Thailand hopes to attract more digital nomads as it opens country to tourists

[webfact]

file photo

 

BY DINNA CHAN VASQUEZ

 

THE pandemic did not give birth to the digital nomad concept but there is no doubt that digital nomads multiplied in the past two years. Many Filipinos sought solace from being confined within the walls of their house by going to Boracay and Siargao. There is indeed something very appealing about a “workation” where you work during the day and spend the rest of your day on the beach.

 

The Adventure Travel Trade Association’s “Work and Wander: Meet Today’s Digital Nomads” report describes digital nomads as “a cross between the long-term expat and the two-week vacationer.”

 

In the agency’s 2021 Digital Nomads Survey, Thailand was one of the top destinations for digital nomads, along with Indonesia, Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Portugal.

Most digital nomads who responded to ATTA’s survey do freelance work for multiple companies (36 percent) or own their own business (33 percent). Being able to travel constantly and experiencing different cultures and meeting local people are the top reasons for living the digital nomad lifestyle. About 20 percent of respondents became digital nomads in 2020, likely as a result of Covid-19. The top challenges faced by digital nomads are always being available and working too much, uncertainty and loneliness. On average, 36 percent of the respondents’ monthly earnings pay for lodging, food and transportation; this revenue typically stays within a destination.

 

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As Thailand reopens with a new campaign, dubbed “Visit Thailand Year 2022 Amazing New Chapter,” the country hopes to attract more digital nomads as it makes bold moves to encourage the increase of international tourist arrivals.

 

Full story: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2022/04/30/thailand-hopes-to-attract-more-digital-nomads-as-it-opens-country-to-tourists/

 

-- © Copyright Business Mirror 2022-04-30

 

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[OneMoreFarang]

I hope all aspiring nomads read that other thread here from a few days ago when one of those guys asked for a nice coffee shop. Great thread... 

[mokwit]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I hope all aspiring nomads read that other thread here from a few days ago when one of those guys asked for a nice coffee shop. Great thread... 

which thread? Tried searching.

[CrunchWrapSupreme]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

There is indeed something very appealing about a “workation” where you work during the day and spend the rest of your day on the beach.

I did exactly this in Valencia, Spain. Taught English classes in the morning and afternoon, then rode rental bicycles around the city, hit the beaches, then the pubs at night. Unfortunately, it was volunteer work, a non-profit school for low income students. Still a good experience.

 

I'm digital nomading right now as I type this, waiting for online students. Got up at 4 am hoping to catch Japanese before they go out for the day, Turks in the afternoon, and Brazilians in the evening. Then in my afternoons now, "hitting the beach" means hitting my family's Issan farm to play with the dogs.

 

I wouldn't recommended doing what I'm doing tho, teaching English for peanuts. The real money's in what my friends do, web development for e-commerce.

[law ling]

1. How are they to be attracted? Using what visa?

 

2. Yet, pre-pandemic, as I saw it, this group was actively forced out, by the powers that be, by the restrictions on repeat visas.

[hotchilli]

Waiting for the special "digital visa/permit to work" to evolve... and pay taxes.

[zzaa09]

Remember when digital nomads were referred to as hack writers without the glamour and institutionalized attention....

[OneMoreFarang]

2 hours ago, mokwit said:

which thread? Tried searching.

I found it:

 

[Whale]

I read the article and all the quotes and info are about tourists not DNs.

 

Are DNs an actual thing? Or is it me backpacking in the 70s, but with the ability to make a little money on the side by doing  some not so hard task for money? 

 

We already know that the Thai immigration version of a DN is not a tourist who does a few gigs to pay for basic expenses, its someone with a valid work contract who can work remotely.

 

Am I just showing my age?

[OneMoreFarang]

1 hour ago, Whale said:

We already know that the Thai immigration version of a DN is not a tourist who does a few gigs to pay for basic expenses, its someone with a valid work contract who can work remotely.

I am sure there are some who do a lot of holiday and a little work and then there are others who work a lot and don't do much of that holiday thing. Lots of foreigners work here and they need work permits and pay taxes. I think it's only fair if the same rules apply to everybody.

