2 hours ago, diveasia666 said:

make up your minds please

TAT does seem to be suffering from a split personality; seems the glass is half full or half empty.

1 hour ago, BritScot said:

Just had a little goole search for you and the price is a little cheaper than £17 but then again in matters a lot the whisky and if the beer is imported! Note: with inflation the price is so much cheaper now.

 

I was staying at the same hotel as the American golf pros who were playing in the Japanese Open......... so being a tad upmarket boosted the prices.....Akasaka Prince, Tokyo...... only had that to drink then had to lie down after I got the tab.

6 hours ago, ozz1 said:

I wish they would make up their minds one article tourism is down next its up they blame everyone butthemselves just ajust the baht where it should be and keep the elites out of it because they are the ones benefiting from it being high 

Strong over valued BHAT, lowered interest rates and they want Thais to bring their money into Thailand exempt from tax, and invest it . Banks at 1% no one wants to put money into banks on term at those stupid rates or bring it into Thailand you can get 4/5 percent on a decent amount in Aussie and NZ.

2 hours ago, peter48 said:

I will always remain confused by the strength of the Thai baht especially over last month when 1. Thailand was at war. 2. Trump's tariffs on Thai exports to US will deeply effect Thai economy & lead to layoffs. 

Also I think the charge at Thai ATMs of 250 baht on every withdrawal is very high, for Brits that £5.70 per visit at a baht £ rate below the real market one. This will dissuade use of banks & for larger transactions we will use Monzo or Starling bank fee free transactions in larger shops etc

I have an account in Thailand but when i travel elsewhere i use my Halifax Clarity credit card, no fees for cash and transactions when travelling. I guess other banks also offer these cards.

2 hours ago, thaibreaker said:

Kind of like the president in a country I won't mention...

 

When the statistics of new jobs created just came out, the solution was simple. Just fire the one responsible for those numbers, and hire a new one, who promised better numbers.

Problem solved!

Get more accurate information before posting BS.

Well, I always pull out 90000 baht from the atm, now only 30k monthly. The baht is way too strong 

2 hours ago, Garouda said:

Well, it isn't the baht that strengthens, it's the USD that weakens, 1 euro = 37.81 THB and 1.68 USD !

It was 1 euro = 1.04 USD in January 2025 !

MAGA ?

In fact, the Thai central bank even reduced its interest rate...

show me where I can get $1.68 per Euro

2 hours ago, Spock said:

That has to be a very old exchange rate and I would suggest it is a photo of a bank booth giving lousy buy rates  at the airport. The buy rate for the Austalian dollar is about a baht over the current rate but the sell rate of 25.47 is about 4baht or more over the current rate. The rates are not what you would comparatively get as a Superrich exchange. If you are going to make such comparisons, at least use something current and not an airport booth designed to fleece unwary tourists.

 

From the internet 

1 Australian Dollar equals 21.13 Thai Baht

1 United States Dollar equals 32.38 Thai Baht

https://www.google.com/search?q=aud+v+thb&pws=0&gl=us&gws_rd=cr

 

The prices pictured are from a money changer booth, not a bank, or may be an old stock picture. The spread between buy and sell rates is much higher than Thai banks.

 

Better rates are available from banks for large transactions. My experience is that Thai banks give better rates than banks in Western countries. My experience is with SCB bank which was excellent in the handling and rates for foreign exchange.

They just noticed that a strong currency is bad for tourism?

 

Although, that really only applies to tourists coming from countries with a USD based or linked currency. Europeans are doing very nicely thank you.

3 hours ago, norsurin said:

Flip flop everyday this country.Stop ur BS about its so safe..its so cheap..

U priced urself out compared to neighbor countries and i hope it will continue.

Ur so greedy and it will never stop.s

the roads are S@@@, most hate us farangs, buses unsafe, many other options out there.  TAT is deluded.  can not loose face.

I'm confused - One day I see tourism down 5% then I  Tourism is healthy then I see this

So what's the real situation?

4 hours ago, Will B Good said:

 

That doesn't make sense (to me).

