The ongoing debt crisis in Europe has no effect on the country’s tourism related industries, Tourism and Sports Minister Chumpol Silpa-archa said on Saturday.
Speaking on “Yingluck government meets the people” weekly talk show on NBT, Mr Chumpol said the number of foreign tourists from 11 European countries continued to increase, not to mention about increasing tourists from North Korea, Japan and China.
The minister attributed the tourism expansion to the success of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in restoring confidence in the country by visiting several countries soon after taking office.
He expected the number of foreign tourists visiting Thailand would reach 20 million this year, with total revenue of about 800 billion baht. The number was report at 19.2 million and 770 billion baht income was generated last year.
Mr Chumpol believed that the ministry’s target to increase revenue of the tourism sector to two trillion baht in 2015 would be achieved.
Source: BK Post
Eurozone crisis not hurting Thai tourism
Eurozone crisis not hurting Thai tourism
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
Re: Eurozone crisis not hurting Thai tourism
What tourists from North Korea? I don't think they even let them out fearing they wouldn't come back. 
Pete 
Pete Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
Re: Eurozone crisis not hurting Thai tourism
I just can't get my head around these tourist figures/claims from the point of view that one week they're all saying that arrivals are significantly down from Western nations because of the economic situation and then we get the above.
It does literally change weekly.
My very limited straw poll is always taken from walking the beach. A week ago it was deserted in the mornings but now (today for instance) it is fairly busy, and I am discounting the Thai visitors. There seem to be a lot of families with young children (school hols back in the west) and far more Asians (I'm guessing Chinese, Korean, Japanese) than I've ever seen before together with a good number of Indians.
So, I can see that TAT's efforts to increase tourism to the east of the country (India as well) are working but I'd bet my bottom dollar that the beach will be back to deserted in a month or so and remain that way until Xmas.
It does literally change weekly.
My very limited straw poll is always taken from walking the beach. A week ago it was deserted in the mornings but now (today for instance) it is fairly busy, and I am discounting the Thai visitors. There seem to be a lot of families with young children (school hols back in the west) and far more Asians (I'm guessing Chinese, Korean, Japanese) than I've ever seen before together with a good number of Indians.
So, I can see that TAT's efforts to increase tourism to the east of the country (India as well) are working but I'd bet my bottom dollar that the beach will be back to deserted in a month or so and remain that way until Xmas.
Re: Eurozone crisis not hurting Thai tourism
Everywhere you look official figures seem to support these claims but then you talk to locals in the hospitality industry
they are all saying things could be better, much better.Can the authorities be fluffing these figures so much and getting away with it?Why if so ?
they are all saying things could be better, much better.Can the authorities be fluffing these figures so much and getting away with it?Why if so ?
Complexity is so simply overrated
Re: Eurozone crisis not hurting Thai tourism
Lies, damned lies, and statistics. We often show little other than contempt for many such announcements within this area of concern and to me it sounds like a whole load of bollox.
Since when did we get the true low-down on anything? As opposed to the verbal garbage that the officials here spout to deflect diagnosis/criticism in a denial type of fashion way in an attempt to protect their jobs etc........breathtaking really.
Reminds me of the rubbish we hear about Swampy when they say that there's no problem and they close the runways for "routine maintenance" 60 times in 6 months when actually it's the fault of the airport construction operators as the pillars that were sunk into the swamp were not deep enough.
Anyone that believes anything that comes out of a government department's mouthpiece here is having a 'giraffe'.
It is simply a symptom of the wider cultural norm and practice when it come to this sort of stuff.
As for tourism, it's a case of bullshit and deny everything by TAT.
However, it's 'Teflon Thailand' and people still keep coming no matter what, so why should they 'get their act together' as it's just all 'water-under-the-bridge' regardless of how ridiculous it gets or whatever crime or disaster happens because of shoddy everything.
The system doesn't care and will never care until it starts to lose money and people vote with their feet....and there is little chance of that happening and everything can thus be swept under the carpet as there is no motivation for making any change regarding anything.
I've got pages worth of this sort of stuff at hand really.
