Thai tourism in trouble: And competitor Vietnam is "scary" for Pattaya

[moontang]

24 minutes ago, Leaver said:

A lot of expats place a lot of faith in the word "Retirement" in their passport. 

 

Not much point, really, when they can change the goal posts, at a whim, to be able to obtain the word "Retirement" in your passport.

UK requirements could soon change abruptly, EU actually does require health insurance, and Trump wants to change birth citizenship for Anchor Babies.  TM30 is a fraud, that I took care of 3 years ago, otherwise the process has only gotten easier, but I had the smarts to move out of CM. Used a lawyer to buy a house, and sold nine years ago but have not used an agent since paying 35 USD for a ticket to see the GFD at the Philadelphia Civic Arena in April 1984.  Maybe Orwell was wrong; they just have too many sailors in LOS.  And your point is?

[garyk]

Yeah I agree, Thailand will slowely die out. No big deal.

[jacko45k]

13 hours ago, Max69xl said:

So,of course it's a retirement visa,and you also get the "Retirement" stamp in your passport. 

You get a stamp that gives 1 year permission of stay. That is also monitored as you either have to bring money in or leave it in the bank to be checked at the end of the year . You don't get a Visa, you even need a permit to leave and return!

[Sealbash]

me thinks vietnam is not only scary for pattaya, but scary for all of thailand. more enticing to all already. the only negative i have noticed is viet is not a great place for scuba diving.

I do not understand why so many expats in Thailand consider fewer tourists to be a negative thing.


Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[seasia]

7 hours ago, DrTuner said:

Yeah? Can you show me an immigration entry stamp that says "Retirement"? As the ones I've seen are the box stamps with "admitted until" and visa class handwritten in it, i.e. Non O or O-A. Nothing to do with retired or not, just that you pass the rules set for a certain visa class. 

I have an immigration entry stamp in my passport that says retirement.

[seasia]

11 hours ago, moontang said:

On paper, Vietnam looks like a winner, especially pub prices.  However, I just don't see the photos floating around of cheap food and hot ladies.  I have watched too many of the videos..something is missing.  Seen a number of teachers go there with high hopes, only to be back in LOS within a few months working illegally for some dodgy agent.  Heard stories of slow pay, no pay in VN, too.

Food is cheap,found it better than Thailand in that respect.

Ladies, more subtle.

[ChipButty]

Some good friends used to come every year, not no more right now on their way to Cancun in Mexico 

[jacko45k]

54 minutes ago, seasia said:

I have an immigration entry stamp in my passport that says retirement.

That is surprising. 

[Vacuum]

1 hour ago, seasia said:

I have an immigration entry stamp in my passport that says retirement.

 

41 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

That is surprising. 

I have the same, and have had for many years.

[RoadWarrior371]

1 hour ago, seasia said:

Food is cheap,found it better than Thailand in that respect.

Ladies, more subtle.

"Subtle"  is PC jargon for non-existent......????

[jacko45k]

23 minutes ago, Vacuum said:

 

I have the same, and have had for many years.

Which Visa other than Elite or OX lasts for many years? I don't think either of those states retirement.

[Vacuum]

21 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Which Visa other than Elite or OX lasts for many years? I don't think either of those states retirement.

It's not a visa, but an extension of a NON-O. But they stamp the passport with RETIREMENT in red.

[JMSIII]

10 hours ago, garyk said:

Yeah I agree, Thailand will slowely die out. No big deal.

I agree.  Thailand is not the same anymore.  The baht conversion rate is not so good anymore.  Many things are much more expensive.  Immigration can be difficult.  And Thai's in general can be very rude, even arrogant, looking down on farangs as stupid people.  The numbers of the really nice Thai's is not what it used to be.

 

Yes, I have seen many of us act the fool.  But I have also watched many be very polite with Thai's.

