The turtle quarter...Q2

Thailand- the economic power house of South East Asia. It is roughly around 513,000 sq km and has been voted as the 50th biggest country in terms of measured sq km. It is also the 21st most populous country in the world. It is casually called the Land of Smiles and life is known to be simple and peaceful...well, not in the recent months. However, things are getting back to normal in the Kingdom of Thailand, and the government promises peace and prosperity to be back to the country.

Thailand's biggest economic success belongs in the decade starting from 1985 to 1995. It actually experienced the world's highest economic growth (economywatch.com/thailand). This country is considered a Newly Industrialized Country and its main sources of income for much of the population here is derived from tourisms and exports (such as rice to Japan).

The following numbers are from economywatch.com:

Thailand’s GDP (purchasing power parity):

$541.2 billion (2007)

$555.3 billion (2008 estimate)

$539.7 billion (2009 estimate)

The following data maps the performance of various sectors of the GDP as of 2008:

Agriculture: 12.3%

Industry: 44%

Services: 43.7%

Of about 64 million people (as on December 31, 2008), the labor force stood at 38.24 million in 2009 and was employed in the three main sectors in the following manner as of 2008:

Agriculture: 42.4%

Industry: 19.7%

Services: 37.9%

Final Words:

So what is the estimated 2010 GDP of Thailand going to be? Will the Redshirts have dont some permanent damage on the image of Thailand s the Land of Smile and thus affect the influx of tourism to Thailand in the next few years? It is all up in the air, however, the Thai government are speculating a steady growth despite the unrest in Bangkok. One thing for certain however, the property investment in Thailand is still seeing higher Return on Investment than its neighbors and it is almost certain that it will stay like that. N.B. Just because Bangkok is in trouble, it does not mean that the rest of Thailand is experiencing unrest - Pattaya, a city on the beach facing the gulf of Thailand is ever growing (in infrastructure and investment!) so come get your share of the opportunities for future investments!

Happy Investing!

Sawadee Krab