Kenr wrote: ↑Sun Mar 20, 2022 12:40 am

jaynewcastle wrote: ↑Sun Mar 20, 2022 12:36 am

Kenr wrote: ↑Sat Mar 19, 2022 11:46 pm It looks like that 11:00 pm closing time isn’t going away any time soon. Might be ok with the “high-end” individuals they are trying to attract, but not for the ones who who aren’t staying in high end villas eating lobster and caviar.

I’m easy, give me a LEO, some papaya salad, sticky rice, and some jerky and I’m in heaven.

The only people who can't find anywhere to drink after 11pm, are the ones still sitting at home complaining about all the rules & restrictions & haven't actually been to Thailand in at least 2 years

As to the main story, I'm sure virtually all countries want to attract high-spending tourists, its quite normal. It doesn't mean that they don't want any other tourists to come as well

And many have been arrested the past 2 years for doing exactly that.

Exactly, I had to run from the cops in Chiang Mai back in January. Keeps you fit I suppose.
I never found anywhere to drink after 11pm (sometimes the cops showed up a bit later) and I was in Thailand recently for 2 months.
The bars in CM were very quiet. In Patong, Bangkok and Pattaya they were very busy (Bangla, soi 7 bar complex, soi 6 respectively) but not a relaxed vibe as most are drinking fast and furious in order to be sure to be drunk before 11pm.

armchairlawyer wrote: ↑Sun Mar 20, 2022 12:14 pm

Kenr wrote: ↑Sun Mar 20, 2022 12:40 am

jaynewcastle wrote: ↑Sun Mar 20, 2022 12:36 am

Kenr wrote: ↑Sat Mar 19, 2022 11:46 pm It looks like that 11:00 pm closing time isn’t going away any time soon. Might be ok with the “high-end” individuals they are trying to attract, but not for the ones who who aren’t staying in high end villas eating lobster and caviar.

I’m easy, give me a LEO, some papaya salad, sticky rice, and some jerky and I’m in heaven.

The only people who can't find anywhere to drink after 11pm, are the ones still sitting at home complaining about all the rules & restrictions & haven't actually been to Thailand in at least 2 years

As to the main story, I'm sure virtually all countries want to attract high-spending tourists, its quite normal. It doesn't mean that they don't want any other tourists to come as well

And many have been arrested the past 2 years for doing exactly that.

Exactly, I had to run from the cops in Chiang Mai back in January. Keeps you fit I suppose.
I never found anywhere to drink after 11pm (sometimes the cops showed up a bit later) and I was in Thailand recently for 2 months.
The bars in CM were very quiet. In Patong, Bangkok and Pattaya they were very busy (Bangla, soi 7 bar complex, soi 6 respectively) but not a relaxed vibe as most are drinking fast and furious in order to be sure to be drunk before 11pm.

soi 6

Once the entry requirements have all been abandoned, and if CEO members in Thailand want to do a meet up in Soi 6, count me in...

jaynewcastle wrote: ↑Sun Mar 20, 2022 12:36 am

Kenr wrote: ↑Sat Mar 19, 2022 11:46 pm It looks like that 11:00 pm closing time isn’t going away any time soon. Might be ok with the “high-end” individuals they are trying to attract, but not for the ones who who aren’t staying in high end villas eating lobster and caviar.

I’m easy, give me a LEO, some papaya salad, sticky rice, and some jerky and I’m in heaven.

The only people who can't find anywhere to drink after 11pm, are the ones still sitting at home complaining about all the rules & restrictions & haven't actually been to Thailand in at least 2 years

As to the main story, I'm sure virtually all countries want to attract high-spending tourists, its quite normal. It doesn't mean that they don't want any other tourists to come as well

Of course you can always find places where you can still drink after 11pm. But it sucks nevertheless. As recently as Friday night, I had to leave a restaurant in a hurry because of this silly rule. Also, as others have already pointed out, you want to avoid getting caught violating it, unless you enjoy extortion.

AndyKK wrote: ↑Sun Mar 20, 2022 6:17 pm It's a bit of a nonsensical article to be honest. Thailand has always had the means of catering for the rich and also that of the backpacker.

This is it. Seems to me they are saying in this article they want a higher class of tourist... fine, but, what are they actually doing to achieve that?

In that article at least, all I could find was this:

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s government’s pitch for the top end has been evident in the incentives it has provided to elevate domestic tourism. A government support package has offered Thai tourists 40 per cent off hotel stays, but only at lodgings where the room rate is at least 3000 baht ($125) per night.

Isn't that in a sense cannibalising the idea of a higher paying tourist if the hotels have to reduce their prices with government support? That's not to say of course there haven't been other incentives or actions taken that haven't been mentioned in the article I suppose..

Seems to me unless some action is taken to change things, they can wish this and that as much as they like, and talk about it, but that alone will not bring it about imo.

The idiocy isn't trying to attract more wealthy tourists, that's perfectly fine. The idiocy is that they seriously believe they can attract them in outlandish numbers, often insinuating that they then won't need to be catering to anyone else anymore.

At the end of the day, greed will win again, as it always does. If and when there are masses of (less wealthy) tourists who are eager to visit Thailand once again, all that talk about abandoning mass tourism will be out of the window and they'll just cash in on it again.

Just deleted a dozen or so idle, off topic posts. @Big Daikon and @Kenr no need to pollute a good topic with such a discourse. Thanks.