NTCC Newsletter February 2011

BOI Economic Review 2010: return to growth and prosperity

While a good portion of the economic upturn can be attributed to the general improvement in the global economy, which helped boost exports, it is certainly true that the economic stimulus programs implemented by the government can be credited with adding to the stellar year. Full article at: http://www.boi.go.th:8080/issue_content.php?issueid=73;page=0

BOI Round Table well attended

On February 22^nd eighteen company representatives attended the jointly hosted BOI/NTCC Round Table at the NCH offices in The Hague. Ms Bussarakum Sriratana, Deputy Consul General of the Investment Section of the Royal Thai Consulate in Frankfurt updated the interested parties on the latest BOI incentives. She was accompanied by Mr Amnat Chulajata, Consul at the Investment Section and Mr Sieb Hoogstra of OCO Global in Bruxelles. OCO Global bridges the gap between government and private sector and represents BOI in the Benelux. More details at: http://www.ocoglobal.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=cms.home&page_id=70&site_id=1 Picture shows from second on the left: Mr Kees Mommers (Boardmember NTCC The Hague), Ms Bussarakum (BOI Frankfurt), Mr Sieb Hoogstra (OCO Global Bruxelles), standing Edith Punt (Boardmember NTCC).

ECC Invest on air in Business Class

Tjeert Kwant of ECC Invest has explained the opportunities Thailand has to offer in Harry Mens’ talkshow ‘Business Class’. ECC focuses on markets with a strong demand and growth potential. Currently ECC is constructing a major shopping mall in Chiang Mai that will eventually house 300 shops. Last February 21^st the official stonelaying took place at the site in Chiang Mai. Tjeert Kwant pointed out the advantages of investing in Thailand. To see the interview (in Dutch): http://www.business-class.nl/index.php/video/Financieel/591

Statistics on recovering tourist arrivals

Despite many circumstances, tourist arrivals in Thailand have been increasing steadily since 1998 as shown by the graphs on this website: http://www.thaiwebsites.com/tourism.asp

Kelly Employment Outlook and Salary Guide 2010/2011 Thailand online

According to Kelly Services there continues to be demand for talent who are performance-driven with the caliber to multi-task and the ability to cope with increased responsibilities as business conditions improve. Positions with the strongest demand across all industries include those in Sales, Production, Human Resources and Finance. They anticipate that salaries and benefits in 2010 will improve marginally as compared to last year. There may be a reversal of this trend as the year progresses if the economy continues to strengthen. The salary ranges in this guide are indicative of actual transactions between employers and employees from Kelly’s business, and represent a reflection of the marketplace. Download the report at: http://www.kellyservices.co.th/web/th/services/en/pages/index.html (click on image at the bottom).

Best Year Ever for Phuket Tourist Arrivals

Phuket passenger traffic smashed all previous records with 3.5 million arrivals during 2010 - or 22% growth over the previous year – with new markets such as Russia and China emerging as the major drivers of growth. Leading consultancy firm C9 Hotelworks' latest market research report, 2010 Phuket Hotel Market Update indicates annual tourism figures soundly recovered from early political angst to hit new highs. To download the full report: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1101/S00433/best-year-ever-for-phuket-tourist-arrivals.htm

Worldbank view on Thailand's Economic Growth 2010-2011

From the radio, TV and news in Thailand, we've heard optimistic reports on Thailand's growth forecasts for 2011.  These report that it could be increased from 3% to 4-5%. That could be overly optimistic.  The World Bank's Thailand Economic Monitor - November 2010 commented that Thailand's growth is expected to slow to 3.2% in 2011. Although tourism rebounded strongly in the last quarters of 2010, the overall GDP still contracted due to slowing exports and the decline in consumption, caused by the loss of farm income during a severe drought, said the World Bank. More details at: http://www.business-in-asia.com/thailand/thailand_economy2011.html

Thailand launches boost to ‘creative economy’

Thailand launched an effort to boost up its "creative economy" sector with an ambition of becoming a "creative industrial hub" in Southeast Asia. Deputy Commerce Minister Alongkorn Ponlaboot said the Thai government planned to spend 20 billion baht (667 million U.S. dollars) to raise contributions of creative economy to the country 's gross domestic product to 20 percent in 2012 from 12 percent in 2010. Full article at: http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90778/90858/90863/7263706.html

April 7: International Trading Day

On April 7^th Chambers of Commerce all over the Netherlands host the annual international trading day. Representatives from NL EVD, customs and the revenue department are waiting to answer all your questions. To register at the event nearest to you look at: http://www.kvk.nl/internationale_handel/internationale_handelsdag/internationale_handelsdag/

Crashteam unfair competition

Do you meet with unfair competition or misinterpretation of regulations? Is your market entry frustrated by unjustified product demands? Now Crashteam at the Ministry of ELI can support your search for a solution by economic diplomacy. More details (in Dutch) at: http://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/internationaal-ondernemen/klachtenloketten-crashteam-en-solvit/crashteam-oneerlijke-concurrentie

Export from A to Z

Fenedex is offering export training programs at different locations in the Netherlands. To check the calendar click on: http://www.exporttrainingen.nl/agenda/cursus-export-van-a-t/m-z.html

Thai Consulate Amsterdam moved to Herengracht

In January the Thai Consulate Amsterdam moved to new premises at Herengracht 444, 1017 BZ Amsterdam. Telephone: ++ 31 20 465 1532 Fax: ++31 20 465 1543 Email: info@thaiconsulate-amsterdam.org More details at: www.thaiconsulate-amsterdam.org

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