News Forum - TAT 80% revenue recovery plan: get travellers to spend double

[dmacarelli]

You want tourists to spend more? I have a novel idea. Make some sacrifices you cowards! Reduce the luxury tax to 25%, and you attract rich tourists who buy high end stuff. Reduce the wine tax to 60%, and millions buy good wine. Use your brains. Stop ranting, and start acting.

[Rip255]

The only way this will happen is to encourage people to come that actually have money to spend and flushing out the zero shower farangs which give Thailand a bad reputation.  

Take your common shirtless barfly on beach road for example.

Sure...he spends 600bt on beer and a cup of nuts but the mere sight of his beergut is enough to drive away other respectable tourist with cash to burn.

[gummy]

  On 10/9/2021 at 3:07 AM, Rip255 said:

respectable tourist with cash to burn.

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And you really think these people you define really come to Pattaya to spend all their time on Beach Rd ?

[Rip255]

  On 10/9/2021 at 3:17 AM, gummy said:

And you really think these people you define really come to Pattaya to spend all their time on Beach Rd ?

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They would if all the barflys and working girls were replaced with high end restaurants, boutique shopping outlets and cocktail lounges.

[gummy]

  On 10/9/2021 at 3:25 AM, Rip255 said:

They would if all the barflys and working girls were replaced with high end restaurants, boutique shopping outlets and cocktail lounges.

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I doubt those establishments would consider Beach Road as a suitable location given the area is prone to constant flooding. But there again there is always Central Plaza that caters to some extent, convenient for those staying in the Hilton ( has it re-opened after the refurbishment ? )

[Stardust]

  On 10/8/2021 at 7:47 AM, JohninDubin said:

I can almost concur with @Soidogas I read through this article, about being lost for words. I did keep saying to myself, "How is it that TAT even exists when this is the intellect being displayed by it's leadership"?

I consider myself reasonably well heeled. I'm a four week millionaire with a 10k a day habit plus travel and accommodation. So to double my spend, I have to become an 8 week millionaire, or spend 20k a day for two weeks. Hmmm? I presume that most visitors to TH are "time poor" and can only manage two weeks a year. My knowledge of two week millionaires, is that most lead a frugal life, and spend 50 weeks a year, solidly saving for the next trip. How are you going to get that particular cohort to double their spend? I am not sure, but I would guess that they make up a significant number of visitors to TH. 

It is difficult not to conclude that there are those in TAT, who think that Farangs have money trees growing on every street.

But then of course, if the plan is to double prices for tourists (I would not rule out such stupidity), why would the "millionaires", not divert to Phils or Cam? 

Of course one certain way of getting tourists to spend double, is to devalue the THB by 50% and then double the price of everything within TH. With such an idea, I am half-expecting to get a job offer to take over the running of TAT.

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It is not only that just compare their infrastructure and standards to high end class destinations. Just look about the cabelling til the poles fell down or not even able to make a proper sidewalk. Everything is not well maintained. Everywhere garbage, no clean beaches, no proper wastewater management, etc, etc. A infrastructure for the mass tourism low budget chinese bus tours. So why should the high end tourists should pay as much like for world class destinations with a proper infrastructure high standards and clean beaches? Because the TAT say so or ordered it? They even have no plan how to do it or to fix the infrastructure.

[Mynemesis]

  On 10/8/2021 at 6:49 AM, RobMuir said:

"and has taken a traditional Thai approach towards recovery: double the amount that each tourist pays." 

That is just a wind up by the writer. Racist also. They are planning on targeting higher spending tourists and giving them more eco friendly experiences etc. NOT just jacking up prices to double.

I thought it was going to be another Jack Arthur wind up piece but it looks like we have a new BSer.

I may as well go back to the other forum if this is what TT are going to serve up.

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But you were canned and Met has a sharp eye

Edited October 9, 2021 by Mynemesis

[vlad]

  On 10/9/2021 at 2:38 AM, Paulw said:

Personally I think TAT should stop making posts like this, all it does is discourage anyone who is intelligent enough to understand the logic behind their post!!!

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And Spreading false Information.

[Cabra]

"...but admit that their plan to attract only rich travellers will create great economic disparity and not benefit small and budget tourism businesses."

The rich get richer... 

[JohninDublin]

  On 10/9/2021 at 5:09 AM, Stardust said:

It is not only that just compare their infrastructure and standards to high end class destinations. Just look about the cabelling til the poles fell down or not even able to make a proper sidewalk. Everything is not well maintained. Everywhere garbage, no clean beaches, no proper wastewater management, etc, etc. A infrastructure for the mass tourism low budget chinese bus tours. So why should the high end tourists should pay as much like for world class destinations with a proper infrastructure high standards and clean beaches? Because the TAT say so or ordered it? They even have no plan how to do it or to fix the infrastructure.

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A point well made. These are often things I notice when in the large cities in TH, especially the cabling. There have been quite a few times when I've made a bar my HQ, and the owner has suggested that on my next visit, I can book a room with them and save money. The one thing that has put me off more than anything else is the wiring. Those place look like firetraps to me.

More to the point though, on my current spend of about €275 per day, if I kept away from the naughty stuff, I could already afford most world class destinations. Double it, and in many of these places, the naughty stuff is back on the agenda.

[Paulw]

  On 10/8/2021 at 6:39 AM, Bob20 said:

TAT for comedic value, I've run out of tissues again

Why didn't they do this in 2019? Then they could have already doubled the income from tourism years ago!

Oh, wait. It's because it doesn't work like that anywhere, except for TAT.

