{"id":1162244,"date":"2019-06-18T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-06-17T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pattayaprestigeproperties.com\/uncategorized-th\/why-is-pattaya-still-so-appealing-to-retirees\/"},"modified":"2024-07-09T15:25:41","modified_gmt":"2024-07-09T08:25:41","slug":"why-is-pattaya-still-so-appealing-to-retirees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pattayaprestigeproperties.com\/th\/why-is-pattaya-still-so-appealing-to-retirees\/","title":{"rendered":"Why is Pattaya Still So Appealing to Retirees?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In recent months Pattaya or more accurately Thailand has come in for some heavy criticism on the well-known forums regarding retirees. As always, some of the criticism has had some justification whilst others were completely over the top but, on the whole, in the last few months there has been no noticeable decline in the number of retirees living in Pattaya or those that come on holiday. So, why is Pattaya still so appealing to this group?<\/p>\n

First, the negatives<\/h2>\n

Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam have increased in popularity in recent years as they are considerably cheaper countries than Thailand, visa issues are minimal, and the welcome that you receive from the locals is usually friendly and positive. Pattaya is no longer a \u2018cheap\u2019 destination in many respects and this is something that we have previously covered. However, if you decide to \u201clive within your means\u201d you can still have a reasonably good life as many things such as local food, local beers, and some accommodation are not expensive.<\/p>\n

Of course, Thailand seems expensive to many who rely on an income from overseas such as a pension because of the strong baht. This when coupled with some currencies such as Sterling performing poorly, inevitably means that things cost more in real terms, if not in baht than they did previously. Quite simply, their money doesn\u2019t go as far as what it did before. However, this would be the same in other countries too.<\/p>\n

The next concern and the one that has received a lot of publicity this year concerns the rules changes connected to the Retirement Visa. With retirees now being forced to keep larger sums in Thai banks AFTER they have received the visa, many are predicting that it will be impossible for them to stay. At the moment, Thai Immigration appears to be being lenient so the impact of this may not have been fully felt. In addition, retirees are now required to have health insurance, a sensible thing anyway, but something that many declined. This is just another additional expense that many feel is beyond their means.<\/p>\n

Finally, the vast majority of retirees that travel to Southeast Asia are male and are seeking the companionship of a younger female. Here in Thailand, some have made accusations that the Thai ladies are now a little less friendly than their counterparts in Cambodia and Vietnam, many of whom speak superior English and are maybe less demanding when it comes to their financial requirements. This perhaps encourages people to opt for alternatives to Thailand and indeed, it is maybe due to a combination of all these issues that the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is aware of the problem and seeking ways to address it.<\/p>\n

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