Thai travel agents post figures showing a drop of 11.5% in inbound traffic
A business disaster looms for Thailand’s travel agents as the latest data shows travel bookings were down by 11.46% during the first six months of the year.
During the first six months of the year Association of Travel Agents’ member companies handled 2,786,204 clients.
It translates into a real loss of 360,470 clients, January to June, for inbound travel agents based on the turnover of guests at Bangkok’s two gateway airports.
The Association of Thai Travel Agents bases its data on fees paid to the Airports of Thailand for clients offered meet-and-greet services by member companies.
Month-by-month, the data illustrated declines ranging from 9% in January and February to a massive drop of 20% in May. June closed with a decline of 12%.
Just two of the top five source markets, Vietnam and India, recorded improvements during the first six months.
While China remains the biggest source of clients for travel agents with a market share of 58.29%, 2019 so far has shown a steady decline of 14.90%. The six months closed with a tally of 1,623,892 Chinese clients.
...
Travel experts blame declines on a strong baht against the Euro and UK pound. Travel from the UK market dropped by 24.78% for ATTA members. Visits from Germany declined by 6.77% and France dipped by 10%.
https://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2019/07/ ... avel-dips/
Thailand tourism situation
Re: Thailand tourist slump continues
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
Re: Thailand tourist slump continues
Tell that to the TAT. They state that the number of tourists is on the up and up with record numbers for 2019!
Re: Thailand tourist slump continues
Which actually could be true....The tourists are just not using Thai travel agents, which are the ones posting the strong decline...People of all nationalities tend to travel on their own those days...
Re: Thailand tourist slump continues
There are many reasons for the decline in tourist numbers. Firstly, I don't think TAT numbers are to be believed at face value for obvious reasons in the first place. Secondly, the Thai baht strength is probably having an obvious impact and it impacts more than just tourists ... why it's so strong belongs on another thread.
Thirdly, there are other holiday options now for the cost conscious that are better value for money with the same mystery (or more tbh) ... especially in the neighboring countries. After that, then there are many issues here like scams/lack of realistic policing/dangerous to do many things along with apathy of the locals towards a myriad of subjects etc. Thailand is steadily becoming not value for money. Yes, it's still swamped with Chinese and Indian tourists, but who wants that if you are from anywhere else? They have made their bed and will have to sleep in it. Good luck. The Chinese go on holiday where they are encouraged to by their government and the Indians are still in "wow" territory going anywhere available.
Fragile situation though, if either change their minds, as the the Thais seems to have gambled on these two countries and neither can be trusted fully as they know their power on many fronts.
Thirdly, there are other holiday options now for the cost conscious that are better value for money with the same mystery (or more tbh) ... especially in the neighboring countries. After that, then there are many issues here like scams/lack of realistic policing/dangerous to do many things along with apathy of the locals towards a myriad of subjects etc. Thailand is steadily becoming not value for money. Yes, it's still swamped with Chinese and Indian tourists, but who wants that if you are from anywhere else? They have made their bed and will have to sleep in it. Good luck. The Chinese go on holiday where they are encouraged to by their government and the Indians are still in "wow" territory going anywhere available.
Fragile situation though, if either change their minds, as the the Thais seems to have gambled on these two countries and neither can be trusted fully as they know their power on many fronts.
Resolve dissolves in alcohol
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oakdale160
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Re: Thailand tourist slump continues
An excellent summary of the core reasons for the tourist decline by Spitfire.
HH seems not to be experiencing the Indian and Chinese influx as are other parts of the country.
HH seems not to be experiencing the Indian and Chinese influx as are other parts of the country.
Re: Thailand tourist slump continues
All 42 million of them ...
...Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
Re: Thailand tourist slump continues
Oakdale
Have you been in Bluport recently, it's jammed with Chinese.
Have you been in Bluport recently, it's jammed with Chinese.
Re: Thailand tourist slump continues
No way is it jammed with Chinese! Bluport is never jammed, although it has it's moments, generally known in advance when I can't park in my usual area and have to go a floor up.
I have certainly seen Chinese in there and they all gather by the entrance next to Burger King whilst waiting to be picked up, but jammed is a slight exaggeration, in my experience.
Talk is cheap
Re: Thailand tourist slump continues
In Phuket, Indians ride to rescue as China visits ebb
https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/17 ... visits-ebb
The country’s struggling tourism industry is finding support with visitors from the population colossus to the west, just as the years of bumper arrivals from the giant to the north are beginning to wane.
At a beachfront hotel on the tropical island of Phuket, the occupancy rate from Chinese clientele has stalled, while bookings from India have begun to rise. The Vijitt Resort is one of many in Thailand that has more cause for optimism.
