Floods first and Bombs now - What is the impact

[SlaveDriver]

:party Hi Guys

One after another for this beautiful country. Floods and now |Bombs

Can members give qualitative and quantative analysis on the impact these incidents have caused to the tourist industry in general and to the gay sector in particular?.

What are the immediate and the near future impacts? Please try give resons with examples such as hotel reservations, bars, how the hosts are surviving during these difficult times, have they given up and left, or have this situatio created more supply and less demand so drop in going rates/flexibility in the attitudes of the hosts?

How is the public in general and the tourist in particular are reacting towards the Arab tourists in light of the current/recent incidents?

Let us make this a intellectual and meaningful topic to share information that would help fellow travellers like me who are planing holidays this year in Thailand

Cheers ..... Let's go ......... :party

[jinks]

My next trip remains unaltered, 6 weeks and counting.............

...Can members give qualitative and quantative analysis on the impact these incidents have caused to the tourist industry in general and to the gay sector in particular?.

What are the immediate and the near future impacts? Please try give resons with examples such as hotel reservations, bars, how the hosts are surviving during these difficult times, have they given up and left, or have this situatio created more supply and less demand so drop in going rates/flexibility in the attitudes of the hosts?

How is the public in general and the tourist in particular are reacting towards the Arab tourists in light of the current/recent incidents?

Let us make this a intellectual and meaningful topic to share information that would help fellow travellers like me who are planing holidays this year in Thailand...


My next trip remains unaltered, 6 weeks and counting.

jinks - that'll be a "NO" to SlaveDriver's question then.

:sign5:

[jinks]

I found no difficulty in making all the bookings and reservations that I required.

I am slightly well known so reservations without a deposit are normal for me.

Apart from my main hotel, most costs are paid for in the two weeks prior to the journey.

Just for you, I'll make notes on the differences between December '11 and April '12.

I will then be in a position to give advise.

For anyone who will be around in April = 2nd to 6th Koh Samui. - 6th to 13th The Venue (where else ?)

[pong]

ohh-all these worrymakers and pessimists!
Am tomorrow 30 days here in BKK/TH-and travelled around TH in nov during floodtime. NOW-in this part of BKK where most of you have no notion of-as its well out of the Silom-safety-bubble- its cramming with young tourists -the legs come out of the doors at night, haha-and you see dozens of backpacked people trundling around in the eve as they find their guidebook listed places full and think that elsewhere is not safe or so-weird inexperienced minds.
Just happened to walk across soi Hotmale yest-eve and it was crammed full-with ladies too (beergirls, to be precise).
WHY, WHY are there so many people who are so black looking that any minor newsppr trouble looks like the end of the world and of all gay tourism to LOS here?
PS-those leg-loosing Irany bombs were about 10 kms as the crow flies from thet Silom-zone-or about 8 from the Sukhumvit tourist ghetto. And then we do not even talk Pattayan.

[christianpfc]

Can members give qualitative and quantative analysis on the impact these incidents have caused to the tourist industry in general and to the gay sector in particular?.

What are the immediate and the near future impacts? Please try give resons with examples such as hotel reservations, bars, how the hosts are surviving during these difficult times, have they given up and left, or have this situatio created more supply and less demand so drop in going rates/flexibility in the attitudes of the hosts?

You might get a few opinions on the situation, but probably no qualitative and quantative [sic] analysis and resons [sic] with examples. I can only speak for myself: neither flood nor warnings of terrorist attacks (nor terrorist attacks that really take place) will influence my travel behaviour.

[aot871]

Will only not go if the embassy advises against travel to thailand , as travel insurance then , becomes null and void

Back in December at the height of the floods one of my co workers and her friends were due to travel to Bkk and throughout Thailand, they DID cancel their entire trip and went elsewhere ( more as they were two girls who didn't want any hassles and risk any water bourne infections etc which were being reported as possible in the media at the time.

I then also was due to fly into Bkk for three weeks over Christmas and new years which I went ahead with ( with no travel issues in the end whatsoever of course).

The threat of terrorism would almost certainly not deter me from traveling to a place, unless there was perhaps a concerted targeted campaign, over a short time and in a small area ( and then I would just avoid that area perhaps which isn't so much as giving in to terrorists but more just common sense).

