April Expat migration has started leaving places a lot quieter

[malibukid]

3 hours ago, newnative said:

Dollar to Thai Baht today:  34.45.

go baby go

[CharlieH]

Post containing link to Bkkpost removed as per forum rules.

[Photoguy21]

3 hours ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Just read in "Bangkok Post" about Thailand trying to attract Saudis as tourists. Apparently, Saudis come to Thailand for, get this, 'the rain' ... ???????? - So, they dance in the rain, or what?

 

Not many Saudis I have ever met in Saudi come to Thailand. They prefer the cooler climates of Europe. There will be some who come but they wont be coming in droves.

[Johnthplumb]

8 hours ago, koratkarlos said:

I go back to the USA today.  Waiting for the COVID tests results are nerve racking.  I will miss Thailand.  I would like to thank all forum members for the useful advice, interesting reading and humor.  I am coming back for a full retirement sometime over the next two years.

I think you may be back quicker than you think, but enjoy your break, let us know your thoughts when you are back in the states. Have a safe journey.

[Paradise Pete]

10 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

I do not know anybody that fits this bill - going back home for their own summer - seems total bull to me, to cover for lack of tourists and blame foreigners.

I just left. The extreme heat and humidity right now are too unpleasant. I'll be back in a few months. I first moved to Thailand about 15 years ago, and it sure seems to me that April is now hotter than ever. Maybe it's just that my tolerance has lowered, or maybe it's both. I don't know for sure.

[Guest truthman]

5 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Retirement Visas are only issued by Thai Embassies and Consulates outside Thailand, (ignore the Non-Imm-O conversion of entry for now), so I am unsure of what you mean... Do you include Retirement extensions too? (Yes pedantic, but I actually am interested in the numbers).

The quote from an immigration official simply said that that 35,000 and something foreigners had obtained retirement visas. I assumed this meant the number living in the country. The number, by the way, had been rising until 2018 and then fell precipitously.

[Blumpie]

5 minutes ago, truthman said:

The quote from an immigration official simply said that that 35,000 and something foreigners had obtained retirement visas. I assumed this meant the number living in the country. The number, by the way, had been rising until 2018 and then fell precipitously.

Little wonder it fell precipitously.  The charms of Thailand are no longer the way they once were.  It's expensive, relatively speaking to live there now.  The corruption gets tiring and upsetting, as does being thought of by officials as second class humans.  

There are many other places to retire, some a little better, a little worse, etc.  People already left.  

[geisha]

14 hours ago, micmichd said:

What could I expect from my European "home" country (GerMoney) ? 

Nothing, absolutely nothing. 

Well I would say that depends on where you live in the west and how you live. My quality of life, health care( hospitals doctors the air I breathe ) is better where I live in France. ( south) . Weather is usually very good. Also food quality is very much better in the west, you know where your meat etc comes from, hygiene is respected. Choice as well.   Housing / living conditions are also better , generally, especially if you own .  ( I am not talking about slum living and those unfortunate not to have a good job/ pension ) 

So why have I spent a lot of my winters in Thailand ?? Started  early  80s, seasonal job so plenty of winters free to travel. Thailand was cheap and cheerful, laid back. There are loads of snowbirds like myself. Though as we have seen , Thailand has become much more expensive over the years, and tourists also change. Before there were much more younger foreigners, now I find it’s usually over 50s and pensioners. Entry rules were easier, the 60 day visa easy to obtain plus an extension and the numerous border hops . I do believe lots of Thais became fed up of the mass tourism, and I don’t blame them one bit . So did I , and the degradation began, with clogged up roads and drains and dirty sea water . The Thai smile  faded. 
Covid has just made everything worse. Tourists are staying closer to home. There’s a war on our doorstep. The Thai government have proved hopeless in running an efficient vaccination program,  are they broke or what ? They have also destroyed tourist trust in a country that seems to be run by a bunch of loonies.  The endless tricks and scams and certificates are not great fun. So many have lost money on holidays that weren’t one. Ridiculous.