 

Regardless of the exchange rates, everything in Japan is significantly more expensive than Thailand.

 

I remember paying £17 for a beer and a whisky chaser in 1989.....God alone knows how much it would be now.

It was a lot more expensive (I was there in 2000, still expensive) but Japanese wages were frozen for a very long time. Nowadays prices are way more similar. Lots of Thai's go to Japan for a holiday.

Not to speak of the over valued THB, the prices in general were skyrocketing since the past few years. 

 

Why would any sensible foreigner pay prices that are comparable with many popular sunny beach towns in Europe like in Spain, Malta, Portugal, Italy ? 

 

A correct rate would be to get no less then  43 THB for 1 €uro. If not, the sensible tourist spenders are far better off to go to other countries within Europe or in Asia that give a longer bang for the buck, 

2 hours ago, TheTightArseTraveller said:

I don't know why you simpletons are confused..???

 

CLEARLY tourism in Thailand booms in the morning, but dips in the afternoon.

 

Simple

 

(Queue all the muppets that don't understansd sarcasm)

 

Well played. 😁

with double masks, the exchange rate is higher!🤑

3 hours ago, Garouda said:

Well, it isn't the baht that strengthens, it's the USD that weakens, 1 euro = 37.81 THB and 1.68 USD !

It was 1 euro = 1.04 USD in January 2025 !

 

 

 

1,168 USD today

 

10 hours ago, webfact said:

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports revealed foreign tourism earnings of around 938 billion baht from January to August 10, missing the annual target of 1.77 trillion baht. Foreign arrivals have decreased by over 6% compared to last year, totalling 20 million visitors so far.

 

Doesn't add up at all, unless the annual target was extremely optimistic... 🤔 

If they don't fully resolve the dispute and re-open the borders to Cambodia, they will also risk loosing tourists from northern countries who come for 4.5 to 6 months each winter on METV's and have to do visa runs. All other options are just adding more expense and hassle. Come on Thailand, get creative and change your policies so we only have to do extensions instead of visa runs. Retirement visas are no longer an option because of the unnecessary covid insurance and the fact you can no longer open a bank account.

Wait, I thought tourism was great, yesterday.

3 hours ago, cdulaney said:

Get more accurate information before posting BS.

Do you think it was any other reason why he was fired? Come on.

43 minutes ago, Canadian Snowbird said:

Retirement visas are no longer an option because of the unnecessary covid insurance and the fact you can no longer open a bank account.

Say what?

Retirement visa is definitely still on the table.

 

Come to Thailand on a Non-O 90 days visa from your own country, or from outside of Thailand. No insurance required. Then you can open a bank account yourself. No agent needed. The rest (12 months extension) is a piece of cake, no change of rules.

 

Where do you get your information from? Even agents are still doing them, and helping you open a bank account.

11 minutes ago, thaibreaker said:

Say what?

Retirement visa is definitely still on the table.

 

Come to Thailand on a Non-O 90 days visa from your own country, or from outside of Thailand. No insurance required. Then you can open a bank account yourself. No agent needed. The rest (12 months extension) is a piece of cake, no change of rules.

 

Where do you get your information from? Even agents are still doing them, and helping you open a bank account.

 

 

With a tourist visa or visa waiver, you're no longer allowed to open a bank account, ever since the money-laundering problem a few months ago.

Of course, you can do anything with an agent, but we were talking about the legal way to get a retirement visa: opening a bank account and depositing 800,000 baht.

 

24 minutes ago, Espanol said:

 

 

With a tourist visa or visa waiver, you're no longer allowed to open a bank account, ever since the money-laundering problem a few months ago.

Of course, you can do anything with an agent, but we were talking about the legal way to get a retirement visa: opening a bank account and depositing 800,000 baht.

 

 

Read my post again (one did even give me a thumb down 😂 I'm only stating facts!).

 

Retirees now are recommended to get a Non-O 90 days visa based on retirement, from outside of Thailand. No insurance required, only the financial. That is sufficient to open a bank account, and from there you are good to move forward. No change of rules, no insurance required.

