A Question To Those Who Work Here Or Run A Business Here

[newtronbom]

this may explain why i see so many business with no customers.

eyeglass shops as one example, i always think they fronts for something shady..........

open air beer bars in patpong...........must be farang owned.............. . farangs have mastered the art of running business with no income..............just how do they do it.................

You bring forth a good point here. I have lived here a long time and have seen literally dozens of these places, that are often in VERY EXPENSIVE locations, like the "Gaysorn building" or the "World Trade Center" who must be paying 20,000 to 50,000 baht a month plus for rent, plus staff who do nothing but sit around, even when you go into their store for a look. It's like they are not even interested in a sale. I rarely if ever see customers in these places and have even made a point of going for a look on different days, different times etc. but still see no customers. The value of the stock alone in some of them, must run in to millions of baht. They must either run at a huge loss, or as you say, there is some thing else going on. One store comes to mind that sells "high end" home sound systems, which go for 300 to 500 thousand baht or more. 5 months on from my first visit, they still have the same units in stock! I made a note of the serial numbers. This is one of many mysteries, I would love to solve......

[Samuian]

.........good post and very true....in 10 years time the thais will not need western tourists(as much!)and especially expats...unfortunately china has taken over the marketing stratagies in Thailand and hence this is why they control marketing forces all over the country.And due to the high ratio of Thai/Chinese/japanese businesses this is where the future for the east and industries in general is.....low costs,high turnover!

westerners beware!!

Excerpt:

"....in 10 years time the thais will not need western tourists(as much!)and especially expats.."

Where did you get this wisdom from?

Thais/Asians in General, even from high income society like Singapore, Taiwan, Korea are not holiday makers as "farangs" are.

Weekenders, honeymooners, a quick low expense trip here, the next there, "i have been there done that, seen it!"

I am for many years in the tourism industry, believe me if your statement would be anything close to the truth, the TAT, THA Thai Airways couldn't be bothered to spend big money on oversea's travel fair. like the WTM or the ITB, the local fairs at Puket and Muang Thong Thani, special offers for locals only, are merely to fill in some gaps, none else!

Fact is that Thailands GDP is gaining less then 10% (6%) from the mostly overestimated impact of tourism in Thailand's economy!

So it is not given first priority, as for example the agricultural sector, automotive export oriented industries.

49% of Thailand's labor force is employed in agriculture. Rice is the country's most important crop; Thailand is the #1 exporter in the world rice market. Other agricultural commodities produced in significant amounts include fish and fishery products, tapioca, rubber, grain, and sugar. Exports of processed foods such as canned tuna, pineapples, and frozen shrimp are on the rise.

Thailand's increasingly diversified manufacturing sector made the largest contribution to growth during the economic boom. Industries registering rapid increases in production included computers and electronics, garments and footwear, furniture, wood products, canned food, toys, plastic products, gems, and jewelry. High-technology products such as integrated circuits and parts, electrical appliances, and vehicles are now leading Thailand's strong growth in exports.

Source:

Tourist numbers have grown from 336,000 foreign visitors and 54,000 R&R soldiers in 1967[2] to over 14 million international guests visiting Thailand in 2007. The average duration of their stay in 2007 was 9.19 days, generating an estimated 547,782 million Thai baht, around 11 billion Euro.[4] In 2007, Thailand was the 18th most visited country in the World Tourism rankings with 14.5 million visitors. France, comparable to Thailand in land area and population, led the list with nearly 82 million foreign visitors.[5]

According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand,[6] 55% of the tourists in 2007 came from the Asia Pacific region, Japanese and Malaysians forming the two biggest groups. The largest groups of Western tourists come from the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, the United States and Scandinavia. The number of tourists arriving from the Middle East and Russia is on the rise

Souece:

The next fact is, that those who have the spending power got to France, Italy, Germany, Austria US, NZ, Australia...

edited, because limitations in quotes...

Edited January 11, 2010 by Samuian

[quiksilva]

A

I usually hope for the best but always plan for the worse. I have to think ahead but I try to look at and prepare for different scenarios so I can adapt if an event occurs.

B

I think business is tough in most places right now. On balance I'd still rather be here, but thats more of a lifestyle choice than a purely business driven one.

C

We made money.

D

Difficult call, but if pushed I'd say about the same as last year.

E.

I'm in real estate where do you want me to start?