Thailand Weekly Vol. 40
Thailand News and Stories Delivered Free to Your Inbox Every Sunday š¹š
Another Sunday means another edition of Thailand Weekly! Chris and I had a jam-packed week with a members party down in Koh Samui that was epic, a very special Pay It Forward video that went live last weekend, and some quality time with parents/grandparents from Canada. Nice to be back in Bangkok though. Iām always so excited to get back to the city on the heels of a little bit of a travel. Hope you all have a great week ahead and enjoy this weekās edition. Volume 40 cominā in hot baby!
Thailand Celebrates 10 Millionth Visitor In 2022
This past Saturday, Thailand achieved a key milestone in its tourism recovery with the 10 millionth visitor of 2022 landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport. The two lucky tourists, Ms Njood Alkhuwaiter and Mr Hetham Almdlj of Saudi Arabia were greeted by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and received a prize package worth over 200,000 baht (USD $5800) consisting of free flight tickets from Saudi Airlines, luxury hotel vouchers, activity passes, gift cards for shopping, free medical check-ups at top Bangkok hospitals, and a complimentary limousine transfer from the airport into the city.
"Today we have welcomed more than 10 million tourists. We will not stop this success but we will try to build more confidence that Thailand is still one of the main destinations for travellers around the world. We're ready on all sides to welcome foreign visitorsā said Chan-o-cha.
Our Take
Although this 10 million number pales in comparison to the 39.8 million people that arrived back in 2019, itās still monumental given that 7 million of these 2022 arrivals have come in the past 4-months alone. Officials are predicting that 2023 will see the Country hit 80% of its pre-pandemic tourism numbers, meaning we can expect to see just under 32 million arrivals throughout the next 12-months. Man, Iām VERY interested to experience what this is like. I was joking with my buddy Wat the other day how busy Bangkok is now. He told me itās still extremely tame compared to the 2018 and 2019 days. Wild.
Thailand And The English Language - Current State
Thailand was recently categorized as having āvery low English proficiencyā based on test results of 2.1 million adults across 111 different countries. Coming in fourth from the bottom among Asian countries (just ahead of Laos, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan) and 97th place globally, experts are concerned that Thai people and Thailand as a whole is missing out on the business opportunities that come with having a good handle of the English language. The overall low level of English (especially outside of Bangkok) can largely be attributed to the way that the language is taught throughout the Thai education system. With places like Vietnam and Malaysia ranking much higher on this English language index, experts are worried that Thailand will slip in FDI (foreign-direct investment), and global opportunities accessible to Thai people.
Our Take
This was a really interesting study to read and I donāt really know what to make of it. On one side, I think itās kind of cool that Thailand is extremely protective of their culture, traditions, and language. Unlike many places, theyāve done an amazing job at retaining what it means to be Thai. I was talking with a buddy that lives in the Philippines and he said itās WAY different over there. A ton of foreign influence. On the other hand, concerns about Thailand falling behind in FDI and access to the global economy compared to places like Vietnam and Malaysia is probably valid. English proficiency (or lack thereof) certainly wouldn't be the only thing driving these concerns, but at the end of the day, language is a big deal. I do think that thereās a middle ground somewhere. Iāve had a few local friends tell me that when they were growing up, English classes in school were strictly based around grammar with next to no conversational teaching. Thatās probably something that should be addresses at a root-level given that English is the entire worldās ā2nd languageā.
Thailand Travel Tip
Soā¦ youāre thinking of re-locating to Thailand? Well, Iāll say from personal experience that itās been the most rewarding experience of my entire life. As many of you know, I made the move two-years ago to help build āRetired Working For Youā with Chris. Although I was extremely nervous about it at the time, itās proved to change my life in the best way possible. Iāve become a true Thailand Lover and donāt plan to go anywhere any time soon. As the channel has grown, we get more and more questions about life over here, how to move here, how to find a place, cost of living, etc. For the longest time, we simply made videos on those topics. Condo tours. Day in the life videos. Visa videos. Recently though, we decided to open up a real estate program meant to help our viewers (and readers) find a kickass place to call homeā¦ so thatās exactly what we did. RW4U Real Estate baby. After close to 6-months of interviewing and vetting agents in Chiang Mai, Bangkok, and Samui, weāve partnered with some amazing people that we trust wholeheartedly in helping you find an amazing place over here. Kirk and Maprang in Bangkok. Andrew in Samui. Matt and Evan in Chiang Mai. All we promise is that weāll work our hardest to find exactly what youāre looking for, and help you through the entire process. We started this with only one goalā¦ to help others make their Thailand dreams come true.Ā If youāre thinking about making the move over here or have any questions, you can email me here. If you just want to stay up to date on the general landscape, you can subscribe to our real estate newsletter here. It comes out once a month and the first edition will go live next week. Itās not some lame marketing newsletter pushing hundreds of properties or anything like that. Instead, itās a fun way to a get little taste of Thailand and life on the ground here. See you in Thailand š¹š
Thailand Helps Indonesia Navigate Cannabis Legalization
Officials from Indonesia were in Thailand this past week learning more about the Kingdomās stance on medical marijuana and the current policies in place that have guided itsā legalization. Key items discussed included the general process of legalization, benefits of cannabis as a medicinal treatment, the development of cannabis laws in Thailand, and measures in place to prevent recreational misuse. The goal of the meeting was for Indonesia to get a better idea as to how they could utilize the plant to boost their Countryās economy and overall health.
Our Take
This is pretty cool to see. Thai officials have taken a ton of flack on the way that cannabis legalization has been handled thus far. Yes, itās been confusing. Yes, thereās been backtracking. Yes, there are quality concerns. Having said all that, to give credit where its due, Thailand is still the only country in Southeast Asia that has stepped up and pushed legalization forward. In this part of the world, theyāre so much further ahead than everyone else, and as someone thatās a supporter of medicinal cannabis, itās great to see the region take note.
Only In Thailand š¹š
A banana heist in Buriram! This past week, eight kids aged between 5 and 12 were fined 3000 baht a pop after stealing bananas from a local home in the Isaan Province. The person they stole from, Khun Kung was NOT happy and contacted police letting them know about the banana heist. Four families have paid the fines on behalf of their kids, but the other four are refusing pay because they feel that the fine is too much, even after it was dropped to 2000 baht. Poor Rung. Some naughty kids in her neighbourhood!