"Deckard" wrote in message
news:49233377.36332093@news.free.fr...
> Tourist arrivals plummet in Thailand amid credit crunch
> by Charlie McDonald-Gibson
>
> Thailand's high season for tourism has just begun and runs to
> February, but the signs for one of Southeast Asia's top tourism
> destinations are worrying.
>
>
> full article at:
> news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081117/lf_afp/financeeconomythailandtourism_081117033009
> -
> Ouch!
> This confirms the impression I had a few weeks ago. Of course, the
> planes are still full but it's just because the airlines have
> cancelled several flights.
> The TAT had declared that the high-season (15 nov to 15 jan) would be
> normal but the never-ending mess seems to scare the Foreigners,
> although they would not notice anything as tourists. The locals are
> very friendly as usual.
> Too bad for my beloved Land of Smiles!
Yes - and adding to the problem is that both those who do come, and those
who live here as expats, are spending considerably less.
Here's an example of current sales efforts from a farang bar restaurant
owner.... email received last night ...
"The Pound and the Aussie Dollar may be worth less than the Mongolian Togrog
at the moment, but we at the XXXXXXXX are on hand to help. We have
introduced discounts on a range of our value meals to help you through this
difficult period! These discounts are in addition to the discounts you
already enjoy as a Gold or Platinum card holder, so even though your
UK/Australian income may have dropped, you can still afford a meal and a
pint! These discounts will be available from Tuesday 18th November and will
last at least for the rest of the year."
This time last year (the busy season) I needed to hire a car at the last
minute. I had to try several places before finding something. Last night at
the first place I went to they were falling over themselves to give me a
selection of upgraded motors. All I wanted or needed was a little Honda
Jazz, they couldn't understand why I turned down the giant 4 x 4 beast I was
being offered at the same rate...
It's tough for business owners here in Chiang Mai at the moment ....
pg
http://frogblog-thaidings.blogspot.com/
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