Thailand, impact of the political situation

[katdiver]

It's certainly cost me dearly with cancellations as most of my customers pre book on the web. Those who are here are cutting their diving holidays short to spend time looking for alternate ways to get out of this place. True Bowmouth, they are miserable.

Down on the sea front the agents are spending more time getting people bus trips out to Bangkok than selling local tours and excursions. There are many angry tourists out there who will never return, and as one said to me, "Is this how they thank us for all the help we sent after the Tsunami"?

 

[h90]

It's certainly cost me dearly with cancellations as most of my customers pre book on the web. Those who are here are cutting their diving holidays short to spend time looking for alternate ways to get out of this place. True Bowmouth, they are miserable.

Down on the sea front the agents are spending more time getting people bus trips out to Bangkok than selling local tours and excursions. There are many angry tourists out there who will never return, and as one said to me, "Is this how they thank us for all the help we sent after the Tsunami"?

A bit strange for me is that the commercial flights (FedEx, DHL, UPS) run perfect since the second day.

 

[Vie]

"Is this how they thank us for all the help we sent after the Tsunami"?

Jeeeez. Issue of major inconvenience due to the airport closure and issue of helping fellow human beings after major destruction and deaths caused by a natural event/disaster are hardly comparable...

 

[h90]

Jeeeez. Issue of major inconvenience due to the airport closure and issue of helping fellow human beings after major destruction and deaths caused by a natural event/disaster are hardly comparable...

Vie: I have a very clear opinion on the things, but it is a scubaboard, so not let that get a political discussion.
thaivisa.com would be a good place for it.
I am here just looking for first hand informations about the impact of the scuba biz and tourist biz.
On other forums the wannabe specialists sitting in good old europe are posting from "no impact at all" to "no tourists anymore".
People in the dive industry can see if they have 20 customer per day and now just 10.

 

[Vie]

Vie: I have a very clear opinion on the things, but it is a scubaboard, so not let that get a political discussion.

I was merely pointing out the obvious, namely that the tsunami tragedy and the recent airport blockade/closures are not comparable events and are completely unrelated.

I'll say it again: Issue of major inconvenience due to the airport closure and issue of helping fellow human beings after major destruction and deaths caused by a natural event/disaster are hardly comparable...

Not sure exactly what you mean by "so not let that get a political discussion"...

If you could perhaps string together a few coherent sentences it might help to move this thread right along.

By all means, let's avoid politics and information based on rumours and hearsay like the posts below.

Dadvocate: on 2nd Dec is the last hearing and on 13th or 15th (can't recall) they will read the verdict of the party dissolution (is that the right english word??)
So by that day everything should be fixed. (unless something happens)

Every day there are new rumors, latest is that everything ends on the 2nd Dec.

I can only tell the news from my staff+wife who are all supporters.
Huge amounts of food there, as many companies (as well our company) donate food.
Government showed bad support for the tourists, basically first everyone just went home, so the PAD jumped in to feed the tourists. Just an hour ago there was an US Tourist (John???) who spoke on the stage how hard it is to fight for Democracy and that he understand them.
Yesterday the police wanted to disperse them: Result now the protesters have the shields of the police.
Army seems to be neutral and there are rumors that the Premier wants to remove Anupong (the Army boss) and Anupong want to remove the Premier.

That is what I know in short version.

I tend to avoid political discussions (especially Thai politics) as I don't know much about it and (in the case of Thai politics) facts are so hard to come by.

 

[h90]

What I mean is simple: don't use a scuba board for political discussion.
As I post my political ideas in a political board and not a scuba related one.
If you Copy/Paste things from Thaivisa...someone will not agree and answer....someone will not agree. You get a discussion which is not diving related.
that is what I mean.

 

[Aardvark]

I've been following what's going on as best I can, I love visiting Thailand and hope issues can be resolved (relatively) peacefully soon. Hopefully I'll be over there late January; if there are planes to BKK I'll be there

 

[Vie]

Yes, everyone here hopes the issues can be resolved ASAP.

 

[Arizona]

I am guilty of that! I guess h90 is addressing my post. I thought is was interesting and others not seeing it previously would find the pictures of the airport in its current state interesting as well. History in the making. It was not meant to be political but rather a look and see. Let's hope things pass quickly with a sustainable political solution.

 

[Dadvocate]

Lets face it. Whether or not we want there to be a political slant to this thread, there is one inherent to the situation that is its catalyst. The fact is I am not really interested in the political sides in this quagmire. As justified as the protestors might feel about their cause in the ideological sense of the word, they are affecting real harm on many other people who might actually side with them.

The taking of airports causes people harm, not as far-reaching in scope and not as profoundly as a natural disaster does. I think that goes without saying. Nonetheless, this brand of “misery” as others have called it means that—right or wrong—the cause becomes marred in the frustrations of those people who are affected by it. Me potentially included.

Whatever the politics in this case, I am going to be very unhappy if I lose out on a holiday I have worked hard for and in fact paid for well in advance. I suspect that there must be people agreeing and disagreeing with this cause who also feel that there must be a better way to get the point across than to potentially ruin a tourism industry that millions have worked to create over the years.

This is borderline political, so let the slings and arrows fly. I am feeling indignant as the ever-pressing deadline of the loss of my holiday looms. And where I will probably not hold any extensively long-lasting grudges about this inconvenience against the wonderful Thai people, I will probably not be giving my hard-earned wages to Thailand in the future if the relevant powers that be can’t stop biting the proverbial hand that feeds them.

And where a tsunami ravaging the country could not spoil the favor the Thai people have with me and many others around the world, this mess might end up having that exact travel consequence. The all-important bottom line in a declining tourism market is not something to toy with. Sorry if that appears too political.

Cheers!