Business News
Thailand business news, market trends, foreign investment, and economic updates—stay informed on stock market movements, entrepreneurship, and key developments shaping the economy. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted source for business news in Thailand.
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Phuket Business: Let’s go back and review the basics
PHUKET: Every once in a while I think it’s good to go back and review the basics. This is especially important in a world where the rate of change keeps increasing. Ever since the financial crisis began we have heard a lot of saber rattling with regards to offshore financial centers, banking secrecy, tax information exchange agreements and so forth.…
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Phuket Business: New trade surplus milestone achieved
PHUKET: A new milestone was set for Phuket’s international trade last month with the the island’s annual surplus of exports over imports peaking at 11 billion baht – more than 700 million baht clear of last year’s full-year, record figure.According to Phuket Customs’ receipts for the 2012 fiscal year (October 2011 to September 2012), accounting through to the end of…
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Phuket Business: Pickup sales champ
PHUKET: Reinforced with continuous, cutting-edge improvements to its steering and suspension systems, the Toyota Hilux Vigo Champ looks to retain its stronghold on the domestic pickup market. The Phuket Gazette had the opportunity to join an exclusive tour of Toyota Motor Thailand’s (TMT) Ban Pho production plant recently, gaining a first-hand look at the prized truck’s production and assembly line.…
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Phuket Business: 200 years of market crises
PHUKET: With the US stock market sitting near its 52-week high, and already having made a 100% move upwards from its low at the peak of the sell-off that occurred during the financial crisis, I have dug a bit deeper into history to get a feel for the frequency of crashes. I have a good grip on the longer bull/bear…
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Phuket Business: PIMEX 2013 International Boat Show dates announced
PHUKET: THE 10th edition of the Phuket International Boat Show (PIMEX) will be held at the Royal Phuket Marina from March 21-24 next year, the event’s organizers have announced. As one of the region’s largest and most significant marine, boating and yachting exhibitions, the four-day event will showcase leading marine and lifestyle businesses, products and services with a large in-water…
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Phuket Business: Taking care of your parents
PHUKET: No, the title of this article isn’t a joke. Obviously, there is a big difference in cultural attitudes toward what responsibilities people have when it comes to family. There is no need to discuss this at length. Generally speaking, most Westerners are not under the same pressure to look after their aging family members as most Thais are. But…
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Phuket Business: Thailand – US trade reviving
PHUKET: More than 700 American companies will have a combined investment of US$40 billion – approximately 1.25 trillion baht – in Thailand by the end of 2012, a business leader recently told the Thai government. The president of the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM), Joe Mannix revealed the figure in a speech given at a thank-you function for the government,…
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Phuket Business: Interfering with the navigation systems
PHUKET: Your aircraft has just landed at Phuket International Airport and out comes the ubiquitous mobile phone, despite the flight crew asking you to keep it switched off until the plane arrives at the gate, because of concerns it may interfere with the aircraft’s avionics, thus endangering all on board. A familiar scene to everyone arriving on Phuket and particularly…
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Phuket Business: Pineapples please
PHUKET: A pineapple trading center was opened in Phuket recently in a move aimed at centralizing provincial supply of the fruit, and thus increasing its market penetration potential across Southeast Asia. Vinai Kwankaew of the Phuket Agriculture Office said that pineapples have become the province’s most significant revenue-generating fruit. Phuket pineapples are known for their sweet flavor, tasty and yellow…
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Phuket Business: Beware of the hammer and nail approach
PHUKET: There is a very famous quote that often comes to mind when speaking with many of my colleagues in the wealth management industry: “When the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail”. Unfortunately many advisers fall into this trap, and despite the fact that everyone’s situation is different, they will recommend the same solution…
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Phuket Business: Beer, wine and automobile excises poised for revision
PHUKET: In light of Cabinet’s recent approval of tax hikes for cigarettes and liquor, the Excise Department is now looking to increase revenue shares from the trade of beer, wine and automobiles.Quoted in a report by the Nation, Benja Louichareon, director-general of the Excise Department, said, “The department is also looking at whether it should increase tax on beer and…
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Phuket Business: AMCHAM affirms commitment to saving the environment
PHUKET: The American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) Greater Phuket Chapter assembled at Holiday Inn Patong for its third meeting of the year recently. Organized in conjunction with environmental organization, SEEK, the evening’s discussions focused on ways that hospitality and tourism stakeholders can implement “Green Tourism” practices while reducing operational overheads and thus increasing profit margins. The meeting followed an all-day,…
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Phuket Business: Midyear tax filing deadline tomorrow
PHUKET: Tomorrow, August 31, is the midyear tax return filing deadline for both companies and individuals who have generated income in Thailand during the first six months of 2012 – regardless of where or how payments were made. The Revenue Department website states: “A company [or individual] is obliged to estimate its annual net profit [or net income] as well…
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Phuket Business: Capitalizing on world illiquidity
PHUKET: There have been several investment strategies, with great results, that I have been relying on recently. They are filling the gap left behind as banks are forced to shore up their capital bases and thus forgo many of their traditionally lucrative and profitable businesses. One of these strategies – legal financing – I have written about several times. Another…
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Laguna Phuket announces expansion plan
PHUKET: A lavish dinner to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Laguna Phuket was held on Friday, where Chief Executive of Laguna Resorts & Hotels Ho Kwon Ping (known as KP Ho) gave a preview of upcoming expansion plans for the group. A new mixed-use development overlooking a west-coast beachfront lagoon between the Dusit Thani Resort and upcoming Outrigger Laguna Beach…
