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

[debate101]

Well, there's at least a kernel of truth here. The south is flooding.

[Emster23]

being bored grammar cop,  noticed headline read "Twice as much".... maybe if bikinis significantly smaller we would see twice as much? Article was correct stating "twice as many"... picky, picky.... cheers

[little mary sunshine]

Wishful Thinking!!

[kkerry]

I arrived in Suvanabhumi one evening last week. Very busy, 25 minutes for immigration, 30 minutes in the line for a taxi    Must have been over 300 people waiting (total for both lines), longest I have ever waited for a taxi by far. Departing earlier in the week and the airport staff were stopping people getting on the escalators up to security screening,  only allowing twenty people at a time to prevent overcrowding. Fifty minutes before I cleared immigration. All about the times you arrive and depart.

[NextStationBangkok]

Europe or US not that cold this year, why are they coming here so many.

 

Our Christmas special price hotels doomed for now. May be wait for our turn for Songkran.

[impulse]

1 hour ago, elgordo38 said:

You quit picking on Ms. Kobkorn the dear lady. Sometimes she does get the vapors. 

 

Getting the vapors.  Is that anything like blowing dope?

 

She must have some good weed to publish these numbers.  2X.  Ho Ho Ho.  That's not Santa laughing on them...

[madmitch]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

In the far south in Satun province the head of the Tarutao National Park said that this year there had been 20,000 visitors both Thai and foreign tourists since October 15th.

That's 300 tourists a day. Most large hotels have more guests than that!

 

 

[DrTuner]

Better avoid the islands then. Nothing worse than overcrowding by buffet seeking flag followers.

[helloagain]

1 hour ago, cms22 said:

"asked visitors to protect the environment and keep it pristine and beautiful for others who would come after them"

 

Yep, leave it clean so the Thais can really mess it up.

So so true. Here at nai harn beach on phuket the thais sit under the trees eating their food and drink beer go home and just leave it scattered around. 

[wellred]

Is tachai island still shut?


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[JetsetBkk]

12 minutes ago, DrTuner said:

Better avoid the islands then. Nothing worse than overcrowding by buffet seeking flag followers.

 

Yes, Phuket is full. Please go elsewhere.

 

[Reigntax]

3 hours ago, Thailand said:

Interesting, a search on Agoda for vacancies in Koh Chang from 18th - 28th December shows around 100 hotels etc with rooms available for that whole period!

 

Yes and based on the figures stated they must have been at least half full last year. Of course we all believe the propaganda   offical reports.

[JetsetBkk]

5 minutes ago, helloagain said:

So so true. Here at nai harn beach on phuket the thais sit under the trees eating their food and drink beer go home and just leave it scattered around. 

 

Yes, very thoughtful are Thais as they leave the stuff for the rubbish bin scavengers to pick up and sell at the recycling plants.

[DrTuner]

2 minutes ago, JetsetBkk said:

 

Yes, Phuket is full. Please go elsewhere.

 

Will do. They destroyed the reggae bar so nothing to see there.

[starfarm]

1 hour ago, BKKMG said:

Just back from a weekend in Koh Chang....minimal queues at the ferries, restaurants looking relatively empty at peak times suggest otherswise.

I have just spend a few days at Koh Samet. Very few people there!!

[Mooner]

4 minutes ago, starfarm said:

I have just spend a few days at Koh Samet. Very few people there!!

Must be a different Koh Samet than the one i know as its just been a long weekend and the place has been heaving.

People walking around looking for rooms as there was a shortage.

[hdkane]

I have a friend who owns a guesthouse on an island...talked with him yesterday, and he remarked on the lack of tourists as well...

[BSJ]

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

[dcsw53]

 

Having checked Hotels.com website, 18 hotels do not have rooms for the whole period 15th - 22nd December, while 36 do. Of the 36 some have discounts of over 40%.

If Koh Lipe is the jewel in the crown of Thailand's tourist industry it does not bode well for the others.

 

There I go being subversive again !

[GAZZPA]

Well, it is obvious to me and many other posters on here that tourist numbers are down. It is not difficult to see the lack of people in the usual hot spots for tourists. I hear nothing but complaints from locals who simply say "business is bad". 

 

Until Thailand realise that the world is becoming more accessible to everyone and that you have to work to win the tourists they will continue to see declines. There are many reasons for this, they have been done to death on this forum so no need to start creating another boring list.

 

The simple fact is that other Asean countries are growing and Thailand is not. I also don't believe the growth numbers I see for the economy. I just see nothing but bad news everywhere I go and the business I do in other Asean countries is doing much better.

 

I guess a new government may start to turn things around, time will tell.

[tukkytuktuk]

Its the Malaysian's with their devalued Ringgit filling the islands hotels and beach bungalows.

[HooHaa]

it is nonsense, phangan doesnt even start the season until about 4 days before Christmas - what ere all these happy tourists doing while the entire south was underwater?

[tukkytuktuk]

The regular tourists to Thailand have had enough and are heading for Vietnam. Just like Spain in the 80's and Greece in the 90's and Turkey in the 2000's. People have had enough of getting ripped off and xenophobia.

[daveAustin]

[Basil B]

So the Islands are now in danger of sinking, that's why the Chinese wear life preservers.

[Lingba]

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?

[roo860]

I have a friend who owns a guesthouse on an island...talked with him yesterday, and he remarked on the lack of tourists as well...

Fantasy Island?
Only kiddin!

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[lostinisaan]

2 hours ago, Bureaucrat said:

Have you noticed TAT's nose's? they grow bigger every year and they are always looking for this guy called  Geppetto.

 

 

 

Sex toys are not allowed in LOS !

[DSJPC]

the party's over, folks!!!

 

I have snorkeled thru the grotto to Maya Bay on Phi Phi Lek with just 6 people on the beach there...now they say there are 10,000 people per day inundating there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

as they say, "You can never go home!!!"

[madmitch]

8 minutes ago, DSJPC said:

the party's over, folks!!!

 

I have snorkeled thru the grotto to Maya Bay on Phi Phi Lek with just 6 people on the beach there...now they say there are 10,000 people per day inundating there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

as they say, "You can never go home!!!"

Yes, and they're probably proud of those numbers.