"expat Hubbies Urged To Back Isan"

[bkkmadness]

Expat hubbies urged to back Isan

By Sumeth Wannapruek

TAT wants them to promote tourism

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)'s Northeastern Office in Khon Kaen has launched a cultural tourism project that is hoping to transform expatriates married to Thai women from the Northeast into spokesmen for the region's tourist attractions. The office plans to wow the expatriate husbands with the region's tourist attractions in the hope that it will prompt them to spread the word about Isan to their friends and family back home.

Continued here - Bangkok Post

******

Just read this on the post, thought it might interest some of you. Seems a bit 'grasping at straws' if you ask me, take 15 dudes out, charge them 1100 baht for the day for the promotional tour and hope they spread word of Isaan to the west!

[nonthaburial]

Thats funny, become an ambassador for TAT and pay for your efforts !!!!!!!

[pumpuiman]

This will never fly. There would be such an uproar if a non-Thai were seen on television promoting Thailand.

Wasn't there just a "study" conducted showing the adverse affects of farang on Thai (Isaan) culture?

Now they want the evil farang promoting further degradation of Thai society?

[terryp]

Just don't forget your Visa limit

This place is just full of idiots with smart ideas

[terryp]

Just thought, does the 1100 baht tour include all the food and drink you can consume

I'll have a box of Heineken

[Thai-Spy]

The married couples will be taken on a tour of famous attractions and will be shown traditional activities in Roi Et, Khon Kaen and Maha Sarakham between March 3 and 4.

Can't help but wonder if the selection of those specific "attractions and...activities" has anything to do with their willingness to pay a back-hander or their familial relationship to someone in TAT.

Each couple will be charged 1,101 baht to go on the trip and translators will be on hand to help the foreigners.

Supposing the Thai wives aren't up to speaking their husband's languages? Or are these "translators" just typical government PR flacks assigned to put the appropriate "spin" on everything? How fun it will be when, after listing to a half-day's mistranslation and misrepresentation, one of the Isaan wives finally, loudly and in full ear-shot of the group says "that's not what they said!"

[monsieurhappy]

Each couple will be charged 1101 baht., that's 20 baht for the missus and 1081 baht for the farrang husband!

[Thaddeus]

I think this could do with being merged with This Thread

[Erwin1011]

Only in Thailand...

You get all the difficulties you can get to stay with your missus in Thailand...

We will charge you for being our salesman to your country of origin...

And we expect you to tell the nicest things about the country...

[Thaicoon]

Just don't forget your Visa limit

This place is just full of idiots with smart ideas

Totally agree with this one........

[macb]

mmmmmmmmm But would you be deemed to be working and need a Work Permit

[Thaddeus]

As the duplicated thread is now closed, I will just paste my original comments into this one.... for the sake of continuity.

"Thanks Mid, best laugh I have had in a long time.

They are going to take couples from Isaan to tourist attractions in Isaan i.e. places they have probably already been to and charge them for the translator, because obviously the Thai part of the couple doesn't speak a word of English (probably still have to pay the farang entrance fee to, if there is one)

I don't know about anyone else, but most of the ex-pats I know already do promote Thailand to friends and family that are back home "

The last comment being the important one.

The amount of people I have met, who would never have dreamed of coming to Thailand if they hadn't had some connection here, is fairly large. The Thais would do well to remember that, actually, they would be better off trying to understand it, instead of trying to profit from people that are already here.

[RayBan]

Hey guys, what I would say is lighten up........you would spend more than that on a boy's night out in Pattaya or Bangkok Sukhumvit.

If it promotes the status of us guys who live here with the existing authorities and it allows us to earn "tamboon points" with them, well I think we should show ourselves as wanting to support the Isaan community as such.

We are a long way from our home bases and most of us who live in Isaan have decided to spend the rest of our days here. Any recognition of our expat community by any Thai authority should in my eyes be welcomly received and supported as best we can, although it is accepted as maybe a one way street in most cases, but could one day have pay-back points!!!!!!...............just my personal point of view and I for one would participate if this opportunity took place in Buriram or Surin townships............

