Walking Street gogo clubs are becoming luxurious party venues
By Barry Kenyon
December 16, 2024
The traditional gogo club hosts solo naughty boys being tempted by rentable lady pole dancers. It’s a recipe that made Pattaya’s after-dark entertainment scene world famous. The terms gogo dancers, hello girls, showgirls, movers, chorus liners, danseuses, hoofers or even ballerinas were more or less interchangeable.
But Walking Street’s top-tier gogos are on the move once again. They are becoming bigger and more luxurious with UHD big screens, footage videos and hi-tech sound systems far removed from the recorded music of yesteryear or a lone DJ. The base market is no longer lonely guys sat on bar stools, but birthday parties, group nightsout, reunions and assorted celebrations in comfortable surroundings.
A new and flexible terminology is taking root in staff hiring. Both freelancers and salaried employees are welcome. “PRs”, or public relations, are responsible for attracting people into the club and need sales and communications skills. “Cayotes” (not the wild dogs) must be very attractive and hospitable, but cannot automatically be barfined. “Models” are the pole dancers who are available and can be hired in the traditional way.
Walking Street is slowly but surely losing its traditional market of westerners on limited budgets and being replaced by Asian men, often in groups, looking to party in luxurious surroundings. There are now seven or eight clubs catering mainly for Indians and none of them are for Cheap Charlies. Others attract customers who are from South Korea or Singapore in particular: very generous tippers by all accounts.
Much as been written about the changing Walking Street: its exterior refurbishment, the diversification of businesses and the market fragmentation. It remains the most visited street in the Pattaya area but its most familiar attraction is also undergoing major changes. Gogo clubs aren’t always what they used to be.
https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/ ... ues-483969
By Barry Kenyon
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Gaybutton
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Gaybutton
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Re: By Barry Kenyon
Elite visa card being challenged says president
By Barry Kenyon
December 17, 2024
The president of Thailand Privilege Card (TPC) has admitted that the 5-20 years visa and perks program faces negative issues which limit growth. TPC president Manatase Annawat cited several factors, including the trend of neighboring countries to promote similar schemes. He is believed to be referring to schemes for the well-heeled such as the Malaysia My Second Home 10-year multiple entry visa.
He also pointed to other Thai government initiatives such as the Destination Thailand Visa, technically a tourist “activity” visa which allows multiple entries of 180 days over a five year period. Extensions of a further six months at Thai immigration offices are also a possibility, although the criteria (if any) remain speculative for now. Mr Manatase did not mention the 10-year LTR or Long Term Residence which attracts wealthy retirees and business executives amongst other groups.
In a rare admission by a leading Thai business executive, Mr Manatose commented that some TPC customers were concerned about the latest interpretation by the Thai Revenue Department that foreign expats (residing here at least 180 days in a calendar year) could be taxed on some earned income transmitted from abroad. There is currently no consensus amongst Thai tax experts about the likely impact, apart from the common sense dictum to seek a professional consultancy if concerned.
TPC now has more than 38,000 members with about three quarters residing in Thailand for most or all of the year. The president confirmed that 47 percent of holders were Chinese and that the high potential future lay in the Middle East and India. The latest addition to the TPC “family” is the five year bronze membership priced at 650,000 baht for five years which is available by application until June 2025, or longer if successful.
Aware that Thailand’s long term visa program is confusing to many potential expats – there are several annually renewable visas and extensions of stay also in the immigration pot – Mr Manatose suggested the government should set up a committee of related organizations to ensure collaboration and sharing of mutual benefits. The Elite card was initiated in 2003 by then prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and has undergone several overhauls since then.
https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/ ... ent-484086
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Gaybutton
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Re: By Barry Kenyon
These problems are far more drastic than just Christmas, as most of us know. But the same complaints and same suggestions for dealing with the traffic problems have been going on for years. And meanwhile, virtually nothing has changed - just more and more vehicles. Those of us who live here had to endure the better part of two years while building the Sukhumvit tunnel. Ok, now that it has been in place and open for a few years, did it help anything?
So, I believe we'll still be hearing the same complaints and listening to the same suggestions for the foreseeable future, and the only thing that will change will be even more cars, which translates to even more problems.
Does anyone expect anything substantial to be done any time soon (or at all)? Maybe by the time the only access to Pattaya will be via archeological digs - like visiting Pompeii . . .
Where does that sacred "good image" of Pattaya fit in?
________________________________________________________
As Christmas approaches, where are all the Pattaya traffic police?
By Barry Kenyon
December 20, 2024
As Pattaya bursts at the seams with too much traffic on insufficient roads, the city’s traffic police division seems to have reduced its profile. These are the guys with the word “Traffic” prominently displayed on their backs. It’s true that they share duties with the main police force, but the citizenry is aghast that cars, baht buses and motorbikes seem increasingly to be left to their own devices.
The police booths to control traffic lights sequences at major intersections (with the exception of the one at the junction of Second and Central Roads) seem to be unstaffed. Drivers parking on red-line prohibited areas seem to be almost-invariably undisturbed, although there is still an occasional sweep of Beach Road with fine tickets posted on windscreens. Double parking without permission is now a common feature on the incredibly busy Thepprasit Road, helping to magnify the chaos. And so on.
In preparation for the festive season, police lt. colonel Phanupong Nimsuwan, head of the local traffic division, said there were four priorities: reviewing road signs, alcohol tests, no parking crackdown and illegal U-turns. He also explained that 30,000 extra parking slots had been established city-wide, although without clarifying detail. But what remains unclear is the number of officers actually out there on the roads to enforce traffic laws.
Feedback from individual police officers suggests several explanations for the absences. Some say there’s a concentration on night patrols and breath tests or maybe some officers have been redirected in duty location. A more profound view is that Pattaya’s traffic woes are so awesome that a hands-off approach may be the best answer as the festive season approaches. Some say that expanded ring roads around Pattaya have actually made the congestion worse in the city itself.
The reality is that too many vehicles are attempting to use the available road space. As the saying goes, “You are not stuck in traffic, you are the traffic.” The only longterm answer can be notions such as cable cars or mini-railways or a vastly-improved public transport system linked to disincentives to travel in the city center such as fines or bans on private cars. But there is no political benefit to launch projects that will take decades, cost billions and make people furious at further environmental chaos. In the meantime, more police presence on the roads would be appreciated.
https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/ ... ice-484505
So, I believe we'll still be hearing the same complaints and listening to the same suggestions for the foreseeable future, and the only thing that will change will be even more cars, which translates to even more problems.
Does anyone expect anything substantial to be done any time soon (or at all)? Maybe by the time the only access to Pattaya will be via archeological digs - like visiting Pompeii . . .
Where does that sacred "good image" of Pattaya fit in?
________________________________________________________
As Christmas approaches, where are all the Pattaya traffic police?
By Barry Kenyon
December 20, 2024
As Pattaya bursts at the seams with too much traffic on insufficient roads, the city’s traffic police division seems to have reduced its profile. These are the guys with the word “Traffic” prominently displayed on their backs. It’s true that they share duties with the main police force, but the citizenry is aghast that cars, baht buses and motorbikes seem increasingly to be left to their own devices.
The police booths to control traffic lights sequences at major intersections (with the exception of the one at the junction of Second and Central Roads) seem to be unstaffed. Drivers parking on red-line prohibited areas seem to be almost-invariably undisturbed, although there is still an occasional sweep of Beach Road with fine tickets posted on windscreens. Double parking without permission is now a common feature on the incredibly busy Thepprasit Road, helping to magnify the chaos. And so on.
In preparation for the festive season, police lt. colonel Phanupong Nimsuwan, head of the local traffic division, said there were four priorities: reviewing road signs, alcohol tests, no parking crackdown and illegal U-turns. He also explained that 30,000 extra parking slots had been established city-wide, although without clarifying detail. But what remains unclear is the number of officers actually out there on the roads to enforce traffic laws.
Feedback from individual police officers suggests several explanations for the absences. Some say there’s a concentration on night patrols and breath tests or maybe some officers have been redirected in duty location. A more profound view is that Pattaya’s traffic woes are so awesome that a hands-off approach may be the best answer as the festive season approaches. Some say that expanded ring roads around Pattaya have actually made the congestion worse in the city itself.
The reality is that too many vehicles are attempting to use the available road space. As the saying goes, “You are not stuck in traffic, you are the traffic.” The only longterm answer can be notions such as cable cars or mini-railways or a vastly-improved public transport system linked to disincentives to travel in the city center such as fines or bans on private cars. But there is no political benefit to launch projects that will take decades, cost billions and make people furious at further environmental chaos. In the meantime, more police presence on the roads would be appreciated.
https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/ ... ice-484505
Re: By Barry Kenyon
No proper public transport network.
Free parking at major shopping centres.
No charges for driving in Pattaya.
No bus lanes.
No pedestrian only streets.
Why would they expect anything other than congestion?
Free parking at major shopping centres.
No charges for driving in Pattaya.
No bus lanes.
No pedestrian only streets.
Why would they expect anything other than congestion?
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Gaybutton
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Re: By Barry Kenyon
Another unexpected major delay? Why am I not surprised?
Don't worry. If we all manage to live long enough to see this tunnel and take a ride on the rail, how long do you think it will be before they discover problems with the tunnel and have to shut the whole thing down?
_________________________________________________________________
A proposed tunnel near Pattaya will delay highspeed rail network to Bangkok
By Barry Kenyon
December 23, 2024
The plans to build a highspeed rail link from Bangkok airports to U-tapao airport near Rayong has hit yet another snag. The international consortium Asia Era One, spearheaded by the Charoen Pokphand Group, is now facing the need to build a costly tunnel south of Pattaya to link with U-tapao as there is insufficient available land above ground to complete the job. According to the South China Morning Post, executives are balking at the expense with the final amount still being costed.
The prospect of a tunnel over part of the proposed route has not hitherto been announced, although the whole scheme has suffered non-stop issues since its inception five years ago. The scheme is part of the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) in three central provinces, including Chonburi, which aims to foster advanced industries as a pivotal engine of growth. The highspeed train is seen as essential to link the metropolis with a futuristic megacity (yet to be built) to transform the area adjoining U-tapao.
The initial plan to have the railway operational by 2025 has now slipped to 2029 and even beyond. Meanwhile the whole concept of the EEC, a brainchild of the post-coup, military-backed administration and established by decree and not by parliament, is further compromised by environmental concerns. These include sea pollution in some areas and concerns that mammoth data centers, which store computer equipment and digital data, use gigantic amounts of water and electricity.
General Prayut Chan-o-cha, the then prime minister, announced in 2017 that the sprawling and export-orientated EEC would promote electric vehicles, artificial intelligence, “S” curve technology-based industries and a hitech medical city (not yet built) to care for both Thais and foreigners. Pattaya itself has benefitted from some EEC initiatives relating to harbor improvements, ring roads and beach reclamation. Separately, investors now have to take into account the new Donald Trump administration in the USA which is likely to subject China and friends of China to additional tariffs on imports. It never rains but it pours.
https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/ ... kok-484738
Don't worry. If we all manage to live long enough to see this tunnel and take a ride on the rail, how long do you think it will be before they discover problems with the tunnel and have to shut the whole thing down?
_________________________________________________________________
A proposed tunnel near Pattaya will delay highspeed rail network to Bangkok
By Barry Kenyon
December 23, 2024
The plans to build a highspeed rail link from Bangkok airports to U-tapao airport near Rayong has hit yet another snag. The international consortium Asia Era One, spearheaded by the Charoen Pokphand Group, is now facing the need to build a costly tunnel south of Pattaya to link with U-tapao as there is insufficient available land above ground to complete the job. According to the South China Morning Post, executives are balking at the expense with the final amount still being costed.
The prospect of a tunnel over part of the proposed route has not hitherto been announced, although the whole scheme has suffered non-stop issues since its inception five years ago. The scheme is part of the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) in three central provinces, including Chonburi, which aims to foster advanced industries as a pivotal engine of growth. The highspeed train is seen as essential to link the metropolis with a futuristic megacity (yet to be built) to transform the area adjoining U-tapao.
The initial plan to have the railway operational by 2025 has now slipped to 2029 and even beyond. Meanwhile the whole concept of the EEC, a brainchild of the post-coup, military-backed administration and established by decree and not by parliament, is further compromised by environmental concerns. These include sea pollution in some areas and concerns that mammoth data centers, which store computer equipment and digital data, use gigantic amounts of water and electricity.
General Prayut Chan-o-cha, the then prime minister, announced in 2017 that the sprawling and export-orientated EEC would promote electric vehicles, artificial intelligence, “S” curve technology-based industries and a hitech medical city (not yet built) to care for both Thais and foreigners. Pattaya itself has benefitted from some EEC initiatives relating to harbor improvements, ring roads and beach reclamation. Separately, investors now have to take into account the new Donald Trump administration in the USA which is likely to subject China and friends of China to additional tariffs on imports. It never rains but it pours.
https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/ ... kok-484738
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Gaybutton
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Re: By Barry Kenyon
Destination Thailand Visa leaning to soft power route
By Barry Kenyon
December 24, 2024
Multiple comments on the hugely popular Facebook group Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) are contrasting the application bureaucracy experienced by digital nomads and soft power or “activity”. Feedback from hundreds of members suggests that remote workers often face more difficulty than those wishing to enrol on cookery or Thai boxing courses.
“Each embassy has wide discretion,” says digital nomad Dutchman Douay Sted, “so you are soon into tax returns, certificates of incorporation, monthly bank statements duly authorized, payment histories and detailed portfolio evidence.” He added that there could be complications according to whether you are working for an overseas company or are a freelancer on workacation.
By comparison, the documentation for soft power tends to be much simpler. Most applicants do require evidence that their school or academy is registered with the Thai government and some embassies ask for banking history as well as 500,000 baht (US$14,000) currently in a Thai account. “In my opinion and that of so many others,” says Douay, “being an adult learner or medical tourist is the easier route as long as your proposed activity lasts for months and not weeks.”
The DTV Facebook group also advises that more and more activities are being allowed in soft power visa processing. There have been successful applicants studying Buddhism and even enrolling for a crypto currency familiarization course. The latest innovation involves a 5-years leisurely, mainly online induction into Thai food, farming and natural medicine provided you pay the Thai host company upfront 20,000 baht (around US$570).
The issue is that adult learning courses are an invitation to study, but there is no mechanism in place to require attendance or study. Some commentators, such as Benjamin Hart of Integrity Legal, believe that abuses could well cause DTV visa restrictions in future. He particularly advises potential applicants, on legal grounds, to avoid those agencies “guaranteeing” the 500,000 baht bond without actually crediting the cash into the individual’s bank account, assuming he or she has one..
But others say that the wild success of the scheme and the enthusiastic support of the Thai prime minister mean that DTV’s security is underpinned. Abuses here and there are hardly limited to one option. The basic government aim to raise revenue quickly by encouraging potential longstay foreigners on a laissez-faire basis is the fundamental point. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs champions the DTV whilst the Interior Ministry has remained silent to date. That can be read both ways.
It does appear that many DTV holders are new to Thailand, as instanced by the number of Facebook group members trying to decipher the rules about address reporting on TM47 and TM30 or scratching their heads about Thai income tax. Existing DTV holders have paid for a multiple entry tourist holiday visa for five years with 180 days given on each arrival by air, land or sea. The more controversial subject of a further 180 days extension at local immigration offices before leaving Thailand is still under wraps for now. Never expect the Orient to be in a hurry.
https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/ ... 914-484914
By Barry Kenyon
December 24, 2024
Multiple comments on the hugely popular Facebook group Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) are contrasting the application bureaucracy experienced by digital nomads and soft power or “activity”. Feedback from hundreds of members suggests that remote workers often face more difficulty than those wishing to enrol on cookery or Thai boxing courses.
“Each embassy has wide discretion,” says digital nomad Dutchman Douay Sted, “so you are soon into tax returns, certificates of incorporation, monthly bank statements duly authorized, payment histories and detailed portfolio evidence.” He added that there could be complications according to whether you are working for an overseas company or are a freelancer on workacation.
By comparison, the documentation for soft power tends to be much simpler. Most applicants do require evidence that their school or academy is registered with the Thai government and some embassies ask for banking history as well as 500,000 baht (US$14,000) currently in a Thai account. “In my opinion and that of so many others,” says Douay, “being an adult learner or medical tourist is the easier route as long as your proposed activity lasts for months and not weeks.”
The DTV Facebook group also advises that more and more activities are being allowed in soft power visa processing. There have been successful applicants studying Buddhism and even enrolling for a crypto currency familiarization course. The latest innovation involves a 5-years leisurely, mainly online induction into Thai food, farming and natural medicine provided you pay the Thai host company upfront 20,000 baht (around US$570).
The issue is that adult learning courses are an invitation to study, but there is no mechanism in place to require attendance or study. Some commentators, such as Benjamin Hart of Integrity Legal, believe that abuses could well cause DTV visa restrictions in future. He particularly advises potential applicants, on legal grounds, to avoid those agencies “guaranteeing” the 500,000 baht bond without actually crediting the cash into the individual’s bank account, assuming he or she has one..
But others say that the wild success of the scheme and the enthusiastic support of the Thai prime minister mean that DTV’s security is underpinned. Abuses here and there are hardly limited to one option. The basic government aim to raise revenue quickly by encouraging potential longstay foreigners on a laissez-faire basis is the fundamental point. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs champions the DTV whilst the Interior Ministry has remained silent to date. That can be read both ways.
It does appear that many DTV holders are new to Thailand, as instanced by the number of Facebook group members trying to decipher the rules about address reporting on TM47 and TM30 or scratching their heads about Thai income tax. Existing DTV holders have paid for a multiple entry tourist holiday visa for five years with 180 days given on each arrival by air, land or sea. The more controversial subject of a further 180 days extension at local immigration offices before leaving Thailand is still under wraps for now. Never expect the Orient to be in a hurry.
https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/ ... 914-484914
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Gaybutton
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Re: By Barry Kenyon
The changes to be expected in Thai immigration during 2025
By Barry Kenyon
January 3, 2025
Entry Travel Authorization (ETA)
This will apply to the tourists from 93 countries currently taking advantage of the visa exempt, no-charge category: 60 days on entry plus, if needed, a further 30 days extension at local immigration for a fee of 1,900 baht (US$55). Currently, the only registration procedure is the post-arrival form TM30 submitted to local immigration by the hotel, condo owner, house master or tourist in person. Enforcement of TM 30 is selective and is a paper-driven bureaucracy.
The new ETA will require a pre-flight or pre-entry submission by e-portal, but the Thai Cabinet has yet to endorse fully the details. If the Cambodian equivalent is any clue, these tourists will need to upload the ID page of their passport and provide details of the proposed Thai address, proof of entry and exit tickets and a phone number. A key advantage of the new system, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will be possible use of electronic gates at Thai airports by using the ETA’s QR code thus bypassing an immigration counter. ETA is free but requires a new submission on every entry. The latest starting date for most tourists is June 2025, but that is still provisional.
Tourist fee of 300 baht
In spite of many announcements, the fee for stepping onto Thai soil (Kha Yeap Pan Din) has not yet been introduced. The 300 baht (US$8) fee would pay for limited insurance for short-stay tourists – mostly compensation for death or serious injury – and provide funds for improving tourist sites, e.g. installing or upgrading toilets. Some versions of the proposal reduce the fee to 150 baht if entering by land or sea, but a common charge is thought more likely. The delay in implementation is the difficulty of collecting the fee and deciding who is or is not a “tourist”. The most likely outcome later this year will be a pre-entry electronic payment linked to Krungthai Bank. Another possibility is linking payment to the “free” ETA. Critics say the whole fee exercise isn’t worth the effort and will lead to unnecessary confusion.
Destination Thailand Visa (DTV)
This five-year validity “Activity” visa was the brainchild of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, inaugurated in July 2024. More than 70,000 have been issued in many dozens of Thai embassies abroad. The ambiguity arises because the actual admission of visitors, together with extensions, is the responsibility of the immigration bureau which is part of the Ministry of the Interior which has never uttered a single word about DTV. Immigration officers individually have the right to challenge or refuse entry or extension irrespective of the visa category. The prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is known to be a firm supporter of DTV. Any significant changes to DTV policy is most unlikely to affect existing visa holders. The rest is guesswork at present. There will be feedback from late January onwards as early-bird DTV holders request extensions at local immigration.
Annually renewable retirement and marriage
The “O” non-immigrant retirement visa and annual extension of stay is by far the most popular long-stay permit for those over 50 years. A former top police general Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn promised to reform the process by ending the scam practice of applicants using third party funds to maintain a bank account minimum, but nothing has been heard of late. Nor has there been any rumored change in the situation whereby the retiree OA visa (awarded at embassies abroad) requires ongoing medical insurance, whereas the O version (awarded at immigration offices in Thailand) does not.
The “O” non-immigrant marriage visa for a longstay foreigner with a Thai spouse is used mainly by married men under 50. This is likely because the retirement alternative is available from that age and has a less onerous application and extension bureaucracy. An early change may be the admission of same sex marriages, available from late January 2025, into the visa system. However, the government has said that while the marriage ceremony becomes a legal entity very soon, there may be a delay before the regulations covering adoption, pensions and hospital care in terminal cases come into play.
Elite and Long Term Residence
Elite or Privilege visa lasts from 5-20 years with limitless multiple entries, if needed, and has perks such as fast-track immigration and discounts on shopping, sports and hotels. It has had a checkered history and has been threatened with closure on a couple of occasions. Until the end of 2024, the initial checking fee of 50,000 baht (US$1,500) had been temporarily cancelled. A new five year Bronze Elite visa is available until June 2025 at a knock-down cost of 650,000 baht (US$20,000). The majority of new subscribers to Elite are Chinese citizens according to the Ministry of Tourism and, with a grand total of over 40,000 customers, the future in 2025 looks safe enough.
LTR is a ten year multiple entry which has several application routes including wealthy retirees (minimum annual income US$80,000) and business people and executives. The visa is sponsored by the Board of Investment. One of the attractions of LTV is apparent exemption from income tax due on overseas transfers of cash to Thailand. People in business can receive tax incentives whilst freedom from regular address reporting to immigration is a perk. No statistics have been issued as regards LTR applications, but an early report stated that the majority of successful applications were from the retirement category.
Tax identification number (TIN)
There has been ongoing speculation in social media that, starting in 2025, renewal of longterm visas will require holders to show that they have a TIN issued by the Thai Revenue Department. This is a very unlikely scenario. Many “tax resident” foreigners in Thailand for six months or more in a calendar year have no requirement to obtain a tax number based on remittances from overseas. They include foreigners who did not transfer any overseas cash in the calendar year 2024, or those who are (or will be) transferring savings in foreign bank accounts held there before on December 31 2023. Many Elite holders live in Thailand for far less than 180 days in a year but enjoy the travel flexibility given by the visa. For these and many other reasons, Thai immigration cannot equate visa eligibility with tax status. Nor will officers want to get involved.
https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/ ... 025-485839
By Barry Kenyon
January 3, 2025
Entry Travel Authorization (ETA)
This will apply to the tourists from 93 countries currently taking advantage of the visa exempt, no-charge category: 60 days on entry plus, if needed, a further 30 days extension at local immigration for a fee of 1,900 baht (US$55). Currently, the only registration procedure is the post-arrival form TM30 submitted to local immigration by the hotel, condo owner, house master or tourist in person. Enforcement of TM 30 is selective and is a paper-driven bureaucracy.
The new ETA will require a pre-flight or pre-entry submission by e-portal, but the Thai Cabinet has yet to endorse fully the details. If the Cambodian equivalent is any clue, these tourists will need to upload the ID page of their passport and provide details of the proposed Thai address, proof of entry and exit tickets and a phone number. A key advantage of the new system, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will be possible use of electronic gates at Thai airports by using the ETA’s QR code thus bypassing an immigration counter. ETA is free but requires a new submission on every entry. The latest starting date for most tourists is June 2025, but that is still provisional.
Tourist fee of 300 baht
In spite of many announcements, the fee for stepping onto Thai soil (Kha Yeap Pan Din) has not yet been introduced. The 300 baht (US$8) fee would pay for limited insurance for short-stay tourists – mostly compensation for death or serious injury – and provide funds for improving tourist sites, e.g. installing or upgrading toilets. Some versions of the proposal reduce the fee to 150 baht if entering by land or sea, but a common charge is thought more likely. The delay in implementation is the difficulty of collecting the fee and deciding who is or is not a “tourist”. The most likely outcome later this year will be a pre-entry electronic payment linked to Krungthai Bank. Another possibility is linking payment to the “free” ETA. Critics say the whole fee exercise isn’t worth the effort and will lead to unnecessary confusion.
Destination Thailand Visa (DTV)
This five-year validity “Activity” visa was the brainchild of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, inaugurated in July 2024. More than 70,000 have been issued in many dozens of Thai embassies abroad. The ambiguity arises because the actual admission of visitors, together with extensions, is the responsibility of the immigration bureau which is part of the Ministry of the Interior which has never uttered a single word about DTV. Immigration officers individually have the right to challenge or refuse entry or extension irrespective of the visa category. The prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is known to be a firm supporter of DTV. Any significant changes to DTV policy is most unlikely to affect existing visa holders. The rest is guesswork at present. There will be feedback from late January onwards as early-bird DTV holders request extensions at local immigration.
Annually renewable retirement and marriage
The “O” non-immigrant retirement visa and annual extension of stay is by far the most popular long-stay permit for those over 50 years. A former top police general Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn promised to reform the process by ending the scam practice of applicants using third party funds to maintain a bank account minimum, but nothing has been heard of late. Nor has there been any rumored change in the situation whereby the retiree OA visa (awarded at embassies abroad) requires ongoing medical insurance, whereas the O version (awarded at immigration offices in Thailand) does not.
The “O” non-immigrant marriage visa for a longstay foreigner with a Thai spouse is used mainly by married men under 50. This is likely because the retirement alternative is available from that age and has a less onerous application and extension bureaucracy. An early change may be the admission of same sex marriages, available from late January 2025, into the visa system. However, the government has said that while the marriage ceremony becomes a legal entity very soon, there may be a delay before the regulations covering adoption, pensions and hospital care in terminal cases come into play.
Elite and Long Term Residence
Elite or Privilege visa lasts from 5-20 years with limitless multiple entries, if needed, and has perks such as fast-track immigration and discounts on shopping, sports and hotels. It has had a checkered history and has been threatened with closure on a couple of occasions. Until the end of 2024, the initial checking fee of 50,000 baht (US$1,500) had been temporarily cancelled. A new five year Bronze Elite visa is available until June 2025 at a knock-down cost of 650,000 baht (US$20,000). The majority of new subscribers to Elite are Chinese citizens according to the Ministry of Tourism and, with a grand total of over 40,000 customers, the future in 2025 looks safe enough.
LTR is a ten year multiple entry which has several application routes including wealthy retirees (minimum annual income US$80,000) and business people and executives. The visa is sponsored by the Board of Investment. One of the attractions of LTV is apparent exemption from income tax due on overseas transfers of cash to Thailand. People in business can receive tax incentives whilst freedom from regular address reporting to immigration is a perk. No statistics have been issued as regards LTR applications, but an early report stated that the majority of successful applications were from the retirement category.
Tax identification number (TIN)
There has been ongoing speculation in social media that, starting in 2025, renewal of longterm visas will require holders to show that they have a TIN issued by the Thai Revenue Department. This is a very unlikely scenario. Many “tax resident” foreigners in Thailand for six months or more in a calendar year have no requirement to obtain a tax number based on remittances from overseas. They include foreigners who did not transfer any overseas cash in the calendar year 2024, or those who are (or will be) transferring savings in foreign bank accounts held there before on December 31 2023. Many Elite holders live in Thailand for far less than 180 days in a year but enjoy the travel flexibility given by the visa. For these and many other reasons, Thai immigration cannot equate visa eligibility with tax status. Nor will officers want to get involved.
https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/ ... 025-485839
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Gaybutton
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Re: By Barry Kenyon
As usual, we expats continue to be ignored. Maybe individually few of us have Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos type wealth, but we have enough and cumulatively we make quite a significant contribution to Thailand's coffers. Also, unlike many tourists, we're not over here causing problems and committing crimes. And we pay our bills. How about a few perks for us?
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Pattaya again debates bonking budgets and luxurious alternatives
By Barry Kenyon
January 3, 2025
The Tourist Authority of Thailand is again crystal-balling Pattaya to be the highest-end resort for the seriously wealthy. According to TAT, there are four niche markets to exploit for billions and billions more revenue: luxury, wellness, sport and romance attractions. The first three are traditional trumpet calls for marketeers, although the fourth is unfortunately named and has been mischievously dubbed “more bonks for your budget”. However, it seems unlikely that TAT meant to promote promiscuity amongst the citizenry.
Luxury certainly abounds in parts of Pattaya these days. Jomtien in particular sees the annual launching of more five (or six) star condominium projects, mostly developed by Bangkok-based property developers such as Origin Property, Riviera Group, Sansiri and AssetWise. Honour Group has recently launched Once Wongamat, a landmark luxury condominium in north Pattaya with the title “Reserve the Rarest, Deserve the Finest” with the pre-construction smallest units starting at around 6 million baht.
New buyer markets are on the rise. The Eastern Economic Corridor has already had an enormous, if largely unnoticed, effect on local property sales. For example, positive sentiment from Chinese entrepreneurs relocating their production base from China to Amata City Industrial Estate, near Pattaya, has resulted in a surge in quality apartment rental rates. Over half the tens-of-thousands of apartments in the Pattaya region are now being sold to foreign buyers who include investors from the Middle East and the United States as well as from Russia and (finally) Europe.
Pattaya now hosts world-class sporting events such as the Top of the Gulf Regatta: the Ocean Marina Yacht Club is the largest marina in south east Asia. Luxury living for the rich in Pattaya means high-end dining, international shopping, pampering spas and rooftop bars in new posh locations as well as traditional ones such as the Royal Cliff or the Hilton Pattaya. Iconic brands such as Louis Vuitton and Carter are encouraged to promote Thailand as the destination of choice offering hospitable luxury and timeless heritage to those who can afford them.
Critics in social media, of course, maintain that new luxury markets are much exaggerated. The heart of Pattaya still lies in budget travel and nightery entertainment even though the overall size may be diminishing. The doubters continue that luxury travellers won’t linger in a resort so famous for scams, pollution, traffic jams and prostitution. The reality is that both TAT and its Facebook critics are right. It is up to you and your wallet whether you pay 50 baht or five times that for the same bottle of beer. Your round I believe.
https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/ ... ves-485942
________________________________________________________
Pattaya again debates bonking budgets and luxurious alternatives
By Barry Kenyon
January 3, 2025
The Tourist Authority of Thailand is again crystal-balling Pattaya to be the highest-end resort for the seriously wealthy. According to TAT, there are four niche markets to exploit for billions and billions more revenue: luxury, wellness, sport and romance attractions. The first three are traditional trumpet calls for marketeers, although the fourth is unfortunately named and has been mischievously dubbed “more bonks for your budget”. However, it seems unlikely that TAT meant to promote promiscuity amongst the citizenry.
