News Forum - Government under pressure to lift alcohol ban, allow nightlife to resume

[Poolie]

1 hour ago, Jamey27 said:

No they aren’t the type Thailand wants. Thailand is desperate for the 40 million Chinese to come back 

Point taken but it was only 12.5m Chinese tourists. Still not to be sniffed at.

[Poolie]

1 hour ago, Jamey27 said:

No the 40 million Chinese tourists keep the quality foreigners away 

12.5m.

No big loss, particularly in terms of the money spent.

[Paulw]

I have been saying right from the start Hotels & restaurants selling alcohol has no direct link to Covid infections and the authorities who impose these restriction are either badly informed, clueless or both and are not worthy of the positions they hold therefore should not be in decision making roles that further erodes the ability for business's to make a living & employ staff. Its this kind of mentality that chokes Thai tourism and the rule makers just don't see it, they seem to believe it is for the good of the country but obviously have no idea how or why, if they did we would not be talking about it. 

 

[Paulw]

On 10/25/2021 at 11:25 AM, Pompies said:

This so called government consists of highly conservative people who want to see the demise of the nightlife that is what made Thailand popular. They regard foreigners as dirty and bringers of all kinds of dangerous liberal thoughts with which they do not want ordinary Thai people to be infected. They hanker to take the country back a century to a time where an elite few ruled with absolute power and kept the majority under their economic & ideological control. And in achieving this aim they care not for the destruction that they create.

Meanwhile all these elite do everything that they are trying to stop the rest of the population doing, like partying, gambling, girls and so on!!!

[Leeshard]

3 hours ago, Rip255 said:

Alcohol abuse is a black eye on Thailand.

Striving to resume past levels of alcohol related health and social problems is moronic. 

The drunks keep high quality foreigners away  

Alcohol abuse occurs in every country but I don’t see a prevalence of drunks walking around the tourist bars of Bangkok or Pattaya. Moreover how do you define ‘high quality foreigners’? Perhaps hordes of Chinese arriving by the coach load on full board eating Chinese food in their hotel every day. They get bused around all the local tourist traps often run by other Chinese and spend a lot of money on useless tat.  If that’s the kind of tourist you want then you’re in good company with our beloved PM. Personally I prefer the back packer who stays in small family run establishments, visits the local restaurants, goes to the less frequented parts of the country in search of the real Thailand and maybe learns a bit of the language. 

[Poolie]

29 minutes ago, Leeshard said:

Alcohol abuse occurs in every country but I don’t see a prevalence of drunks walking around the tourist bars of Bangkok or Pattaya. Moreover how do you define ‘high quality foreigners’? Perhaps hordes of Chinese arriving by the coach load on full board eating Chinese food in their hotel every day. They get bused around all the local tourist traps often run by other Chinese and spend a lot of money on useless tat.  If that’s the kind of tourist you want then you’re in good company with our beloved PM. Personally I prefer the back packer who stays in small family run establishments, visits the local restaurants, goes to the less frequented parts of the country in search of the real Thailand and maybe learns a bit of the language. 

Thanks for that. Cheered me up no end.

I think Thailand knows which tourists it needs quickly and why, and they are trying to attract the much denigrated Chinese. Draw your own conclusions.

Edited October 26, 2021 by Smithydog
Unnecessary and potentially racist reference in comment removed

[JamesR]

On 10/25/2021 at 9:02 AM, Soidog said:

We all know they will be opening up bars either officially or unofficially well before December 1st. Come next week, I would imagine most bars in tourist areas will be opening up if they want to and no one will be looking to enforce laws. The only bars being closed down will be those who failed to restart consultancy fees to the RTP. 

Bars in Phuket have been open for months according to a farang friend who has lived there for 25 years, he goes out once a week and said they just drink as normal, no hiding etc.

I asked how and his simple reply was, "No Police".

[JamesR]

On 10/25/2021 at 9:26 AM, Soidog said:

Yes I think a number of people will feel the same. A Dutch couple I know who have been traveling to Thailand for two months during mid October to mid December every year for over 15 years, are now in St Lucia. The type of tourist it seems Thailand wants. Nice couple who are wealthy. 

I would have been in Phuket months ago.

Two things have put me off, jumping through the hoops and constant changing of rules, we are open in the UK so it is best to stay and see what happens.

