Thread: Phuket - High-season tourism outlook bleak: PTA

Yes, the US buck is strengthening, but the Oz dollah, the pound and Euro are stinking the place up now.

I would hazard a guess that few if any tourist locations here in Thailand are cutting their rates to try and attract customers.
I would also hazard a guess that most have gone to their "high-season" rates or greater because traffic is down.

There is more and more competition for Thailand and people will look for greater value for money when money is tight

Hotel rates cut as financial crisis bites - Telegraph

Hotel rates cut as financial crisis bites - Telegraph http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/34...-as-financial-... 1 of 2 14/11/2008 13:51 Hotels in Paris, Amsterdam and Prague have all cut their rates in an attempt to attract more British visitors
Hotel rates cut as financial crisis bites
European hotels are cutting their room rates by to 50 per cent in a bid attract British travellers. By Charles Starmer-Smith
Last Updated: 1:34PM GMT 13 Nov 2008
Hotels are cutting room rates by up to 50
per cent in an attempt to keep Britons
travelling during the economic downturn,
a leading hotel booking agency has
claimed.
Ian Ackland, commercial manager of
Hotel Connect, which offers hotels in
more than 200 destinations, said concern
about a lack of bookings this winter are
prompting record discounts.
"Hoteliers have always dropped their
rates by five or ten per cent at the start of
winter, but only for a couple of weeks.
These reductions are at an
unprecedented level – we are now seeing
cuts of up to 50 per cent for the next two
or three months, as hoteliers recognise that this thing [economic downturn] is not going to go away."
He said that hotels in cities such as Paris, Dublin, Amsterdam and Prague were offering the biggest reductions, as the weakness of the pound and the dollar against the euro puts travellers off. Dubai hotels are also cutting rates by a third, he added. The pound has fallen against the UAE dirham by a third since last year.
Last month travel analysts had predicted that hotels would close floors to save money during the financial downturn rather than cut rates, but bookings have slowed since then.
Manny Fontenla-Novoa, chief executive of Thomas Cook, speaking at this week's World Travel Market in London, called on more hoteliers to lower their rates during the economic downturn. He said that, even with a 12 per cent reduction in the number of holidays being offered next year, the current conditions made it imperative that hoteliers give operators the best prices now to guarantee bookings for next summer, rather than wait until March to decide whether to reduce rates.
He added that he expected holidaymakers to continue to switch from traditional packages in Spain to mid-haul destinations such as Egypt and Turkey next year.
The savings are not confined to hotels abroad. Travelodge, the British chain, has cut its average room rates from £50 a night to £29 until the end of this year. A spokesman said that by next spring it will offer hotel rooms in 15 British cities from as little as £9 a night, as part of an aggressive price war against its rivals.

Originally Posted by Troubled

A spokesman said that by next spring it will offer hotel rooms in 15 British cities from as little as £9 a night

When you see prices like this (460thb approx.) you start to realise what you've been paying for that dirty fan room isn't really cheap anymore.

Originally Posted by good2bhappy

I am starting to hear stories of long term people having to leave.
their pensions just cant stretch anymore.

This is absolute bolliks.

If they cant survive in Thailand on there pension how the fok are they going to survive in the real world ?

Every time I read a statement like this I roll around in raptures of laughter, keep it real for fok sake.

Originally Posted by terry57

If they cant survive in Thailand on there pension how the fok are they going to survive in the real world ?

Well, they'll move on to someplace cheaper, I suppose. Cambodia and Vietnam apparently being two nearby options, as Melvbot said. The point being, Thailand isn't as cheap as it once was, and isn't as cheap as people may think it is.

Or they'll do what Thais do, and move in with members of their extended family.

Originally Posted by melvbot

Vietnam and to a certain extent Cambodia will be better places for bang for buck. Dollars are accepted everywhere in Cambodia so no worries about exchange rates, nice beaches, good food at a reasonable price and plenty of touristy things to see as well. Got a friend with a bar there that hasnt got half the worries I have at the minute.

I disagree.
Here in Pattaya a Beach Road bitch charges 500baht for a short time.
In Cambodia you end up paying the same , 15$ , in a cheap brothel like Blue Mountain in Sihanoukville.
In Vietnam you pay 250.000-300.000 dong in massage place where btw they regularly try to steal your wallet.
So there is no save on the mongering side.
In Thailand you can buy a cheap condo saving a lot on accomodation. In Cambo and Vietnam you can buy nothing and have to pay inflated barang rents (in PP a real estate agency had only rents starting 600$ and up)
So the final maths is living in Cambo or Vietnam is about $ 300/month more expensive compared to Thailand.

Certainly agree with you lot that Thailand isn't really cheap anymore. But there are a few things that are still a good bargain for your money:
- Rent a scooter for 100Bht a day
- Shopping of non-imported goods (souvenirs, clothes and the like, and clothes don't necessarily need to be a cheap brandcopy)
-Fantastic hotel in Koh Phangan in low season for 900 Bht including breakfast buffet (normally 2700+Bht in the winter)
-Great thai food in a comfortable & clean restaurant for less than 100Bht outside Bkk
- etc etc ..

But yes, same things as in Europe goes for the same price.

Originally Posted by plorf

Certainly agree with you lot that Thailand isn't really cheap anymore. But there are a few things that are still a good bargain for your money:
- Rent a scooter for 100Bht a day
- Shopping of non-imported goods (souvenirs, clothes and the like, and clothes don't necessarily need to be a cheap brandcopy)
-Fantastic hotel in Koh Phangan in low season for 900 Bht including breakfast buffet (normally 2700+Bht in the winter)
-Great thai food in a comfortable & clean restaurant for less than 100Bht outside Bkk
- etc etc ..

But yes, same things as in Europe goes for the same price.

Hi Plorf I'm heading to Udon at the end of the month can you recomend a good place to stay for a month and motorbike rental as well thanks LBD

Originally Posted by Gaudente

Here in Pattaya a Beach Road bitch charges 500baht for a short time. In Cambodia you end up paying the same , 15$ , in a cheap brothel like Blue Mountain in Sihanoukville. In Vietnam you pay 250.000-300.000 dong in massage place where btw they regularly try to steal your wallet. So there is no save on the mongering side.

Fascinating. Please get your self a nice apartment on a high floor with a small balcony.

Originally Posted by Gaudente

Originally Posted by melvbot

Vietnam and to a certain extent Cambodia will be better places for bang for buck. Dollars are accepted everywhere in Cambodia so no worries about exchange rates, nice beaches, good food at a reasonable price and plenty of touristy things to see as well. Got a friend with a bar there that hasnt got half the worries I have at the minute.

I disagree.
Here in Pattaya a Beach Road bitch charges 500baht for a short time.
In Cambodia you end up paying the same , 15$ , in a cheap brothel like Blue Mountain in Sihanoukville.
In Vietnam you pay 250.000-300.000 dong in massage place where btw they regularly try to steal your wallet.
So there is no save on the mongering side.
In Thailand you can buy a cheap condo saving a lot on accomodation. In Cambo and Vietnam you can buy nothing and have to pay inflated barang rents (in PP a real estate agency had only rents starting 600$ and up)
So the final maths is living in Cambo or Vietnam is about $ 300/month more expensive compared to Thailand.

I wasnt referring to sex tourists just your average Joe and his family who may want to go to the far east. Not everyone who comes out here is coming for the whoremongering. Phuket has a reputation for being a holiday island for the likes of honeymooners and families as well as the dodgy whoremongering.