Thailand tourism situation

[usual suspect]

dtaai-maai... I think you're right with your assumption .. A coupla years minimum

[Big Boy]

Here we go, problem sorted

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... m5wi3w8DKM

If Sri Panwa succeeds in this new quarantine programme, the country's tourism industry will largely benefit, he said. More visitors might be tempted to come.

[caller]

Especially as Thailand is behind everyone else in the vaccination stakes and new outbreaks keep occurring.

What no-one talks about is how comfortable people will be in travelling, vaccine or no vaccine, when the go-ahead is given. I can imagine many will initially take a let's wait and see attitude.

And for Thailand, all the pre-virus issues that was driving down tourism are still in place, especially the high baht. It will take a while for flight prices to find a new level and I can imagine the remaining hotels will start ratcheting up the prices.....

Listening to Thai's talk, it appears the new normal will be the same as the old normal - and it won't - not even close.

[buksida]

I can see the world's billionaires queuing up to be stuck in a hotel and then a villa for a fortnight in a country where nobody has been vaccinated. Its effectively just posh quarantine, no different to what currently exists aside from the cost.

[PeteC]

With this 2-3 year hiatus from travel I think we may find many who really don't care any longer. Europeans and British may well be satisfied going to Spain, Greece and closer to home for their "warmth". As well as Americans to Mexico, Cuba (which will reopen) Hawaii and the Caribbean.

The allure of going half way around the world for a holiday may not be there any longer for many, not to mention the huge dent in finances this pandemic is causing for millions.

SE Asia tourism will return to its march to becoming China South.

[handdrummer]

"SE Asia tourism will return to its march to becoming China South."

A year ago I thought it would take about 30 yrs. for Thailand to return to it's original status as a vassal state of China. I'm revising that estimate to 15-20 yrs.

[STEVE G]

The allure of going half way around the world for a holiday may not be there any longer for many, not to mention the huge dent in finances this pandemic is causing for millions.

Yes, I know people who have had virtually no income for almost a year now and going on any kind of holiday is not going to be on their agenda for a while. Large numbers of people in the so called gig economy have found themselves ineligible for any kind of support but unable to work.

[Big Boy]

It goes back to the perception that all Farangs are rich. They don't seem to realise that many of us need to work hard all year for our couple of weeks in the sun.

[handdrummer]

It goes back to the perception that all Farangs are rich. They don't seem to realise that many of us need to work hard all year for our couple of weeks in the sun.

That may be because they have to work hard all year long and still don't earn enough for a "couple of weeks in the sun." The average wage of 20,000 bht a month doesn't go far or last long.

[HHTel]

20,000 is the average wage in BKK. Outside of the city it's much less. I guess there are lots of Thais in Hua Hin who would love 20,000 p.m.

My daughter for example works 6 days waiting tables in a restaurant for 9,000 baht p.m. (plus tips of course) The minimum wage is only a little over 300 baht a day.

[buksida]

The wage thing also affects Thais in terms of tourism - all these state-enforced new long weekends are just for the benefit of civil servants and higher-earning Bangkokians who get the opportunity to throw a few crumbs at the hoi polloi in other provinces once a month and cause carnage on the roads in their flash cars.

I think even they are getting bored of it, this last Chinese new year one was very quiet, even the Thai-Chinese wannabes (who are about as Chinese as I am Spanish) were not out en masse.

[caller]

The average salary in Bkk is 25,500.

The minimum wage is 331 baht per day, allegedly, just over 10k per month if working every day. Beggars belief really.

[usual suspect]

PeteC mentioned that for many Europeans when it comes to their next holiday they may well look closer to home.. Spain for example.
I know a couple who ran a good bar on Menorca, and they said prior to the Covid outbreak... Spain (& it's islands) had record tourist figures 6 years running because folk were going back to the 'local sun'/warmth.
So when normality does creep back then long-haul hols may well be not as popular..?
(Even more so if visas, proof of earnings, proof of residence, 24 hr reporting etc here could mean renting a villa in a coastal resort in the Med a viable option..?)

[buksida]

I don't think Thailand will give a shit if Europeans come back or not - there are millions of Chinese that will replace them.

[dtaai-maai]

(Even more so if visas, proof of earnings, proof of residence, 24 hr reporting etc here could mean renting a villa in a coastal resort in the Med a viable option..?)

One hell of a lot less viable than it was last year...