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.

  • Villa Market opens Boat Lagoon branch | Thaiger

    Villa Market opens Boat Lagoon branch

    PHUKET: The doors to Villa Market’s third branch on the island open on March 20 with the Grand Opening Ceremony in Boat Lagoon taking place on March 27. The grand opening, organized by Kanittha Prasopsirikul from ‘By Kanittha’, will be the highlight of the Boat Lagoon’s monthly Lighthouse Market, which offers a variety of vendors the opportunity to showcase their…

  • Finance: Making realistic retirement assumptions | Thaiger

    Finance: Making realistic retirement assumptions

    PHUKET: The first step when making a retirement plan is to have realistic assumptions about your retirement. Unfortunately, I have found that many of my clients, regardless of whether or not they are expatriates – still working or already retired – have at least one or more of the following unrealistic retirement assumptions: I will retire some place cheaper: Retiring…

  • Finance: Demystifying the ever-ending UK pension reforms | Thaiger

    Finance: Demystifying the ever-ending UK pension reforms

    PHUKET: Since radical UK pension reforms were announced last year, the changes just keep on coming. For those retiring in Phuket with pension rights that they have accumulated over the course of their career, the situation can be very confusing. Indeed, even for a professional in the industry, keeping pace and getting your head around what all the changes means…

  • Luxury lifestyle makes Phuket heavy hitter in Asia yachting scene [video] | Thaiger

    Luxury lifestyle makes Phuket heavy hitter in Asia yachting scene [video]

    PHUKET: Phuket’s marine industry is tapping global growth in the lucrative superyacht segment thanks to the unique luxury lifestyle the island offers and a sharp rise in the number of such vessels coming to Asia. Thailand’s largest island is already well established on the regional and global sailing circuits. However, industry players say increased investment in specialist facilities could see…

  • A very good year for stocks | Thaiger

    A very good year for stocks

    PHUKET: Each year, I head back to the US to see my mother and meet with clients. It also allows me to see how things are going. I need to do this to see if there’s any truth to the headlines I read. You know the ones I’m talking about – stocks in a bubble, economic slowdown, unemployment and so…

  • Experts question long-term tourism policy: Quality vs Quantity | Thaiger

    Experts question long-term tourism policy: Quality vs Quantity

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Experts question long-term tourism policy: Quality vs Quantity The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Experts say the government needs to get serious on the long-term development of the tourism industry, and decide whether quality or quantity – that is, sheer numbers of tourists or how much…

  • Phuket Hotel Association to be key platform for hotel industry | Thaiger

    Phuket Hotel Association to be key platform for hotel industry

    PHUKET: The erroneous ‘No Summer Dream’ fliers, warning tourists and locals not to bring sun loungers to the beach, is the latest blow for authorities attempting to restore a semblance of order to the island’s tourism industry. One that has left hotel and resort owners, as well as their general managers, scrambling for a response and explanation to give to…

  • Finance: Three pillars of happiness for worry-free golden years | Thaiger

    Finance: Three pillars of happiness for worry-free golden years

    PHUKET: Much of my time is spent with clients figuring out exactly what they want for the future – key to their financial planning goals. Typically it ends with setting aside a certain amount of money each month over a period of time – investing it with a particular objective in mind, or getting clients savings that are sitting in…

  • Chinese medical tourists flock to Phuket | Thaiger

    Chinese medical tourists flock to Phuket

    PHUKET: For thousands of Chinese tourists who flock to Phuket each year, a visit to the island is more than just a chance to relax in the sun. It’s a chance to access medical procedures and treatments not available in their home country. Many countries around the globe have the same pressing healthcare issues: aging populations, increasing medical costs, collapsing…

  • Finance: Learning to re-balance a portfolio | Thaiger

    Finance: Learning to re-balance a portfolio

    PHUKET: Portfolio re-balancing is one of the trickier aspects of investment management, as you will inevitably need to make some hard and counterintuitive decisions to ensure that your portfolio’s asset allocation continues to meet your investment goals and risk-tolerance level. But why, how and when should you re-balance your investment portfolio?WHY YOU NEED TO TAKE WINNERS AND LOSERS OFF THE…

