed for your good mate who owns a guesthose in soi 12

As for the daily discount, a not to be missed once in a lifetime opportunity to hone your bartering skills

Does your mate offer storage facilities for their fur coats, hats, boots and gloves or do they leave them in left luggage at the airport,  to be collected on the way home , just curious

[Wilsonandson]

Interesting article.

The Jack Report: Are Days Numbered For The Thai Tourist Industry?

August 30, 2016

http://bangkokjack.com/2016/08/30/jack-report-days-numbered-thai-tourist-industry/

[bangon04]

18 hours ago, Kru Baa said:

One would think with all the practice they get that they would get better at telling lies. Will they ever realize that everyone knows they are lying? 

you don't understand the Thai concept of face - if a social superior tells you a blatant lie, you are expected to believe it even if you know it is total bs. Therefore there is little incentive to improve the quality of the bs. 

[bannork]

Gentlemen, the article is only about Satun and Koh Chang.

[ChrisY1]

I had the misfortune to visit the Similan Islands a couple of weeks back....a group thing arranged by my wifes friends....

Speedboat from Phang Nga...seats along the side for 40 people...750hp on the back of this crap heap....1 hr later arrived at one island and there would have been 40-50 similar boats....and they all spewed out Chinese tourists.....just masses of them on a beach about 100m long.

Absolute and total destruction of such a beautiful environment.....the Thais, in their quest for more money,  sure know how to wreck a place!!

[elgordo38]

20 hours ago, CantSpell said:

They just noticed it is high season??

 

Double figures ching ching, we had 20 last months, now about nearly 40... woohoo...

 

I saw a Scandinave last week, i had to call TAT to inform them :)

 

 

Did they answer the phone?

[Taco]

Total BS.  Business is down this year for sure and those coming have less baht to spend.  Full moon party day in Koh Phangan. Yes backpackers around but most restaurants slow.  Plenty of motorbikes still for rent.  Some hostels full but most not.  Only places busy are 7-11 selling ham and cheese toasties and big Changs.  10 new family marts and 7-11s opened or under construction now on Phangan in the last year, all sucking the local business's potential income.

[JetsetBkk]

On Tuesday, December 13, 2016 at 4:59 PM, Lingba said:

This article is a joke right?...I have to laugh....They come out with all this warped BS...and for What reason?...at the end of the day, the real numbers come in and the numbers don't lie...Not like the TAT...Who are they kidding and why?

 

"Who are they kidding and why?"

 

1. Their boss.

2. Annual pay rise.

 

[khunpa]

Thailand...The only country in the world with 30 million invisible tourists...

[pattayahenry]

17 hours ago, NongKhaiKid said:

People flocking here to ' enjoy ' what may be the quietest, possibly most boring,  New Year on record ?

 

i may be very wrong but so far I haven't read anything about the Seven Dangerous Days and ' all ' the authorities will be doing to reduce road casualties etc.

Have the 7 DD been cancelled too ?

the Seven Dangerous Days relate to thai new year, which is in april. FYI, as bernard trink would say.

 

[RTH10260]

Hmm - scores of tourists?  Just tried to get a 60 day tourist visa from my local Thai consulate (Switzerland). But the embassy changed the rules since last year and want a number of extra documents, not just a confirmed return flight.  Now they want to see an advance hotel booking too. And if like me with a private accomodation, I ought to have shown them a written invitation from my host. Or in the case of staying at the home of my wife a copy of her Blue House Book. Of course she does not keep that one here in Switzerland. As a good visitor to Thailand over the last twenty years, I suddenly have to prove that I am not only a good but a very valued one, by providing bank account copies that show me having at least CHF1000 aka approx THB40000 in the account over the last three months (while my airline booking shows me using business class). For all this they now need five days to process the paperwork rather than three until now.

 

Happy detail: CHF40 visa fee waved, but for a CHF10 processing fee.

 

So now I will fly into BKK and get a 30 day stay without visa and associated paperwork and then apply for a 30 day extension at immigrations.  TiT.

 

I guess the autorities want to convince the long staying quality tourist that they are welcome, with each page more of paperwork the more.

Edited December 14, 2016 by RTH10260

[Stargeezr]

I will be the first to say  yahoo  if  indeed  Thailand  gets  a bumper  crop of tourists  this  year .

In  Canada, at least for sure  the economy  is in the tank, and a lot  of  people are really  hurting

financially.  I will wait  to  mid  March  and  ask my  Thai  friend  in immigration  what  the real

Tourist numbers are. I will  vet  right  now  that  they  will be very  different  from  TAT.

Geezer

[PatOngo]

9 hours ago, pattayahenry said:

the Seven Dangerous Days relate to thai new year, which is in april. FYI, as bernard trink would say.

 

 

.........any comment would be superfluous.