LOS Booming

[stevehadders]

Well it appears the Country is booming, well at least the Hotel Industry. Last year Thailand recorded a double digit increase in revpar (over 15%) - (this is revenue per available room ie combination of rate and occupancy to make it simple), which outstrips virtually everywhere else. Corporate demand and MICE (conference type business) were well up as was individual business travel, and the tour sector increased substantially as well. This shows, that the increase is not just those on cheap packages, as are visible, but an increase in higher rate guests, which probably arent as visible as loud obvious ones :)
So the country seems to be going in the tright direction, the reverse side of the coin being pressure on exchange rates.
For those of you who require sources - its STR published study, who are the experts in this field and compile such statistics for the Industry, governements etc, and have audited actual results from the main industry players

[bruce_nyc]

The big question is....

WHY is this trend not crossing over to the gay tourism market....?

WHY don't gay tourists know about Thailand...?

If you ask me, the stereotypes are crazy prevalent here.... Mis-information about the place is all people here know. They get fed all sorts of crap and lies by the big media... "documentaries", "exposes", etc.... that those ideas just become cliches.

If you asked people in the USA what they know about Thailand, what the first thing that comes to their minds..... here are the answers you are going to get....

(1) Great beaches and resorts
(2) Child sex trafficking is rampant there
(3) It's a haven for criminals fleeing justice
(4) Where the Tsunami hit
(5) HIV is rampant there; almost everyone has it

The biggest objections I hear from gay men, about travelling to Thailand are....

(1) I'm not into Asians
(2) I don't really know anything about what the gay scene is like there
(3) It's too far to travel

How could some of these stereotypes be broken....?

[stevehadders]

Most of the gay guys I know of my age (early 40s) and younger go for the stereotypical locations if they wish to have a gay holiday eg Gran Canaria /Sitges/Ibiza etc for the Europeans..because they like the climate but the Clubs are superb offering great music they can dance to all night (not be interrupted half way with a screaming drag queen in Thai - these guys want to dance (and probably take something else)), as well as meeting plenty of fellow gay Europeans....it is a fact that not everybody goes for Asians, we all have different tastes. In addition, a lot of the gay scene in Thailand, not all but a lot, revolves around money boys which not everyone is into either, and many who are prefer European types that can be found in Prague, Southern Europe etc.

I have had several very good friends of mine, who are gay, visit Thailand, but they have no interest in visiting the scene whilst here - they stick to the beaches, go snorkelling, sight seeing etc etc.

Maybe we are a dying breed?!

I certainly think thatstereotypes dont help....but as we saw this week with the raid on the bar in Sunnee, it is the reality also that people do visit here to find underage, and until this is stamped out peoperly by the authorities (not just a token action), these stereotypes remain.

[timmberty]

theres already a thread on that .. dont turn every thread into it .. huh ?

[latintopxxx]

I flirt between Spain and Holland....and if I mention Thailand...cheap & easy sex tourism is what EVERYONE assumes...

[gaymandenmark]

Bruce, let us see:

(1) Great beaches and resorts. Answer: YES
(2) Child sex trafficking is rampant there. I would not say rampant, but it is going on
(3) It's a haven for criminals fleeing justice. Many criminals as well as eg. Hells Angels from Europe have got a second life in Thailand, but it is also changing.
(4) Where the Tsunami hit. hmmm it hit many places.
(5) HIV is rampant there; almost everyone has it: Not rampant, and not everyone has it, but the situation is indeed not good.

The biggest objections I hear from gay men, about travelling to Thailand are....

(1) I'm not into Asians. Answer: Well many if not most gays wants sex when they are on holliday, if they are single. If they are not into Asians, I understand that it is not on their top priority travelling to Thailand.
(2) I don't really know anything about what the gay scene is like there.
Could be said about many destination, but a lot of it is, said or not said, commercial in Thailand.
(3) It's too far to travel. It might be for some people

I must say, that though I love Thailand deep in my heart, after more than 20 years knowing the country, I think some of their arguments are valid.

Latin, yes if we are travelling as singles to Thailand, gay or straight, we are labeled sextourist. We just have to live with that, and I assume that it is what you are. :snorting:

[Beachlover]

WHY is this trend not crossing over to the gay tourism market....?
Are you serious? Who says it's not reflected in the gay tourism market?