[MarcB]

Firstly,

Amazing Thailand....

Hub of new ideas every week

 

Secondly,

Digital nomads were never welcomed, due to the limited tourists visas.

Now that they need money.... let's change the rules on the visas

And later, change all the rules again, when it fits...

Talking about a competent, consistent government...

 

3.

DN income is, supposedly foreign...

How they gonna tax that?

 

4.

<deleted>

Monkey country

 

[bkk6060]

"Digital Nomad" must look impressive on an employment resume.

Are the flood of You Tube vloggers coming here now Digital Nomads?

Edited April 30, 2022 by bkk6060

[Mavideol]

should we now understand they gave up on the rich/billionaires Indians, rich/billionaires Chinese and their latest target the Europeans .... amazing TAT they still know how to make us laugh

[SatEng]

2 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I am sure there are some who do a lot of holiday and a little work and then there are others who work a lot and don't do much of that holiday thing. Lots of foreigners work here and they need work permits and pay taxes. I think it's only fair if the same rules apply to everybody.

I, like a lot of expats, fall into a grey zone between Thai and foreign work - when I do work for Thailand government departments then it is through a Thai company, work permits, taxes etc. but in many periods the work is for overseas companies only and then I am a "Digital Nomad" on a tourist or other visa.

I put up with the visa hassles because they do not query the tax status of the foreign income, even though most work is me sitting in front of a computer in Thailand writing documents and having telecons.

95% of the foreign income is spent in Thailand - but if they start trying to tax this at local rates then I will just move to a house in the Bahamas and work from there - then no money spent in Thailand. 

[khunPer]

The visa-suggestions so far for digital nomads - where some are not so much nomads, as the title gives impression of - and online workers for foreign employers, or customers, have not been convincing, as the demands for both wealth or income, not to forget education, have been rather high.

 

Some successful digital nomads and online workers are already here, using for example the Elite Card-option, and officially enjoying their life from their savings.

 

Lots of remote workers might not have a high education - don't forget some of the most successful IT-entrepreneurs never finished their education - and might just make enough income for a pleasant life somewhere, where it's nice to stay.

 

Actually, the income from these nomads and online workers might be a bonus, especially when lacking tourists. They all pays v.a.t. and other product taxes and spend some money - just like real tourists - but probably little less than the often wished for so-called "quality tourists", but they might benefit smaller local vendors instead of many-star hotels. Income tax, however, might be a difficult matter, and if income is taxed the revenue might be quite small or nothing, as the money are often settled off shore, and could be transferred as savings. It should be possible to find a more attractive long-stay permission for those that benefits both parts, i.e. win-win...????

[SoilSpoil]

I personally know a digital nomad, and he doesn't pay tax in his home country nor does he in Thailand. I think that he prefers to stay under the radar. Lol.

[John Drake]

3 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I am sure there are some who do a lot of holiday and a little work and then there are others who work a lot and don't do much of that holiday thing. Lots of foreigners work here and they need work permits and pay taxes. I think it's only fair if the same rules apply to everybody.

I ran across some on Twitter. They have appropriated the name "Thai Twitter" for themselves. Of course, Thai Twitter is entirely in English. My observations of their content: lots of talk about what bars they are going to, pictures of their beer on the table, shots of the pool framed between their feet on their weekly hotel outing, complaints about service that makes Aseannow seem like a charity, lots of talk about "the gym" to work off all the fat accumulated from beer. Not observed: any interaction with Thais, experience with village life (nothing outside of inner Bangkok except resorts), self awareness. Not so much nomads as locusts.

Edited April 30, 2022 by John Drake

[OneMoreFarang]

2 hours ago, khunPer said:

Actually, the income from these nomads and online workers might be a bonus, especially when lacking tourists.

I understand the point of view from people who want to live and work here. I am one of those. And it took some time and effort to get legally employed and get a work permit and yearly visa extensions, etc. 

Personally I think it wouldn't be fair if some people would get away without any of this.