  • Finance: If I could be 30 again | Thaiger

    Finance: If I could be 30 again

    PHUKET: In my last column, I wrote about what advice I would give my 20-year-old self, if I could turn back the clock and do it all again. Today, I will focus on a much more recent time frame in my life and discuss what kind of advice I would give to someone who has just turned 30. What are…

  • Video Report: Thousands crowd launch of Laguna Market | Thaiger

    Video Report: Thousands crowd launch of Laguna Market

    PHUKET: More than 4,000 people turned out for the launch of “Laguna Market on First” at Laguna Grove in Cherng Talay on Sunday. The four-hour market generated an estimated 1.2 million baht, as more than 200 local vendors plied their goods. “I am delighted to see that the market attracted both [people from] the local communities and tourists,” said Ravi…

  • Phuket’s shining light in the shade business | Thaiger

    Phuket’s shining light in the shade business

    PHUKET: Local Phuket startup Window Design and Awnings Co Ltd, which has rapidly made a name for itself since its founding in 2009, is now looking to expand beyond the Kingdom’s borders. People may have noticed the white curved fabrics spread out over the walkways at Boat Lagoon, but the majority of the company’s clients are four, five and six-star…

  • Finance: Advice for my 20-year-old self | Thaiger

    Finance: Advice for my 20-year-old self

    PHUKET: I know most people in their twenties are typically not interested in planning financially for their futures. Often, they are not very interested in planning for anything other than Friday night – I remember the days when I thought the same way. What advice would I give myself now if I could go back and make decisions based on…

  • Lighthouse Market beacon of light for Boat Lagoon Marina Village | Thaiger

    Lighthouse Market beacon of light for Boat Lagoon Marina Village

    PHUKET: Aiming to appeal to a wider audience and expand its market reach, Phuket’s Boat Lagoon Marina is launching the Lighthouse Market. “We don’t want to focus on one target group or one nationality. This is a market for everyone who enjoys quality – both expats and local Thais,” explained Kanittha Prasopsirikul from By Kanittha, the company behind the new…

  • Finance: Five bad investments to avoid | Thaiger

    Finance: Five bad investments to avoid

    PHUKET: While there are good investments that can turn into bad investments along with bad investments that can eventually turn into good investments, there are some that are generally always bad for investors. With that in mind, the following investments are ones you should either avoid or limit your exposure to: 1) Your employer’s stock: Legendary fund manager Peter Lynch…

  • Challenge of importing the food Phuket loves | Thaiger

    Challenge of importing the food Phuket loves

    PHUKET: What is the first thing most expats start to miss from their home country? Family? Maybe for some, but for most it’s food. Luckily, the days when all you could eat in Thailand was the local cuisine are gone. Today, buying a piece of Dutch cheese, a few slices of Italian ham or some French paté is as easy…

  • Laguna Phuket wins “Best Tourists Destination in Asia’ award | Thaiger

    Laguna Phuket wins “Best Tourists Destination in Asia’ award

    PHUKET: Laguna Phuket was voted one of the “2014 Best Tourists Destination in Asia” at the 11th Annual Golden Pillow Awards, held in Hangzhu, China, under the award’s category for overseas destinations and hotels. Occupying some 600 acres (2.4 square kilometers) of tropical beachfront parkland on the the northwest coast of Phuket, Laguna Phuket wins its first ever Chinese award.…

  • Finance: The perfect investment for retirees | Thaiger

    Finance: The perfect investment for retirees

    PHUKET: The headlines for the past few weeks have not been pleasant. Stocks have been dropping, oil crashed and if that wasn’t bad enough we had the Ebola crisis. When news like this hits, some people want to run and hide, but I look at it as an opportunity to put money to work. I never invest 100% of my…

  • NMG executives brief NRC panel on takeover risk | Thaiger

    NMG executives brief NRC panel on takeover risk

    PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community NMG executives brief NRC panel on takeover risk The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Top executives of Nation Multimedia Group (NMG), which includes The Nation newspaper, met yesterday with the Media Reform Committee of the National Reform Council (NRC) to express concern over a possible hostile…

