Expats hailed! Foreigners living in Thailand called "heroes" for leading the way in Thai tourism recovery

[Bantex]

20 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

We're heroes, all of us....

Where can I buy a cape ?

[Brian Hull]

Does this mean they want us to come back and bring our THB30,000 pension to spend in Thailand each month? Will they be introducing sensible visa rules to make us feel welcome?

 

[straylight]

But we still have to double price them because they not Thai even if they have lived here 50+ years and are permanent residents and no way should they be allowed to own the land that their houses or townhouse are built on even though every Thai living in their country enjoys this privilege. We Thai are too clever to allow this. 

 

 

Edited December 13, 2020 by straylight

[cliveshep]

2 minutes ago, Brian Hull said:

Does this mean they want us to come back and bring our THB30,000 pension to spend in Thailand each month? Will they be introducing sensible visa rules to make us feel welcome?

 

Short answer - NO

Longer answer - NO WAY

Even longer comment - Due to various factors we won't go into this will not be possible until Hell freezes over.

[metisdead]

Some posts with inflammatory personal comments toward other members have been removed.

 

Off topic trolling posts have been removed. 

[SupermarineS6B]

Recognition at last !     Just wind the clock back six years and drop the demands to be a multi millionaire with a private jet then Robert's your fathers brother......... The place would be back to normal overnight.......  Tourist visas and consulate staff that would actually help you rather than try their best to stop you getting a visa..... 

All very easy........

[Nanaplaza666]

Time to get a suit and wander the streets late at night looking for and fighting crime . Finally something else to do then just wandering the streets late at night ???? . 

[spidermike007]

It is nice to hear a positive sentiment towards us being expressed. But, if you sincerely mean it, show us. Give us direct access to the discounts being offered by the govt. for travel. Give us the low Thai entrance fee, to National parks. Give us easy and hassle free visa renewals. 

 

As for more investment in tourism related stuff, the exact opposite is happening, since people in the tourism industry are getting NO HELP whatsoever from this administration, and the hapless tourism dept. They are getting crushed, and money is being pulled out of, and not into the industry. 

 

We are heroes. We invest billions of baht into the Thai economy. We build houses for our families. We start businesses, support many Thais, buy cars and trucks, and most of us are honest and respectful people. 

 

Major changes need to be made, if Thailand wants to continue to enjoy the cash cow of tourism. Travelers these days simply have too many choices. Creativity is required. Progress needs to be made. Thailand cannot continue to be one of the least progressive nations on earth, and expect foreigners to tolerate that degree of ignorance. These seeds were planted over a decade ago. The hapless army has accelerated the process dramatically. If Thailand had a qualified health minister, and a slightly intelligent tourism minister, they would stop this nonsense, and realize no tourism program requiring quarantine will ever work. Period. 

 

I was recently in Samui. 85% of the hotels were closed. Most restaurants, alot of bars, shops and other businesses were closed, many permanently. Granted, there are some great hotel bargains right now. But, that environment is fairly depressing, seeing so much hardship. So, the lame authorities here need to wrap their minds around that. Tourists would be coming to a hugely diminished destination. Free quarantine? Might be a good place to start. Make some sacrifices, you incompetents. These issues and problems were becoming apparent long before Covid. And none were being addressed. That is part of my point. Tourism had been declining for years already. The numbers were up. But the quality of tourist was way down. And according to everyone I spoke to last year, the year before and the year before that, income was way, way down. So, "this blame it all on Covid scenario" is somewhat disengenuous. Sure, Covid is huge. And the drop now is stunning. But, my point is there were plenty of issues prior to Covid. And are any of them being addressed?

Tourism is not returning to Thailand anytime soon. If you think about it, the group that comprised perhaps 70% of all arrivals (lower to middle income Chinese and Indians) are the ones who have been hardest hit by this idiotic worldwide economic shutdown. Tourism in Thailand will never recover to even close to it's former levels, and that leaves millions out of work. Even years from now, the industry will still be a pale shadow of where it was, at it's peak. 

[lovethai123]

I made a similar thread and many people didn't agree to it. Mine was based on the conversation with a real small business owner in pattaya and he was thankful to the foreign retirees (mainly elder folks and anyone else who didn't leave during the pandemic) . 

 

https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1193488-thank-you-farang-retirees/

 

 

 

Edited December 13, 2020 by lovethai123

[arick]

I am glad I did my part going around the Country I truely didn't see any other foreigners doing theirs. So can you please just prize me. 

[jvs]

11 hours ago, Somtamnication said:

Been a hero for 20 odd years. 

Thank you for your service!!!!!

[Deerculler]

I will see a bout citizenship.