Plus if there is a mad rush to get into Thailand by tourists the virus will spread like wild fire from vaccinated farangs to the local Thais, they will take it back home to their towns and villages and we will be blamed and vilified. 

When more tourists arrive more staff will be needed, which means more travelling which will spread the virus. 

[JamesR]

22 hours ago, Alavan said:

You think those highly conservative people don't drink alcohol?
They drink probably more than you, but they go for premium alcohols. No Johny Alker Red or Black, but Blue, Swing, Gold and others. Same for expensive old cognacs.

I had some dinners in Bangkok years ago with rich Thais, nice food and we had a bottle of Jonnie Walker Blue label, I can't tell you if it tastes better than the standard one as we drank it with Coke, what a waste I thought. 

[JamesR]

13 hours ago, Jamey27 said:

That’s only in selected states mostly run by leftists. There is no reason why Thailand cannot open outdoor bars and such as it has been known for quite sometime that catching covid outdoors is virtually impossible, keep the indoor bars and clubs closed for a bit longer. No reason Kao San road can’t be opened up 

They have been open for months in Phuket.

[JamesR]

10 hours ago, Poolie said:

Thanks for that. Cheered me up no end.

I think Thailand knows which tourists it needs quickly and why, and they are trying to attract the much denigrated Chinese. Draw your own conclusions.

Well taking into account the Chinese tourists are the largest group of tourists and are filling millions of hotel rooms, plane seats per year, they are wanted.

I think their numbers are 12.5 million a year or about that. 

Brits for example only make up 850,000 tourists per year. (all pre-covid)

They do not go to bars etc but in Phuket there are many seafood restaurants and also street food market-restaurants filled to the brim with Chinese tourists, they are all local restaurants.

Plus I will miss being pushed off the pavement by a big bunch of people ignoring the fact I am there, or when I am ordering at a food kiosk who is going to surround me as a group and shout at each other instead of talking, and who is going to throw all the tissues on the floor around me as I sit and eat at a table listening to further shout-talk across my bows? 

[HiuMak]

21 hours ago, Jamey27 said:

No the 40 million Chinese tourists keep the quality foreigners away 

I hope these are the type of chinese tourist Thailand wants

[PohTou]

To JamesR. Fully vaccinated tourists, with proper documentation of their vaccines, will not spread Covid 19 so that it will spread like wildfire among the Thai.  What a load of BS. If you are not vaccinated or not planning to be vaccinated, then you are one of the people responsible for all these lockdowns. The current waves of Covid 19 are called “A Pandemic of the Unvaccinated”. Please be responsible when you post things that many uninformed people might believe.

[Bob20]

4 minutes ago, PohTou said:

To JamesR. Fully vaccinated tourists, with proper documentation of their vaccines, will not spread Covid 19 so that it will spread like wildfire among the Thai.  What a load of BS. If you are not vaccinated or not planning to be vaccinated, then you are one of the people responsible for all these lockdowns. The current waves of Covid 19 are called “A Pandemic of the Unvaccinated”. Please be responsible when you post things that many uninformed people might believe.

Please inform yourself before posting.

Vaccination (to a high degree) protects the vaccinated person from getting very sick or dying when they are infected with the virus.

Both vaccinated and unvaccinated people can contract the virus and spread it.

[Bob20]

49 minutes ago, Jamey27 said:

Does anyone want Chinese tourists in their country??

 

53 minutes ago, Jamey27 said:

Yeah i know it’s not 40 million but my point was just that that you said, no big loss. I read a report about 2 years ago where they broke down the numbers in terms of money spent and Westerners spent around $5,000 per person per visit, while Chinese spent around $2,000 and Indians spent around $1,400. I can’t remember what the Russians spent. So when Thailand started losing the western tourists in mass numbers around 2010-2013 they had to make up that revenue so in the Thai way of thinking they decided that 12+million Chinese tourists would make up for the 5 million western tourists.. thailand always thinking ahead 

The problem is with cheap Chinese package tourists. Besides fact that the CCP saw the necessity to educate them with a brochure on departure (with general advice not to spit and burp etc.) which clearly they do not read , the average spend is $1275 for 8 days and it's spent mostly on half- or full board package tours, so the hotel (they choose mostly Chinese owned) does well, but the local economy profits little.

Europeans and Americans spend on average 50% more, and spend the majority in more than one hotel (as they tend to travel around), and spend money in a variety of restaurants and shops, benefitting the local people.

That's the main difference.

