News Forum - Thailand News Today | Devastating economic damage from Covid restrictions

[Thaiger]

Tourism revenue has plummeted across each of the 77 provinces, according to data from Thailand’s tourism ministry. A report revealed that income from both foreign and local tourism reached an historic low in 2021, dropping by nearly 70%. Meanwhile, the revenue gap between Bangkok and other major provinces remains wide. In 2021, Bangkok posted revenue at 62.7 billion baht, a drop of more than 75%. Chiang Mai came in second place, at 23.3 billion baht, a drop of over 53%. The southern island of Phuket was in third place, with revenue of over 21 billion baht, equating to a drop […]

The story Thailand News Today | Devastating economic damage from Covid restrictions as seen on Thaiger News.

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[Rookiescot]

Gee thanks China.

[DoUKnowWhoIAm]

  On 2/8/2022 at 11:00 AM, Thaiger said:

dropping by nearly 70%

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With their track record of exaggerated arrival numbers, it's probably worse than 70%....how about 99%?

[titanyak]

How did chiang mai drop by 53% when it went from all open to all closed, nearer 99% i think. On the positive side tho, i drove about town today and there were a few people about, 10% of a low season day i'd say, but better than the last 2 years

[Nivram]

Patong in Phuket picked up.

So has the number of positive Omicron cases.

[JJJ]

Just read the Test and Go fiasco thread. Not going to get better any time soon.  

[Soidog]

  On 2/8/2022 at 1:05 PM, JJJ said:

Just read the Test and Go fiasco thread. Not going to get better any time soon.  

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Agreed. I can see Songkran being another failure this year. Was going to say a washout….

I said many many months ago that getting out of this pandemic was going to be a major issue for the Thai government. People praised them for locking down quickly and closing borders. That was actually the easy part. Closing down and controlling people is what they do do best. The hard part was always going to be opening back up. It takes quality data and data analysis, along with analytical thinking and an open culture to get the timing and approach to opening right. None of these are strengths in Thailand.
 

I was talking to a friend in Khon Kaen the other day. A school his kids go to had only been open 2 days after months of closure when it was closed down again because one of the kids caught Covid. With a mindset like that….

[HiuMak]

over reliance on tourism

[LoongFred]

  On 2/8/2022 at 12:53 PM, Nivram said:

Patong in Phuket picked up.

So has the number of positive Omicron cases.

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That's right. Covid cases have been inversely related to mitigation efforts. If you want more covid cases relax the riles more.

[LoongFred]

  On 2/9/2022 at 12:51 AM, HiuMak said:

over reliance on tourism

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Most Thais are not in favor of more tourism. It only those industries that are dependent on international visitors that want more. My friends in Chiang Mai like the return to calm.

[AussieBob]

  On 2/9/2022 at 5:29 AM, LoongFred said:

Most Thais are not in favor of more tourism. It only those industries that are dependent on international visitors that want more. My friends in Chiang Mai like the return to calm.

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All Thais I know or have met were against the massive number of tourists in 2019 - especially those from China, which is exactly who this Junta Sino-Thai Govt encouraged and preferred.  If Thailand remains locked down and the Chinese tourists locked out until the next election that would not be good economically, but in terms of getting rid of the Sino-Thai Junta Govt that would be a good.

[Stardust]

  On 2/9/2022 at 5:29 AM, LoongFred said:

Most Thais are not in favor of more tourism. It only those industries that are dependent on international visitors that want more. My friends in Chiang Mai like the return to calm.

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Stop abuse Thai people for your own agenda. You cannot even reading the writing on the walls and what the majority of the Thais are thinking at the moment and you are not talking for the majority of Thais and for sure they not like such abuse and posters like you in Thailand. It is not your country and you are not in any way the representive of them! 

