Tourism promotion: TCT urges government to market Thailand as prime retiree destination

[webfact]

 

Tourism promotion has driven the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) to urge the new government to market Thailand as a prime destination for retirees while advocating for regulatory changes that would encourage the development of the tourism industry.

 

The TCT yesterday met with representatives from the Thai Sang Thai Party to discuss these proposed changes, following the party’s consultation with tourism associations from Phuket, Phangnga and Krabi.

 

TCT president Chamnan Srisawat emphasised the need to elevate the issue of tourism development to a national level, proposing a committee led by the prime minister to involve all relevant government ministries. This comes as multiple regulations require amending, an area that falls under the responsibility of different ministries other than the Tourism and Sports Ministry.

 

Regarding tourism promotion, the TCT recommends marketing Thailand as an attractive destination for retirees by offering health and wellness products designed to cater to high-spending visitors. This is in line with Thailand experiencing an increasingly ageing demographic.

Supant Mongkolsuthree, former Federation of Thai Industries chairman and economic chief of the Thai Sang Thai Party, noted that delays in forming a new government are negatively impacting economic confidence and foreign investment. As MPs-elect await endorsement from the Election Commission, the coalition government is actively gathering opinions from stakeholders across various industries to inform future policy-making.

 

by Alex Morgan

Top Photo Courtesy of Freepik

 

Full story: https://thethaiger.com/news/business/tct-urges-government-to-promote-thailand-as-prime-retiree-destination

 

-- © Copyright Thaiger 2023-06-15

 

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[bob smith]

the coffers are running low again i take it?

[zzaa09]

I would trust that any prospective retirees will do some heady research and not buy into the glossy promotions before choosing Thailand as a preferable retirement locale....

[chalawaan]

And with perfect beaureaucratic logic, you can expect the cost of your annual extension "living expenses fund" of which they already sequester half in perpetuity,  to skyrocket, along with a few more layers of paper tyranny at the local IO.

 

I doubt this is going to be anything to cheer about! 

[ThailandRyan]

I thought that this was the reason the new LTR Visa class was designed and rolled out.  To attract more foreign wealthy retirees.

20 minutes ago, webfact said:

Regarding tourism promotion, the TCT recommends marketing Thailand as an attractive destination for retirees by offering health and wellness products designed to cater to high-spending visitors.

I just do not understand why the left hand and the right hand never seem to meet in the middle with theses different councils and government offices.  Do they even pay attention to what really is happening Visa wise to draw in more folks.

[zzaa09]

19 minutes ago, chalawaan said:

And with perfect beaureaucratic logic, you can expect the cost of your annual extension "living expenses fund" of which they already sequester half in perpetuity,  to skyrocket, along with a few more layers of paper tyranny at the local IO.

 

I doubt this is going to be anything to cheer about! 

To be sure.....always diddling with the already overloaded bureaucracy/cost of "resident" visas. Just another justification to muck with the the programs further. 

 

More intelligent and wiser old hands have never felt the need to play the game with the non-O types * very life restrictive. There are a couple of alternative avenues for foreign residents to take advantage, as they've been in place forever. Know quite a few of these selective types that aren't harnessed with the dreaded retirement, marriage, family or business long term visas. 

[mokwit]

Anywhere that changes the financial terms of visas/extensions without grandfathering is NOT a retirement destination. Look at the angst on this web board amongst retirees here due to ever shifting visa/extension sands.

[chalawaan]

41 minutes ago, zzaa09 said:

To be sure.....always diddling with the already overloaded bureaucracy/cost of "resident" visas. Just another justification to muck with the the programs further. 

 

More intelligent and wiser old hands have never felt the need to play the game with the non-O types * very life restrictive. There are a couple of alternative avenues for foreign residents to take advantage, as they've been in place forever. Know quite a few of these selective types that aren't harnessed with the dreaded retirement, marriage, family or business long term visas. 

The only ones I'm aware of are Thai residency, or Visit Thai Family Multi entry. Both are not freely available to all comers. The latter obviobviously requires the commitment to a family. 