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What is their real level of intelligence, do these guys at TAT actually get paid to dream up this twaddle or are they from another planet?

[FTF020]

Ah yes, the magical "quality tourist". They have been talking about attracting them here in Amsterdam for over a decade. They still haven't found them, maybe Thailand will fare better!

[yselmike]

  On 10/12/2021 at 6:55 PM, FTF020 said:

Ah yes, the magical "quality tourist". They have been talking about attracting them here in Amsterdam for over a decade. They still haven't found them, maybe Thailand will fare better!

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And Paris,Rome, Venice, Barcelona.Same old mantra no more mass tourism.Amsterdam has always had a problem with the Brit hen and stag parties,they hate them but love their money.I wonder what will win out in that argument.

[Soidog]

  On 10/8/2021 at 2:11 PM, JamesR said:

I bet all the expats living on their meagre pensions in Thailand just had a massive sigh of relief, they might have thought doubling their daily spend of 200 baht a day might have bankrupted them but they realised with great relief it only applies to tourists. 

The Thai medical system is happy as it has avoided having to deal with the old buggers jumping out of 10th floor condo balconies.  

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“All the expats”. Beg your pardon. I regard myself as an expat and there is nothing meagre about my pension. You are mixing in the wrong circles 

[JamesR]

  On 10/12/2021 at 8:28 PM, Soidog said:

“All the expats”. Beg your pardon. I regard myself as an expat and there is nothing meagre about my pension. You are mixing in the wrong circles 

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It was meant as a tongue in cheek remark. I should have added an emoji.

[Soidog]

  On 10/12/2021 at 8:48 PM, JamesR said:

It was meant as a tongue in cheek remark. I should have added an emoji.

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Sorry, I’ve had a tough day and missed the sarcasm. I was reliably informed this emoji is what I should use to signal sarcasm .

[JamesR]

  On 10/12/2021 at 8:51 PM, Soidog said:

Sorry, I’ve had a tough day and missed the sarcasm. I was reliably informed this emoji is what I should use to signal sarcasm .

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Cheers. No problem. Hopefully Thailand does open next month quarantine free and I will be off to Phuket for six months. I have been informed by a twenty year resident there are lots of places still on the sly selling beers so I can meet up with my old mates again. 

[Fundok]

If life were all that easy. One of the USP of Thailand is that accomodation and cost of living are comparatively cheap for most foreign visitors. By doubling these costs, Thailand will become substantially less attractive for low budget visitors, and a lot of businesses in TH that target those visitors will lose their clients.

Might prove to be devastating to these businesses and their many employees.

 It should also be noted that with the current Covid-Regime the fully vaccinated traveller must undergo a total of 3 Covid PCR-test that already add additional cost of 6'300 - 11'000 THB or maybe more (a PCR test at Zurich airport costs about 7'000 THB, plus 2 x 2'100 THB for the airport and subsequent test in TH). And even as someone who had 3 vaccination shots I am required to do those three tests. I embrace the idea of quality tourism, but I suspect this will benefit mostly the rich resorts and hit the small family businesses hard. But hey, since TAT is unablebto make TH more attractive (see the Covid costs mentioned above) the most convenient way is to assume higher revenues onshore, but this is much easier punched in an Excel sheet than effectively achieved. I don't see how this is going to work, but maybe that's only me.

[Fundok]

  On 10/8/2021 at 7:05 AM, RobMuir said:

"and has taken a traditional Thai approach towards recovery: double the amount that each tourist pays." 

By changing the last word from "spends" to "pays" it changes the whole meaning.

Clickbait garbage. Nothing else. So many fall for it.

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A semantic dispute. Whoever "spends" money also "pays", right?

I think the main message is: TAT plans to double the money the average tourist spends per day, and that is very unlikely to work, because (as I assume) the vast majority of travellers may increase their daily spending a bit, say 10-15% at most, but 100%? Someone at TAT must have had too many Singha's when coming up with this geniously simple (and doomed to fail) "plan".

[longwood50]

[AdvocatusDiaboli]

  On 1/10/2022 at 4:21 AM, Fundok said:

I think the main message is: TAT plans to double the money the average tourist spends per day, and that is very unlikely to work, because (as I assume) the vast majority of travellers may increase their daily spending a bit, say 10-15% at most, but 100%?

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Remember this is Thailand … TAT will get their CCSA buddies to increase the Covid Testing requirements in country. The more they test, the more they find, the more baht people have to fork out.

[Stonker]

  On 1/10/2022 at 5:34 AM, AdvocatusDiaboli said:

Remember this is Thailand … TAT will get their CCSA buddies to increase the Covid Testing requirements in country. The more they test, the more they find, the more baht people have to fork out.

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The CCSA would have to be rather short-sighted - testing, quarantine and treatment for Thais is free and there are rather a lot more Thais than tourists. "Increase the Covid Testing requirements in country" and that's going to be a lot "more baht" the government "have to fork out" !

[Fundok]

  On 1/10/2022 at 5:34 AM, AdvocatusDiaboli said:

Remember this is Thailand … TAT will get their CCSA buddies to increase the Covid Testing requirements in country. The more they test, the more they find, the more baht people have to fork out.

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True. Just it does not match the "common sense"-criterion. Adding costs for coming into the country doesn't really make TH more attractive as destination.

I have had 3 vaccinations, yet I need to do one PCR-test before getting on the plane, one upon arrival and yet another one 4-6 days after my arrival. Not really a risk based aporoach in my eyes.