SiamIAm Posted January 8, 2005 Report Share Posted January 8, 2005 From Stickman weekly: "And for many, in a sort of twisted way, Thailand is now well and truly on the tourist map. Especially for folks from those parts of the world where Thailand was perhaps not so known, they now have a new holiday choice." While the coverage on the Tsunami was not exclusive to Thailand, it seemed that here in the States all the interviews and talk is about Thailand. This concerns me a great deal, as I DON'T want Thailand to become more of a tourist trap that it already is. While this may seem a selfish statement, take a look at other spots that have been overrun by rampant tourism. Look what it's done to the culture and the silly prices they now charge. You know that once the "average" guy chooses Thailand over Mexico or Jamaica the place will be ruined...I donno...I just hope regular people stay away and leave this paradise to us freaks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 8, 2005 Report Share Posted January 8, 2005 I do not think it will be over run. Thailand has a lot to offer. There are a lot of places people can go and visit but because they are off the beaten trail, people do not go there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattaya127 Posted January 8, 2005 Report Share Posted January 8, 2005 I do, and i will still be alone there, in 10 years, when 5 million chinese tourists and 2 million westerners more, go down to Phuket, Samui or Pattaya/Samet/Chang. Ok, not alone, you will be there with me.... I do agree that there is an opportunity there to rebuild by finding new potential tourism, though I am surprised Stick claims Thailand is not on the tourist map already. Bar intra-European tourism and the States (thanks to a strong euro), i doubt there are many countries topping Thailand as far as oversea arrivals. Standing to be corrected, just an educated guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted January 8, 2005 Report Share Posted January 8, 2005 I don't think Thailand will ever be a major tourist destination for Americans, other than sex tourists and world traveler types. Most people won't bother with the 24 hour travel time required and 2-3 plane changes when they can be on a beach in Mexico or the Carribean in 3-4 hours. Ranger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gummigut Posted January 8, 2005 Report Share Posted January 8, 2005 Gotta agree with Ranger. Americans are lazy and will take the easy way out. Need to make an effort to get out to Asia. And then make the less popular choice of Thailand rather than Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, etc... Having said that though, I do think this will be positive for Thailand tourism overall. UN and US uses Thailand as it's SE Asia base and huge % of news reports and shots came out of Thailand (especially of the Thai hospitality). The exposure can't be bad. <<burp>> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shygye Posted January 8, 2005 Report Share Posted January 8, 2005 The movie, "The Beach", had more of an effect to increase tourism from the USA. Thai Air is starting nonstop service from JFK <-> BKK in May 2005. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lazyphil Posted January 8, 2005 Report Share Posted January 8, 2005 The amount of people I know who have been to LOS is incredible, sex tourists like me, pensioners on bus tours, back packers, gap students etc. Stickman, LOS is on the tourist map big time, not quite Costa Del Sol but still very popular, this crisis will not draw more but might have people looking elsewhere?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pe7e Posted January 8, 2005 Report Share Posted January 8, 2005 The tsunami and subsequent publicity has definatley removed Thailand from the list of destinations of many of the western holiday makers who have yet to visit Thailand, at least for the time being, but those who have been here before will certainly continue to visit. IMO the biggest threat to the cheap easy going sanuk lifestyle we currently enjoy, are the countless thousands of potential tourists from the neuveaux, riche middle class emerging from the newly industrilised countries like China, Russia and India. They are the potential mass market tourists who will push up the level of prices beyond the reach of many low earning westerners. I think some members of the board should start learning Laos and Khymer now, thats where the action is going to be in a few years time. IMO of course. :: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamui Posted January 8, 2005 Report Share Posted January 8, 2005 I agree with pe7e concerning new developments in international tourism. Especially if the Chinese economy is growing in the same rate like in the last years the number of Chinese tourists will increase considerably. Additionally Europeans are doing more and more oversea trips and Thailand is not that far from Europe with mostly direct flights. Not only in Thailand but in whole SE-Asia tourism will increase definitely in the next years with Vietnam and Cambodia as emerging tourist destinations and Bangkok will be the major hub for this countries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattaya127 Posted January 8, 2005 Report Share Posted January 8, 2005 They are the potential mass market tourists who will push up the level of prices beyond the reach of many low earning westerners. -------------------- I don't believe so. Thailand is a cheap exotic destinatiom, people, ALL, go there because of that. I would really be surprised to hear that chinese and russian tourists spend more, average, than westerners. Also, from everything i have witnessed, laos and Cambodia are not cheaper than Thailand. The kind of accommodation you get in thailand for less than 20$ is bewildering in quantity and quality too, compared to Laos, Cambodia, or even Burma. You just don't get a swimming pool, a fridge, a cable TV, and air-con for that price in these places. Competition from these countries (who have novelty, plenty of sights, and a few beaches for Cambo and Vietnam) will also keep prices low. And whichever you want to put in that term, the thai hospitality is real. lately, because of that Tsunami, people have remembered their vacation in Thailand, and the one thing that always comes up is how totally under the spell of thai hospitality they were. which is not just a smile and sollicitude, but also how easy it is to find one's mark traveling or vacationning in that country. Not so in Laos, Burma or Cambodia. We may be a little jaded here on NP.com, cutting hair in 8 all year long about thais and their country, but we ain't fooling anyone, and probably not even ourselves. If a country has got "it" left, right, south, north, here, there, it's Thailand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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