[jocsum]

Hey guys, what I would say is lighten up........you would spend more than that on a boy's night out in Pattaya or Bangkok Sukhumvit.

If it promotes the status of us guys who live here with the existing authorities and it allows us to earn "tamboon points" with them, well I think we should show ourselves as wanting to support the Isaan community as such.

We are a long way from our home bases and most of us who live in Isaan have decided to spend the rest of our days here. Any recognition of our expat community by any Thai authority should in my eyes be welcomly received and supported as best we can, although it is accepted as maybe a one way street in most cases, but could one day have pay-back points!!!!!!...............just my personal point of view and I for one would participate if this opportunity took place in Buriram or Surin townships............

I'm glad someone writes better than I do. These are my sentiments exactly. I wish I was going to be home for it, but won't get in from working til after it happens.

[Bottlerocket]

I've got a better idea:

For farang

Free transportation to any tourist site in your province

Park entry fee covered by TAT

One night free accomodation

Meal vouchers (participating restaurants/alcohol not included)

For TAT

Pictures

An essay about the trip promoting tourism to the site chosen

[glenbat]

Having never been to Isaan I guess my views not worth a great deal but I'd of thought (other than the possible financial investments) the last thing a beautiful (of what I know/have seen on here and net/read about) area like Isaan needs is coach loads of obese Mcdonald eating tourists wandering round dropping their chocolate wrappers all over the place while trying to control their destructive kids...

God i've never been there and i'm already trying to save the place for myself

[Thaddeus]

The first 14 words were accurate enough.

Agreed on the last line.

//edit/made it kinder

Edited March 3, 2007 by Thaddeus

[lazeeboy]

Expat hubbies urged to back Isan

By Sumeth Wannapruek

TAT wants them to promote tourism

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)'s Northeastern Office in Khon Kaen has launched a cultural tourism project that is hoping to transform expatriates married to Thai women from the Northeast into spokesmen for the region's tourist attractions. The office plans to wow the expatriate husbands with the region's tourist attractions in the hope that it will prompt them to spread the word about Isan to their friends and family back home.

Continued here - Bangkok Post

******

Just read this on the post, thought it might interest some of you. Seems a bit 'grasping at straws' if you ask me, take 15 dudes out, charge them 1100 baht for the day for the promotional tour and hope they spread word of Isaan to the west!

any where else in the world and they would had payed you making you pay i doubt there will be much of a turn out whitch will quash any plans to do this in other provinces shame that some times they it half right..........

[glenbat]

The first 14 words were accurate enough.

Hence me typing them. not a Yank by any chance are we?

[Lite Beer]

The first 14 words were accurate enough.

Hence me typing them. not a Yank by any chance are we?

I thought that was a bit rude also. Us Essex boys got to stick together.

Glenbat , you`ve seen the movie, get yourself up here.

[Gary A]

I'm afraid they wouldn't approve of my thoughts. As soon as I recited my rules, they would throw me out and most likely without a refund. In case anyone wonders about my rules. they are;

Never spend more here than you can afford to walk away from.

Never be worth more dead than alive.

Keep a low profile.

[Martin]

Does anybody know if this trip took place?

[Gary A]

Having never been to Isaan I guess my views not worth a great deal but I'd of thought (other than the possible financial investments) the last thing a beautiful (of what I know/have seen on here and net/read about) area like Isaan needs is coach loads of obese Mcdonald eating tourists wandering round dropping their chocolate wrappers all over the place while trying to control their destructive kids...

God i've never been there and i'm already trying to save the place for myself

Well glenbat, it sounds like you are talking about Thai kids. I have a two meter high block wall all around our property. Walking aoround the outside perimimeter is depressing. Candy wrappers, plastic bags, bottles and anything else they decide to throw against the wall. There were several small trees started and they have all been broken and damaged to the point that they died. I bitch to my wife and she shrugs and tells me the brats don't care because it's not their property.