I suggest equal treatment. Work permit rules for everybody or for nobody. 

[AgentSmith]

3 hours ago, SoilSpoil said:

I personally know a digital nomad, and he doesn't pay tax in his home country nor does he in Thailand. I think that he prefers to stay under the radar. Lol.

That. And how many retirees pay taxes over their pensions in Thailand? They have to but most people don't and it doesn't seem to be a problem.

 

The Thai tax department is extremely incompetent and therefor the country misses huge amounts of income. Same goes for locals of course. I know at least one Thai with a rather large business who hasn't been paying 1 baht of tax.

[StayinThailand2much]

5 hours ago, Mavideol said:

should we now understand they gave up on the rich/billionaires Indians, rich/billionaires Chinese and their latest target the Europeans .... amazing TAT they still know how to make us laugh

Seems, they always bang their head against the wall the next morning... "Did I really suggest Indian billionaires yesterday? Damn, that will never happen... New ideas, new ideas... Think! Got it! 'Ethiopian trillionaires to save Thailand's tourism industry. 100,000 to arrive in May.'"

Edited April 30, 2022 by StayinThailand2much

[onthedarkside]

A news trolling post has been removed.

 

[BangkokReady]

15 hours ago, law ling said:

1. How are they to be attracted? Using what visa?

 

2. Yet, pre-pandemic, as I saw it, this group was actively forced out, by the powers that be, by the restrictions on repeat visas.

As someone else mentioned, they spoke about this previously and it was pretty strict.  High income, qualifications, work experience, etc..  Essentially what they are offering is the exact opposite of what digital nomads are seeking, or so I'm led to believe.

[BangkokReady]

14 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I found it:

 

Yeah, it's a funny one.  I see a lot of Thais working, studying, having classes, business meetings, Skype calls, etc. in cafés, and they can sometimes take up a lot of space (one person on a four seater table).  So it isn't like Thai people never do it.

 

I think you need to balance how much time you take per beverage, how much space you take up, and how much noise you make.  Obviously online teaching or all day meetings are a bit much for a café.

 

I don't actually know how much time it takes to be a digital nomad.  If it's 9-5, it might be better to find a workspace.

[Deserted]

Digital Nomad visa is only for those who work on-line right?

[dirtybirty]

absolute bull poo . thailand dosent want any long term farang living there unless you've got millions of $ what sort of visa are these peps supposed to get. xenophobic punch of retards. 

[scorecard]

13 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I am sure there are some who do a lot of holiday and a little work and then there are others who work a lot and don't do much of that holiday thing. Lots of foreigners work here and they need work permits and pay taxes. I think it's only fair if the same rules apply to everybody.

And some who decide that they can operate from a coffee shop (annoying the owner and the customers) and they will be loved by the customers and they will make a fortune. 

[scorecard]

10 minutes ago, dirtybirty said:

absolute bull poo . thailand dosent want any long term farang living there unless you've got millions of $ what sort of visa are these peps supposed to get. xenophobic punch of retards. 

Wow, the missus tell you to get your own coffee and wake up the much younger gig you brought home last night?

[dirtybirty]

7 minutes ago, scorecard said:

Wow, the missus tell you to get your own coffee and wake up the much younger gig you brought home last night?

where was yours last night . I just gave her an extra thousand lol

[scorecard]

2 hours ago, BangkokReady said:

Yeah, it's a funny one.  I see a lot of Thais working, studying, having classes, business meetings, Skype calls, etc. in cafés, and they can sometimes take up a lot of space (one person on a four seater table).  So it isn't like Thai people never do it.

 

I think you need to balance how much time you take per beverage, how much space you take up, and how much noise you make.  Obviously online teaching or all day meetings are a bit much for a café.

 

I don't actually know how much time it takes to be a digital nomad.  If it's 9-5, it might be better to find a workspace.

Depends if you can cope with the multiple rejections over many hours and get enough takers to make a few dollars a day for a bed in a backpackers place.

[JimTripper]

Digital Nomad = Youtube Vlogger