Official figures have not been made available yet, but according to Thailand’s tourism and sports minister, an estimated 29.88 million foreign tourists, including more than eight million Chinese travelers and 60-70% repeat visitors, visited the kingdom in 2015. That’s an approx. 20% increase in arrival numbers from 2014 and just less than half a percent… Continue Reading
Pattaya Police “Satisfied” with New Year Road Safety Stats
The seven dangerous days of the New Year holiday period haven’t even officially come to an end but road deaths and accidents will be counted until the very last minute of Monday, January 4. The nationwide stats don’t look promising either, with as many people killed in road crashes after only six days as lives… Continue Reading
Thailand’s Seven Dangerous Days 2015-2016 Claim 380 Lives
It’s that time of the year again when road deaths make daily headlines across the country. Thailand’s so-called “seven dangerous days” of the new year holiday period when many Thais head upcountry to visit their friends and families and often drink and drive – more often than not resulting in fatal road accidents – started… Continue Reading
Thailand Welcomes 28 Millionth Tourist in 2015 (Updated)
A young Indian man and his family were given a huge welcoming party and granted a number of rewards at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Sunday after he became the “lucky” 28 millionth tourist to visit Thailand this year. The rewards for the family included two return air tickets to Thailand with free accommodation for five nights… Continue Reading
Thai Sex Workers Fuel Rural Economy
A recent article at Asian Correspondent dealing with ladyboy sex workers in Pattaya drew our attention to some interesting figures regarding prostitution in Thailand and the economic significance of sex work in the country. According to Havocscope, an information platform and database for the global black market, there are 250,000 prostitutes in Thailand and the… Continue Reading
Thai English Proficiency 3rd Worst in Asia
English proficiency in Thailand isn’t just “very low” (we always knew that but have it in cold print now) but has actually fallen to 62nd out of 70 nations worldwide and is now officially third worst in Asia. Only Cambodia and Mongolia fared poorer in the region, according to the annual English Proficiency Index (EPI)… Continue Reading
Thailand Forecasts Record 30 Million Tourist Arrivals
In the face of a continued surge in tourist arrivals throughout the first nine months of 2015 (the general pattern was: dwindling numbers of Russian tourists, but double as many new arrivals from China and other East Asian countries), it was only a question of time until Thai tourism officials would jump for joy, pat… Continue Reading
Tourist Arrivals Up 8.67% in September 2015
As we commented earlier this month following the release of the tourist arrival stats for August which saw a 25%-increase year-on-year: Despite the August 17 bomb attack in Bangkok that killed at least 20 people, including six Chinese nationals and several other foreign tourists, Thailand’s Teflon tourism industry continues to boom in 2015. A slowdown… Continue Reading
Tourist Arrivals Up 25% in August, Thanks to the Chinese
Despite the August 17 bomb attack in Bangkok that killed at least 20 people, including six Chinese nationals and several other foreign tourists, Thailand’s Teflon tourism industry continues to boom in 2015. A week ago, the Department of Tourism has published visitor statistics for the month of August (a detailed table has been embedded below)… Continue Reading
One Thai Commits Suicide Every Two Hours
According to alarming statistics released yesterday by the Thai health ministry, one Thai commits suicide every two hours on average. The youngest recorded victim has reportedly been only 10 years old and the oldest a 93-year-old. The public health minister is quoted as saying by The Nation that “about 3,900 people end their life each… Continue Reading
Chinese Tourist Numbers Up 187% in June, 115% in July
A month ago we reported that tourist arrivals in Thailand had surged by 38% year-on-year in July. That number was based on information provided by the Thai tourism minister and quoted by the Bangkok Post. As usual, the Department of Tourism has been somewhat slow in publishing more detailed visitor statistics for the months of… Continue Reading
Thailand 7th Most Popular Country for Expats
Thailand has been rated the 7th most popular destination for expats by the new Expats Insider 2015 survey. While 87% of the respondents said they were “generally satisfied” with expat life in Thailand, 10% were “neutral” and only 3% said they were “not satisfied” or “not satisfied at all”. While Thailand was voted the second… Continue Reading