 

Not being able to open an account from a tourist visa or a visa waver, has been the case for a long time already, that is not new.

5 hours ago, Fat is a type of crazy said:

As a tourist here now I get a bit under 21 - trip last year got over 24. Not the best. But still so much cheaper than a similar holiday in Australia. 

We are not ALL aussies.

Well, the Vietnamese Dong hit a multi-year low.on the USD this week. That should get Bank of Thailand’s attention.  Next time family or friend visit from USA, we’ll probably go to Vietnam.

6 hours ago, thaibreaker said:

Kind of like the president in a country I won't mention...

 

When the statistics of new jobs created just came out, the solution was simple. Just fire the one responsible for those numbers, and hire a new one, who promised better numbers.

Problem solved!

Exactly right. If you dont like the answer to you question change the person replying until you get the answer your looking for

34 minutes ago, thaibreaker said:

Say what?

Retirement visa is definitely still on the table.

 

Come to Thailand on a Non-O 90 days visa from your own country, or from outside of Thailand. No insurance required. Then you can open a bank account yourself. No agent needed. The rest (12 months extension) is a piece of cake, no change of rules.

 

Where do you get your information from? Even agents are still doing them, and helping you open a bank account.

My information comes from the Thai embassy in Ottawa, Canada on the requirements for a non-O retirement visa. Check it out for yourself. It also comes from attempts last winter trying to open a bank account and needing a residence certificate, which Jomtien Immigration refused to even process. 

2 hours ago, Middle Aged Grouch said:

Not to speak of the over valued THB, the prices in general were skyrocketing since the past few years. 

 

Why would any sensible foreigner pay prices that are comparable with many popular sunny beach towns in Europe like in Spain, Malta, Portugal, Italy ? 

 

A correct rate would be to get no less then  43 THB for 1 €uro. If not, the sensible tourist spenders are far better off to go to other countries within Europe or in Asia that give a longer bang for the buck, 

I’m nearing the end of a 3 month trip in Europe, the last 2 months of which have been in popular sunny beach towns in Italy, Croatia and Montenegro. Thailand’s way cheaper than Europe, especially where it really counts, the price of accommodation. It’s also the case in capital cities - a $100 a night hotel in central Bangkok is so vastly superior to a $100 a night hotel in a typical European city that the contrast is comical.

28 minutes ago, Canadian Snowbird said:

My information comes from the Thai embassy in Ottawa, Canada on the requirements for a non-O retirement visa. Check it out for yourself. It also comes from attempts last winter trying to open a bank account and needing a residence certificate, which Jomtien Immigration refused to even process. 

 

Just read my post again. These are the facts in Thailand.

 

Again, here is what you need to do, to get your retirement visa:

 

Apply for a Non-O 90 days visa based on retirement from your own country, or from outside of Thailand, Laos or Malaysia. No insurance required. Just the same financial requirements, 800k baht in a Canadian bank, or showing 65k baht income.

Then you can open a bank account yourself in Thailand. No agent needed. All banks in Thailand let you open an account on that visa.

The rest (12 months extension) is straight forward, no change of rules.

 

These are the facts! Regardless of what you have been told, or have understood/misunderstood. Just follow the above, and you will get your retirement visa (or extension is the correct term).

 

After you have entered Thailand on a 90 days visa, and gotten your bank account from that visa, you can apply for a 12 months extension. You must have had 800k in your Thai bank for two months to get that. An income guarantee letter from the Canadian embassy in Thailand is no longer an option, only 800k in a Thai bank for your first extension is.

For the second extension, you can change your status to the income method of you want, if you have had 12 consecutive monthly transfers from abroad, of no less than 65k baht.

 

It's all straight forward. Forget anything else.

Dr.Jack, the visa guru on this forum, would tell you exactly the same.

 Thailand better find better favorable conditions and or opportunities to attract Tourists. Other close countries like Vietnam seems to be taking away a lot of tourists from Thailand.