[Madeline Thompson]

Lovely to hear this but agree with many, the bureaucracy is the real

killer at the moment. Making easier access to work permits, especially

for international teachers, would be a great start - forcing them to cross

a border out of Thailand, quarantine wherever that is, get a new 'proper'

visa at the Thai embassy in that country, get back into Thailand, quarantine

another 14 days and then they will eligible for a work permit - that is absolute

nonsense.  Nevertheless, grateful for a moment when wearen't the

bad guys. 

[fabruer]

Heros ????

More like milk goats.

 

Was presented with a grin and attached piece of paper when showing my work permit to get THB40, instead of THB200, entry fee to "National Park" on the way to Koh Lipe.

 

THB160 is not a lot of money in absolute terms. Relatively, it's 5x the amount locals pay. And no, it's not the poor Thais that fly down in the South and set course for Koh Lipe.

 

Ps.: Read that piece of paper carefully: "There is a problem with foreigners in practical..." ????‍♂️

 

Edited December 13, 2020 by fabruer

[Gandtee]

19 hours ago, scammed said:

well, not heroes, but we are an asset

Perhaps we can now qualify to be named a Hub for Farang Heroes. We haven't seen a new hub lately.????

[Tengtai]

With a bit of struggle, I'm sure many of us, probably thousands of expats, stuck in our home countries, can be allowed to come back. Even if we don't have wives, kids, or condos in Thailand. I could appreciate it if they just could welcome us back as well, not just these STV tourists.

[Techno Viking]

1 hour ago, possum1931 said:

If we are heroes, then maybe the unelected "PM" and his generals could stop treating us like criminals and

do away with this 90 day reporting nonsense.

 

Out all the red tape thrown at us your main beef is the very simple and easily done 90 day reporting ?

[Titan1962]

Don’t know  about being hero’s to the tourists sector,but my misses,her nephew,her brother and father sure are happy I am around at the moment.LOL.

As for building attractions,sort out the transport situation in phuket so tourists don’t get ripped of left right and Center.

Make it easier for expats that have been here a long time to obtain their visa.

After say 5 years living here trouble free do-away with the 90 day reporting, ( I think we have done our probation period).

Abolish the dual pricing,or at least make it if you hold a pink Thai ID card,you can’t be charged extra.

A few small changes will make a big difference.

 

[Techno Viking]

1 hour ago, DjChris28 said:

Well when I was there, they kept calling me "dirty farang" and asked me to get covid tests before I could rent an apartment.

 

when was that ?

[NoshowJones]

3 hours ago, Helmet Grunter said:

I don't understand why so many are complaining about Immigration, I go once a year for 30 minutes and 90 reports on line which takes 5 minutes, what's the big deal ????????

I don't understand why so many people don't mind being treated like criminals. How far away is the IO from your house?

[Destiny1990]

They have to be really desperate at this stage with these kind of bizarre   statements ????

[bkk6060]

2 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

I don't understand why so many people don't mind being treated like criminals. How far away is the IO from your house?

Well, my 3 reports this year have taken about 5 minutes total.

If a person lives far away from an office and complains so sorry, but that was their decision and problem they created.

Also, online works fine if you know how to use it.

[PatOngo]

38 minutes ago, Tengtai said:

I could appreciate it if they just could welcome us back as well, not just these STV tourists.

I have been married for 30 years to a Thai, worked there for 25 years on infrastructure projects, have 2 (overseas) university educated kids who contribute to the Thai economy, own a few houses and cars in my wifes name but I mean squat to the Thai's. Get over it if you think farangs will ever have any meaning other than as cash cows in Thailand! 

Edited December 13, 2020 by PatOngo

[NoshowJones]

Just now, bkk6060 said:

Well, my 3 reports this year have taken about 5 minutes total.

If a person lives far away from an office and complains so sorry, but that was their decision and problem they created.

Also, online works fine if you know how to use it.

and what about the IOs that do not accept online reports? 

[Misterwhisper]

1 hour ago, Tchooptip said:

I will sell baseball caps with

“ MAKE EXPATS GREAT AGAIN”

But red caps could be a bad idea?

 Maybe Yellow would be clever.????

Or aluminum foil hats?

[cheapcanuck]

Today it's Heros, tomorrow it will be back to being Dirty Farangs.

[thailand49]

????Does this mean I can leave Thailand and come back without going through all the hoop like royalty and a hero?

Edited December 13, 2020 by thailand49

[tomauasia]

And right through Prayut ignored and made it as hard as possible for separated couples and retired people to return. While pinning medals on d€%£₩y China..

[Amo]

There are many expats who are supporting the economy from their home countries. they would live to be in country but are unable to get back in. I spent a fortune the last year but needed to leave for work.  I'm sure that will be taken in to account when I try to return  end of Jan ????????????

[djayz]

3 hours ago, BobinBKK said:

Called heroes with one breath and dirty farang in the next. Talk about smoke being blown up our backside, this really takes the cake ????

Never mind, tomorrow we'll be called something else.