Bangkok Post SmartEdition

Treat expats well

I fully agree with Khun Samanea. Covid-19 means everybody’s starting off with a clean slate in attracting tourists. Let’s use this crisis as a very rare opportunity to clean up our act — starting with chopping red tape and arrival fees.

Give tourists good value for money, treat them as we ourselves would like to be treated and don’t be greedy.

Long-term residents are a particularly attractive market segment, for they have an affinity for us already, and are often retirees or have Thai spouses — with stable incomes. After they’ve been here for, say, three years, I see no reason for them to have to keep reporting to Immigration every three months. Seeing Immigration only when there’s a change, eg, of residence, should do, and if their police record’s been clean for three years, we should allow them to own land for their residence. These people are a valuable but untapped source of talent to help us develop in languages and their professional skills as well.

Let’s make it easy for foreigners to come help us recover — for while Thailand has much to offer them, we also have much competition in the world market.

BURIN KANTABUTRA

OPINION

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2021-10-23T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-10-23T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://bangkokpost.pressreader.com/article/281818582033511

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