What direction will tourism in Thailand take? Fear still reigns in Thailand at the moment. But at some point they will have to make the switch there too. Trial balloons are released here and there, but there is little talk of a real plan for the future.
In Europe, too, there are still too many uncertainties and governments are struggling to open the borders and save the tourism industry that is at a standstill. In Thailand, the government is still trying to use military precision to keep every gram of the virus out and to isolate the country. But how long can they keep that up? When the wealthy upper class starts complaining about less income, I believe they will quickly relax a number of measures.
It is believed they will begin letting the Chinese and South Koreans back in in July or August. Unless a second wave breaks out there. Chinese group travel immediately brings in money for the big companies and the King Powers of this world. They have also already announced to encourage domestic tourism. But with what money? Travel voucher anyone? They cannot yet give a decent rice check to their population. Large groups will now also see their opportunity to promote quality tourism. The tourists who stay in the 5 star hotels and shop in the King Powers.
But I think those billionaires (it was some of them who launched these proposals) don't realize enough that the whole economy is intertwined. Mass tourism also triggers a whole mechanism of mass consumption and millions of Thais who in turn put the money they earned back into the economy. You don't just create wealth with an elitist group that generates a lot of money, but whose profits are not necessarily pumped back into the local economy. Look at many large companies in Belgium. The profits disappear en masse abroad or are spent in luxury paradises. When you have a thriving retail or micro-economy, the money will be spent much more locally and you create wealth for a broad layer of the population.
But mass tourism also brings some disadvantages that certain elite Thais have a hard time with. Ill-mannered or uncouth foreigners with little knowledge or respect for Thai traditions and culture. Horny men who scour the bars looking for female entertainment. (A nice side note here is that the Thais are not averse to a concubine or a visit to a prostitute). Overcrowded tourist hotspots. Or even just the thought of having to share this beautiful country with others. But as is often said. You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs. Just ask the inhabitants of Bruges. You will see them passing your door every day, those hordes of tourists, carriages and horse shit. Why not promote quality tourism there too? A Chinese couple who come to renew their wedding vows on one of the romantic bridges on the Reien. Including a stay in a 5 star hotel. Brings in as much money as 20 ordinary tourists, but within a year half of the local businesses may close their doors. You have made some rich but many poor.
Which direction is Thailand going? With a population that can hardly grumble and that groans under the state of emergency. Let's hope that the corona fear has not affected common sense too much and that in Thailand, perhaps with a few shifts in emphasis, normal normal will also rule there again.
Submitted by Peter
Or you ask the question: in which direction will tourism in Thailand move, or do you wonder to what extent you let horny men go on (young) woman hunting in Thailand? Linking this second question to how tourism in Thailand will develop post-corona is nonsensical, after all, it is a matter of policy.
So the first question remains: I just consulted coffee grounds and expect everything to be back to normal next year. This year it is still a bit disappointing, but in the end everything will be fine. Well done?
What I read and my perception is that women make up about 40% of the visitors to Thailand. Looking at the Chinese visitors, I notice the sometimes large proportion of women, more than men, especially in the group tours that I encounter. Ditto, I generally see more Asian women and fewer men. As for the rest, when I look in airplanes I see a lot of women. So all in all, I estimate that the share of women accounts for around 40% of foreign visitors to Thailand. Of the men, perhaps only half are interested in Thai women, the others are often already in a relationship or traveling with a partner or are too old or have no interest in going on a woman hunt. In short, tourism in Thailand is a little more than men chasing women. A side note because I haven't been to Pattaya for 20 years, but I'm going to the other destinations. And think that if you are someone who lives in Pattaya or only goes there that your view is one-sidedly distorted.
Hi Hendrik,
You have a point in your comment. But it was also not my intention to give suggestions or to ask questions about the government's policies in the post-corona era or to point the finger at some group of tourists. I have only tried to indicate what is going on with a (small) part of the Thai population and how they are trying to use the crisis to present their ideas. The question I ask myself here is to what extent that group will help determine policy and for whom this would be most disadvantageous.
But like you, I am rather optimistic and I also hope that within one or two years everything will return to normal and that there will be a place for every tourist in this beautiful country.
The richest Thai, owner of CP (7-eleven, true) wants the government to put THB 3 trillion in the tourism industry. He wants the rich farang to come to Thailand, 1 million rich farang is equivalent to 5 million "ordinary" farang. Thailand has the best 5 star resorts, hotels and the best hospitals and doctors in the world. Action must be taken to bring the rich farang to Thailand and then Thailand will again be the tourist attraction of Asia.
I think this man is thinking a lot about his shrinking empire and not about the Thai who has to live on THB 400 (minimum wage), if he or she has any work at all.
According to this man, the children should not go to school for too long, but work because practice is the best learning experience.
I am not an economist and read the Thai newspapers, e.g. Thai Examiner, then I think I am crazy when I read the statements of this kind of people, even lower wages, because they did not receive education at school, but more profits for him and his buddies????
Too sad for words.
Me Yak
Dear Ger Korat,
Fully agree that tourism in Thailand is not limited to men looking for a woman. That would indeed be quite short-sighted. It was also just one of the examples in the text, but perhaps one that immediately catches the eye and understandably elicits reactions. That this does occur in a few locations, as you rightly point out, is actually of little relevance. The red line in this entry is how tourism, in all its aspects, in Thailand is viewed through the eyes of an elite who now consider themselves to be the saviors of the nation and who then also receive a hearing from certain people in the government. And above all what the economic consequences, especially for the local economy and the ordinary Thai, could be.