“We’re starting to see new growth,” said Kongsak Khoopongsakorn, Vijitt’s general manager and vice president of the Thai Hotels Association. “Indians are now driving industry growth like the Chinese had previously done.”
What’s happening to Thai tourism could prove a canary in the coal mine for the leisure sector in other Asian economies as China matures and a new India emerges. The Thai industry had been expanding at about about 10% a year on escalating inbound Chinese arrivals, but a 2018 boat accident in Phuket that killed dozens of mainlanders and a slowing economy at home have triggered a drop in numbers.
In contrast, Indian arrivals accelerated in recent months due to more direct flights, a visa waiver and, most importantly, increasing wealth.
The rapid expansion of the middle class among India’s 1.3 billion people has prompted Thai authorities to upgrade their estimates of Indian visitors. At least 10 million are now expected to arrive in 2028, a more than five-fold increase on 2018 visits. That sort of growth trajectory would mimic the rise of Chinese tourists, who jumped from 800,000 in 2008 to more than 10 million last year.
Although China will remain an important market, it is likely to offer less growth potential in the years ahead. India, meanwhile, is set to become the new expansion story in Thai tourism, an industry that accounts for about 20% of gross domestic product.
Chinese visitors currently make up 28% of total foreign arrivals, well ahead of Indians at 4%. But within a decade, Indian arrivals are forecast to surge to about 15% of the total, while Chinese are predicted to edge up to about 30%.
“The Indian inbound market could potentially rival that of China,” said Pisit Puapan, executive director of the Finance Ministry’s Macroeconomic Policy Bureau. Mr Pisit said high growth from India has also helped offset a decline from markets like Europe.
Chinese arrivals could actually fall this year from 2018 as the yuan has weakened against the baht, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. That might deter more cost-conscious Chinese tourists, or see them spend less if they do make the trip.
A cooling tourism market and dividend repatriation combined to help produce Thailand’s first current account deficit since 2014. The country’s forecast economic growth has already been revised down to the lowest level in four years as exports also fizzled.
Frequent Flyer
There are more direct flights between Indian and Thai cities, one reason for the jump in visitors to Bangkok, Phuket and surrounding areas. They are drawn by Thailand’s food and shopping, and its beaches are emerging as significant attractions.
India’s fifth-largest airline GoAirlines India Pvt currently connects three Indian cities to Phuket, and plans to add seven more. InterGlobe Aviation Ltd’s IndiGo launched services to the tropical island late last year.
Thai AirAsia Co Ltd, the kingdom’s largest low-cost carrier, recorded 20% growth in passengers travelling between India and Thailand in the first quarter of 2019 from a year earlier. It now operates 47 flights a week from Bangkok to nine Indian cities, and said it plans to add an additional destination.
With India projected to overtake China as the world’s most populous nation in eight years, and its middle class forecast to keep expanding, Thai Hotels Association’s Kongsak is cautious but hopeful about the future.
“We expect the industry will continue to grow,” he said. “But it’s important to spread the risk and have a good nationality mix in the market. We can’t rely on any single market.”
https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/17 ... visits-ebb
The country’s struggling tourism industry is finding support with visitors from the population colossus to the west, just as the years of bumper arrivals from the giant to the north are beginning to wane.
At a beachfront hotel on the tropical island of Phuket, the occupancy rate from Chinese clientele has stalled, while bookings from India have begun to rise. The Vijitt Resort is one of many in Thailand that has more cause for optimism.
“We’re starting to see new growth,” said Kongsak Khoopongsakorn, Vijitt’s general manager and vice president of the Thai Hotels Association. “Indians are now driving industry growth like the Chinese had previously done.”
What’s happening to Thai tourism could prove a canary in the coal mine for the leisure sector in other Asian economies as China matures and a new India emerges. The Thai industry had been expanding at about about 10% a year on escalating inbound Chinese arrivals, but a 2018 boat accident in Phuket that killed dozens of mainlanders and a slowing economy at home have triggered a drop in numbers.
In contrast, Indian arrivals accelerated in recent months due to more direct flights, a visa waiver and, most importantly, increasing wealth.
The rapid expansion of the middle class among India’s 1.3 billion people has prompted Thai authorities to upgrade their estimates of Indian visitors. At least 10 million are now expected to arrive in 2028, a more than five-fold increase on 2018 visits. That sort of growth trajectory would mimic the rise of Chinese tourists, who jumped from 800,000 in 2008 to more than 10 million last year.
Although China will remain an important market, it is likely to offer less growth potential in the years ahead. India, meanwhile, is set to become the new expansion story in Thai tourism, an industry that accounts for about 20% of gross domestic product.
Chinese visitors currently make up 28% of total foreign arrivals, well ahead of Indians at 4%. But within a decade, Indian arrivals are forecast to surge to about 15% of the total, while Chinese are predicted to edge up to about 30%.
