Thailand welcomes 17 million foreign visitors in first half of 2017

[observer90210]

Are the long term tourists who have to make visa runs also accounted in these figures?

[Redline]

On 7/16/2017 at 1:56 PM, impulse said:

 

I'm not claiming they post accurate numbers, but it's pretty easy to count up all the passports that have been scanned into the immigration computers.  

 

And there are businesses that make money selling data on how much an "average" tourist spends, sliced and diced any way you're willing to pay for it.  Add up credit card receipts and ATM withdrawals, apply a well researched (?) fudge factor for cash sales, and they can come pretty close.  Again, that doesn't mean I agree or disagree with their posted numbers.  But the methodology is well accepted.  And it doesn't depend on locals reporting honestly to taxation bureaus.

 

For those dissing the Chinese, try waiting in an airline ticket line to fly to China and see how much they have crammed into their luggage.  They don't spend it the same way we do, but they do spend it.  Only makes sense since the import duties on luxury goods are so much higher in China than in the Euro and N. American countries.  I have Chinese friends who fund their entire trips by smuggling back and selling a few watches or handbags or cosmetics.  That all adds up, even if they're on a no-dollar tour.  (Edit:  BTW, they recently require credit card companies to report any international purchases by Chinese citizens over around $150.  I suspect fewer of my friends will be sailing through customs when they have charged $10,000 in watches)

 

I admire your optimism, but there are thousands and thousands of people that work in Thailand from other countries, and I bet they are counting them because they are not Thai.  I also have serious doubts that the Thai government spends much on analysis of data.  I have seen very few things done in a a thorough manner here, and I would bet money that these stats are not accurate.  Besides, if a company came up with stats that were unappealing, they would stop using them

Edited July 17, 2017 by Redline

[clockman]

As there is no transparency in any sector in Thailand, You may as well consult a fortune teller!

[j8k]

Chinese do spend a lot though. They are desperate to buy stuff to take back to China and get rid of their money. I see the feckers lining up outside Gucci! 

[Phuketboy]

Every year it's the same rubbish from TAT.  Do they understand that overnight stopovers due to flight timings do not count as tourists?  If the tourists are increasing, why are more and more businesses closing due to not having customers.  Streets are much quieter than they were 5 years ago.  An example of this is a low season on Bangla in 2012 was busier than a high season now.  If all these tourists are coming to Thailand, where are they?  Here is an open challenge to TAT... Please explain this to all the businesses that are struggling.  Tourists are not coming, Minister Kobkarn, stop Lying, we are not all fools.