Tourist numbers

[Jun]

With this banking clamp-down getting into gear I wonder what it will do to the tourist numbers?

TAT can't be happy right now, because a sizeable percentage of those visitors TAT has been counting as "tourists" are simply criminals coming here to lay the groundwork, who, if the banks and other government agencies do their jobs right, won't find Thailand such an "easy touch" anymore when it comes to money laundering, banking scams, and setting up mule-trains, etc.

I'm reading that tourist numbers are down 7% in 2025.
For example: https://www.reuters.com/markets/asia/th ... 025-09-16/

Now, who are the stay away tourists ?

I read that Vietnam has overtaken Thailand for the number of Chinese tourists. https://www.nationthailand.com/news/tourism/40055492
I think it might depend on what you want from a holiday.
Resorts like Nha Trang are far nicer than Pattaya on almost every metric, except for the gay scene & availability of prostitutes. I choose Pattaya Perhaps some tourists have other priorities. Actually, when I was in Nha Trang, the main foreign group seemed to be well behaved Koreans.
On the other hand, Saigon is a hell hole and is inferior to Bangkok in every respect. In my opinion.

Cambodian "tourist" numbers in Thailand must be down, for obvious reasons. Perhaps closing the border reduces the number of other tourists visiting Thailand ?

As for criminal activities, well, perhaps the Thai authorities ought to look in the mirror. If they turn a blind eye to anything in return for tea money, they're going to have criminal activity.

[Gaybutton]

I read that Vietnam has overtaken Thailand for the number of Chinese tourists.

"Sounds better every time I hear it . . ."
- Lee Marvin (Ben Rumson), 'Paint Your Wagon'

There is a hotel at the end of my soi that catered primarily to Chinese tourists. There used to be 1 to 4 Chinese tour buses every day and groups of Chinese would walk up and down my soi.

Since post Covid, there have been no Chinese tour buses at all and no Chinese pedestrians on the soi. You can imagine just how upset I am over that . . .

[Dodger]

......Resorts like Nha Trang are far nicer than Pattaya on almost every metric, except for the gay scene & availability of prostitutes.

Resorts like the Four Seasons on Bali are far nicer too - but without the gay scene and prostitutes who cares...

It's not the quantity of tourists coming to Pattaya that matters, it's the quality of tourists that effects the environment the most. I'm glad to hear that Vietnam has become more popular with the Chinese tourists and hope it stays that way. Now, if they could just do more to attract the Indians and Arabs we'd be all set.