Thats my take on what’s happened and will happen over the next few years. Less tourists. I have worked 45 years in the tourist business, and I have never seen such incompetence. 

 
 

 

 

[kickstart]

15 hours ago, Clarkey611 said:

My Lufthansa flight from BKK on Sunday night is fully booked. Maybe people are returning after the Easter Holidays?

I come back to the UK for a month last week ,and the plane was full,but it was 3 airlines using the same flight, code sheared, along with a lot of other flights I noticed,if it was just one airline the plane would have only been half full?

 

As for leaving Thailand,with inflation,cost of living in the west,as I am finding out ,with the money I have Thailand is a lot better place.

[jacko45k]

12 hours ago, truthman said:

The quote from an immigration official simply said that that 35,000 and something foreigners had obtained retirement visas. I assumed this meant the number living in the country. The number, by the way, had been rising until 2018 and then fell precipitously.

Yes, they are talking of retirement extensions, which they have always referred to as Visas. Interested to know if those who have spent some years here under an Extension are giving up on the place. I still see folks arriving anew, planning to make Thailand their retirement location. 

[Guest truthman]

40 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Yes, they are talking of retirement extensions, which they have always referred to as Visas. Interested to know if those who have spent some years here under an Extension are giving up on the place. I still see folks arriving anew, planning to make Thailand their retirement location. 

Thailand is still highly recommended as a retirement destination by most international living websites. With inflation raging in the West, I'm sure many people are looking to move somewhere with a lower cost of living. From what I hear, prices are skyrocketing even in places like Mexico.

[joecoolfrog]

16 hours ago, sandyf said:

Exactly, but to the born whingers facts mean very little.

Hotels took a bit of a hit a few years back when they introduced the minimum wage and there was another rise to that not long ago. People tend to lose perspective between prices in large business as opposed to small. For example street food has hardly moved in 20 years, but they are not subject to the minimum wage.

Five years ago I went to my nephews wedding in north east Scotland and we were £84 a night for B&B, couldn't check in till 5pm. A couple of years ago I stayed in the Dusit in Pattaya for less than that.

It cannot be denied that the majority of hotels in Thailand are excellent value for money.

I concur , hotels and guesthouses are excellent value in Thailand on the whole.

[Blumpie]

27 minutes ago, truthman said:

Thailand is still highly recommended as a retirement destination by most international living websites. With inflation raging in the West, I'm sure many people are looking to move somewhere with a lower cost of living. From what I hear, prices are skyrocketing even in places like Mexico.

I agree with you about other places prices going up.  Huge.

 Many of those websites are circle-jerk websites that rely on clicks, not on truth.  There are websites that say that man was never on the moon after all.  

[sandyf]

18 hours ago, Photoguy21 said:

Not many Saudis I have ever met in Saudi come to Thailand. They prefer the cooler climates of Europe. There will be some who come but they wont be coming in droves.

Twenty odd years ago Pattaya had a high number of Arabs, but they weren't welcome. Many bars wouldn't serve them,  the girls didn't want to go with them and the numbers dwindled away. TAT way well be able to entice a younger element.

[John Drake]

16 hours ago, geisha said:

hygiene is respected.

In France?

[Photoguy21]

5 hours ago, sandyf said:

Twenty odd years ago Pattaya had a high number of Arabs, but they weren't welcome. Many bars wouldn't serve them,  the girls didn't want to go with them and the numbers dwindled away. TAT way well be able to entice a younger element.

Possibly but they can go to Tunisia, Egypt and have a similar time

[geisha]

38 minutes ago, John Drake said:

In France?

Yes , in France. You cannot even compare food hygiene in Thailand to France, or most other western/ educated countries ! If Thailand had the western health inspectors that we have here, there’d hardly be a restaurant ( ie anyone selling food) or shop / market left  open, and that goes for security / safety at hotels and buildings too. Add onto that social service checks arriving and checking everyone is declared and earning a legal wage . All very valid in most opinions.  No, it’s not right to stay stuck in the middle  ages and it’s lack of rules . 

