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Thailand Weekly Vol. 05

Thailand news and stories delivered free to your inbox every Sunday 🇹🇭

Happy Sunday everyone. Lots of fun stuff happening in Thailand this past week. Be sure to check out the new Twitter Account where we’ll share all sorts of daily snippets from the Kingdom. You can find it by searching @ThailandWeekly on Twitter. Also be sure to check out our new YouTube Channel called Best Of Thailand where we share daily bite-sized videos from all over the Country. Enjoy!

– Adam

The Big Leagues In Bangkok

It’s official. Two premier league giants will face off in Bangkok’s Rajamangala Stadium on July 12th. Liverpool FC vs. Manchester United. Both teams will send their main rosters to play in front of Thai fans. The stadium is expected to be packed as both clubs have a large following in the Kingdom.

This will be the first time in a few years that Premier Leaguer Teams will be able to embark on their fruitful pre-season tours of Asia as the region starts to properly open up and make travel much easier. After Cristiano Ronaldo and his United teammates play in the Capital, they’ll be heading down to Australia for two more exhibition-bouts before heading back to Europe.

If you’re in Bangkok and are interested in attending the match, tickets can be purchased here through the Thai Ticket Major site. Prices range from 5000 Baht to 25,000 Baht and each buyer can purchase up to four tickets.

Our Take

It’s great to see big events returning to the Thai Capital. In my opinion, it’s a world-class city that deserves to be a regular stop when artists, athletes, sports teams, etc. do their regional tours in this part of the world. Although Bangkok isn’t there yet, I hope that it eventually graduates to the same level that places like Tokyo or Shanghai sit as it pertains to being a regular stop-over. When big artists announce dates and locations for the Asian portion of their tours, the Thai Capital isn’t a place that’s often included. For a city of over 10 million people located in one of the most convenient locations in Asia, hopefully this changes in the coming years.

World Class Medical Tourism

Thailand’s Prime Minister wants to turn Phuket into a global hub for medical tourism by 2028. The Kingdom is already recognized as an amazing place to get high-quality treatment for all sorts of care options, procedures, surgeries, etc. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s spokesperson says that ‘expanding medical tourism is going to be good for Thailand’s economy in the future’.

The Government’s ambitions of turning Phuket into a world-class ‘Medical Plaza’ that includes elderly care centres, palliative care centres, rehabilitation centres, amongst other things would hopefully debut at an Expo in 2028.

Our Take

The first time I ever visited a hospital in Thailand, I was shocked. I had woken up and for whatever reason, couldn’t hear out of my right ear. I headed over to Bangkok Hospital up on Petchaburi Road and couldn’t believe the service I received. The staff were super friendly, the facilities were modern, and 3-hours later after seeing three different specialists and undergoing all sorts of testing, I got the proper diagnosis and left with the right medicine. It was unbelievable. This would have likely taken weeks, if not months to deal with back in Canada where I’m from.

Point is, I think that Thailand doubling down on ambitions to become a global leader in medical tourism is a smart idea. The infrastructure is already in place and the reputation is there. I think it could be a slam-dunk play.

Thailand Travel Tip

Thailand is an easy place to explore at surface level. The tourist areas are well-defined, the locals are friendly, and things are relatively straightforward. Having said that, as soon as you want to start pulling back the hundreds of layers that make Thailand extra special, it can get difficult. Local restaurants, activities, attractions, nightlife, etc. can be tough to navigate. Bangkok’s back-alley noodle shops. Koh Samui’s secret beaches. Chiang Mai’s speakeasy bars. They’re all special places, but can be almost impossible to find unless you have local friends. That’s why we created the Teenee App. It’s handpicked list of the best things Thailand has to offer overlaid on an easy-to-navigate map interface. Every spot is recommended by Thais or Expats that actually live here. With the ability to search, filter, and enjoy bite-sized videos across hundreds of recommendations, it’s like having a local friend in your pocket at all times. Click hereto download it.

Perhaps the best thing Teenee has to offer is the collection of private videos to give you an overview of each spot being recommended. Well, we’re actually posting these videos on our Best Of Thailand YouTube Channel EVERY DAY, so you’re able to able to enjoy the content and learn more about Thailand’s top spots in the form of daily, bite-sized videos. Feel free to subscribe here.

Most Searched Country On Earth?

According to travel giant Agoda, Thailand is the most searched place on earth for trips in the next six months. Eclipsing other hotspots like Mexico, Italy, and France, it goes to show how special Thailand is to so many people. After seeing a 500% increase in Agoda searches between January and March 2022, we could be entering a world where the Kingdom gets busy and comes back to life like never before. The top incoming tourists come from Japan, the United States, and Singapore.

Thailand still has some travel restrictions in place which includes a PCR test on arrival and a Day 5 ATK test, but the Kingdom has announced a 4-step plan that outlines each of the milestones that need to happen before these are removed. You can read more about this in a previous edition of the Thailand Weekly.

Our Take

I’m not surprised that people want to get back to Thailand. Before the pandemic hit in 2020, it was one of the most visited places on earth. Now that it feels like we’re in the final stages of this whole mess, those that love it here are desperate to get back.

It’s also worth mentioning that those visiting in the next 3-6 months might get a once in a lifetime experience to enjoy all that Thailand has to offer without the ridiculous crowds that can come when there are normally 3 million monthly arrivals. If there was ever a time to book a trip, it’s now!

Only In Thailand 🇹🇭

In this week’s edition of ‘Only In Thailand’, a 67 year old grandma in Isaan’s Surin Province has been celebrated as the number one ‘community rescuer’ after catching her biggest python yet. To provide some context, whenever anyone in the area finds a snake, they go to Grandma Prakuad (Own) and ask her to catch it. She’s more than happy to help and has caught all sorts of snakes over the past few years. She never asks for money in return. Her nickname? The ‘Community Rescuer’. I’m happy to live in a world where people like you exist Grandma Prakuad 😎

Press Worthy 🔥