The former, an income that's not a pension, and I think that requires a marriage to a Thai as well, from memory. 

 

If there were another avenue widely available to everyone, it would be no secret. 

 

 

[kamahele]

Same gender marriage legalization would increase the number of high spending tourists comming for weddings. Slightly off topic but on the agenda of the newly elected government I believe.

[Kwaibill]

If I had not fallen in love with my Thai now wife I’d have skipped to a more conducive governmental clime; maybe Costa Rica or Portugal, e,g.

[Gknrd]

Why on earth would any Western retiree want to put up with the immigration hassle and the awful pollution. 

I agree with the post above. I hope retiree's have the sense to research it first. 

 

[Gottfrid]

Not to forget the focus guys! 1 American, 2 from Europe and 3 from India and 4 from China.

[jcmj]

With all the “Bad foreigners” news we get from the government and immigration, why would anyone doing their research choose Thailand. Not to mention all the hoops you have to jump through and changing laws. They would certainly have to go back to the good old days when they welcomed us and made it easier to stay and live. Let’s hope the new government can do this. Otherwise it’s just another pipe dream. 

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Tourism promotion has driven the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) to urge the new government to market Thailand as a prime destination for retirees while advocating for regulatory changes that would encourage the development of the tourism industry.

How about after 5 years of staying here permanently give us free residency.

No more visa's no more 90 day reporting rubbish.

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Regarding tourism promotion, the TCT recommends marketing Thailand as an attractive destination for retirees by offering health and wellness products designed to cater to high-spending visitors. This is in line with Thailand experiencing an increasingly ageing demographic.

One statement blows their vision of welcoming retirees wide open.

[mikeymike100]

14 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

One statement blows their vision of welcoming retirees wide open.

Quite, it seems the ONLY thing they are interested in is money?????

[JustAnotherHun]

No doubt, there are moronic IOs, different "requirements" in different provinces and many foreigners had bad experiences with the crazy burocracy.

 

But let's be realistic: Thailand still is one of the most easy countries to retire to, especially for people on the lower range of income.

The 800/400k bank thing has not changed since ages.

 

Back to the "good old days", when people, who did not qualify for a correct visa or a retirement extension made monthly border runs for years? Would one of us want to have those people living in our home countries?

 

I think, for each one who reports here about problems with IO, there's another one doing his yearly extensions without problems, but that usually will not be posted.

I stay here a long time now and never ever had any problem with visa and - later - extensions. Some IOs were more polite, others less.

 

My decision to leave Thailand when my son is old enough to study abroad comes not from bad IOs or the feeling "they don't want us", but from the political situation, the pollution, environmental problems and a climate, that fits less for me than in earlier years.

I'm still grateful to Thailand and it's people for the very good time I had and still have here.

 

[Joseph98765]

if they want more retirees they  should listen the retirees, not government....they don't know a s**** what foreigners-expats are attracted to and what are we complaining to.

You want a first world destination for us? make a pool with foreigners around and not all the claims, but if you give us 50% what we would like to have...you will have a chance to be that first world destination.

Edited June 15, 2023 by Joseph98765

[hotchilli]

4 minutes ago, mikeymike100 said:

Quite, it seems the ONLY thing they are interested in is money?????

Isn't it always.

[JustAnotherHun]

4 minutes ago, mikeymike100 said:

Quite, it seems the ONLY thing they are interested in is money?????

in what else should they be interested in?

[JustAnotherHun]

3 minutes ago, Joseph98765 said:

...you will have a chance to be that first world destination.

A first world destination? With first world requirements for retirees too? I can already hear the screaming ????

[mikeymike100]

5 minutes ago, JustAnotherHun said:

in what else should they be interested in?

Well they should be interested in the quality of what is being offered, accommodation, entertainment etc,  to get folk to return. If people get ripped off, they won't come back?

If they want quality high spending tourists they need to offer high quality in return?

[chilly07]

Need to  cut the immigration regulation and  beuracracy and do everything  on line

[Thailand]

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

How about after 5 years of staying here permanently give us free residency.