Since when did we get the true low-down on anything? As opposed to the verbal garbage that the officials here spout to deflect diagnosis/criticism in a denial type of fashion way in an attempt to protect their jobs etc........breathtaking really.
Reminds me of the rubbish we hear about Swampy when they say that there's no problem and they close the runways for "routine maintenance" 60 times in 6 months when actually it's the fault of the airport construction operators as the pillars that were sunk into the swamp were not deep enough.
Anyone that believes anything that comes out of a government department's mouthpiece here is having a 'giraffe'.
It is simply a symptom of the wider cultural norm and practice when it come to this sort of stuff.
As for tourism, it's a case of bullshit and deny everything by TAT.
However, it's 'Teflon Thailand' and people still keep coming no matter what, so why should they 'get their act together' as it's just all 'water-under-the-bridge' regardless of how ridiculous it gets or whatever crime or disaster happens because of shoddy everything.
The system doesn't care and will never care until it starts to lose money and people vote with their feet....and there is little chance of that happening and everything can thus be swept under the carpet as there is no motivation for making any change regarding anything.
I've got pages worth of this sort of stuff at hand really.
Resolve dissolves in alcohol
Re: Eurozone crisis not hurting Thai tourism
Well, I don't know if its still the case, but a little while back, both Eva and Thai reduced the number of scheduled flights to/from LHR due to lack of demand.
Talk is cheap
Re: Eurozone crisis not hurting Thai tourism
Yes, looking at the breakdown per nation UK visitors were down in 2011 against 2010. But the increase in Russian visitors alone was double the reduction in visitors from every other country going.caller wrote:Well, I don't know if its still the case, but a little while back, both Eva and Thai reduced the number of scheduled flights to/from LHR due to lack of demand.
Are you basing this on anything tangeable Spitfire, what exactly have you researched to draw this conclusion? It sounds like nothing more than the bitter rantings you get on the general Thai forum, with respect. It's a struggle not to slash my wrists when I read your posts these days, whatever happened to you!?Spitfire wrote:Lies, damned lies, and statistics. We often show little other than contempt for many such announcements within this area of concern and to me it sounds like a whole load of bollox. Since when did we get the true low-down on anything? As opposed to the verbal garbage that the officials here spout to deflect diagnosis/criticism in a denial type of fashion way in an attempt to protect their jobs etc........breathtaking really.
You or me wouldn't have the first clue about the accuracy of the number, they're not visiting where we live and I'm not sure I'd recognize most of them as non-Thais anyway given the similarity between them and 'smarter' looking Thais you get in Hua Hin and Bangkok. The vast majority, or about 88%, of the 'alleged' 3 million increase in visitors were from a handful of countries... China, Malaysia, Korea, India, Russia plus some of the other local ASEAN nations. Russia alone are claimed to bring in as many visitors as 10no. (60%) of the other European countires put together.
The increase in reported Russian visitors in 2011 was double that of the reported reduction in visitors from EVERY OTHER country going. And the reported increase in tiddlywinks was nearly double that of the Russians. When giant nations like China, India & Russia are capable of distorting the numbers like that, anything's possible.
Plus we all sub-conciously view tourists as fat whitey's on deckchairs, but visitors from South East Asia are DOUBLE that of visitors from Europe & N.America combined.
SJ
Re: Eurozone crisis not hurting Thai tourism
Bangkok Suvarnabhumi pax numbers up 14.3% in May-2012, cargo up 8.8%
http://centreforaviation.com/news/bangk ... -88-159916
http://centreforaviation.com/news/bangk ... -88-159916
Re: Eurozone crisis not hurting Thai tourism
Not the best post that one, I admit, was a bit late, being cavalier and really shouldn't have even signed in.......however, most of us have been there on an occasion or two.
Don't need to explain anything further than that imo, and as to what happened then you'll find the answer is generally the same as to why many of the other older posters no longer post too really. Interpret that as you see fit as I won't comment any further.
As for what you quoted SJ, we do all know how optimistic you are on these subjects and that you are the great defender of 'the fair lady Thailand' and her chastity in so many ways.
