Phuket wants to make money from cruise ships docking
A cruise ship in the Andaman Sea
Cruise ships are attractive to boost tourism and Phuket therefore wants them to dock in the ports. The ship's 2.000 to 3.000 passengers spend an average of 6.000 baht a day once they're ashore, according to a study by the National Institute of Development Administration's (Nida) Graduate School of Tourism Management.
The purchasing behavior of cruise passengers is similar to those on board yachts and cruise ships, according to a previous survey by the Phuket Marine Office. During the year, 15 million tourists arrive, spending 20 billion baht at the marina, port and related businesses, says a source in the tourism industry.
The results of the study are grist to the Thai government's mill, because they want to build marinas and major harbors in Phuket to stimulate the economy.
Nida researcher Paithoon says much remains to be done if Thailand is to take full advantage of cruise ships docking. The number of cruise ships sailing to Thailand fluctuates and does not keep pace with the growth in the number of cruises worldwide. The reasons for this are the lack of proper infrastructure and sufficient berths. Other countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Korea and Japan have developed modern facilities for large cruise ships and are therefore more interesting for cruise lines.
Source: Bangkok Post
Average 6.000 baht? When they hear on the beach that they have to pay 200 baht for 2 beds and an umbrella, most of them walk on. Some then rent 1 bed and sit on it together and after a while secretly on the second bed where the beachboy then chases them off or pays extra.
I think this amount falls into the category of wishful thinking.
I personally think that the 6000 baht is still underestimated. There is data available on what Asian tourists spend in Thailand as regular tourists. The Chinese tourist spends 6400 baht per day and the average tourist 5690 baht. This is also the reason why people prefer not to have "Western tourists who don't spend anything", especially if they also complain about a beach bed which is often "too expensive" for Westerners. An Asian has no interest in cheap entertainment, but really wants fun.
In the link the story of the TAT about the expenditure per person:
https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/884120/tat-aims-to-attract-rich-chinese-tourists
I don't believe the "spent" amount per passenger is that high. In any case, my experience on cruise ships is a lot lower.
200 baht are otherwise absurd prices for Thailand. Are certainly rented out by Westerners who want to earn easy money and underpay the staff. 200 baht is only reasonable if the Thai also earn that much in proportion