nigelforbes

Who in the their right mind would rely on a policy where they haven't read or understood the T&C's and extent of the coverage provided! Doing so simply reinforces that there must be some sort of test administered by home country governments to determine if potential travellers are suitable to be issued with a passport in the first place! I understand that some will view this as a blanket policy providing complete end to end coverage, which is why I'm highlighting here that it almost certainly won't, what people chose to believe however is their prerogative. Doubtless we'll be seeing some posts from whiners after September, complaining that this or the other wasn't paid for and yet another item will reinforce that this is the land of scams and government lies. Big sigh.

Only the very naive would think that their family holiday to Thailand including free medical coverage because the government was going to insure them. If that's what you think, go for it.

The sooner they implement the levy the better. Then maybe we'll see an end to these go-fund me pages from families trying to get out from under medical bills they can't afford to pay, because they weren't smart enough to buy medical insurance or because they weren't smart enough to read and understand their policy or abide by the T&C's! Perhaps then we'll see an end to the headlines about foreigners doing a runner on their medical bills and forcing immigration to implement new draconian measures on the rest of us. Right, have at it, emoticon away, just remember, the truth hurts sometimes!

Yes it probably is, but it almost certainly has its roots in fact. Logically, Chinese are beginning to travel more, logically that destination is here, unfortunately.

Einstein was born March 14, 1879.He would be 144 if he were alive today.Few people remember that he married his cousin, Elsa Lowenthal, after his first marriage failed in 1919.At the time he stated that he was attracted to Elsa, "because she was so well endowed."He postulated that if you are attracted to women with large breasts, the attraction is even stronger if there is a DNA connection.This came to be known as....Einstein's Theory of "RelativeTitty."

The fee is not a substitute for medical insurance, it's in case the travellers own policy fails and/or for those that neglected to buy their own policy.

Consumption will continue, growth is the issue: https://www.kasikornresearch.com/en/analysis/k-social-media/Pages/Household-CIS3383-FB-22-02-2023.aspx

My wife has never declared those things in 20 years of travel, just vague and approximate dates of travel.

It's changed, now USD 15k: "foreign currency bank notes in an amount exceeding USD 15,000 or its equivalent requires Customs declaration when entering or leaving the country". https://www.bot.or.th/English/FinancialMarkets/ForeignExchangeRegulations/FXRegulation/Pages/default.aspx

The figures are a myth, based on one person's experience of a single flight, really!!! Anecdotal evidence does not represent a majority or trend.

Funds that have been imported for personal living expenses are deemed to have been spent hence they cannot be repatriated later. Funds used to purchase real estate are different and can be repatriated. The significance of this "formality" becomes apparent later when people try to send money out of Thailand.

Tell me, how does your Thai electric bill compare to the electric bill back home?

All banks will let you transfer into Thailand however much you want to, BOT does not set a limit. As already said, BOT policy is that anything over USD15k must be declared and the reasons for the transfer clearly understood by the receiving bank who then reports that information to BOT - these things are not variable nor negotiable, they are the rules of the Central Bank that all banks in Thailand must follow. https://www.bot.or.th/English/FinancialMarkets/ForeignExchangeRegulations/FXRegulation/Pages/default.aspx

Give the Thai bashing a rest, it gets old, day after day after day, every aspect of Thailand. Try posting something positive for once, just once.

Any amount over USD 20k requires a Customs declaration and/or notification of BOT. Banks act as BOT agents and carry out Central Bank policy.

BB were happy to open an account for me in CM, less than 6 months ago. COR and passport containing long stay visa, that's all, even have internet banking.

I don't have figures for land crossings at the Malay/Thai border but inbound international air passenger traffic into Hat Yai airport historically is dominated by Malay and Singaporeans, top outbound destinations are, as you say, Bangkok. https://www.airportthai.co.th/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Annual-Airport-2018.pdf

Don't count on prices falling, that tends not to happen here.

Hmm, interesting. I'm sure you probably know and understand this better than me but some of what you have written is very confusing. For example, in 2022, Malaysians were the most prolific visitors to Thailand. I also know from first hand experience that Hat Yai airport sees more Malaysian travellers than any other nationality, including Thai's. I would expect that Malays visiting Thailand do not represent a majority of the population so it may be that we are both correct....dunno. "Malaysian visitors ranked first among international arrivals at 1.95 million last year, followed by tourists from India at 997,913 and 614,627 from Singapore, according to official data". https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-01-24/thailand-welcomes-most-foreign-visitors-since-start-of-covid#:~:text=Malaysians%2C Indians lead tourist rush to Thailand in 2022&text=Malaysian visitors ranked first among,Singapore%2C according to official data.

Nonsense, they were happy to open an account for me but I have a long stay visa.

So much over reaction in this thread. Chiang Mai and the North are going through an extended burning season and it's lousy, no question. In time however, this too shall pass, this year is so much worse because last year was so wet and so little burning was done. By next month, all things being equal, the rains will have arrived and we can expect excellent weather until next February. In time, prices will become more normal but they will never be as low as they were, live with it and move on. Meanwhile, more and more tourists will arrive and yes, they wont be Brits and Americans, they will be mostly Asian and Chinese, this is their back yard, what did you expect! Burnley and Akron await those that don't like that scenario.

Indeed, but many Eastern tourists do and they are the ones that are supporting the tourist industry here, not the Brits, not the Europeans, not the Americans, the Asians.

I lived there, in Beijing, for two years but that was over twenty years ago. My current information comes from friends and neighbors who are Chinese, a story all the ones I meet reinforce.

They don't, six weeks ago the place was heaving with Russians.