THAILAND

‘The land of smiles’, with as capital Bangkok. Bangkok is a turbulent city where gigantic skyscrapers are surrounded by temple complexes and art treasures from the past. Culture, nature and a fascinating nightlife, seem to be able to coexist without any trouble. A country with a completely own culture and many traditions. A migration to this country can have a great impact on your daily life.

Climate/Working climate:
Thailand has a Tropical climate that is affected by the monsoon winds. This means that the days are warm and humid all year long. The temperature fluctuates around 30°C.

Doing business in Thailand depends in large part on personal contacts. A formal introduction is important when you meet someone for the first time. After ongoing contacts you can communicate by fax or e-mail.

A hotel deluxe in the business centre of Bangkok is the exquisite opportunity for an appointment. A first meeting with Thai business relations take mostly place during a lunch or a drink in an informal sphere where people rarely talk about business.

Do’s and don’ts:

• People will ask you a lot about your home, car, family, education, hobby’s and sometimes even your income. That’s no impertinent curiosity, because people try to discover whether you have a higher or lower social rank. If you don’t want to answer to a question, just smile friendly and make a evasive joke.
• Thai people see the head as something special, because it houses the spirit. Don’t ever touch someone’s head, not even children’s head. Avoid to reach for something over the head of someone else too.
• Thais see the feet as the lowest body part. Avoid using your feet to point to something.
• A typical Thai meal consists of rice that will be shared with various dishes. Let you host order, because Thais are proud when they know and order exceptional dishes. If you are asked to choose a dish too, make sure that you order a exceptional dish that everyone can appreciate.
• Thailand knows a lot of Buddhist days that apply as national holidays. Make sure you know these days, these days are official holidays, the banks en the government will be closed.
• Always wear long sleeves and closed shoes when you don’t know how conservative your appointment is;
• Always take off your shoes before you enter someone’s home;
• The burping, spitting, nose picking and nose blowing in public is still quite common in Thailand;
• Pointing can be considered rude, so instead use your whole hand to gesture carefully in the general direction of the thing you want to point out;
• When you visit a company it can appear that people greet you on a traditional way with the Wai. To do the Wai: bring your palms and fingertips together and raise your palms at the same height as your chin, then bow your head slightly. It is rude when you don’t answer the Wai, by doing a Wai too. Think of the status of your counterpart when you use the Wai, the one with the lowest social rank starts the Wai.
• Don’t be surprised if a (taxi)driver suddenly releases his handle bar to do a Wai with his both hands for an image of the King or a Buddhist statue along the road.

Facts and figures:
Capital city: Bangkok
Area: 513.115 km², 13 x the size of the Netherlands
Population: 4,430,000
Time zone: GMT/UTC +7
Currency: Thai Baht (฿)
Languages: Thai, English, Chinese and regional dialects
Religions: Buddhism 94,6%, Muslim 4,6%, Christian 0,7%, other 0,1%

If you want to know more, visit:
http://www.ethailand.com/index.php?id=558
http://geography.about.com/library/maps/blthailand.htm 
http://countrystudies.us/thailand/