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Phuket Business: The ultimate island view
PHUKET: What do you get when you cross a remote controlled helicopter with a camera? A helicam of course. Helicam is also the name of the Phuket-based company that has been hovering over the island for the past eight years. And what do you get when you have eight years of aerial shots of Phuket? An opportunity to create a…
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Phuket Business: Mid-year tax filing deadline approaches
PHUKET: Companies and individuals who generated income in Thailand during the first six months of 2012 – regardless of where or how payments were made – have until August 31 to file their midyear tax return. In this first article, we will go over the basics of regulations and procedures for filing and paying income tax in Thailand. Next week,…
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Phuket tourism roadshow in Japan “well received’
PHUKET: Recently returned from a week-long tourism fact-finding tour in Japan, Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha has told the media that the “Amazing Thailand in Japan” roadshow impressed the Japanese tour operators in the three cities they visited. Organized by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and coordinated by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) and the Phuket Tourist Association (PTA),…
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Emirates to launch Dubai – Phuket daily flight service
PHUKET: Emirates, one of the world’s fastest growing airlines, continues its network expansion with the announcement of the start of daily services to Phuket in Thailand. Phuket, the largest island in Thailand, will, from December 10, become Emirates’second destination in Thailand. To be serviced by a three-class Airbus aircraft, flight EK378 will depart Dubai at 12:45pm and arrive at Phuket…
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Phuket Business: Football Club sales steady
PHUKET: Business was steady for Phuket FC during the first half of the 2012 season, with the club’s accounts revealing nearly a million baht in revenue. Accounts for the 18-team Thai Yamaha One soccer league (Division 1), recently released by league’s mother company, Sponsor Thai Premiere League, show that Phuket FC generated a gross revenue of 976,830 baht from March…
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Boonthaworn Phuket showroom to open by October 1
PHUKET: After years of delay, Bangkok-based construction materials retailer Boonthavorn is moving forward with its plans to enter the Phuket market with the opening of a “mini-showroom”.The new facility will be located between Songkhla and Yaowarat roads, near the Tesco-Lotus junction in Rassada.Speaking to the Gazette at the project site, Boonthavorn architect Jiravut Kararun said the company is currently renovating…
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Phuket Business: New trade surplus high; FDI jumps 66%; Foreign shares to be scrutinized
PHUKET: Three-quarters of the way into the government’s current fiscal year, international trade in Phuket is thriving, with this year’s trade surplus already surpassing last year’s record high. Phuket Customs House’ records through June 30 show that the value of exports in the 2012 government fiscal year (October 1, 2011 to September 30, 2012) is now at 12.06 billion baht…
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Phuket Business: Transit investors; Travelmob makes a move
PHUKET: A Thai-Australian consortium was the latest multi-national delegation to express interest in constructing the Phuket mass-transit, light-rail project which Cabinet gave provisional approval for at the mobile Cabinet meeting in Phuket in March. Thai Rail Tech company representative Sirichai Prasertwaree and Neil Heaton, general manager of the Hong Kong branch of United Group Limited (UGL), on July 10 met…
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Phuket hotel investments surge in 2012
PHUKET: Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels is predicting that Phuket will be one of Asia Pacific’s hotel investment hot spots in 2012, following record sales in the first half of the year. Investment in the hotel property sector in Phuket is expected to exceed 10 billion baht (US$315m) for the full year for first time ever in 2012. Mike Batchelor, Managing…
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Phuket needs “facelift’ before ASEAN Community 2015
PHUKET: Officials took another look at necessary island developments during a Phuket Tourism Association (PTA) seminar Friday, as Phuket prepares to enter the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) 2015. “This is the third seminar that [the PTA] has held on this topic, because we understand the importance of ‘creative tourism’ and the necessity of applying it to Phuket in preparation for…
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Phuket Business: Risk on, risk off
PHUKET: There has been an increasing amount of correlation in the markets ever since the increased use of computers and algorithms. This has caused a lot of trouble with conventional diversification methods, and when markets get reactive to political tensions as they have been recently, it is common to see things moving in tandem across assets classes as developments are…
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Phuket Business: Google extending online reach for local businesses
PHUKET: Celebrating its inaugural year and 100,000 new businesses online, Google Thailand’s ‘Thai Businesses Go Online’ program (TBGO) has paved the way for the next stage in the evolution of an economically prosperous online ecosystem. Highlighting TBGO’s success, the IT and Marketing mega-icon’s country office reported that it has attracted more than 100,000 participants nationwide in a year – far…
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‘Creative Tourism’ seminar in Phuket next week
PHUKET: In preparation for the measures of the Asean Economic Community (AEC) set to take effect in less than three years, the Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) will host a seminar on Friday, July 20 to promote sustainable tourism under the concept of “creative tourism”. Among the distinguished guests invited to speak are former Bangkok Governor and current Democrat Party deputy…
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Phuket Business: Notice and redemption periods
PHUKET: One thing many investors don’t understand when looking at a fund fact sheet, is how long it will take to get their cash back when they sell. There are generally two pieces of information you’re looking for: one is the notice period and the other is the redemption period. These two things, in addition to a third factor –…
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Phuket Business: Migrant workers regulations; AirAsia move; Prefab construction
PHUKET: Employers in Phuket have been allotted additional time, until December 14, to have their Burmese, Laotian and Cambodian migrant workers complete the nationality verification process so they can be legally registered to work in Thailand. Phuket Vice Governor Sommai Prijasilpa explained the news to employers and their representatives at a meeting on June 20 organized by the Phuket Provincial…
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