News

Some interesting tourism figures for the Hua Hin area were reported by TAT and picked up on the forum for discussion. We are all aware that the town is very popular with the Bangkok weekend crowd but surprisingly the tourism arrivals figure for Hua Hin and Cha-am is over 80% Thai. This would go a long way in explaining why local events and festivals are only promoted and marketed in Thai language banners that get plastered over town preceding them. Naturally the forum is the best source of local news and updates for expats and visitors so be sure to check it out for information on upcoming events in Hua Hin. From the foreign tourism arrivals to Hua Hin Finland topped the list with over 44,000 visitors in 2010, followed by Norway, Sweden, Germany and the UK – it is also no surprise that Hua Hin is very popular with Scandinavians!

Amongst the other discussions on the forum this month was the possible arrival of a Central shopping mall and its impact on the town. A number of readers expressed the view that Hua Hin doesn’t need another mall (a centrally located car park would be nice), and that Market Village is enough. Opposing this view were those for the new addition who claim that Central department stores are far superior to what we currently have. There is also a new Makro store planned for Hua Hin.

Discussions on pest control raged on, specifically the possibility of owning an air rifle in Thailand. Legally foreigners are not permitted to own firearms, even air guns but there are a number of good alternatives such as gas powered BB guns to do the job. Soi dogs seem to be a scourge that is on the increase, the arguments for and against taking action to repel them always creates a lively debate.

September and October are traditionally quiet months in Hua Hin with no major events planned, now that the Elephant Polo and the Hua Hin Golf Festival are over we can look forward to Loy Krathong in November and Hua Hin Bike Week which should be held in early December.

As usual the visa section has been busy with questions on the ever shifting sands of bureaucracy and requirements for visa extensions, since the new government have taken over things may have changed again in Hua Hin immigration office. Pensions plans from several countries have also been discussed as some are experiencing difficulties claiming their pension while based in Thailand, plenty of advice has been given.

Plenty of discussion in the health section as expats asked about a range of treatments ranging from laser eye surgery to dental work to ongoing updates from the newly opened Hua Hin Bangkok Hospital from our resident doctor.

We were sad to report the deaths of two high profile Thai business people in Hua Hin last month, a partner in the Hua Hin floating market who was killed in a road traffic accident and a property developer who gunned down while getting into her car.

Asking the expats has been as popular as ever with questions to our residents on all kinds of weird and wonderful things ranging from plumbers to furniture shops to TV repair to jewelry manufacturers to  storage facilities and tailors. Whatever your question, you’ll get a quick answer on the Hua Hin Forum.

The Hua Hin Forum – www.huahinforum.com – started out as HHAD (huahinafterdark.com) in 2002 offering information on the town’s nightlife and entertainment. Since then it has grown into the area’s only active online web community attracting thousands of visitors and expats to its web boards every day to catch up on news, events, promotions, new venues, and attractions for the area. Find out more and get online at the Hua Hin Forum: www.huahinforum.com