  • Laguna Phuket cleans up in dirty laundry trade | Thaiger

    Laguna Phuket cleans up in dirty laundry trade

    PHUKET: Part of the pleasure of holidaying in a good hotel is that you don’t have to do your own laundry. Yetsomeone has to do it for you and for all the other guests. Can you just imagine what a gigantic pile of dirty clothes all the resorts in Phuket generate? But where some see nothing but a lot of…

  • Finance: Oil volatility good for asset class | Thaiger

    Finance: Oil volatility good for asset class

    PHUKET: I used to write about the trend-following sector. Many of the funds I still use went decades with the steadiest performance in the investment industry, while still giving investors above-average returns. Sadly, in the period of low interest rates and volatility following the financial crisis, the entire asset class has struggled. The steady year-after-year forward progress seemed to turn…

  • In Phuket aviation business, the sky is not the limit | Thaiger

    In Phuket aviation business, the sky is not the limit

    PHUKET: Do what you love and make money doing it – how’s that for a business plan? That is exactly what Sky Club Asia co-owners Mark Silverberg and Paul Derstoff did when they turned their passion into a prospering business. Did their leap of faith pay off? One of the things that Mark Silverberg brought with him when he moved…

  • Phuket Finance: An expat’s guide to the inevitable | Thaiger

    Phuket Finance: An expat’s guide to the inevitable

    PHUKET: It’s natural to experience culture shock as an expat, but the real shock comes when expats consider just how complicated proper investment or financial planning becomes after they expatriate from their home countries. Here are some of the key areas expats will need to have a plan for and likely consult with knowledgeable experts about. EXCHANGE RATE AND REMITTANCE…

  • Illuzion show and discotheque to transform Phuket’s nightlife | Thaiger

    Illuzion show and discotheque to transform Phuket’s nightlife

    PHUKET: To help tour operators capitalize on the changing demographics of clients on Phuket’s famed Soi Bangla, which has piqued the curiosity of families and tour groups over the past few years, Patong Dine & Show brings the party street Southeast Asia’s first combined interactive Vegas-style show and discotheque – Illuzion. With a 4-million-baht sound system, a 70sqm LED screen…

  • Phuket Finance: Russian ruble does the slide | Thaiger

    Phuket Finance: Russian ruble does the slide

    PHUKET: I have been asked a lot recently about the dramatic moves in the Russian currency, the ruble. What effect will it have on tourism to Phuket? What effect will it have on the real estate market? The obvious thing that is certain is that if the Russian currency remains weak Phuket will be more expensive for Russians who are…

  • Phuket Finance: Avoid offshore workers’ retirement-plan pitfalls | Thaiger

    Phuket Finance: Avoid offshore workers’ retirement-plan pitfalls

    PHUKET: Thailand hosts a sizable population of offshore oil workers. They are unlike the majority of investment clients found here. Most clients are retired and their portfolios are being managed for income and capital preservation. However, offshore oil workers have the advantage of being able to live in Thailand and also bring in a very nice income. In 1993, I…

  • Honda battles market slump with Phuket launch of HR-V | Thaiger

    Honda battles market slump with Phuket launch of HR-V

    PHUKET: The Thai automobile market may have headed downhill by more than 30 per cent this year, but Honda is in gear to make up lost ground with the launch of its latest HR-V model. The company trimmed sales forecasts at the end of last year as the slump in Thailand’s market took hold and Honda’s deliveries plunged in the…

  • Comprehensive worldwide survey examines the expat experience | Thaiger

    Comprehensive worldwide survey examines the expat experience

    PHUKET: Online expatriate networking site InterNations recently released its first Expat Insider report, which provides insight into the experience of those who choose to live, retire or work abroad. The report is an agglomeration of survey results from about 14,000 respondents representing 165 nationalities residing in 169 countries. The questionnaire focuses on the traits of a host country, including quality…

  • Opinion: Thailand’s choice – standing at a crossroads over foreign investment | Thaiger

    Opinion: Thailand’s choice – standing at a crossroads over foreign investment

    Mark Kent has been British ambassador to Thailand since August 2012. Prior to that he spent a year learning Thai at universities and language schools in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Khon Kaen. He is also an alumnus of the King Prajadhiphok’s Institute course in Politics and Governance. Mark comes from Lincolnshire. He has a degree in Law from the University…