“The Indian inbound market could potentially rival that of China,” said Pisit Puapan, executive director of the Finance Ministry’s Macroeconomic Policy Bureau. Mr Pisit said high growth from India has also helped offset a decline from markets like Europe.
Chinese arrivals could actually fall this year from 2018 as the yuan has weakened against the baht, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. That might deter more cost-conscious Chinese tourists, or see them spend less if they do make the trip.
A cooling tourism market and dividend repatriation combined to help produce Thailand’s first current account deficit since 2014. The country’s forecast economic growth has already been revised down to the lowest level in four years as exports also fizzled.
Frequent Flyer
There are more direct flights between Indian and Thai cities, one reason for the jump in visitors to Bangkok, Phuket and surrounding areas. They are drawn by Thailand’s food and shopping, and its beaches are emerging as significant attractions.
India’s fifth-largest airline GoAirlines India Pvt currently connects three Indian cities to Phuket, and plans to add seven more. InterGlobe Aviation Ltd’s IndiGo launched services to the tropical island late last year.
Thai AirAsia Co Ltd, the kingdom’s largest low-cost carrier, recorded 20% growth in passengers travelling between India and Thailand in the first quarter of 2019 from a year earlier. It now operates 47 flights a week from Bangkok to nine Indian cities, and said it plans to add an additional destination.
With India projected to overtake China as the world’s most populous nation in eight years, and its middle class forecast to keep expanding, Thai Hotels Association’s Kongsak is cautious but hopeful about the future.
“We expect the industry will continue to grow,” he said. “But it’s important to spread the risk and have a good nationality mix in the market. We can’t rely on any single market.”
May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil know`s you`re dead!
Re: Thailand tourist slump continues
Swamped by Indians ... sounds ghastly imo. Don't think they can be relied upon as quality tourists and good spenders as reports seem to indicate the opposite. Guess though that they will come until the hazardous Thai environment has killed enough of them and then TAT will be looking for a new source ... maybe just Africa left after that or Latinos.
You can just imagine the bar girls' conversations to each other about how to deal with 5 Indian guys wanting to tag-team them for 600 baht (then get to the room and there are 3 more waiting) or the restaurant/bar owners talking about 4 dudes sharing one beer.
You can just imagine the bar girls' conversations to each other about how to deal with 5 Indian guys wanting to tag-team them for 600 baht (then get to the room and there are 3 more waiting) or the restaurant/bar owners talking about 4 dudes sharing one beer.
Resolve dissolves in alcohol
Re: Thailand tourist slump continues
You can just imagine the bar girls' conversations to each other about how to deal with 5 Indian guys wanting to tag-team them for 600 baht (then get to the room and there are 3 more waiting
Nah, even the youngest bar girls are too old for an Indian man's tastes...
I don't trust children. They're here to replace us.
Re: Thailand tourist slump continues
But they are good tailors! Can't think of anything else good.
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oakdale160
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Re: Thailand tourist slump continues
Mostly, they just sell the clothes made by Thai workers.
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handdrummer
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Re: Thailand tourist slump continues
Phuket and Pattaya Tourism Down 30%
Quoting a leading hotelier, Manager Online says it was obvious that tourism in Phuket was “going down the pan”.
Manager Online has penned a doomsday article about Phuket’s tourism, saying… “it was obvious to anyone that tourism had been in decline for years with less tourists and less revenue. But why is this?”
Manager Online spoke to Kongsak Phupongsakorn, head of the Thai Hotels Association, Southern Thailand. Kongsak said that June was always the worst month for tourism with it being low season but that “this year was terrible”.
Yesterday a tourism official in Pattaya also admitted to a 20-30% reduction year-on-year for June.
Kongsak reports similar figures for Phuket.
“There are hopes that Asian and Australian travellers will take up some of the slack in July and August. But that is all they are, hopes. Most people are expecting July to be just as bad as June.”
https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/tourism ... ssociation
Quoting a leading hotelier, Manager Online says it was obvious that tourism in Phuket was “going down the pan”.
Manager Online has penned a doomsday article about Phuket’s tourism, saying… “it was obvious to anyone that tourism had been in decline for years with less tourists and less revenue. But why is this?”
Manager Online spoke to Kongsak Phupongsakorn, head of the Thai Hotels Association, Southern Thailand. Kongsak said that June was always the worst month for tourism with it being low season but that “this year was terrible”.
Yesterday a tourism official in Pattaya also admitted to a 20-30% reduction year-on-year for June.
Kongsak reports similar figures for Phuket.
“There are hopes that Asian and Australian travellers will take up some of the slack in July and August. But that is all they are, hopes. Most people are expecting July to be just as bad as June.”
https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/tourism ... ssociation
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson