Stickman's Weekly Column › September 8th, 2024

Thailand Tourism Today, Tomorrow

Bangkok feels more touristy than ever. Everywhere I went there were hordes of tourists – more than I ever remember seeing any time in the past. People from all over the world are eager to visit Thailand.

The tourism industry has been an incredible success story for Thailand. In the space of a couple of decades, Thailand’s visitor numbers soared from 5 million a year to almost 40 million. And then the world shut down for Covid and it all came to a standstill.

Post-Covid, Thailand has roared out of the blocks and based on visitor numbers over the first 8 months of this year, it’s expected 36 million visitors will be welcomed before the calendar ticks over to 2025.

Next year, even more visitors are expected. 40 million or more seems likely.

Comments from various figures in the Thai government talk of 70 or even 80 million visitors in 10 years’ time. Is that possible?

Everyone seems to love Thailand. Males and females. Old and young. Honeymooners and sex tourists. Backpackers and millionaires. Christians, Muslims….everyone! Many first-time visitors are absolutely enchanted and vow to return.

When I was living in Thailand, the number of visitors increased most years, often by 10% or more. While there were always tourists around, it was nothing like it is now. The big difference today is not that you see tourists in every part of town – you don’t – but places that are popular with tourists are often crowded, or even over-run.

A couple of weeks ago, I ventured down to the river. I took the underground to Hualumpong and from there I took a long walk through Chinatown and on to Little India. It’s a walk I used to take often. There were a few tourists around in Chinatown, but not that many. (Most visitors seem to prefer visiting the area after dark.) Heading from Little India down to the river, the mile or so from Bark Klong Talat (the famous flower market) past Wat Po, Ta Tien and the Grand Palace had throngs of tourists in numbers I’ve never seen before. In places, the pavement was so crowded you had to do like naughty boys do on Soi Nana and walk on the road.

There were hordes of people everywhere as small groups wandered from attraction to attraction, often with one in their group navigating the way with Google Maps on their phone.

The area around Ta Tien has changed from a neighbourhood comprising mainly Thai merchants to what is today now a very heavily touristed area. Shops which were once rice wholesalers or traditional herbalists or multi-decade-old eateries with Thai-language-only menus and recipes that hadn’t changed since the day they opened have been refitted as tourist cafes or Western-style eateries or trinket and souvenir shops.

In fairness, the character of the neighbourhood has largely been retained, even if many stores have signs and menus in English and Chinese only – no Thai language to be seen. What was once a working Thai neighbourhood is now almost entirely focused on tourists.

This, of course, is happening in areas popular with tourist areas all over the city. One could argue the area has lost its charm. On the other hand, I have no doubt the land owners and locals who work in tourism are counting the cash as tourism booms.

They’ve done well retaining the style but the area with its narrow alleys feels cramped and is not ideal for the hordes of visitors who have become a fixture in the area. An historic neighbourhood is now very much a mainstream tourist attraction.

So who are all of these visitors? Official stats tell us that Chinese are the biggest group, followed by various countries in Asia, and Russia. That said, you don’t come across all that many Russians in Bangkok – they prefer Phuket, Pattaya and the islands.

The Chinese love Thailand. They love the food, don’t need a visa and for many, Thailand is just a short flight away. I chatted with a few Chinese over coffee at the hotel and was pleasantly surprised. Decent English, engaging and genuinely curious. Uncouth behaviour like scooping up all the shrimps at the buffet? I saw plenty of Chinese at a couple of buffets and didn’t see any Instagram-worthy moments.

What about the Indians? I didn’t see any evidence of a so-called Indian invasion which I suspect has been exaggerated. It feels like you see 5 or even 10 Chinese for every Indian. There will be holiday periods in India when many grab the chance to visit Thailand – so from time to time, you might see many. And let’s not forget that Kolkata and the east coast of India is just a 2½ hour flight from Bangkok.

Just like the Chinese, I found the few Indians I chatted with to be friendly and engaging.

Given the population of China and India, and their proximity to Thailand, don’t be surprised to see these two countries make up a big chunk of all visitors to Thailand in the years to come. I’d expect the tourism industry will slowly change to meet their needs. Expect more signs and menus in Chinese, and more Thais learning Chinese languages.

Tourism is booming in Thailand. In August, a relatively quiet month, many downtown Bangkok hotels were full.

Last high season, many hotels – from downtown Bangkok to Pattaya-wide to all the islands and beaches – were booked solid through until mid-March. Could hotel capacity become a constraint on visitor numbers?

Some try to tell me that Thailand is not what it was as a place to visit. Some fools even try and say that there are fewer visitors these days. No way. It’s busier than ever.

Thailand is still remarkably good value. There’s more to see and do than ever. And, yes, while there are more visitors than ever, if you crave a quiet beach to yourself, there are unlimited choices for those who are willing to venture off the beaten path.

The increase in visitor numbers in Thailand has been incremental, but feels exponential. Doubling the number of visitors a country receives in such a short period of time – as some in government have predicted with 70 or 80 million visitors annually within 10 years – would put huge pressure on a tourism infrastructure that already feels like it’s creaking under the weight of massive visitor numbers.

There were a few moments this past trip where I saw crowds so thick and queues so long I turned around and went back the way I’d come.

Wat Arun, one of the highlights of Bangkok, was over-run with visitors to the point of chaos. This was August, the middle of the low season – what will it be like in December, January and February?!

Could visitor numbers reach a point where some neighbourhoods in Bangkok become so saturated with visitors that there’s a backlash against tourism like there has been in some of Europe’s hot spots?

It’s already happening in Phuket where one friend who has lived in Phuket on and off since the 90s tells me the island is now one giant traffic jam – and many locals have had enough. Could we see similar feeling elsewhere?

Surely this won’t happen in Bangkok which doesn’t get as many visitors as the hot spots of Europe, right? Wrong! Bangkok is already the most visited city in the world. (Source: https://travelness.com/most-visited-cities-in-the-world) Bangkok gets almost 150% more visitors than Barcelona, and a good deal more than the likes of Paris or London.

Thais tend to be tolerant of activities that make money so I can’t see a backlash against tourism per se, but comments could be made about particular issues like foreigners purchasing or renting property, demand from foreigners causing prices of popular products (like durian) to increase, foreigners disrespecting local culture etc.

That said, despite crazy numbers of visitors in parts of the city, I haven’t seen a lot of evidence of prices getting silly. Sure, you’ll always pay more for a fresh coconut in the middle of a tourist area than elsewhere but even then, prices remain reasonable for the most part. Price gouging? I’m sure there are instances of it but it hardly seems widespread – and I didn’t see any evidence of it at all. 20 baht more here, 30 baht there is hardly price gouging.

But there may just be a choke point. Accommodation. Already, many of the beaches and islands are full right through high season and you can’t get a room for love nor money. If you can’t find a place to stay, you can’t visit.

I expect Thailand’s tourism industry to continue to boom. High season will get longer each year. The definition of low season has changed from a genuinely quiet period to a time when there are still plenty of visitors about, but fewer than high season. The 3½ weeks I was in town during this low season felt busier than high season 10 years ago.

There’s no problem with the demand side – people all over the world have heard how great Thailand is and want to experience it for themselves. But what about the supply side? Are there enough flights to Thailand? Can the airports handle more flights and massive visitor numbers? Are there enough hotels for visitors to stay?

And if visitor numbers do continue to go up and up, could they reach a point when the equation changes and once charming attractions become tourist traps? 70 and 80 million are not trivial numbers! Just how will Thailand cope?

Mystery Photo

Where is it?

Last week’s photo was taken on Chakkraphet Road at Pak Khlong Talad – which is perhaps better known to foreigners simply as “the flower market”. Just 7 clever readers got it right. This week’s photo is, again, quite deliberately, challenging.

Stick’s Inbox – The Best Emails From The Past Week

Is Thailand really that cheap for expats?

Are people right in thinking they can live more cheaply in Thailand than back home? Yes. And no. One positive about Thailand is that it is pretty easy to get by on the cheap, if you buy from Thai markets and live in ‘mansions’ like so many Thais do <Note to readers: the word “mansion” in Thai means a low-end / cheap apartment building – Stick>. But how many actually want to do that, effectively lowering their standards? If you want a Western lifestyle and Western food, you are probably going to pay Western prices much of the time. If you want to continue living as you do in Farangland, it is going to cost you. Is the move worth it, to be surrounded by an alien lifestyle and trying to deal with Thai ‘logic’ and uncertainty about whether your status may change in the future? No Thai government has shown any great concern for the well-being of foreigners and many long-timers believe we are tolerated rather than welcomed. Daily news reports of foreigners behaving badly only serve to fan mistrust and resentment, sometimes from those in very high places. It isn’t a great picture.

Low costs a red herring.

Seems to me the low cost of living in Thailand is a bit of a red herring. Sure, some things are cheaper but for most of us we’re not going to be able to work in Thailand which wipes out any potential savings. All it takes to torpedo someone’s retirement is another negative shift in the exchange rate. Partying is getting very pricey which is the big draw for a lot of people, though there are budget options. I think if Thailand being cheap is what sways you then it’s probably a false economy. I can see medical insurance alone being a nightmare when you hit 70. As you say, there’s always the issue of what the government will change next. If you are well-funded then I guess all these things are nit-picking but if not, I can imagine it all being very stressful. I would certainly hate to end up as a grumpy old balloon chaser.

Retiring in Thailand, a form of exile.

I can see how older people from colder climates might be drawn to Thailand or similar countries to escape harsh winters and take advantage of affordable services like cooking, cleaning, and driving, which can become challenging in old age. Coming from a country where retiring abroad is quite rare, even among the affluent, I find it intriguing. Many Indians living abroad often choose to return home after retirement. It makes me wonder what compelling reasons someone might have to leave their home country post-retirement and spend the rest of their lives in what could be seen as a form of “exile.”

The danger of retiring too soon.

I wonder how many people who retired to Thailand because it was cheap, simply retired too early. As their nest egg depletes, they’re forced to live like lower income Thais which is not what they had planned.

This Week’s News, Views & Gossip

Thoughts go out to the family and friends of Mark Hammett, the former operator of Bar4 in Soi Nana, and prior to that, Tony’s on Soi Cowboy. Aussie Mark had been unwell for some time and passed away earlier this week. May he rest in peace.

In my early days in Thailand, I heard plenty of stories of credit cards being skimmed. People would return home from Thailand to find the card had been maxed out with pages of transactions that weren’t made by them. It was widespread and it even happened to my best mate. For a long time I didn’t hear much about this sort of thing and just assumed that banks and credit card security had been improved and it was no longer such a problem. That may or may not have been the case, but in recent times – the last 6 months or so – I have heard a lot of reports of people’s credit cards being compromised. It happened to a good friend of mine who strongly suspected his card was compromised at a famous sex-tourist hotel. A reader mentioned the same thing happening at the very same hotel. I’ve had quite a few emails from readers this year whose credit card has been compromised while they were in Thailand. How to avoid this from happening? For me, when I am in Thailand I only use cash.

I had completely forgotten about one of the fun – albeit incredibly silly – things I like to do in Thailand. There are some bars in Thailand which fill the individual urinals with ice cubes. I was in Dollhouse one night, went to the toilet and saw that the urinals had just been filled with ice. I decided to hold on, drink some more, and then come back. What I like to do is hold on until I absolutely must take a pee. With the gun fully loaded, so to speak, you empty your bladder and aim to melt as many ice cubes as you can. It’s a silly game, but I love it!

I have long been a supporter of Bangkok taxi drivers but not anymore. I have joined my girlfriend, her family and for that matter many Bangkokians who prefer to avoid taxis. It’s not that some of the taxis are in a sorry state, and it’s not even the bad driving. It’s the attitude of some drivers which is just, for want of a better word, shit. On two occasions this trip we took a taxi and on both occasions it was a bad experience. The first time was a trip from Sukhumvit to Bang Na, a bit under 16 km. There was no traffic at all and the journey took about 15 minutes. The cost was 225 baht. The meter had obviously been tampered with. I could have kicked up a stink but with these guys, who knows where it might go. I paid the fare and let it go. I would rather enjoy the rest of my day rather than dwell on being ripped off for 70 or 80 baht. At the end of the day, the driver’s life must be pretty sad if he has to rip off passengers like that (and my life would be just as sad if I kicked up a big stink about it). The second incident was just plain weird. We were at Mega Bang Na and wanted to take a short journey back to the other half’s sister’s place, less than 10 km and about a 10-minute journey. Taxi after taxi refused to take us. It was a weekday and there was little traffic. We noticed others were having the same problem with fare after fare being turned down by every driver. It wasn’t that the drivers didn’t want to turn on the meter, it seemed like they just didn’t want to take anyone anywhere. Eventually, we found a driver who would take us. Were they waiting for a big fare? I honestly have no idea.

In Pattaya, is it time for a “health massage”?

I love the signs on many of Pattaya’s massage shops which say “health massage”. I guess a traditional massage is healthy. But then I guess a not so traditional massage is probably decent for your health too!

It’s amazing how such a small change may make such a big difference. Take a cup of coffee, for example. Put in salt instead of sugar and it goes from delicious to ghastly. And so it is with Walking Street. Some time last year, all of the signs which extended from buildings out over the street were removed. It sounds like a relatively small change because many bars and other venues have large, colourful neon frontages which were untouched, but the change in atmosphere is huge. What was once a vibrant, atmospheric area now has a rather different feel. Walking Street by day has never been exciting – today it feels like just another street, almost sterile.

A reader asks how long I think it will be before the wider Soi Buakhao / LK Metro goes in to decline or becomes a more mainstream area and not the domain of naughty boys – as has happened to Walking Street. Whoa, hold your horses! LK Metro has probably still not peaked, and any talk of decline is awfully premature. I don’t see things declining in that part of town for quite some time. The area is expanding and the consensus is that it’s more vibrant, and continues to get better. New venues are opening up all the time as smaller, older venues are replaced by bigger, better bars. Sure, at some point it will plateau and then at some point it could go in to decline – but I’d expect that to be many years from now.

Mould on the ceiling, Foodland, Sukhumvit soi 16.

If you happen to grab a bite at the diner in the Sukhumvit soi 16 branch of Foodland, don’t look up at the ceiling. There is heaps of mould all around some of the ceiling-mounted air conditioning vents. In some spots it is, for want of a better word, horrific. As someone who is sensitive to mould, it’s a worry. For some time I have been experiencing an unusual mix of health issues with various symptoms that typically don’t appear at the same time. Despite many rounds of blood tests and being tested for all manner of things, doctors could not find anything wrong at all. Frustrated with the New Zealand medical system, I eventually sought assistance from an overseas doctor online. Samples were taken and sent for testing in the United States which revealed I had mould growing in my gut. Yeah, it’s a thing – and it’s not good! I strongly suspect it is due to prolonged exposure in one or more of the condos I stayed in when I was living in Bangkok. Since this diagnosis, I have become acutely aware of being in mouldy environments and I noticed mould growing in all sorts of places in Bangkok which probably shouldn’t be a great surprise given that Thailand is hot and humid.

