Thailand’s High Season Predictions Positive, but not Pattaya

Published : October 02, 2010 :: 11:10:37 [ 5,886 views ]

Thailand’s High Season Predictions Positive, but not Pattaya

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and private operators have revealed positive predictions for the impending 2010 high season, albeit with the worrying assessment that most tourists are heading to the southern regions over Bangkok, Pattaya and northern alternatives.

Thailand, the 1^st of October 2010: Despite the political and security concerns still debatably present in the Thai capital, it seems both the governments-run TAT and the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) agree that this years high season (October-May) will be significantly better than 2009 in terms of foreign visitors.

President of the ATTA, Suraphol Sritrakul, revealed that bookings for this years high season had already seen a 5% increase on 2009, while reservations are up 20-30% higher than the same period last year. “Foreign tourists are gradually coming back, particularly from Asian countries,” he said yesterday.

In worrying signs for traditional ‘northern’ tourism hotspots of Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Pattaya and Gulf Islands, the ATTA confirmed that almost 100% of bookings and reservations were for the southern resorts of Koh Samui, Krabi and Phuket.

Despite the ATTA summation that European and American travellers will be significantly down on last year, the TAT has come forward to suggest that Thailand’s position, as a value-for-money destination will still see the Kingdom appeal to global travellers.

The TAT had previously forecast 4.28 million European tourist arrivals for 2010, bringing in a staggering Bt233 billion baht, up 10.6% on 2009 on arrivals and 4.1% on revenue. However, the ATTA maintain that EU visitors are likely to decrease this year, with more Asian and Middle Eastern travellers helping to boost visitor numbers.

TAT officials maintain Thailand low hotel prices, package tours and value-for-money purchases, should continue to attract US and EU visitors despite depreciation in their respective currencies, although admitting that certain ‘price wars’ in some markets was affecting competition.

Russian travel agents, particularly in the seaside resorts of Pattaya and Rayong, have take to renting hotel rooms for extended periods (up to a year) before re-renting them at significantly lower prices. This in turn has forced local competitors to lower their respective prices, with the TAT voicing that this strategy was damaging Thailand’s image and regional pricing structures.

“We can’t force them to stop doing this. The only thing we can do is ask them to show some concern for the industry as this will create long-term damage,” a TAT spokesperson stated.

Comments

shattered

said :

tourist numbers up what a crock of s__t,
ask a bar owner in any city this govenment with its supresion of human rights, inflated baht makes cambodia/vietnam a better deal read some of the forams my hols and my friends wont be in thailand for a long time

Email : shattered_49@hotmail.com Date : 2010-10-08 17:59:48

NorDevil

said :

To Kritthira - You think it is ONLY bargirls that think that way ? Live in Bkk and I see women from all walks of life trying to hook a farang.European and US women also judge their partner by how big their wallets are.I prefer being taken to the cleaners by Asian women any day.The only difference between a European woman and Asians are that the Eurotrash are better at hiding it.It is not only the bargirls that look for walking ATM's in this country.

Email : shyfarang@yahoo.co.uk Date : 2010-10-04 07:53:43

the thai kid

said :

what value for the money ..the thai baht has gained on the euro ,u.s. dollar and british pound making thailand more expensive and less value for all international currencies....

Email : decastroharry@yahoo.com Date : 2010-10-03 16:54:57

teo

said :

kritthira,it doesn't matter what what anybody looks like to bar girls, young and handsome,old and fat,they see us all as ATM's,money is the name of the game and it is just a game,i would think now they would be glad of any kind of falang that wasn't Indian or Arab,all said and done bar girls are prostitutes,kritthira,are you
one of those lesbians that go to pattaya to get your rocks of with bar girls???????????

Email : wee_teo12@hotmail.com Date : 2010-10-03 02:11:27

kritthira

said :

Finally the fat, old and 120kg+ farangs can see that the Thai bargirls have been lying to them along "You very sexy man"!!!!! And that the fat, old farang was nothing more than a walking ATM to them.

Email : kritthira@hotmail.com Date : 2010-10-02 21:15:27

tommy

said :

Yep whole heartedly agree with everything that's been said.
I have 2 young children with my thai partner in Pattaya and we were considering setting up a small travel and internet shop.
But there's no bloody chance of that happening with the way Pattaya and the country in general is being run!

I've no real problem, with the way the governments handled the red shirt problems in the last 12 months..There should be NO amnestys by the way, stick them all in jail and make them learn from the error of their ways.

Pattaya is corupt and always will be. But what is totally unjustifiable imo is the way the governments deliberately kept the baht strong, to the detriment of the whole Thai population and their export markets...Somebody somewhere in the big financial institutions, is making pot fulls of money out of this policy, but it sure as hell ain't the working class thai man on the street!

Email : mrwhippy@hotmail.com Date : 2010-10-02 19:45:15

oldjake

said :

Blade, I agree with what you have said, except I see two "high seasons" the full-moon party, and business's going Bust.

Email : oldjake@hotmail.com Date : 2010-10-02 19:16:12

Blade

said :

With the way the govt's running things, the only "high season" I see coming is at the monthly full-moon party on Koh Phangan.

Email : blade@hotmail.com Date : 2010-10-02 13:43:37

Rob Valence

said :

Yeah, the beautiful and clean beaches and comfy roads, well protected by our experienced and trustworthy sherriffs, in Pattaya!

It really turned into a great 'family destination' since a few years - I can't point at it, but if they say it's that way, then it must be...

There are also no ripoffs and no farang killings, that's just 'suicides'.

I find it a great idea by the city management to apply for the world exhibition - well one could say, the idea itself has great entertainment value, too. :-)

Email : rob-valence-rv1@googlemail.com Date : 2010-10-02 13:41:39

Bob

said :

Pattaya is attractive only to single men; only a complete idiot would bring his wife or especially his children there. Sad for the small businesses in Pattaya who have no control over the mismanagement of the city. The sad thing is that Phuket seems even more corrupt and mismanaged than Pattaya.

Email : Bob@toobad.com Date : 2010-10-02 12:34:21