Luxury certainly abounds in parts of Pattaya these days. Jomtien in particular sees the annual launching of more five (or six) star condominium projects, mostly developed by Bangkok-based property developers such as Origin Property, Riviera Group, Sansiri and AssetWise. Honour Group has recently launched Once Wongamat, a landmark luxury condominium in north Pattaya with the title “Reserve the Rarest, Deserve the Finest” with the pre-construction smallest units starting at around 6 million baht.
New buyer markets are on the rise. The Eastern Economic Corridor has already had an enormous, if largely unnoticed, effect on local property sales. For example, positive sentiment from Chinese entrepreneurs relocating their production base from China to Amata City Industrial Estate, near Pattaya, has resulted in a surge in quality apartment rental rates. Over half the tens-of-thousands of apartments in the Pattaya region are now being sold to foreign buyers who include investors from the Middle East and the United States as well as from Russia and (finally) Europe.
Pattaya now hosts world-class sporting events such as the Top of the Gulf Regatta: the Ocean Marina Yacht Club is the largest marina in south east Asia. Luxury living for the rich in Pattaya means high-end dining, international shopping, pampering spas and rooftop bars in new posh locations as well as traditional ones such as the Royal Cliff or the Hilton Pattaya. Iconic brands such as Louis Vuitton and Carter are encouraged to promote Thailand as the destination of choice offering hospitable luxury and timeless heritage to those who can afford them.
Critics in social media, of course, maintain that new luxury markets are much exaggerated. The heart of Pattaya still lies in budget travel and nightery entertainment even though the overall size may be diminishing. The doubters continue that luxury travellers won’t linger in a resort so famous for scams, pollution, traffic jams and prostitution. The reality is that both TAT and its Facebook critics are right. It is up to you and your wallet whether you pay 50 baht or five times that for the same bottle of beer. Your round I believe.
https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/ ... ves-485942
Re: By Barry Kenyon
Luxury travelers flock to high-end resorts in Sant Tropez, Monaco, Bali, Maldives, Barbados, Spain, Italy, etc., looking for unique experiences, exclusivity and privacy, luxury amenities, and good value for their money.
Pattaya certainly offers unique experiences (sultry nightlife) and very good value for the money, but the infrastructure in Pattaya has totally imploded due to lack of investment, mismanagement, and rampant corruption resulting in broken sidewalks and roads, dangerous driving conditions, constant flooding, unbearable traffic, polluted beaches, electric wires tangled up like spaghetti (almost laughable), and of course its earned reputation for scams and corruption.
The biggest attraction in Pattaya is "Prostitution" regardless of how TAT wants others to perceive it, and I seriously doubt you'd see too many rich and famous people flocking to Soi Buakhao or Walking Street for cheap pussy...
Wealthy travelers want crystal-clear turquoise waters outside their doorsteps, not polluted seas with garbage floating past their balconies. And a few Michelin Star restaurants wouldn't be bad either.
My suggestion: Forget the rich and famous...increase "Prostitute" ten-fold...and start marketing Pattaya as the best international destination for Sex Tourists and get back to making money again.
Pattaya certainly offers unique experiences (sultry nightlife) and very good value for the money, but the infrastructure in Pattaya has totally imploded due to lack of investment, mismanagement, and rampant corruption resulting in broken sidewalks and roads, dangerous driving conditions, constant flooding, unbearable traffic, polluted beaches, electric wires tangled up like spaghetti (almost laughable), and of course its earned reputation for scams and corruption.
The biggest attraction in Pattaya is "Prostitution" regardless of how TAT wants others to perceive it, and I seriously doubt you'd see too many rich and famous people flocking to Soi Buakhao or Walking Street for cheap pussy...
Wealthy travelers want crystal-clear turquoise waters outside their doorsteps, not polluted seas with garbage floating past their balconies. And a few Michelin Star restaurants wouldn't be bad either.
My suggestion: Forget the rich and famous...increase "Prostitute" ten-fold...and start marketing Pattaya as the best international destination for Sex Tourists and get back to making money again.
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Gaybutton
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Re: By Barry Kenyon
I'm somewhat surprised they don't. First, trying to market Pattaya as a "family" destination gives a whole new depth to "absurd". Second, when Pattaya is making a lot of money, guess where a significant amount of it ends up.
Pattaya, many years ago, was virtually 'anything goes' - a far cry from the way it is now. The only explanation that has ever made sense to me as to why it changed so much is Thailand gave in to international prude pressure and do-gooder NGOs. Why else would it have changed so drastically?
I am so sick and tired of these prudes who have decided sex, even the desire for it, is something bad and they should impose their opinions on everybody else - and they keep getting their way. Let's all pretend sex doesn't even exist.
If there is a rational explanation as to why sex between consenting adults is a bad thing and venues catering to it is also bad, I'd like to know what it is.