Still got those rose-tinted ones on, I see.
Don't need to explain anything further than that imo, and as to what happened then you'll find the answer is generally the same as to why many of the other older posters no longer post too really. Interpret that as you see fit as I won't comment any further.
As for what you quoted SJ, we do all know how optimistic you are on these subjects and that you are the great defender of 'the fair lady Thailand' and her chastity in so many ways.
Still got those rose-tinted ones on, I see.
Last edited by Spitfire on Sun Jul 15, 2012 10:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Resolve dissolves in alcohol
Re: Eurozone crisis not hurting Thai tourism
Then it may be down even further for 2012 as I was referring to flights this year? They both consolidated flights which affected travel plans. I also have a vague recollection that Qantas were dropping Bkk off their schedule for flights via Oz? Could be 100% wrong on that.Super Joe wrote:Yes, looking at the breakdown per nation UK visitors were down in 2011 against 2010.
Talk is cheap
Re: Eurozone crisis not hurting Thai tourism
Chinese tourists reach top of visitor list in Thailand
The number of Chinese nationals visiting Thailand surged during the first half of the year, exceeding Malaysians for the first time, tourism officials said Wednesday.
Between January and June, some 1,124,234 Chinese tourists visited the kingdom, up 28.9 per cent from the same period last year, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said.
Altogether some 10.5 million tourists visited during the first half of 2012, up 7.6 per cent year-on-year.
"The most important contributor to this growth was arrivals from China which, for the first time, crossed the 1 million arrivals mark in the six-moth period," TAT said.
Tourists from neighbouring Malaysia have traditionally been Thailand’s leading market. But Malaysian arrivals were down 8.5 percent in the first six months of the year at 1,115,721.
In the same period, the number of Russian tourists reached 634,312, up 12.2 per cent, British tourists numbered 433,989, up 1.5per cent, and Germans 357,472, up 9.7 per cent.
Experts had expressed concern that tourism, a significant source of foreign revenue, could be affected by political instability in2010 and floods in 2011.
Source: The Nation
The number of Chinese nationals visiting Thailand surged during the first half of the year, exceeding Malaysians for the first time, tourism officials said Wednesday.
Between January and June, some 1,124,234 Chinese tourists visited the kingdom, up 28.9 per cent from the same period last year, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said.
Altogether some 10.5 million tourists visited during the first half of 2012, up 7.6 per cent year-on-year.
"The most important contributor to this growth was arrivals from China which, for the first time, crossed the 1 million arrivals mark in the six-moth period," TAT said.
Tourists from neighbouring Malaysia have traditionally been Thailand’s leading market. But Malaysian arrivals were down 8.5 percent in the first six months of the year at 1,115,721.
In the same period, the number of Russian tourists reached 634,312, up 12.2 per cent, British tourists numbered 433,989, up 1.5per cent, and Germans 357,472, up 9.7 per cent.
Experts had expressed concern that tourism, a significant source of foreign revenue, could be affected by political instability in2010 and floods in 2011.
Source: The Nation
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
Re: Eurozone crisis not hurting Thai tourism
Thailand Tourism earning tops $23 Bln in 2011 (+30%)
Thailand recorded a 31% increase in tourism receipts in 2011 over 2010, according to Ministry of Tourism and Sports figures. The total earnings of 776 billion baht (US$25.45 billion) were also well above the original target of 716 billion baht (US$ 23 billion).
The figures show that Thailand has recorded clear increases in both quality and quantity of visitor arrivals. The growth in total number of visitors is being matched by increased average length of stay and average daily expenditure, further underscoring the role of tourism as one of the most important economic sectors and contributor to job creation and nationwide income distribution.
According to the Ministry, Thailand recorded 19.23 million international visitors in 2011, up by 20.67% over 2010. With an average length of stay of 9.64 days, and an average daily spend of 4,187.12 baht (US$137) per person, the Thai tourism industry generated 776 billion baht in earnings.
