Bangkok Business Supplement - Jan 2017

January 2017 

BANGKOK 

TM 

SUPPLEMENT 

FREE 

COPY 

BUSINESS 

LONG TERM RENTAL AT NEW NORDIC, A PERFECT LIFESTYLE 

COVER STORY OVERLEAF 

INSIDE THIS ISSUE ... 

& BANGKOK OFFICE RENTAL MARKET BUOYANT 

& TOURISM EXPECTED TO GROW SUBSTANTIALLY IN 2017 

& THAILAND BUSINESS ROUNDUP 

ADVERTISEMENT 

THAILAND’S OFFICIAL 

NUMBER 1 

PROVIDER OF THE ED VISA 

SCAN 

THIS 

AREA 

Tel: 027 350 956 , 081 271 5235 , Fax: 027 354 748 

Email: tlslanguageschool@gmail.com , Website: www.tlslanguageschool.com

BUSINESS SUPPLEMENT 

cover story 

SCAN 

THIS 

AREA 

LONG TERM RENTAL AT NEW NORDIC, A PERFECT LIFESTYLE 

The New Nordic Group have built up a strong 

reputation for providing quality products, all of 

which are designed to create an almost unique 

lifestyle within the already laid-back lifestyle of 

expat living in Pattaya. 

The New Nordic Group has a large range of 

accommodation types available for customers, 

ranging from quaint bungalows nestled in small 

and private villages to well-furnished one, two 

and three-bedroom apartments. 

New Nordic offer great long-term rental accommodation 

deals which are aimed at promoting 

the truly village-style atmosphere the company 

has always been keen to accentuate. 

Customers who rent an apartment or a bungalow 

are also able to take advantage of regular 

weekly cleaning, with changes of linen and 

towels, similar to those renting a hotel room. 

All long-term rental apartments and bungalows 

come equipped with modern kitchens to allow 

customers to stay at home and cook for themselves. 

Of course, just like the hotel, renters are 

able to use almost any one of the 30 swimming 

pools around the complexes and also have 

access to the fitness room to keep themselves 

in shape. 

High Tower Co., Ltd. Tel: 038 411 009 

Everything a long-term renter could ever need 

is located within the New Nordic sphere of influence, 

from 24-hour security to an information 

desk that is also open 24-hours a day, from ATM 

cash machines on site to Wi-Fi in the rooms and 

public areas, from free car parking to 24-hour 

IT support. 

If a customer needs transportation, whether to 

the airport or the shops in Pattaya or elsewhere, 

this can be arranged with little trouble. 

Rental prices start from as low as 10,000 baht 

per month. Breakfast can be arranged on a daily 

basis for an extra 2,000 baht per month, while 

laundry can be done at 3,000 baht a month. 

One comment from a customer stands out, and 

in many ways encapsulates the entire New 

Nordic Group philosophy: “It’s clean, it’s safe, 

it’s convenient, and it’s always getting better. 

But the best reason to choose New Nordic for 

a long-stay is the feeling that someone always 

has your back; you aren’t just here on your 

own.” 

Another customer expressed similar feelings. 

“I think the secret to New Nordic’s rapid expansion 

and success has to do with people feeling 

safe…Our little village is clean and secure. That 

might be our secret weapon.” 

These simple sentences captures the New 

Nordic Group’s business philosophy: to create the 

kind of holiday and long-term stay environment 

which not only gives people quality across the 

board from the accommodation to the facilities 

to the entertainment, but also to provide a safe 

haven for their customers. 

The company has also introduced the New 

Nordic Orange Privilege Card, which is given 

out to New Nordic’s most valued customers, 

which includes regular guests and long-term 

renters. It allows the holder to access special 

deals in the New Nordic food and beverage 

outlets as well as giving exclusive rights to the 

company’s various events. The card is valid for 

one year at a time. 

For more information on all aspects of Long 

Term Renting at New Nordic, phone (038) 306 

300; Email: tobias@new-nordic.com or 

booking@new-nordic.com 

For all your advertising enquiries - Tel: 0846 77 43 60


THAILAND LEADS THE WAY IN SEA FOR ATTRACTIONS 

The internet-based travel company TripAdvisor 

recently released figures which showed Thailand 

had the greatest number of attractions in 

the Southeast Asian region as measured by 

traveller interest during the months of September 

and October last year. 

Out of the top 15 attractions compiled by Trip 

Advisor, five were located inside Thailand. The 

figures were based on the percentage increase 

in search sessions during the period. 

The five on the list in Thailand were Nong 

Nooch Tropical Botanical Gardens, near Pattaya, 

the Bua Thong waterfalls in Chiang Mai, the 

Cartoon Network Amazone water park at Jomtien 

Beach, Monkey Hill in Phuket and Krabi’s 

weekend night market. 

Indonesia and the Philippines each had four 

attractions on the list while Vietnam and Malaysia 

had one apiece. 

TripAdvisor provided the following descriptions 

for the five Thai attractions and why they are 

attracting interest: 

Nong Nooch: was voted as a Pattaya “must 

see” by TripAdvisor users. It has more than 20 

themed gardens featuring European, Asian and 

North American plants and topiary. 

Bua Thong waterfalls: Best known for its 

unusual, stair-like limestone face that can be 

climbed easily by children and adults alike, 

the Bua Thong waterfalls reward climbers with 

spectacular aerial views of the surrounding 

forest at the summit. 

Cartoon Network Amazone water park: A hit 

with folks of all ages, the water park contains 10 

entertainment zones, more than 30 water rides 

and the world’s largest “aqua playground”. 

Monkey Hill: True to its name, visitors to 

Monkey Hill can expect macaques for company 

as they make their way up Phuket’s highest 

peak. 

Krabi Weekend Market: This is a foodie’s 

delight, offering a wide variety of Thai curries, 

noodles, snacks and desserts, while souvenir 

hunters can also pick up local art and crafts at 

bargain prices. 

According to TripAdvisor, outdoor markets and 

natural attractions are seeing an increase in 

interest in the website’s Attractions Trend Index. 

The Sindhu Market in Sanur, Indonesia, 

took the Number One spot in the Southeast 

Asian region with a 242 percent year-on-year 

traffic increase. 

Sindhu Market was followed by Nacpan Beach 

in El Nido, Philippines in second place, Nguyen 

Hue Street in Ho Chi Minh City in third position, 

the Pinto Art Museum in Antipolo City, 

Philippines in fourth and Nong Nooch Tropical 

Botanical Garden rounded out the top five attractions. 

The Bua Thong waterfalls, Cartoon Network 

Amazone, Monkey Hill and Krabi Weekend 

Night Market took the sixth, eighth, ninth and 

tenth spots, respectively. 

LUXURY VILLA FOR SALE (in Jomtien) 

Reduced from 12.9 MB to 9.9 MB ! 

A beautiful luxury Villa with complete privacy just 400 meters from the beach. The Villa is in a 5 star luxurious 

resort located in Jomtien-close to the Hanuman statue. The property has a brand new pool and Jacuzzi. 

Purchase price includes all furniture, equipment and appliances 

Size 300 sqm., Living space 220 sqm. with brand new pool and jacuzzi. 

4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, air conditioning, Electronic Security, New flatscreens, Wifi and cable TV 

Luxurious resort with 24 hour security. 400 meters from the beach. Total privacy. 

Phone: 094 329 9701 or 084 677 4360 

Email: ben.hightowerltd@gmail.com High Tower Co., Ltd. Tel: 038 411 009


For Reservations : 

038 416 285 

E-mail: blueolive1@hotmail.com 

62/147 Moo 12, Thepprasit Soi 8, Nongprue, 

Banglamung, Chonburi 20150 

South Pattaya Rd. 

Sukhumvit Rd. 

Soi 17 

Land 

Office 

3rd Road 

Soi 8 

Thepprasit Rd. 

For Taxi: บลูโอลีฟ หมู่บ้านอัตถสิทธิ์ เทพประสิทธิ์ ซอย 8 

one stop service 

In these competitive times, the company that innovates and 

nimbly adapts to the changing business landscape, stays ahead 

of the pack. A balance of cutting edge technology, on trend 

marketing and classic business expertise will ensure that your 

company stays out in front. For custom-designed IT, Web & 

Marketing Solutions that present your best to a wider audience, 

BitSiren is your partner. No followers here. 

EDEN 

HOTEL 

BANGKOK OFFICE RENTAL 

MARKET BUOYANT 

According to the highly-rated 

CBRE Research Thailand, the office 

market in Bangkok performed 

well over the past year, with limited 

new supply and healthy takeup 

driving rental growth and reducing 

already low vacancy rates. 

CBRE Research Thailand noted 

that it continued to witness healthy 

pre-leasing demand, a trend first 

noted in 2015. Prior to that year, 

significant tenant commitments 

in advance of a building’s completion 

were rare, but with office 

space becoming increasingly 

popular, it seems many companies 

are prepared to commit beforehand 

to tenancy agreements. 

CBRE noted that Bangkok office 

rents increased by an average of 

6.5 percent in 2016, with Grade 

A and B rents rising by 8 percent 

and 5 percent respectively. Bhiraj 

Tower at EmQuartier, for example, 

achieved a rental rate of 1,000 

baht per square metre per month 

for a small, standard specification 

unit. It became one of three completed 

office buildings in Bangkok 

to pass the 1,000-baht-per-sq-m 

mark. Park Ventures Ecoplex, 

which, in 2013, was the first office 

block to break the 1,000-baht-persq-m 

rent level, set a new market 

record of 1,300 baht per-sq-m, 

again for a small, standard specification 

unit. 

The completion of these two buildings 

increased the total Bangkok 

office supply to 8.54 million 

square metres. This represents a 

year-on-year increase of 1.7 percent. 

Despite an increase in supply, the 

overall occupancy rate increased 

to 91.8 percent. The accumulated 

net take-up was on track to reach 

180,000 square metres for 2016, 

a slight reduction from 2015, but 

this would still be enough to reduce 

the overall vacancy by 0.8 

percentage points year-on-year. 

Pre-leasing demand continued 

to be strong, with Gaysorn Tower 

and M Tower, which are both 

scheduled for completion in the 

second quarter of 2017, securing 

significant commitments from 

tenants over six months prior to 

completion. 

The Bangkok office market also 

witnessed its first wave of obsolescence 

during 2016 with the 

demolition of both Kian Gwan 

One and Vanissa Building, removing 

28,000 square metres from 

the capital’s leasable office stock. 

CBRE Research Thailand analysts 

expect this trend to continue 

as owners of outdated buildings 

consider their options against a 

backdrop of central land price appreciation 

and rising rents. 

BitSiren 113/228 Anuphas Golf Ville Moo 7, T. Kathu, A. Kathu, Phuket 83120 Thailand 

T +66 76 319 179 F +66 76 319 178 contact@bitsiren.com - www.bitsiren.com 

CBRE noted that in 2016 a total 

of 151,000 square metres of new 

office space had been completed. 

This included two new buildings, 

Thairath and Osotspa, both owner-occupied, 

with 26,000 square 

metres completed in the fourth 

quarter of last year. 

While quite a few developers have 

set aside significant land holdings 

for office developments, collectively 

amounting to around one 

million square metres of leasable 

space, only 463,000 square metres 

of this is due for completion 

prior to 2019. 



WE OFFER YOU 

A GREAT RANGE OF 

FRESHLY COOKED 

ITALIAN CUISINE 


★★★★★ 

“The Best Indian Food 

I have ever eaten on my Travels” 

- John Tate (London businessman) 

1/13-14 Pattaya Klang Road, next to 

Krungthai Bank, Pattaya, Chonburi, Thailand 

call:038-361620 

marketing.alibaba.g@gmail.com 

FREE POT 

MASALA TEA 

-No catches ! 

alibabatandooripattaya 

FREE GLASS OF WINE 

-No catches ! 

1/13-14 Pattaya Klang Road, 

next to Krungthai Bank, Pattaya, Chonburi, Thailand 

call:038-362 186 

OPEN FOR 

LUNCH AND DINNER 

EVERYDAY From 11:00 am to 11:00 pm 

fnspizzeria 

FREE NECK TIE 

-No catches ! 

“The Tailored Suits I’ve 

had made at Groverz 

are flawless” 

- Edwin Jackson, Perth 

groverztailor 

ROVER GTA I L O R S SINCE 1962 

1/13-14 Pattaya Central Road 

(beside KrungThai Bank, near beach road) 

Pattaya, Thailand 

groverztailor@gmail.com 

+66 81 9498702 

+66 92 2519664 

facebook.com/groverztailor 

Second Road Plaza, 

Tropicana Hotel, Pattaya, Thailand 

For Table Bookings and Delivery: 

call:038-423 009 

FREE SALAD 

BOWL 

-No catches ! 

D.T. Consultant & Travel Agency Co.,Ltd. 

SERVICES 

99 Discount Travel (depuis 1988) Agent B.S.P. accredite I.A.T.A. (habilites par toutes les compagnies aeriennes 

a vendre des billets aux passagers et aux autres agences de voyage) Changements de dates, confirmations, 

Tours, Hotel reservations, oversea call, TGV, etc.. 

99 Passagers Sales Agent (P.S.A.) Broker exclusif Oman Air 

99 Consultant Juridique et Specialistes Visas 

99 Agence Immobiliere & Entreprise de construction, Design d’interieurs... 

99 Services (de A ...a...Z...) Ouvert: 7jours/7/24H/24 

Wat Chai 

Mong Kol 

2nd Rd. 

South Pattaya Rd. 

Joy Ko Hair Cut 

VC Hotel 

Soi Soi VC VC 

99 D.T. 

Parking V.C. 

Free 

Soi Yensabai 

Tel: (038) 713 713-5 | Fax: (038) 713 716 

Email: 99services@live.com 

See full our services at www.99servicesthailand.com 

Pattaya Beach Rd. 

Walking Street 

492 Moo 10 Pratumnak Road, Pattaya Tai 

Soi VC (Opposite VC Hotel) 

Email: ben.hightowerltd@gmail.com 

High Tower Co., Ltd. Tel: 038 411 009


SCAN 

THIS 

AREA 




SCAN 

THIS 

AREA 



When It Comes To Lifestyle Choice, It Doesn’t Get Better Than This 

As the Asean Economic Community 

(AEC) begins its second 

year we will take a slightly different 

tack to covering it by looking 

at what many pundits consider is 

the potential ecommerce value of 

the Southeast Asian region and its 

member states. 

In an article published online in 

November last year by Sheji Ho, 

he noted ‘Little data exists on the 

current and projected size of the 

ecommerce market in Southeast 

Asia. Part of this is because it’s 

still a nascent industry and, as a 

Exclusive Top Floor Corner Unit (30th Floor) 

View Talay 8, Jomtien Beach Road. 

142 sqm. Fully Furnished. Finished to a very high standard. True beach front living. 

Property in Foreign Name. Price 15 MB 

Treat yourself to your own piece of paradise 

For more details Phone 084 677 4360 (Viewing on request.) 

THE AEC AND ITS ECOMMERCE POTENTIAL 

result, legacy institutions like government 

and research firms are 

still playing catch up.’ 

Another factor is that an enormous 

amount of customer-to-customer 

(C2C) ecommerce, estimated 

to be anywhere from one-third 

to half of total ecommerce Gross 

Merchandise Volume (GMV), is 

largely unregulated and almost 

certainly untaxed. 

Equally, much of the C2C action 

across the region happens via on 

social media such as Facebook 

and Instagram and channeled 

by conversations on messaging 

apps such as LINE and Facebook 

Messenger. 

As Sheji Ho noted, ‘several reputable 

organizations have taken 

a stab at assessing the size of 

ecommerce in this region. One 

of the earliest attempts at market 

sizing comes from AT Kearney 

in collaboration with CIMB. Published 

in early 2015 and titled Lifting 

the Barriers to E-Commerce in 

ASEAN the report estimates the 

current market size at US$7 billion 

(as of 2013), and projecting a 

future potential of US$89 billion.’ 

So, there’s the start point in one 

report: the equivalent of $89 billion. 

Yet, as Ho writes, ‘More recently, 

Google partnering with Temasek, 

released a report titled e-conomy 

SEA: Unlocking the $200 billion 

digital opportunity in Southeast 

Asia that sizes the current ecommerce 

market at $5.5 billion (as of 

2015) and foresees it to grow into 

an $88 billion market as early as 

2025.’ 

Yet that report leaves out C2C 

and peer-2-peer (P2P) marketplaces 

such as OLX, Carousell 

and Instagram because of the 

difficulty in obtaining reliable data. 

Ho is quite adamant that the marketplace 

may well be far bigger 

than currently estimated. 

At present the, ‘US ecommerce 

market today is a $394 billion 

market. But then again, and quite 

obviously, the US is a much more 

mature ecommerce market…’ 

China ‘surpassed the US in 2013 

to become the world’s largest 

ecommerce market in terms of 

GMV.’ 

Right now, the Chinese ecommerce 

is a $700 billion market and 

that equates to about 13 percent 

of total retail in the country. 

In the next issue we’ll look at 

where the AEC ecommerce market 

place could be in 2025. 




“Bits n 

Bytes” 

STEVE DICKENS 

In the autumn of 2016 I paid a 

trip back to the UK in order to 

celebrate a special birthday, but 

whilst I was there I was somewhat 

taken aback by the poor 4G 

coverage I found right across the 

north of England when compare 

to Thailand. 

I was not particularly surprised 

therefore when I read that the UK 

was ranked 54th in the world for 

coverage, behind Bulgaria and 

Lithuania. But with the talk now 

being of 5G, it made me reflect 

upon the different generations of 

mobile communications, so here 

is a summary of the story so far. 

You could only really make 

calls on 1G 

It was analogue and the phones 

looked a bit like this. My first 

mobile was fixed in my car with a 

big box in the boot! 

Video calling became a thing in 

2001 

3G and its 2mbit/s (or 0.25 megabytes 

per second) data came in at 

around the time the first wave of 

smartphones arrived in shops. 

It’s not that fast but it gave wireless 

access to internet which was 

the first step - and it made video 

calling possible. 

To give you an idea of quite how 

slow it is as standard, if you wanted 

David Brent: Life on the Road 

from iTunes it will supposedly take 

more than five hours to download 

the 4.26GB file. 

2010 saw 4G become available 

And the faster speeds meant that 

mobile gaming was brought to a 

whole new level. 

The same film that would have 

taken you more than five hours 

to download on 3G supposedly 

takes less than 8 minutes on 4G. 

But 4G isn’t available everywhere 

yet, some parts of the UK don’t 

even have 2G let alone 3G or 4G, 

and I think that national coverage 

for 4G in Thailand is infinitely 

better than the UK. 

Then 2G introduced text 

messages 

Known as an SMS, 2G made it 

possible to send text messages 

between friends. 

There were 

also picture 

messages 

called MMS 

(multimedia 

messaging 

service) 

brought 

in with 2G. 

And also 

GSM, GPRS, 

EDGE on 

mobile 

phones like 

this one. 

And what about 5G? 

Well it is predicted that this will be 

around sometime between 2020 

and 2030 and will let you download 

a one hour HD movie in six 

seconds. 

Who knows what phones will look 

like then? Phones made of flexible 

materials that you can literally 

roll up and put in your pocket are 

under development with the first 

flexible screen (but just how flexible?) 

being slated for this year! 

(2017) 

LIBERTY COMPUTERS PATTAYA (Est. 1997) 

The specialists for bar, restaurant and entertainment systems 

from B31,000 New Pc’s, PC repairs, CCTV and security systems 

Tel: 038 360 400 or email steve@libertycomputers.asia 

www.libertycomputers.asia 





NewspaperDirect Bangkok Gazette Pull-Out Section 

www.newspaperdirect-asia.com


1 

2 3 

20 

19 

60 

18 

17 

16 

15 

14 


4 


5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

Soi 16 

10 

13 12 11 






Toscana: offering a wide variety of 

wines to complement a great menu 

This publication has been covering the Italian-style Toscana and 

associated Moom Talay Thai restaurant in some depth over a number 

of recent issues, primarily because this duo are nothing like the 

average eatery. 

We mentioned in the last issue that we would be dedicating some 

in-depth material in this issue to Toscana’s incredibly wide range of 

wines available to customers and all designed to complement the 

equally wide array of Italian dishes served inside Toscana. 

