Less Western Expats arriving than ever before and a significant fall in working Western expats now in Thailand

[SupermarineS6B]

Yep, killing the place dead..  Been here a long time and i'm thinking i might see the powers that pretend to be closing the doors on the whole shibang and turning the lights out........ What a shame for everybody..... nevermind, you can all look forward to Friday night story time and alcohol bans.......  You couldn't make it up .......

[jimster]

11 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

1. Disagree, smiling doesn't equate to friendly\

2. Disagree, they will fine you, infringement or not.

3. Paying people off, I don't like bribery. 

4. Agree, Thailand is cheaper than most 1st world countries.

5. Agree, here you can impregnate and walk away. 

6. Disagree, full of MSG and sugar.

7. Half and half, You can pay them as much as you like for sex, but they will still cheat on you.

 

If you marry, easier to live in the Philippines or Vietnam. 

 

1. Not always, but sometimes the smiles really are genuine. It shouldn't be too difficult to distinguish between the two.

2. Not in my experience, particularly if you are street smart and can speak Thai.

3. While I don't condone bribery, but it's better than in the west where our tax money is stolen, laws that we didn't vote on are implemented and if you don't obey you will be heavily punished. In Thailand it's possible to at least use the system in your favor, should it become necessary. For most everyday dealings, it isn't.

4. Agreed.

5. Yep, even if it's not ethical or moral to do so but sure no problem.

6. Depends. Many restaurants don't use MSG and you can always tell the person preparing your food not to use it. If in doubt, ask.

7. LOL.

[melvinmelvin]

5 minutes ago, jimster said:

It seems like you don't know anything about statistics. 1400 is a small number, especially if it is a representative sample of possibly 250,000. 10,000 I would take as a good representation but 1400 mostly TV readers, nope.

 

you need a course in statistics and sampling, 1400 is quite adequate

 

[tonysilly]

Agree guys, my time is short here in the land of scams. Plus people are hiring more Philipinos instead of westerners.  Half the price. Nobody wants to pay for a proper  expat manager.. 

[ramrod711]

7 hours ago, SpeakeasyThai said:

i am 54, on a retirement visa and have noticed in the last 18 months more girlies seem to want me-show interest than before. Must be the exodus mentioned in the article. Money must be short. 555

You are obviously more "hansum" than you realize. One of the lucky few that age improves.

[BernieOnTour]

21 hours ago, Gecko123 said:

The hollowing out of the under 35 expat demographic probably can be explained by Thailand's war on foreign teachers without work permits, creeping rise in cost of living, and improving economies in the West.

I do not observe a hollowing out of the under 35 expat demographic here in CM.

 

I assume the main reason is: under 35 expats seldom use the old fashioned forums - they stick to Facebook groups, Line groups, Instagram, Twitter ...

 

Mainly us old geezers answering the questionnaire 555

[biggles45]

The Junta and the TAT dont really care about a lessening of Western tourists or expats . It is all about NUMBERS and getting that headline of +10% more tourists each year is important to keep your job. Its easy to fudge some mythical spending amounts to keep those numbers up. I do often wonder how a country with under 70 million will cope with this obsession with getting more tourists every year. 

[hottrader77]

21 hours ago, scottiejohn said:

I must disagree.

I suspect the expats who are "broke" are probably living "under the radar" (overstayers etc) or not wanting to admit they are broke and would be the last people to respond to such a survey in either case.

Also the exchange rates are completly wrong , take for instance the pound sterling its 43 bt to pound over 10 years ago it was 70 baht to the pound sterling it should be 85 baht to the pound sterling if 10 years ago it was 70 baht to pound british sterling , we are getting robbed i am certainly looking at somewhere else to live and only come for a month or 2 to thailand out of 12 months , if its 85 baht to the pound sterling then a bottle of beer at 60 baht in pattaya happy hour is then only about 75 pence uk money instead of now being 125 pence now 

[BritManToo]

28 minutes ago, hottrader77 said:

take for instance the pound sterling its 43 bt to pound over 10 years ago it was 70 baht to the pound sterling

First came here in 2009, got 50bht/pound, last week changed at 44.15bht/pound. It isn't that much different IMHO, certainly not a dealbreaker.

[Walter Travolta]

Ahhhhh the magic and mystique of Thailand, the land of smiles and welcoming natives . . . . When did all that end?? 

When life is easier in other countries (visas spring to mind) its no wander expats are leaving. Workers have to jump through hoops in Thailand, go VN and they throw a 12 month business visa at you for $300

 

 

[Henryford]

19 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

First came here in 2009, got 50bht/pound. It isn't that much different IMHO, certainly not a dealbreaker. 

I think the exchange rate itself is meaningless, what's important is what you can buy here compared to other countries or back home.  So a small beer in a bar 70 baht = 1.50 GBP, is that good value ? Condo rent for a month 13,200 = 300 GBP ? Hotel room 1,300 = 30 GBP.  The value for money is still quite good here but is getting very close to being not worth a 7,000 mile trip.  If you are a wine lover forget Thailand.

[Walter Travolta]

24 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

First came here in 2009, got 50bht/pound, last week changed at 44.15bht/pound. It isn't that much different IMHO, certainly not a dealbreaker.

It was 54baht to £1 just before the Brexit vote and it dropped to 48 the following Monday and decreased to 44 over the last 2 years. That is a 20% loss so if you are coming for 6 months and bringing £10k, I think losing £2k would be a dealbreaker for most tourists. If you lived in Thailand its a 20% loss on your pension with no light at the end of the tunnel as to when or if it might return to around the 50 mark again. So as this is about expats leaving, maybe that is why.

 

Its not a dealbreaker if you are on holiday for 2 weeks but if you lived anywhere abroad and are from UK, the hit is going to be felt wherever the UK citizen lives in the world. The only way it would not be an issue is if the expat was back in the UK obviously not having to deal with a fluctuating exchange rate

 

[MrMuddle]

How are people over 60 expected to get health insurance ? Most companies stop people renewing at that age.
The only sensible solution would be to enrol ex-pats who live in Thailand, in the Thai 30 Baht scheme.

[gaff]

Let's add 10% unemployment and poverty, then this country will be perfect and maybe the locals will start to respect us ❤️

 

 

[suzannegoh]

It was 54baht to £1 just before the Brexit vote and it dropped to 48 the following Monday and decreased to 44 over the last 2 years. That is a 20% loss so if you are coming for 6 months and bringing £10k, I think losing £2k would be a dealbreaker for most tourists. If you lived in Thailand its a 20% loss on your pension with no light at the end of the tunnel as to when or if it might return to around the 50 mark again. So as this is about expats leaving, maybe that is why.

 

Its not a dealbreaker if you are on holiday for 2 weeks but if you lived anywhere abroad and are from UK, the hit is going to be felt wherever the UK citizen lives in the world. The only way it would not be an issue is if the expat was back in the UK obviously not having to deal with a fluctuating exchange rate

 

It's ironic that over about the last 8 years that the dollar has held up better against the baht than most other currencies. It's been up or down about 10% from the present rate over that period of time but now is just about where it was at at the end of 2009.

 

[DrTuner]

8 hours ago, Fex Bluse said:

Never heard any man say nice things about Bulgarian women... ?

The do throw mean shot puts and have very well defined mustaches.

 

There, fixed that fer ya.

[BritManToo]

52 minutes ago, Henryford said:

Condo rent for a month 13,200 = 300 GBP ?

I just looked at a nice brand new apartment 10Km outside Chiang Mai.

Very small living room, separate double bedroom + ensuite, kitchen, balcony at the back looking onto jungle, fully furnished (but lacking aircon, fridge, TV) four thousand baht/month + utils. Discount if you pay by the year. Swimming pool across the road 20bht/swim.

The guy was very keen to rent, he would have haggled down to 3k, maybe even 2k5.

 

What accommodation can you get in the UK for under 100 pounds a month?

 

[AdamTheFarang]

8 hours ago, Dustdevil said:

Same in the States--any climate you want and all the other things you said. I'm probably done with Thailand too. Also no need to keep learning a new language every time you move.

Yes but in the States you are all the same, Europe has a far wider culture and a much longer history.

[AdamTheFarang]

7 hours ago, 0815 said:

Guess you never ran a business for example in good old Germany...

