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Tourism in Thailand – a Farang View
by David Barkdull

For many of us who live in Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Pattaya Thailand it is so obvious that for the past two years we have had low season, low-low season and no season rather than high and low seasons we saw only a few years ago. After the last coup d’état in Thailand on September 19th, 2006 all of the Asian tourists somehow disappeared and didn’t return for a long time. Their numbers began to dwindle again when the latest round of Thailand political unrest began. Tourists from the Middle East and from Eastern Block European countries are beginning to pick up some of the slack. Tourists have somehow found money to travel and political unrest in Thailand is like a spirited debate in their countries. They keep the air travel costs down by booking package tours.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TOT) should take a fall someday for mismanagement and failed marketing attempts to lure westerners to this country. The billions of Baht spent seems to go to administrative costs including constant world travel tourism for their executives. It makes a great first impression when the first time visitor is attacked by a taxi tout at the airport, escapes, then has to wait in line to be ripped off by the taxi mafia. A quick 135kph trip the hotel and the tourism adventure begins.

Fortunately news of what goes on here is spread through the internet. The random early closing hours for tourism entertainment venues, the inconvenient interruption of a night out for that pesky urine test, the seemingly ever-present random Thailand election day alcohol sales restrictions and of course the reported homicides, rapes and robberies involving westerners make their way to the informed tourist.

It seems to the casual observer that tourists have spoken with their feet. They have several alternatives to Amazing Thailand. Tourism Authority of Thailand ‘TOT’, if you recall, said they didn’t want the backpackers or middle class tourists anymore. They want the well heeled families to visit Thailand Tourism sites for the oxcart rides and floating markets. To me it seems a little over ambitious given the attractions and infrastructure here are for the most part ill-conceived. Sure there are the luxury beach resorts and spas for the rich. However, once they venture out into the Land of Smiles and are confronted by the realities of broken sewer and transportation systems they may begin to regret their vacation choice. They will pass on their close calls of traffic accidents and random acts of violence they witness to the next batch of potential tourists. If things don’t improve dramatically Thailand may eventually become known as ‘Burma with Electricity’.

David Barkdull
Bangkok

Tourism in Thailand – a Farang View

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