 

[sandyf]

2 hours ago, Photoguy21 said:

Possibly but they can go to Tunisia, Egypt and have a similar time

We can only live in hope.

[jacko45k]

On 4/29/2022 at 2:40 PM, Photoguy21 said:

Possibly but they can go to Tunisia, Egypt and have a similar time

I do not know Tunisia, but I guarantee you a night out in Egypt is in no way comparable to one in Pattaya.......

[roger101]

On 4/28/2022 at 6:28 AM, RichardColeman said:

I do not know anybody that fits this bill - going back home for their own summer - seems total bull to me, to cover for lack of tourists and blame foreigners.

 

I only know of 2 people that have left, 1 to get some work done on the NHS and a second to go sell his house to marry his latest boo and finance her. Certainly not holidaying in their own country !

I play golf out of a bar. Two or three weeks ago we were getting 25 people per day. playing twice a week. Last Monday we had eight and Friday ten.

[Stocky]

On 4/28/2022 at 2:18 AM, webfact said:

EDITORIAL | by Michael Bridge

Michael Bilge.

 

Hat Yai just turned Blue and is expecting to welcome Malaysian tourists again this week; Malaysia has a long holiday to celebrate the end of Ramadan.

 

 

[Senior Player]

Must admit, this is the first I've heard about any annual migration of expats leaving Thailand and returning home to enjoy their own summers. Considering that summer hasn't even peaked its head above the parapet here in Europe, why would there even be any kind of exodus yet? Possibly next month, but early May?! 

 

Sorry, I don't buy this. I think it's more face-saving PR from Thai immigration. 

[Andrew65]

On 4/28/2022 at 3:52 AM, Andrew65 said:

For me, boredom's the same in any language. I got bored after 3 years in Thailand.

Edit: It wasn't that Thailand's boring, per-se, it's just that I had nothing to do there. I'll always love Thailand, for the great memories of it.

[Whale]

28 minutes ago, Andrew65 said:

Edit: It wasn't that Thailand's boring, per-se, it's just that I had nothing to do there. I'll always love Thailand, for the great memories of it.

I quite agree with you. I am retired and I have found if you remove bars, pubs and "entertainment" places from your schedule then theres little else to do here FOR ME. I find the weather for most of the year is a bit of a hindrance to enjoying many things, its just too severe for my old body. 

[Andrew65]

1 minute ago, Whale said:

I quite agree with you. I am retired and I have found if you remove bars, pubs and "entertainment" places from your schedule then theres little else to do here FOR ME. I find the weather for most of the year is a bit of a hindrance to enjoying many things, its just too severe for my old body. 

I do miss the weather. I've spent some time in Malaysia. If you take away the nightlife it's not so different to Thailand (IMHO). Malaysia would be my second choice of a place to live in SE Asia, the costings are quite similar to Thailand also.

[Photoguy21]

On 5/1/2022 at 6:45 AM, jacko45k said:

I do not know Tunisia, but I guarantee you a night out in Egypt is in no way comparable to one in Pattaya.......

That is what you think. Saudi has similar facilities so dont rule out Egypt

[jacko45k]

2 hours ago, Photoguy21 said:

That is what you think. Saudi has similar facilities so dont rule out Egypt

Well can't say I noticed while worked there, either of them.

[Photoguy21]

On 5/2/2022 at 12:42 PM, jacko45k said:

Well can't say I noticed while worked there, either of them.

I have been to Saudi as well so it isnt something I have no idea about. Where was you in Saudi?

[jacko45k]

13 hours ago, Photoguy21 said:

I have been to Saudi as well so it isnt something I have no idea about. Where was you in Saudi?

Mostly Riyahd and Dammam and Jubail areas, but quite a few trips the SW near Yemmen border, Jizan. 

[Photoguy21]

On 5/4/2022 at 6:13 AM, jacko45k said:

Mostly Riyahd and Dammam and Jubail areas, but quite a few trips the SW near Yemmen border, Jizan. 

Been To Riyadh, Duba (West Coast) Jubail, Safaniya cant say I think much about any of them. I spend nearly 5 years in Saudi