I don’t like to get political in this column but there is one thing I just have to comment on. I lived in Thailand during the period Thaksin Shinawatra was Prime Minister, a time when the economy was humming. People were making money that made them happy. Much has happened since then, with Thaksin having been through the court system and, I thought, been banned from politics. In Thailand, whenever I turned on local TV, there he’d be with his smarmy grin – or he would soon feature. It seems like he just can’t stay away from it.

What I thought was one of the biggest news stories out of Thailand this week was the announcement that next year, Thailand will introduce an ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation) for all visitors. Before travelling to Thailand, you will have to fill out a form online, sort of like a pre-arrival clearance. While some countries charge a fee for this, at this stage it is expected to be free. The main benefit is that once the ETA has been approved, you will be able to use the automated passport gates at Immigration on arrival. This should speed things up, especially in high season.

Following on from what I wrote last week about how living in Thailand is not for me at this point in time, I played around with a few numbers to see how much I would need (is want a better word?) if I was going to move to Thailand. Moving to Thailand now would essentially mean early retirement – which I am not ready for, but let’s forget that for a moment. Purely for argument’s sake, here are the numbers I came up with. To move to Thailand I’d want a house similar to what I live in now, meaning near new and in a decent neighbourhood. And we’d need two cars. Realistically, that would total about 12 – 13 million baht. Around 8 million gets you a nice (but far from fancy) brand-new house in a reasonable gated community in suburban Bangkok. That just gets you the “shell” – fitting it out with an indoor Western-style kitchen, an outdoor Thai-style kitchen, air-conditioning in most rooms, curtains etc. runs another million baht. This doesn’t buy a luxury property, but a house in a solid, middle-class, suburban Bangkok gated development. I’d then estimate another million baht or so for quality furniture, beds, all appliances etc. A couple of reasonable cars would be about 1.25 million baht each. To lead a pleasant middle-class lifestyle, I’d budget an even 100,000 baht per month. Thinking about the initial outlay of 12 or 13 million, taking in to consideration inflation, ensuring a buffer and some reserves and investing a big chunk in conservative funds, my best guess is that I’d need around 45 million baht to pull the trigger. I don’t have that so even if I wanted to, I’m not in a position to move.

Thailand-Related News Articles

A Brit who was sentenced to life in prison in 2022 fled the UK and is found and arrested in Phuket.

Shortly after last week’s column was published, Pattaya was hit by a storm and experienced widespread flooding.

Not for the first time, Pattaya Beach needs to be restored after suffering extensive storm damage.

The Swiss man who was accused of kicking a trainee Thai doctor in the back on a beach in Phuket is acquitted.

In Phuket, a Brit married to a Thai woman goes bonkers after bumping in to two Chinese tourists.

Closing Comments

Is there anything more frustrating than giving advice to someone who doesn’t act on what you suggest and then comes back to you facing the same issue and asking for advice again? I’m always happy to help answer questions about life for foreigners in Thailand – but please don’t come back to me later with the same question. It reminds me of an old friend in Thailand who some years ago bought the latest, greatest Fuji camera. He couldn’t understand why despite having a fantastic camera, his photos sucked. I told him that he needed to use Photoshop to develop and edit the image files. He kept coming back to me with images that needed editing. He never did get Photoshop. And so it goes with advice on living in Thailand. I’ve pretty much written everything I can on this site over the past 2 and a half decades about how to navigate the many challenges of life in Thailand, yet some people still come to me with questions about the most basic stuff. If I’ve given you advice before and you didn’t act on it, my willingness to help has limits! I am reminded of this because my old friend who was so disappointed with the photos from his Fuji camera emailed me this week. He bought a new Leica and the photos aren’t great. Did he take my advice about getting Photoshop. No!

Your Bangkok commentator,

Stick

Stick can be contacted at : stickmanbangkok@gmail.com

Thailand Tourism Today, Tomorrow

Mystery Photo

Stick’s Inbox – The Best Emails From The Past Week

More Readers’ Emails

This Week’s News, Views & Gossip

Thailand-Related News Articles

Closing Comments

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