Girlfriend and I want start a tour

[terminatorchiangmai]

First of all, thanks a lot for all the comments. I'm pretty sure my idea is a good idea. It's something what's not/less available at the moment.

The tour consists 3 days/2 nights, so the customers will sleep for 2 nights in a homestay with an amazing family.

During the tour you go to a local primary school, also you can teach some English over there for the people who wants that. You cook together with the Thai, you visit a nightmarket and you visit some temples, including the Phanom Rung castle, probably you know it.

Yes, I've got an idea, yes I've got it all on paper. I know exactly what and how to manage the tour. I've got experience in managing, also in the tourism. I'm not afraid things are going wrong with that.

For me it's all about, how to make it all legally, so I have the opportunity to stay in the beautiful Isaan, without doing visaruns all the time.

You don't need to start a company for your visa runs if you are married and have money on your account.

If want you want to be in the company an get work permit you need to invest 2 million bath and have 4 employees for which you pay social security.

These can be official guides , then your wife not do anything illegally

.If you set up a Thai company for her only and accept bookings from abroad you have to put 100.000 at the TAT and register the company ( Tax id etc , etc )

Your wife still needs to have a guide licence if she goes on the tour or have a guide with her..

Personally i would aim a little bit higher and make minimum 7 max 10 day trip with more in it.

Go to Nan and Tak province also so the clients really get to see something else.

It sounds very ordinary so far; Cooking , temple , home stay ?

People want luxury and are not afraid to pay for it , so forget home stays.

Good luck.

[arfurcrown]

Well this little gem hardly bodes well for such a venture perhaps oif the groundwork was done the futility of the matter would be clear to see.

Note that the matter comes for an official government source.

Tighter security enforced in Isaan as tourism booms

BANGKOK, 28 October 2015 (NNT)- Security has been tightened in 8 northeastern provinces in order to assure safety for people at the end of Buddhist Lent.

According to the Police Provincial Region 3 Commander, Police Lieutenant General Thawitchat Palasak, police officers and those in plain clothes have been deployed to tourist sites in 8 provinces in the lower part of the North East.

The move is aimed at safeguarding tourists against petty crimes at tourist sites at the end of October, when festivals held to mark the end of the Buddhist Lent period often attract a large number of tourists.

The Commander revealed that the safety measures will be taken rigorously as there is also a greater number of foreign visitors than usual. People have also been encouraged to report to the authorities if they come across suspicious-looking individuals or activities.

[Evilbaz]

If this was combined with an "introduction service" it could hit a needy segment of the market...

[bwpage3]

For those that actually live in Isaan, we know this is a completely ridiculous idea that will never work.

Every friend I ever had come visit us in Isaan stated "How in the world can you live out here like this?"

We are about 38 Km from any kind of civilization, surround by nothing but rice and sugar cane fields.

Now who wants to pay to see that?

You want to home-stay in Thailand when the house is a cement block with no A/C and even a multitude of 18" fans can't keep you cool?

Or a wooden Thai house with no running water or A/C? Yeh, that sound like something I would spend my money on

People go on holiday to splurge in a once in a year luxury. Not to torture themselves in Isaan.

The Isaan food is different, language is different, conditions are poor at best, nothing famous to see or do?

This is just another uninformed farang trying to make a go in Thailand because of a GF, with no business plan

This does not work period.

[AyG]

The Isaan food is different, language is different, conditions are poor at best, nothing famous to see or do?

Really? Never heard of Khao Phra Wiharn? Phi Mai? Phanom Rung? Khong Chiam? Wat Phra That Phanom? Khao Yai?

There's quite a bit famous to see and do.

The food can be great. Somtam is famous worldwide. And who cares if the language is different? Few tourists speak central Thai, and are unlikely to be phased by people around them speaking the Isaan dialect.

And from earlier today on the website of the newspaper we're not allowed to mention "Upper northeastern tourism continues to boom".

[Dutch90]

First I want to thank you all for the advices.

We think it can be work. It's a nice area and yes we will visit Phanom Rung also. We keep the price low so it won't be expensive for the customers.

I've got a business plan. On paper and off course in my head. I found out that people want to see the other side of Thailand. At the moment more and more people wants to visit the Isaan. No not the drinking backpackers. Every year 20.000.000 tourists visit Thailand. If we can get 500 customers a year out of 20 million, we can have a very good and decent life.

It's a new concept, it's less available and the available ones are pretty expensive. We would like to show the guests this part of Thailand, far away from other tourists.

I'm not thinking to start a big company, I just want to have a great life, show people this great part of Thailand and have an opportunity to stay at the place I love. I know it will be hard, but if I don't shoot, I will miss for sure so I go for 100% for it.

It brings me to the next question. If I let my gf start the tour, on her name. We got married, I get a one year "Thai women visa", i've got the 400.000thb on my bank account and she(or we) are making money and I don't spend my Dutch money in that year but only the money we made with the tour. Will that give me problems if I want to get a new year after that year and I have to show my bank account again?

I mean, are they checking how much I spent in Thailand?

[NiwPix]

Technically it shouldn't give you problems, but being in Thailand, I guess it just depends on which immigration officer you get.

When my dad came to Thailand he opened up a bank account with 400k, solely for visa purposes. He also had a seperate account for his day to day spending.

He never touched the 400k account, until needed for visa renewal. When immigration saw that he didn't use any of the money and received interest, they wanted to know what money he was living on and requested to see his "everyday" account and where the money comes from.

[Dutch90]

And if I say I live on the money from my girlfriend, do they agree with that? For example, she has a good tour and makes enough money to live together with me. Is that allowed for me to stay in Thailand?

[NiwPix]

I cant gove you a definite answer on that, but would assume it depends on the current mood of the immigration officer you're dealing with.

But, you can probably avoid that by being "smart". Open a second bank account under your name and when it is time to season your money, just transfer 400k from one bank account to the other.