Like a few other posters the only time I would have to seriously consider changing my plans would be if there was a blanket "do not travel" advisory from my government, solely down that then invalidating my travel and medical insurance (and even then I "might" risk it but probably not) and would just go somewhere else as the medical / repatriation costs should anything happen ( even something as daft as tripping on a kerbstone and breaking your ankle/leg etc) can be quite scary and can mount up quickly.

Hope that answers your question.

[joe552]

I've only changed my plans once, and that was last year during the Red Shirt protests in Bangkok, and simply for the reason already mentioned - travel insurance is invalidated if your Government advises against travel. Otherwise, I wouldn't change my plans.

[lonelywombat]

I have made over 60 trips to Thailand, during coups,during the war zones and floods. I have never let myself be deterred from travelling then or in the future.

If you are serious forget it all and travel. If you have an excuse then you don't have a valid reason for travel.

If you are serious forget it all and travel. If you have an excuse then you don't have a valid reason for travel.

I'm not quite sure I understand that ?????

I dont understandf all the fuss the deputy prime minister said its not a terrorist attack because the targets are not Thai people and the foreign minister has said Thailand is not a target country for terrorism because it has always been friendly with other countries and he asked terrorists not to use Thailand as their base because it is a peaceful Buddhist country what more can you want dont worry be happy.

I dont understandf all the fuss....... its not a terrorist attack because the targets are not Thai people

Hmm, interesting locic, so as long as it's not Thai people getting killed it's not a terrorist act then eh, I'm sure all the visiting tourists will be delighted to learn that that is the view of the Thai Government.



the foreign minister has said Thailand is not a target country for terrorism because it has always been friendly with other countries

So, looks like we're going to just totally ignore both the large amount of "in country" terrorism then that's currently going on in Thailand in the south of the Country and also the likes the "international" terrorist cell who were based in Bangkok along with their bomb making equipment which was discovered only a few weeks ago then ?



he asked terrorists not to use Thailand as their base because it is a peaceful Buddhist country

Oh well that's SURE to be OK then as terrorists are so well known for being such considerate sorts of chaps and I mean if he ASKED them to be good then I'm sure they will be, so good, that's that all sorted then ......



what more can you want

Yeah, cause all of the above seems to have sorted the situation and I'll certainly rest easy knowing that a) if anyone's killed it only counts if they're Thai and b) nothing will happen anyway as there IS no terrorism in Thailand anyway ( even though the proof says otherwise and c) it'll all be ok anyway as the terrorists were asked nicely "please" not to be naughty in Thailand, yeah that all TOTALLY allays any fears one might have lol


dont worry be happy.

The last bit I totally agree with you on, lifes to short to worry about such things in any serious way and one should just get on with it and smile, but perhaps the Government can get away with telling their own people this sort of stuff but it doesn't really wash with the international community so well and stinks of either having their heads in the sand or just treating us all like children who you just speak softly to and say "there there, everything will be alright" now go away and get on with spending your money here like a good chap - which I have to add I AM quite happy to do, but based on my own assessment of things and not this sort of (poor) PR put as out by the Government.

[Beachlover]

NIrish Guy... Waaaay too much effort replying to halfwit's post LOL.

I've never canceled a visit due to in country calamities, from memory, but would do so if I judged it wise. I can visit Thailand at any time of the year so why pick a time when the shit's hitting the fan?

So far I've been pretty lucky with the last three major disasters (airport shutdown, Bangkok protests and floods) and managed to time it nicely, arriving just after things have gotten back to normal. I saw the burnt out CentralWorld Plaza in 2010 and the sandbagged skyscrapers in 2011.

As for how the Thais are feeling about it... The common themes emanating from my Thai friends who've come back from visiting their home country is that the mood and atmosphere in Bangkok has deteriorated. It's harder to earn money, economy's down and it's harder to afford cost of living. They say the political drama is underpinning a lot of this, the government isn't making good decisions and they're worried about another round of floods doing the same damage again this year or next.

My next visit will probably be with my BF and his expats friends... will be interesting!

NIrish Guy... Waaaay too much effort replying to halfwit's post LOL.


Say's you of all people ! lol :-)