 

The only way this will truly noticeably improve, is for the vast majority of faring tourists and expats to leave or stay away from Thailand for a year or so.  Let this really hit their income levels, and then see how they feel about us...

 

Just my 2 cents...

[Peterw42]

11 minutes ago, Vacuum said:

It's not a visa, but an extension of a NON-O. But they stamp the passport with RETIREMENT in red.

Technically an extension of stay, not an extension of a past visa, I have done 4 retire extensions and 2 marriage extensions, never had a Non-O visa in my life.

[Ron jeremy]

14 hours ago, Destiny1990 said:

Well at least i got no trouble crossing the second road now near central festival.

Nearly any vehicles just once a while an empty Song Teaw drives by.

In DaNang the crossings will be busier.

Far from the truth, main drags may be busy during the day, but my an area is incredibly quiet, unlike most places in Asia. Rarely see a vehicle late at night in an thuong. And everyone drives very slow.

[DrTuner]

3 hours ago, seasia said:

I have an immigration entry stamp in my passport that says retirement.

Any chance of seeing it? I'm sort of a collector. There was also a collection here in TVF, can't locate it at the moment..

[DrTuner]

45 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

Technically an extension of stay, not an extension of a past visa, I have done 4 retire extensions and 2 marriage extensions, never had a Non-O visa in my life.

You did have a non-immigrant type of entry though, as it's a requirement for the extensions. Converted a TR to non-imm?

 

Anyway the point of the exercise is: The Thai one year stays require that you are over 50, have no intention of working in Thailand (but are free to work in other countries) and if extending have to have the funds or be able to show income from outside. If one wants to call that retirement, go ahead. But it isn't an official term. I'd like to rechristen it to old fart visa.

 

Now Vietnam offers, if I understood correctly, stay permit extensions within the country with minimal hassle but you need to exit once a year? The exit part is the real difference, not what it's called. It's a temporary stay.

[Peterw42]

11 minutes ago, DrTuner said:

You did have a non-immigrant type of entry though, as it's a requirement for the extensions. Converted a TR to non-imm?

 

Anyway the point of the exercise is: The Thai one year stays require that you are over 50, have no intention of working in Thailand (but are free to work in other countries) and if extending have to have the funds or be able to show income from outside. If one wants to call that retirement, go ahead. But it isn't an official term. I'd like to rechristen it to old fart visa.

 

Now Vietnam offers, if I understood correctly, stay permit extensions within the country with minimal hassle but you need to exit once a year? The exit part is the real difference, not what it's called. It's a temporary stay.

Originally an O-A visa but have since switched to marriage extensions with no prior marriage O visa. 

[mike787]

Thailand is great for hot wild girls for short time on a short term (30 day visa).  Otherwise, I would go elsewhere.  Vietnam visa is easier, cheaper, longer, and hassle free, there are far better options. Thailand is also great for medical tourism. 

[DrTuner]

7 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

Originally an O-A visa but have since switched to marriage extensions with no prior marriage O visa. 

Right, O-A is a subtype of O, O = Other. There's discussion in other threads on how this became to be when they introduced the "pension" and "marriage" types after the 1979 immigration act. It's just been piled on and has gotten a bit messy.

[Rimmer]

Please stay on topic:

Thai tourism in trouble: And competitor Vietnam is "scary" for Pattaya

 

[Max69xl]

10 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

Originally an O-A visa but have since switched to marriage extensions with no prior marriage O visa. 

There are several countries in Europe where you have to show a so called Retirement Certificate when applying for the Non-immigrant O based on retirement at Thai Embassies or consulates. 

But that's not the case in every country which is very strange. I have loads of "Retirement" stamps in my passport from Jomtien Immigration. 

[Leaver]

Yes, the topic is, "Thai tourism in trouble" but it's not just the western tourists now going to Vietnam, it's also the western expats.  

 

Also, today's tourist is tomorrow's retired expat.  If Thailand can't get them here as tourists, they will not get them here in the future as expats. 