By regions, the East Asia (+39.40%) recorded the largest increase in receipts in 2011
followed by South Asia (+33.27%), Oceania (+32.84%), Africa (+32.21%), Europe (+26.20%), the Americas (+20.36%) and Middle East (+19.79%).
Europe holds the largest share of international tourism receipts in absolute numbers (38.23% share), reaching US$ 9,733 million in 2011, followed by East Asia (37.33% share or US$ 9,505 million), the Americas (7.10% share or US$ 1,807 million), Oceania (7.30% share or US$ 1,858 million), South Asia (4.85% share or US$ 1,235 million), The Middle East (4.29% share) earned US$ 1,093 million and Africa (0.88% share) US$ 224 million.
According to the per capita daily spending, the top 10 ranked tourism spenders in 2011 were UAE (US$175.21), Saudi Arabia (US$166.92), South Africa (US$164.10), India (US$161.78), Hong Kong (US$161.63), Singapore (US$160.96), Kuwait (US$159.66), Australia (US$159.19), Brunei Darussalam (US$155.30) and Korea (US$153.17).
Amongst Asian visitors, the lowest daily spend is by Laotians (US$101.99) and amongst Europeans, the lowest daily spend is by Germans (US$115.46).
In terms of total expenditure by all visitors, the top five nationalities were Russia, China, Australia, Malaysia, and United Kingdom.
Here is a brief snapshot summary of each:
Russia: Thanks to the increasing number of charter flights, Russia is now the top generator of arrivals from Europe, up 63.45% to 1,052,361 in 2011. In 2011, Russian tourists spent a total of US$1,970.84 million (60 billion baht), based on an average length of stay of 13.29 days and an average daily spend of US$140.92 per person.
China: In 2011, China was the second largest source of visitors after Malaysia, with total arrivals of 1,704,800, up 50.57% over 2010. Based on an average daily spend per person of US$146.63, and average length of stay of 7.61 days, Chinese visitors generated tourism revenue of US$1,902.32 million (58 billion baht).
Australia: In 2011, Australian visitors to Thailand totalled 835,719, up 18.89% over 2010. Based on an average length of stay of 12.78 days and an average daily spend of US$159.19 per person, Australians generated US$1,700.27 million (51.8 billion baht) of tourism income.
Malaysia: Malaysia is Thailand’s largest source of visitor arrivals with a total of 2,492,034 in 2011, up 21.73% over 2010. Based on an average length of stay of 4.78 days and an average daily spend of US$137.10 per person, Malaysia generated US$1,633.15 million (49.79 billion baht) in tourism receipts.
United Kingdom: The United Kingdom is the second largest generator of arrivals from Europe with a total of 771,466 visitors in 2011, up 1.48% over 2010. Based on an average daily spend of US$121.84 per person and an average length of stay of 17.35 days, the UK generated US$1,630.80 million (49.72 billion baht) in tourism receipts.
Overall, the figures show that the recent strengthening of the baht against the US$ is having little impact on expenditure patterns and Thailand remains good value for money for visitors across the board.
Source: TBN
Thailand recorded a 31% increase in tourism receipts in 2011 over 2010, according to Ministry of Tourism and Sports figures. The total earnings of 776 billion baht (US$25.45 billion) were also well above the original target of 716 billion baht (US$ 23 billion).
The figures show that Thailand has recorded clear increases in both quality and quantity of visitor arrivals. The growth in total number of visitors is being matched by increased average length of stay and average daily expenditure, further underscoring the role of tourism as one of the most important economic sectors and contributor to job creation and nationwide income distribution.
According to the Ministry, Thailand recorded 19.23 million international visitors in 2011, up by 20.67% over 2010. With an average length of stay of 9.64 days, and an average daily spend of 4,187.12 baht (US$137) per person, the Thai tourism industry generated 776 billion baht in earnings.
By regions, the East Asia (+39.40%) recorded the largest increase in receipts in 2011
followed by South Asia (+33.27%), Oceania (+32.84%), Africa (+32.21%), Europe (+26.20%), the Americas (+20.36%) and Middle East (+19.79%).