If I had to make a call, purely from observation, I would say gay tourism is booming in Thailand.

I come across gay guys and gay couples more often in Thailand than I do any other country I visit. And they come from all over. Lots from Europe. Tonnes from Asia and plenty of Aussies too. The gCircuit parties are beyond packed and you see friendly gay tourists in just about every hotel. It's actually kind of cool. You spot each other across the room at breakfast or around the pool and usually sort of nod or smile at each other, as if to say, "hey... cool, you're one of us, bro!"

It's also a hugely popular destination with my friends (the non-Thai friends who don't have family/home reasons to visit Thailand) lately. Once they go once, they seem to go back again a few months later, wanting to check out other parts of Thailand. I often catch up with friends from home in Thailand, which is kind of cool. So much fun having a night out with friends from home in a foreign city.


WHY don't gay tourists know about Thailand...?
Well... For you, Thailand is a bit further but in Australia, Thailand is well known. The only people who don't know or haven't thought about Thailand would be people who just don't travel at all!


(1) Great beaches and resorts
(2) Child sex trafficking is rampant there
(1) Yep - major reason for visiting. But add to it the fact that when you check into a resort as a gay couple, no one bats and eyelid and no one takes particular notice of gay couples around the pool. Where as you need to be more tactful in other beachy resorty countries like Vietnam and Malaysia. I'd rather relax in a Thai beach resort than any other, purely for that reason.

(2) Wouldn't say it's rampant but it is certainly present. Shouldn't be a concern for travelers who don't want to see that, as you don't see ANY of it unless you actually venture into the seedier areas.


The biggest objections I hear from gay men, about travelling to Thailand are....

(1) I'm not into Asians
(2) I don't really know anything about what the gay scene is like there
(3) It's too far to travel
If they're coming up with those objections (esp "I don't really know anything about what the gay scene is like there") then they're probably not the type to travel at all. Every country has a different gay scene which you suss out and explore. Thailand's is one of the easiest! If you can't find the gay scene there, you're never going to find it in less obvious cities like Hong Kong, Guangzhou or Phnom Penh.

[kjun12]

Most of the gay guys I know of my age (early 40s) and younger go for the stereotypical locations if they wish to have a gay holiday eg Gran Canaria /Sitges/Ibiza etc for the Europeans..because they like the climate but the Clubs are superb offering great music they can dance to all night (not be interrupted half way with a screaming drag queen in Thai - these guys want to dance (and probably take something else)), as well as meeting plenty of fellow gay Europeans....it is a fact that not everybody goes for Asians, we all have different tastes. In addition, a lot of the gay scene in Thailand, not all but a lot, revolves around money boys which not everyone is into either, and many who are prefer European types that can be found in Prague, Southern Europe etc.
Steve, you are 100% on point. I think that you have succinctly made the best explanation as to why people are not interested in coming to Thailand. Perhaps you could add that it is not the cheap place it once was.

[kjun12]

I must say, that though I love Thailand deep in my heart, after more than 20 years knowing the country
You must understand that you don't live here and have to put up with the bad things every day. After a while the pretty finish wears off and, at least for me, it is not as great a place as when I was just a visitor here. I still like Thailand enough to stay here with my lover but it is not the shining jewel it once was for me.

[kjun12]

It's also a hugely popular destination with my friends[/quote]
Both of them? :blackeye:

[latintopxxx]

flaming

[Surfcrest]

WHY is this trend not crossing over to the gay tourism market....?

We were just talking about this on the beach today and so I can't verify the statistics, but have been told that the mainland Chinese have now surpassed the Russians as the biggest demographic tourist group coming to Thailand. Follow the group tours around and you'll see they aren't here to be gay.

Could some of them be here to launder their dirty money?

Surfcrest

[bruce_nyc]

WHY is this trend not crossing over to the gay tourism market....?
Are you serious? Who says it's not reflected in the gay tourism market?

Ok.... You're right.... I should have been more specific....

What I meant was.... Why is it not manifesting in record numbers of gay tourists in places like Boyztown, Pattaya, Thailand....?

Maybe the generic hotels and resorts have loads of gay tourists there..... But the hotels and bars and such in Boyztown are hurting. Business is way down.... compared to past years.

At least that's what I've been told....

Is that not the case?


By the way, kjun12, you misquoted me..... Beachlover said that.... not me.