No more visa's no more 90 day reporting rubbish.

And after 20 years a pension? ????

[chalawaan]

2 hours ago, Kwaibill said:

If I had not fallen in love with my Thai now wife I’d have skipped to a more conducive governmental clime; maybe Costa Rica or Portugal, e,g.

Portugal was great, except the female situation was dire. Few available, and for some reason, the men seem to inherit the looks! 

Jeez there were some horsey looking gals there.

Winter's can suck too.

Language is much harder than Spanish.

But safe, laid back, and inexpensive.

Shame about Brexit. 

They've tightened up big time on Retirement too.

Golden Visa scheme has ended. 

You never had to see an immigration officer at all, it was online. 

I paid just €15 for Residency before Brexit, but it expired while I was here. 

 

[chalawaan]

1 hour ago, mikeymike100 said:

Quite, it seems the ONLY thing they are interested in is money?????

Yes there's absolutely nothing for free, consider Panama, where they throw in the usual pensioner kindnesses like subsidised public transport etc. 

I'm not asking for unwarranted freebies, it just compared to anywhere else we're breathing ATMs to them and they crow about this in their PR like it's a BENEFIT? 

[hotchilli]

1 hour ago, Thailand said:

And after 20 years a pension? ????

If you paid into a pension scheme yes, regardless of how long.

[chalawaan]

2 hours ago, JustAnotherHun said:

No doubt, there are moronic IOs, different "requirements" in different provinces and many foreigners had bad experiences with the crazy burocracy.

 

But let's be realistic: Thailand still is one of the most easy countries to retire to, especially for people on the lower range of income.

The 800/400k bank thing has not changed since ages.

 

Back to the "good old days", when people, who did not qualify for a correct visa or a retirement extension made monthly border runs for years? Would one of us want to have those people living in our home countries?

 

I think, for each one who reports here about problems with IO, there's another one doing his yearly extensions without problems, but that usually will not be posted.

I stay here a long time now and never ever had any problem with visa and - later - extensions. Some IOs were more polite, others less.

 

My decision to leave Thailand when my son is old enough to study abroad comes not from bad IOs or the feeling "they don't want us", but from the political situation, the pollution, environmental problems and a climate, that fits less for me than in earlier years.

I'm still grateful to Thailand and it's people for the very good time I had and still have here.

 

Most of us still have options beyond going "home" there is The Philippines.

Thailand IMO is far more developed, but it's not impossible to be happy there. 

The biggest problem for me here is Immigration. 

 

Yes brother, you said it's easy for you.

 

But WHY do we need to deal with it at all? 

 

We are retired, most of us cause no problems, we are not a significant source of national income at all, but we still contribute significantly in our small hometown economy. We maybe spend at least 4x the average Thai working family minimum. 

 

I would be happy to still pay 2K a year for my extension, but just make it online! 

 

Scrap all this BS of signed copies in blue ink!

Photographs, stupid stamps wasting space, this is immigration procedure from my childhood in the west in the middle of LAST CENTURY let it all be in the SYSTEM!

 

And just let us live in peace.  

 

The best solution would be to get a one time retirement visa and done!

But if they must hassle us then make it all digital. 

 

Rant over. 

 

 

[Gknrd]

3 hours ago, hotchilli said:

How about after 5 years of staying here permanently give us free residency.

No more visa's no more 90 day reporting rubbish.

It's only going to get worse. It's already as bad as China and the screws are tightening. 

[JustAnotherHun]

7 minutes ago, Gknrd said:

It's only going to get worse. It's already as bad as China and the screws are tightening. 

What's so bad?

inpolite IOs? The burocracy? agree.

 

What else?

The once a year visit at the office where you have to manage the crowded place to get your extension? 90days report which can be done online (if it works)? The "horrible" 1900 THB?

Really?

 

As told before: 400/800k requirement has not changed as long as I can remember. Where are the comparable countries with lower requirements?

´What we all have to accept is that we're (longtime) guests in Thailand, not god's gift to the country.