Europe holds the largest share of international tourism receipts in absolute numbers (38.23% share), reaching US$ 9,733 million in 2011, followed by East Asia (37.33% share or US$ 9,505 million), the Americas (7.10% share or US$ 1,807 million), Oceania (7.30% share or US$ 1,858 million), South Asia (4.85% share or US$ 1,235 million), The Middle East (4.29% share) earned US$ 1,093 million and Africa (0.88% share) US$ 224 million.
According to the per capita daily spending, the top 10 ranked tourism spenders in 2011 were UAE (US$175.21), Saudi Arabia (US$166.92), South Africa (US$164.10), India (US$161.78), Hong Kong (US$161.63), Singapore (US$160.96), Kuwait (US$159.66), Australia (US$159.19), Brunei Darussalam (US$155.30) and Korea (US$153.17).
Amongst Asian visitors, the lowest daily spend is by Laotians (US$101.99) and amongst Europeans, the lowest daily spend is by Germans (US$115.46).
In terms of total expenditure by all visitors, the top five nationalities were Russia, China, Australia, Malaysia, and United Kingdom.
Here is a brief snapshot summary of each:
Russia: Thanks to the increasing number of charter flights, Russia is now the top generator of arrivals from Europe, up 63.45% to 1,052,361 in 2011. In 2011, Russian tourists spent a total of US$1,970.84 million (60 billion baht), based on an average length of stay of 13.29 days and an average daily spend of US$140.92 per person.
China: In 2011, China was the second largest source of visitors after Malaysia, with total arrivals of 1,704,800, up 50.57% over 2010. Based on an average daily spend per person of US$146.63, and average length of stay of 7.61 days, Chinese visitors generated tourism revenue of US$1,902.32 million (58 billion baht).
Australia: In 2011, Australian visitors to Thailand totalled 835,719, up 18.89% over 2010. Based on an average length of stay of 12.78 days and an average daily spend of US$159.19 per person, Australians generated US$1,700.27 million (51.8 billion baht) of tourism income.
Malaysia: Malaysia is Thailand’s largest source of visitor arrivals with a total of 2,492,034 in 2011, up 21.73% over 2010. Based on an average length of stay of 4.78 days and an average daily spend of US$137.10 per person, Malaysia generated US$1,633.15 million (49.79 billion baht) in tourism receipts.
United Kingdom: The United Kingdom is the second largest generator of arrivals from Europe with a total of 771,466 visitors in 2011, up 1.48% over 2010. Based on an average daily spend of US$121.84 per person and an average length of stay of 17.35 days, the UK generated US$1,630.80 million (49.72 billion baht) in tourism receipts.
Overall, the figures show that the recent strengthening of the baht against the US$ is having little impact on expenditure patterns and Thailand remains good value for money for visitors across the board.
Source: TBN
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
Re: Eurozone crisis not hurting Thai tourism
Could this increase be attributed to the strong Baht? Everybody seems to acknowledge reduced (Western) tourism. However, these increases are shown in Dollars. Therefore there could have been a significant decrease in people, but everything is costing so much more because of the exchange rate.
Championship Plymouth Argyle 1 - 2 Leeds Utd 
Points 46; Position 23 RELEGATED
Points 46; Position 23 RELEGATED
Re: Eurozone crisis not hurting Thai tourism
I just wonder how they get their figures
for instance do they include all the ATM withdrawals people LIVING here make drawing their pensions
and the 4 grand plus daily spend seems very high to me
maybe the first figure does include us divided by airport/border arrivals
which would mean they are basically BS
for instance do they include all the ATM withdrawals people LIVING here make drawing their pensions
and the 4 grand plus daily spend seems very high to me
maybe the first figure does include us divided by airport/border arrivals
which would mean they are basically BS
A Greatfull Guest of Thailand
Re: Eurozone crisis not hurting Thai tourism
That's how I see it - you only need to look around a major tourist town to see that numbers are down on previous years. They're not exactly going to publish that though eh, where would the Tourism Ministry hide its lost faces!sargeant wrote: which would mean they are basically BS
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson