I remember 2016 as a year of farewells when many of my colleagues working in the offshore industry decided to quit Thailand and head home. I also remember one remarkable thing they had in common.
They left Thailand with their heads held high, upbeat, and looking forward to a new life and a new adventure.
Their decision to leave Thailand came during a slump in the offshore oil and gas industry. The slump’s knock-on effect saw the diving industry take a nose dive, directly affecting their fortunes and their ability to stay in Thailand.
It might have been ironic, but when deciding to quit Thailand, they reversed negatives to positives and positives to negatives. Meaning that they once loved living in Thailand, and when weighing up the pros and cons of living in Thailand versus back home, the pros of living in Thailand came out on top.
Their positive attitudes about returning home were a good thing. However, I wonder if they could have made the decision so easily if their feelings toward Thailand were still positive and they enjoyed living in Thailand.
I suspect they might have already subconsciously generated a certain amount of negativity toward Thailand.
It was, anyway, becoming increasingly difficult to live in Thailand.
It Was Easy To Stay In Thailand
Once upon a time, Thailand had a reasonably carefree attitude towards foreign visitors. So long as you followed the rules you could stay in Thailand almost indefinitely, depending on your nationality.
The rules included: don’t overstay, and make sure you have a valid visa or entry stamp, both of which could easily be renewed by crossing the border and re-entering Thailand.
For example, it was easy for single men to live in Pattaya cheaply long-term by simply doing periodic visa runs.
Why Quit Thailand
However much you love a place, it sometimes becomes too expensive, impractical, or just plain impossible to stay there. There could be any number of reasons you might leave Thailand or choose another location instead.
New Thailand Visa Rules
What you might call “the good old days in Thailand” are gone. Despite the occasional relaxation of the visa rules as an incentive to attract visitors, the rules have become much more stringent overall.
For retirees and younger ex-pats married to Thai women, the visa formalities for applying inside Thailand are basically the same, except the financial requirements are more stringently applied. But many younger men who did not meet the financial requirements relied on visa runs, just as single males did.
Alas, what was the only remaining option for getting a multiple entry ‘o’ based on marriage to a Thai without proof of funds—the Thai consulate in Savannaket, Laos, is no longer possible. But please check the current status on the Thai consulate website: https://savannakhet.thaiembassy.org/th/index
Cleaning Up Sex Tourism In Thailand
Sex tourism is still a major source of revenue for Thailand’s tourist industry. Pattaya (for example) is still heavily reliant on new and returning single male sex tourists. The government, though, has long said it wishes to clean up Thailand’s image and put an end to the sex industry.
Farewell Thailand
No more easy visas, you can’t own land, and suppose sex tourism is finished—there are no more bar girls, Single, married, or retired; you’ve decided the situation in Thailand doesn’t suit you anymore.
It’s time to go home or to find another place like Thailand.
Perhaps you will leave Thailand with a smile on your face, feeling upbeat and ready for a fresh adventure in a new land, searching for the new Thailand, maybe.
Then again, despite the difficulties and even the fact that Thailand might no longer offer what you like most about it, you love Thailand, and you will leave with a feeling of great sadness.
So, will you leave Thailand with a smile on your face? Or will it be a reluctant and sad farewell to Thailand?
Only five visitors used the poll that was formerly on this post. Four said it would be a sad farewell to Thailand. One would leave with a smile on their face.