[jacko45k]

2 minutes ago, Leaver said:

If Thailand can't get them here as tourists, they will not get them here in the future as expats.

They don't want them as Expats.

[Leaver]

3 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

They don't want them as Expats.

Which in now quite clear for all to see, but expats do contribute to their local Thai economies.  Rent, electric, gas, phone, food, entertainment etc, all part of the lifestyle of a retired expat, and very little trouble from this demographic with the law, working illegally etc. 

 

The article calls Vietnam "scary" but what is Thailand doing to compete with Vietnam?  Zero.  It's just the same old <deleted> here, if not worse.

[jacko45k]

11 minutes ago, Leaver said:

Which in now quite clear for all to see, but expats do contribute to their local Thai economies.  Rent, electric, gas, phone, food, entertainment etc, all part of the lifestyle of a retired expat, and very little trouble from this demographic with the law, working illegally etc. 

 

The article calls Vietnam "scary" but what is Thailand doing to compete with Vietnam?  Zero.  It's just the same old <deleted> here, if not worse.

The best example is when an Expat takes a local woman as a partner and assumes some responsibility for her children and sometimes family. Generally consuming facilities and spending probably means little to them. And they are rarely allowed to become a burden. But all that is just 'living', by that sentiment everyone in the world could go live in Zaire and contribute to their economy, and should be welcomed.

No, Thai rak Thai! Thai for Thai...

[observer90210]

On 8/23/2019 at 1:43 AM, Sealbash said:

I do not understand why so many expats in Thailand consider fewer tourists to be a negative thing.


Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

maybe because they have invested money in girlie bars with special-farang-barfines  ?

[Leaver]

6 hours ago, jacko45k said:

The best example is when an Expat takes a local woman as a partner and assumes some responsibility for her children and sometimes family. Generally consuming facilities and spending probably means little to them. And they are rarely allowed to become a burden. But all that is just 'living', by that sentiment everyone in the world could go live in Zaire and contribute to their economy, and should be welcomed.

No, Thai rak Thai! Thai for Thai...

The old saying, "They want our money here, but they don't want us here."

 

When will they realize you can't have one without the other?

 

This thread touches on Vietnam being a serious competitor for tourists, and this is correct. However, without today's tourists, you don't have tomorrow's retired expat, and that will    leave a big void for Thailand in the longer term, around 5 to 10 years from now. 

 

Basically, the next wave of retirees will not aspire to retire in Thailand, but will retire to Vietnam,because that's where they had their holidays.

 

It's the Thai tourism industry that is an advertisement for Thailand as a retirement destination, and they really are doing their best to direct western tourists towards their competitor, who will also become future retired expats.   

 

I can't see Mr. Wong from China, or Mr. Patel from India, retiring in Thailand in the future, and as you say, taking a Thai bride.  

 

Whilst expats are not your typical holiday big spenders, they are a constant stream of regular revenue.  Lose the western tourists, then lose the western expats, game over.                     

[Leaver]

49 minutes ago, observer90210 said:

maybe because they have invested money in girlie bars with special-farang-barfines  ?

Whilst only a small percentage have invested in bars, a high percentage have invested in property here.  Good luck trying to sell, which also goes for the Thai widows left the property by their deceased western partner.

 

There's just no market now, nor will their be in the future. 

[Percy P]

On 7/23/2019 at 6:09 PM, Isaan sailor said:

Blame falls squarely on the shoulders of Bank of Thailand.  They dangle artificially high interest rates to take in foreign hot money bond sales.  This has gone on far too long.  Tourism, exports, farm crops all in peril from this foolishness.

And pay no heed to Baht apologists who implore you to compare Thai Baht to the price of gold.  That’s apples to oranges.  Compare your currency to the Baht, then your currency to the Dong.  End result—Dong stable, Baht out of control.  I rest my case...

Perhaps you can say why the Baht is high.