[Stardust]

  On 2/9/2022 at 5:39 AM, AussieBob said:

All Thais I know or have met were against the massive number of tourists in 2019 - especially those from China, which is exactly who this Junta Sino-Thai Govt encouraged and preferred.  If Thailand remains locked down and the Chinese tourists locked out until the next election that would not be good economically, but in terms of getting rid of the Sino-Thai Junta Govt that would be a good.

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I agree many disagree with the mass tourism and this zero baht bus tours in 2019 but this poster is permanently abuse the Thai people for his own agenda and not reflect in any way what the majority is thinking at the moment.

[KaptainRob]

All the Thais I know in Chiang Mai are mid level business owners, retail shops, restaurant and hotel owners and they are desperate for tourists to return.  Not Chinese package tourists, but individuals are welcome.

Perhaps Fred s friends are all older retired folk or rural ppl who have no tourism interests.  Even we expats are enjoying a quieter existence though many businesses have folded, big malls have lost dozens of tenants and smaller mom and pop shop houses are shuttered.

[LoongFred]

  On 2/9/2022 at 6:00 AM, KaptainRob said:

All the Thais I know in Chiang Mai are mid level business owners, retail shops, restaurant and hotel owners and they are desperate for tourists to return.  Not Chinese package tourists, but individuals are welcome.

Perhaps Fred s friends are all older retired folk or rural ppl who have no tourism interests.  Even we expats are enjoying a quieter existence though many businesses have folded, big malls have lost dozens of tenants and smaller mom and pop shop houses are shuttered.

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Businesses built on tourist expectation is always high risk. They knew it when starting. BTW over the years there have always been businesses that make it and those that don't.  I agree there seems to be a higher number that don't make it, but I'm not sure of the  numbers. Solid businesses seem ok.

[AussieBob]

  On 2/9/2022 at 5:55 AM, Stardust said:

I agree many disagree with the mass tourism and this zero baht bus tours in 2019 but this poster is permanently abuse the Thai people for his own agenda and not reflect in any way what the majority is thinking at the moment.

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I dont always agree with Fred and on this occasion he is definitely out of order if he thinks all Thais agree with him. Those that I know do when it comes to the Chinese - they do not like them - never have and never will. 

[AussieBob]

  On 2/9/2022 at 6:00 AM, KaptainRob said:

All the Thais I know in Chiang Mai are mid level business owners, retail shops, restaurant and hotel owners and they are desperate for tourists to return.  Not Chinese package tourists, but individuals are welcome.

Perhaps Fred s friends are all older retired folk or rural ppl who have no tourism interests.  Even we expats are enjoying a quieter existence though many businesses have folded, big malls have lost dozens of tenants and smaller mom and pop shop houses are shuttered.

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On a broader note, I think tourism is a far bigger part of the Thai economy and people's lives outside of Bangkok and Phuket and Samui. Chinese package tourists were not encouraged in Australia for many years before Covid. We realised that the numbers look great at first - but the outcomes were not good - the majority of good was for the local Chinese businesses, not majority of Aussies. Happy to let them come, but not letting them 'take over' and dominate Govt paid marketing initiatives - backpackers from Europe give much better outcomes. 

[LoongFred]

  On 2/9/2022 at 7:15 AM, AussieBob said:

I dont always agree with Fred and on this occasion he is definitely out of order if he thinks all Thais agree with him. Those that I know do when it comes to the Chinese - they do not like them - never have and never will. 

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The Chinese are a problem that's magnified by their numbers. Thai are accepting of falangs that respect them and their culture. Tourists that act entitled are not well liked or welcome except for their money. I speak Thai and hear what people say. Sometimes it not nice. Thais know how to handle the hot or rainy season, but are not tolerant of falangs that can't and appear dirty and/or smell strong. 

[Stonker]

  On 2/8/2022 at 4:06 PM, Soidog said:

It takes quality data and data analysis, along with analytical thinking and an open culture to get the timing and approach to opening right. None of these are strengths in Thailand.

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... and they are where, exactly?

I realise that everyone else being as bad is no excuse, but it does put things into a rather more realistic perspective.

