phuketrichard wrote: ↑Wed Jan 22, 2020 8:51 pm

hunter8 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 22, 2020 6:02 pm I’ve been a legit tourist in Thailand but have had to change my plans due to uncertainty about how many entries per calendar year are allowed. Now i must take into account that there should be a lengthy time between entries to avoid suspicions of working there. It doesn’t add to peace of mind and makes one look for other more welcoming destinations. Then again, staying in Thailand only would be boring, so it’s all for the better.

If ur using visa exempt entries more than 3x/year you not the tourist Thailand desires anymore.
going on almost 35 years never had a single problem at immigration

If you got the correct visa you also would never have any trouble and
Plus i bet of those almost 39 million, 99.99999% spend more than you do trying to scam the system using visa exempt entries.
Your absence wont be missed...

3 visa exempt entries per year is enough, the problem is this number is not set anywhere in law which creates uncertainty. And why would i take the trouble to get a visa if i never had intention to stay longer than 30 days at a time. Not to mention there are reports that people having obtained visas beforehand still were denied entry, read Thaivisa forum.

Uncertainty is the problem, not the number of days per year. If the law clearly stated that you can only stay in Thailand as a tourist 30, 60, 90 days per annum, there would be nothing to discuss, but no, there is no specific number in the law.

hunter8 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 22, 2020 11:10 pm

3 visa exempt entries per year is enough, the problem is this number is not set anywhere in law which creates uncertainty. And why would i take the trouble to get a visa if i never had intention to stay longer than 30 days at a time. Not to mention there are reports that people having obtained visas beforehand still were denied entry, read Thaivisa forum.

Uncertainty is the problem, not the number of days per year. If the law clearly stated that you can only stay in Thailand as a tourist 30, 60, 90 days per annum, there would be nothing to discuss, but no, there is no specific number in the law.

Last year, I stayed in Thailand 0 days as a tourist (or anything else) per annum. That rocked!

I was hassled by 0 Immigration officers, frisked and/or forced to take a piss test by 0 cops, approached by 0 ladyboys, had problems with 0 taxi drivers, got threatened by bouncers 0 times and heard the national anthem 0 times. I enjoyed it so much, I'm gonna do it again this year.

That's how you overcome the uncertainty; be certain not to go there.

newkidontheblock wrote: ↑Thu Jan 23, 2020 7:18 am

Anthony's Weiner wrote:try entering the USA for more than 6 months in a year on visitors' visas.

The average tourist stays about nine and a half days in Thailand.
Europeans and Americans average double that.

A tourist spends about a thousand dollars a week in the USA (or about 3 days at Disney).

So a more than 6 month vacation in the USA will cost around thirty thousands dollars. The USA has more places to visit than a person can see in an entire lifetime, but who WANTS to go vacation longer than six months?

Pray tell, how many tourists vacation in the USA for more than 6 months in a year?

This isn’t people living in the USA and working illegally, or just staying at a bar nursing beers all day, or living under the table with their wives and family. How many people visit the USA for more than 6 months in year? Who has that kind of money (and time) to spend?

I sure don’t!

As the eternal traveller to the Kingdom of Wonder, my visit is short, then I have to go back to work to make dosh

My point was that for most countries if you intend to stay 6 months a year or more you are not considered a tourist. 76.9 million international tourists visited America in 2017 and spent and spent 39.7 billion dollars. The USA is the fifth-highest destination for international tourists in the world and it's visa policy is far more onerous than that of Thailands.

This strong Baht is fucking up my Deezer subscription. I signed up for a family plan at around 200 Baht, which was about $6 a month at the time, but now it's creeping up to about $7 a month. Ouch.

A “real tourist” comes to Thailand for the temples, of course.

phuketrichard wrote: ↑Wed Jan 22, 2020 5:54 pm

hunter8 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 22, 2020 5:36 pm It’s not such a large appreciation of the baht from last year, hardly the reason tourists will avoid to go to Thailand.

Some tourists less willing to travel to Thailand now is more likely due to possibility of immigration troubles. Even though in reality few people encounter those issues, in the digital age bad news travels fast and makes people worry about being sent back to their home country upon arrival if they have too many entry stamps in their passport.

serious doubt that any "real tourists" (of the 39+ million) have any trouble with thai immigration.
its the ones trying to scam the system to live/work here that have troubles

Thai baht has appreciated over 7% and more) in the last year to most other western currencies

The last time my mother came to Thailand to try and visit me, she wound up in tears because of the treatment by Thai immigration. This is a 72 year old woman who comes to Thailand once every 2 years at the most. The officer grilled her because she couldn't exactly remember my address on her entry form. They eventually let her in, but she never wants to come back to Thailand again.

The problem is, this new, harsher attitude taken by immigration spills over into other areas. My mother now tells everyone of the horors of Thai immigration and encourages them to go elsewhere. I consider my mother to be a "real tourist", and she definitely had trouble with their new attitude. I remember in years past I used to put down anything at all on those forms and they were never checked. You can blame the victim in this case for not being better prepared, but the pendulum has swung way too far toward the rigid enforcement regime and it definitely does affect tourism. Even "real tourists".