What will happen to Thailand?

[Zoowatch]

callippo, you are right about Thaialnd receiving way more visitors from Asia than Western countries.

 

I have seen the 8% figure before, but the 12% I quoted earlier also includes indirect income from tourism that are usually under-reported, such as sale of food and alcohol, transport services, construction, renting of properties, retail sales and civil aviation activities which would otherwise not occur in the absence of tourism.

 

The figures may vary depending on how you look at it, and how one feels that an inclusion or exclusion of certain criteria will lead to a more accurate reflection of income derived from tourism. But the more you include, the higher the danger of double counting, so some economists prefer to do away with this altogether (and settle with the 8% figure), although most still acknowledge that these indirect income are clearly generated by tourism, and they are useful in the formation of a more accurate picture of the tourism industry.

 

Anyway, what I intended to say is the same as calliope, that is the proportion of income from tourism in Thailand is much, much less than the general perception in the West. Thailand's real economic muscle is in the manufacturing of mid-grade consumer products (check out those Sony and Nikon DSLRs and the HHD in your computer), and also in the food industry.

[callippo]

the big money maker for the Thais is R*I*C*E. They're the biggest exporter of the stuff in the world, and even though they're not all that poor, 60% still work in agriculture.

 

if the agricultural sector is a money maker, then that's what will provide investment and jobs. It's another myth that more urbanized or 'industrialised' countries are wealthier. This is not always true.

 

compare Thai to Philippines, much poorer, but also much more urbanized, and where only 35% work on the land. Their agricultural sector is rubbish.

 

my Kenyan Asian owned corner shop has these 10kg sacks of THAI FRAGRANT RICE which are the first thing you see when you walk in the door on the right. I asked them how well they sell, they said they're the top sellers even though it's not the cheapest. Everyone, who is able to distinguish between different types of rice (which automatically excludes about 80% of Sheffielders) likes Thai rice.

 

it's why the Thai baht has done so well and why £1 only buys 49 baht now, when in 2003 it got 75 and even in 2007, 65. People can cut back on all sorts of things, but if you're Asian, you can't cut back on rice. You need it, and if you need to buy rice, buy the best you can get for the price - Thai.

 

thank the stars Thailand is not all that poor a country any more. It will face major political problems when Bhumimphol dies, luckily they have the momentum of their recently elected first female Prime Minister that is like something new, to replace the old, plus the pragmatism that the Thais have, to pull back from the brink of the abyss when the crunch between the Red and the Yellow, the peasants and the overlords, The North and Northeast and Bangkok, comes.