[Stonker]

  On 2/9/2022 at 5:55 AM, Stardust said:

I agree many disagree with the mass tourism and this zero baht bus tours in 2019 but this poster is permanently abuse the Thai people for his own agenda and not reflect in any way what the majority is thinking at the moment.

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For once, @Stardust, I couldn't agree with you more.

[Stonker]

  On 2/8/2022 at 11:00 AM, Thaiger said:

Tourism revenue has plummeted across each of the 77 provinces, according to data from Thailand’s tourism ministry. A report revealed that income from both foreign and local tourism reached an historic low in 2021, dropping by nearly 70%. Meanwhile, the revenue gap between Bangkok and other major provinces remains wide. In 2021, Bangkok posted revenue at 62.7 billion baht, a drop of more than 75%. Chiang Mai came in second place, at 23.3 billion baht, a drop of over 53%. The southern island of Phuket was in third place, with revenue of over 21 billion baht, equating to a drop […]

The story Thailand News Today | Devastating economic damage from Covid restrictions as seen on Thaiger News.

Read the full story

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The stats and conclusions are fair, but the problem is that the article is very blinkered.

While there has indeed been "Devastating economic damage from Covid restrictions" most of that damage has been from Covid restrictions OUTSIDE Thailand, which has affected international / export demand and consequently industrial production.

That's hit Thailand's economy and people far harder than not letting in tourists and closing bars, but evidently that's not really of any interest to the Thaiger or its readers where it's all about tourism, not Thais or Thailand.

https://www.unido.org/sites/default/files/files/2021-03/UNIDO COVID19 Assessment_Thailand_FINAL.pdf

https://www.unicef.org/thailand/media/5666/file/Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Thailand.pdf

https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2020/06/30/major-impact-from-covid-19-to-thailands-economy-vulnerable-households-firms-report

https://www.krungsri.com/en/research/industry/Industry-Horizon/industry-summary-outlook-2021-2023

The other problem, even if you only look at the effect of "Covid restrictions" internally, is what's the alternative and what would be the economic damage to the country have been without those restrictions?

[LoongFred]

  On 2/9/2022 at 7:15 AM, AussieBob said:

I dont always agree with Fred and on this occasion he is definitely out of order if he thinks all Thais agree with him. Those that I know do when it comes to the Chinese - they do not like them - never have and never will. 

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I don't follow you. My comment was on business failures. They are always going to be high risk and many fail

[AussieBob]

  On 2/9/2022 at 8:31 AM, LoongFred said:

The Chinese are a problem that's magnified by their numbers. Thai are accepting of falangs that respect them and their culture. Tourists that act entitled are not well liked or welcome except for their money. I speak Thai and hear what people say. Sometimes it not nice. Thais know how to handle the hot or rainy season, but are not tolerant of falangs that can't and appear dirty and/or smell strong. 

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Absolutely true Fred - Thais are very much not in favour of those types of tourists/Expats. I understand a little Thai (spent years trying to decipher it through courses) and the Wife lets me know what they say and think (without ever embarassing anyone of course).  Thais are in my opinion, far too leniant about rude tourists - especially the Chinese. They swarm in noisy hordes totally ignorant of those around them, and the Thais are far too accommodating and move aside - I do not - several of them have bumped into me and ended up on their arses - and I smile and offer to help them up of course .  Unfortunately, the lovely Thai people's nature gets taken advantage of by rude arrogant tourists like the Chinese - and the ahole Farangs. 

[AussieBob]

  On 2/9/2022 at 11:14 AM, LoongFred said:

I don't follow you. My comment was on business failures. They are always going to be high risk and many fail

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Crossed wires there Fred - my apologies.  I was having a bad day dealing with Thread Wreckers.

[LoongFred]

  On 2/9/2022 at 11:23 PM, AussieBob said:

Crossed wires there Fred - my apologies.  I was having a bad day dealing with Thread Wreckers.

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Perfectly OK.  It happens to all of us. Very admirable of you to clarify.