[Poolie]

11 hours ago, JamesR said:

Well taking into account the Chinese tourists are the largest group of tourists and are filling millions of hotel rooms, plane seats per year, they are wanted.

I think their numbers are 12.5 million a year or about that. 

Brits for example only make up 850,000 tourists per year. (all pre-covid)

They do not go to bars etc but in Phuket there are many seafood restaurants and also street food market-restaurants filled to the brim with Chinese tourists, they are all local restaurants.

Plus I will miss being pushed off the pavement by a big bunch of people ignoring the fact I am there, or when I am ordering at a food kiosk who is going to surround me as a group and shout at each other instead of talking, and who is going to throw all the tissues on the floor around me as I sit and eat at a table listening to further shout-talk across my bows? 

Good. One unhappy farang (perhaps 850K) vs 12.5m spending happy tourists. No competition.

[Poolie]

1 hour ago, Jamey27 said:

Does anyone want Chinese tourists in their country??

Everybody.

Next.

[ConsoleCowboy]

They say restaurant's on Khao San Road are 80% dependent on tourists?? I would say 100% having just walked down the street, crazy they can even justify saying 80% it's like they do not want to admit it.

[JamesR]

18 hours ago, Poolie said:

Good. One unhappy farang (perhaps 850K) vs 12.5m spending happy tourists. No competition.

I think many of the unhappy farangs are the ones living full time in Thailand as you can see from this article and many of the others over the last few months, so many of them use this forum as a place to moan.

When I am there for quite a number of months I think of the song from "The Clash"

Should I stay or should I go now,

Should I stay or should I go,

If I stay there may be trouble,

Should I stay or should I go.

A lot of the full time farang residents probably sing:

Should I go or should I moan now.

Should I go or should I moan,

If I go I can not moan now,

I will stay and I will moan.

 

[JamesR]

20 hours ago, Jamey27 said:

Months?? They just started allowing people to drink alcohol like 2-3 weeks ago in Phuket…

Not according to a friend of mine who has been living there for the last 20 years, he has never stopped going out to a bar or two once a week for the last few months. 

[JamesR]

21 hours ago, Bob20 said:

Please inform yourself before posting.

Vaccination (to a high degree) protects the vaccinated person from getting very sick or dying when they are infected with the virus.

Both vaccinated and unvaccinated people can contract the virus and spread it.

You tell em @Bob20.

The main problem is as you indicated is we vaccinated tourists will be OK as far as getting really sick but we can infect the locals who have a much a higher chance of serious sickness or death if they are not vaccinated.

[mcambl61]

On 10/26/2021 at 7:48 AM, Rip255 said:

Alcohol abuse is a black eye on Thailand.

Striving to resume past levels of alcohol related health and social problems is moronic. 

The drunks keep high quality foreigners away  

you don't have any moral or intellectual authority to decide what a "high quality" tourist is or what they want to do with their holiday.

[JamesR]

21 minutes ago, mcambl61 said:

you don't have any moral or intellectual authority to decide what a "high quality" tourist is or what they want to do with their holiday.

True, just because a person has a drink does not mean he/she is drunk as @Rip255 is suggesting, just as if you buy a lottery ticket does not mean you have a gambling problem or if you drive a car it means you want to use it as a means to escape after robbing a bank.

You just have to laugh at these people.     :)

Please forgive my grammar or spelling as I have had a couple of beers, oh no I am a bad person.    :)

[mickkotlarski]

22 hours ago, Jamey27 said:

Does anyone want Chinese tourists in their country??

To be honest very few. Palau banned all Chinese from entry to save their nation's beaches from being trashed.

The great number entering brings the tourist dollar but its low expenditure per person and many that behave terribly that puts people off. This is mainland Chinese. Not Singaporean, Taiwanese and Chinese heritage from other nations that are far better quality per capita. 

[gummy]

2 hours ago, mickkotlarski said:

To be honest very few. Palau banned all Chinese from entry to save their nation's beaches from being trashed.

The great number entering brings the tourist dollar but its low expenditure per person and many that behave terribly that puts people off. This is mainland Chinese. Not Singaporean, Taiwanese and Chinese heritage from other nations that are far better quality per capita. 

It seems that by the Palau government making that decision they are on apar with the Thai government when it comes to poor decision making ruining their economy due to reliance upon tourism.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-26/china-tourist-ban-leaves-palau-tourism-in-peril/10160020