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Expats Fall in Love with Thailand
but not the Language
Canada, Australia and Thailand are regarded by expatriates as the premier places in the world to live and love, according to the second annual expatriate experience survey by HSBC Bank International.
Canada has the best quality of life and is among the easiest places in the world to integrate with the local population, according to the survey of 3,146 people working in 30 different industries and 50 countries. Australia and Thailand come next on the list.
One in five expats has found love, with Thailand being the most likely place to fall in love followed by Germany and Brazil. Almost half of Thailand's expats say that they have found love.
Asia emerged as the place to go for making friends, with Thailand ranked first, followed by Vietnam, Hong Kong and Malaysia. More than half of the expats questioned in the survey - 58 per cent - have lived abroad for more than five years.
The top three countries for settling down are South Africa, Thailand and Canada, where expats have lived for more than five years.
The survey found that for expats, a higher income does not necessarily mean a better quality of life, said Alan Smith, head of international wealth management for HSBC.
Those earning less are also more likely to find love, with expats earning under US$60,000 (1.9 million baht) more likely to find love abroad than any other group. Similarly, expats over the age of 55 will have a greater chance of finding their life partner - one in four expats around the world aged 55 and over have found love or a life partner while living abroad.
Expats living in English-speaking countries have less trouble with language barriers, regardless of their origins. Learning the local language remains the biggest expat challenge of all.
While Thailand is seen as the easiest place to make friends, it is ranked 26th for ease of learning the local language.
For ease in finding a school, Thailand comes fourth; organising finances, 11th. For arranging healthcare, it is ranked second; finding somewhere to live, first. For setting up utilities, 9th; making local friends, 16th; and arranging accommodation, second.
Last year Germany, Canada and Spain were the top three countries deemed to have the best lifestyle for expats.
In another online survey, the British rated Thailand their No.1 holiday destination of 10 countries.
A total of 1,241 Britons responded to the survey, which polled 24,000 people around the world.
Thailand scooped 25% of British votes and the United States 11% but France came last, scoring a miserable 2%.
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Spas Do Thailand Proud
Thailand has claimed top honours in three categories at the Asia Spa Awards 2009 announced recently in Hong Kong.
Organised by AsiaSpa magazine, the awards were presented in 27 categories.
Thailand was voted "Spa Capital of the Year" and "Destination Spa of the Year" thanks to Six Senses Destination Spa in Phuket, and "Men's Spa Treatment of the Year" for the deeply therapeutic and holistic "Man Space Healing Balance Massage" available at i.sawan Residential Spa & Club at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel in Bangkok.
Thailand's spa sector attracted more than 3.6 million clients in 2007, according to the latest Thailand Spa Benchmark Report, generating 8.3 billion baht. With a 11,240-strong workforce, its revenue has grown more than 200 per cent since 2002
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Market 'On the Rise', say
Property Developers
The local property market continues to rebound thanks to stable interest rates, improved economic sentiment and stronger consumer confidence, say property developers.
Thongma Vijitpongpun, chief executive of Preuksa Real Estate Plc, the country's second-largest developer, said the number of units sold in the third quarter increased by 20% over the second after bottoming out in the fourth quarter last year.
"Consumer confidence is picking up," he said.
In the third quarter, the consumer confidence index rose to 74.5 from 72 in the second quarter, according to a University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce survey.
"Many research houses reported the same - that Thailand's gross domestic product, which had dropped for four consecutive quarters, will bounce back," he said.
The property market next year will grow by 5% to 10% in line with the improving economy, he said. This year the overall market is forecast to drop by 5% to 70,000 units worth 210 billion baht, he added.
Housing sales totalled 45,000 units worth 138 billion baht in the first nine months of the year - down from 73,000 units worth 212 billion baht in the same period last year.
Mr Thongma said the residential market this year had undergone some changes. Several townhouse projects were launched this year but with prices lowered to match demand.
The property market's key drivers in 2010 will be the potential extension of tax breaks for buyers and developers, changes in Board of Investment Home regulations and an upward trend in interest rates, he said.
Kessara Thanyalakpark, executive director of the listed developer Sena Development Plc, said interest rates were expected to show an upward trend from mid-2010 and that from now until the second quarter of next year would be a good time to buy property.
"The economy is on an upward trends and interest rates are likely to be stable until mid-next year so purchasing power has improved," she said. "Political crises in the past did not have a significant impact on home purchases, but have caused instability in the government and have had an impact on the government's policy and its economic stimulus programmes."
Mid-priced units were still the most active segment as the biggest buyer group in Bangkok is those with monthly incomes below 50,000 baht. So units priced at 2-3 million baht will continue to be the largest segment, she said.
Ms Kessara said the demand for housing would grow as Bangkok's population continues to rise while unit sizes would decrease.
But developers' sales are volatile with affordability being the main factor affecting buying decisions, as people continue to worry about their purchasing power, job security, interest rates and economic conditions, she said.
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