Correct I am not German.

[AdamTheFarang]

6 hours ago, moe666 said:

 People with a brain do their research before moving here, they know the rules and what they have to do to live here. Lots of complainers about the rules always after the fact

R u sure?

[0815]

2 minutes ago, AdamTheFarang said:

Correct I am not German.

I am, and I had a business there for 20 years.
It's more easy to run many kind of businesses there for people from neighbouring EU countries bcoz for them there are EU regulations, for German nationals there are still much harder German laws to follow.

[AdamTheFarang]

5 minutes ago, 0815 said:

I am, and I had a business there for 20 years.
It's more easy to run many kind of businesses there for people from neighbouring EU countries bcoz for them there are EU regulations, for German nationals there are still much harder German laws to follow.

What has that to do with this thread?

[Nyezhov]

3 hours ago, Lacessit said:

After reading through the posts on this thread, I am wondering if I am in the same country.

 

1/ Just about every Thai I have met has been friendly.

 

2/ I have never been shaken down by a cop. The couple of times I have been fined, it was for valid infringements.

 

3/ While the Thai hunger for paper continues to bemuse me, by employing the right people officialdom can be navigated reasonably painlessly. If that's corrupt, tell someone who cares.

 

4/ Thailand is cheap. My cost of living here is one-third of what it would be in Australia.

 

5/  Thai laws on relationships, marriage and relationship breakdown are far more sensible than those in Western countries.

 

6/  I like Thai food. Done properly, it's healthier than many other cuisines.

 

7/  Thai women are like any other. They want commitment and support. Once that is given, and you have earned their trust, they will do almost anything for you.

 

It's easy to live here, which is why I find it difficult to understand the barrage of complaints. Perhaps my attitude is different.

 

 

 

 

Exactly. Works for me.

[dragula]

What show about how many pedo bear they keep out now? Thai government doing good job, kicking a lot out and busting more each year.

[AdamTheFarang]

1 hour ago, MrMuddle said:

How are people over 60 expected to get health insurance ? Most companies stop people renewing at that age.
The only sensible solution would be to enrol ex-pats who live in Thailand, in the Thai 30 Baht scheme.

Can foreigners do that?

[Nyezhov]

1 hour ago, Henryford said:

If you are a wine lover forget Thailand.

Really? How come there are so many whiners here then?

[0815]

29 minutes ago, AdamTheFarang said:

What has that to do with this thread?

Just tried to explain that it is not that easy to "have your own business in 28 European countries".
Maybe not eactly following the thread, but it was written in a post.

[Fex Bluse]

4 hours ago, Lacessit said:

After reading through the posts on this thread, I am wondering if I am in the same country.

 

1/ Just about every Thai I have met has been friendly.

 

2/ I have never been shaken down by a cop. The couple of times I have been fined, it was for valid infringements.

 

3/ While the Thai hunger for paper continues to bemuse me, by employing the right people officialdom can be navigated reasonably painlessly. If that's corrupt, tell someone who cares.

 

4/ Thailand is cheap. My cost of living here is one-third of what it would be in Australia.

 

5/  Thai laws on relationships, marriage and relationship breakdown are far more sensible than those in Western countries.

 

6/  I like Thai food. Done properly, it's healthier than many other cuisines.

 

7/  Thai women are like any other. They want commitment and support. Once that is given, and you have earned their trust, they will do almost anything for you.

 

It's easy to live here, which is why I find it difficult to understand the barrage of complaints. Perhaps my attitude is different.

 

 

 

 

If I may ask, do you work in Thailand, with Thais and in what sort of work? 

[Lacessit]

Just now, Fex Bluse said:

If I may ask, do you work in Thailand, with Thais and in what sort of work? 

I don't work. I'm retired.

[Fex Bluse]

Just now, Lacessit said:

I don't work. I'm retired.

OK. No offense intended, but guys who either have plenty of money and don't need to work in Thailand have different views

vs

guys who work at the lower socioeconomic levels such as teaching English 

vs 

guys who are consequential to Thailand in some way through their work. 

 

If you are not consequential because you are retired and happy or otherwise, then you are not likely to be competing with Thai powerbrokers who really don't want foreigners on their turf.