The figures you have "guesstimated" for Thai tourists are, at best, incorrect and are at odds with those given by the ATTA whom you quote as your authority. I cannot find the actual Thai tourist figures from the ATTA for 2007, but their estimate for 2007 and actual figures for 2006 are given in the Thai Economic Review, Year End 2006, as well as the comparative figures for foreign tourists; a number of both Thai and foreign tourists are obviously repeat tourists. These figures are as follows:Originally Posted by stevekoolguy
(2006 figures): "The number of foreign tourists at the end of 2006 was estimated at 13.65 million people, generating 481 billion baht. About 84.63 million local tourists would generate an additional 383.2 billion baht."
(2007 forecast figures): "The TAT remains upbeat that tourism should generate the country about 547.5 billion baht in 2007 from 14.8 million foreign tourists тАж. Revenue from domestic tourists is forecast at 337.8 billion baht from 82 million person-trips."
This gives expenditure of baht/person-trip of:
Foreign tourists: 35,238 (2006) 36,993 (2007)
Thai tourists: 4,528 (2006) 4,119 (2007)
As would any relatives or friends of those poor Thais knocked down, injured, or killed, deliberately or accidentally, by wealthy "hi-so" Thais while, for example, waiting for a bus who are then paid a pittance not to press charges - or witnesses to any of the other examples of mutual "respect", or rather lack of it, shown between the various strata of Thai society.Originally Posted by Patexpat
And that is saying a lot - so much so that he now appears to have been visiting another country. And what the hell is a "bahat"??Originally Posted by Oogleman