As the name suggests, Toscana features cuisine which is almost 

uniquely derived from the Tuscany region of northern Italy. In keeping 

with this theme, it’s probably no surprise that although Toscana 

stocks wines from all over the Italian peninsula, the majority are 

sourced from Tuscany. 

All told, there are 60 red wines and 31 white wines from which to 

choose. There are also nine choices of prosecco (otherwise known 

as sparkling wine). As mine host Luca says, prosecco is a kind of 

Italian champagne, but made from different grapes than 

what most people know as champagne. 


Three choices of lambrusco (also referred to as sparkling red), either 

dry or sweet, and four Rose wines add further depth to the Toscana 

wine list. 

If customers are not in the mood to make specific choices, then 

there are three house whites and three house reds available, all 

of them are IGT (that is, certified from the region they come from). 

Toscana’s house wines are served by the glass (180 baht) or in 

quarter-litre, half-litre or one-litre (1,350 baht) carafes. 

Luca imported a machine made in Italy which keeps wine fresh for 

up to three weeks after a bottle has been opened. This machine 

operates under a controlled temperature to ensure the wine tastes 

as good as when it was first opened. 

Luca long ago realized that some customers may order only a 

single glass of wine with their dinner, but would enjoy ordering 

from a specific bottle rather than indulge in the house wine. Of 

course, opening an entire bottle and simply serving one glass was 

uneconomical, but Luca decided to offer eight bottled reds and 

five bottled whites from which customers may choose. Yes, they 

may only have one or two glasses, but by utilising the special machine, 

Luca noted he could keep the opened choices fresh and 

would be able to still serve other discerning customers from these 

already-opened bottles, but without the loss of the original flavour 

and body. 

The cost is anywhere from 360 to 720 baht per glass, depending 

on which wine is selected. 

The comprehensive variety of wines in Toscana can be gauged by 

the incredible difference in value: from as little as 1,300 baht for a 

bottle up to 20,000 baht a bottle for the finest wine in the house. 

All the wines are stocked in the Wine Cellar located inside the 

Toscana fine dining section of the restaurant in a specially-built 

temperature-controlled cellar. As Luca notes, this ensures the wine 

is consistently good. In many places wine is stored on shelves in 

the restaurant, which means when the restaurant is closed the 

air-con is off the bottles of wine experience regular changes in 

temperature. 

In Toscana the customer can order from the wine menu when 

they’re selecting their food or go into the cellar and pick their choice 

of wine from the impressive selection there. 

Toscana also has 27 different types of grappa drinks, all offering a 

different kind of grape from each region of Italy, thereby giving each 

a distinctive smell and taste. 

For the beer drinker, Toscana has wide selection of these including 

real Italian Peroni, available on draught and in bottles. 

On occasions, Toscana puts on a Wine Promotion, usually with 

selected reds. In January, there are two red wines being promoted 

and Luca has selected six main dishes aimed at complementing 

these wines. If a customer opts for one of the wines then they can 

select one main dish for the same price. If there are a few people 

at the table they might want to order the both wines and select two 

of the main dishes from the special selection. 

Trattoria Pizzeria TOSCANA Restaurant and the Moom Talay Thai 

Restaurant are located on Beach Road, Pattaya (between Soi 6 

and Soi 7). Telephone: 038 362370; Fax: 038 362371; 

email: tirreno@ptty2.loxinfo.co.th. 

For reservations: Phone 081 861 3446. 

SCAN 

THIS 

AREA





THAILAND BUSINESS ROUNDUP 

Fraser & Neave 

Fraser & Neave (F&N) recently submitted tenders 

to purchase another 5.4 percent stake in 

Vietnam’s largest business, Vinamilk. It already 

held 10.95 percent of the business. 

Vinamilk announced in early December that 

F&NBev Manufacturing and F&N Dairy Investments, 

two wholly-owned subsidiaries of F&N, 

had submitted documents to the Vietnamese 

Securities Commission and the Ho Chi Minh 

City Stock Exchange (where Vinamilk is listed 

as the biggest stock in terms of market capitalization) 

for each to acquire 2.7 percent of the 

dairy company. 

Shares began selling at a starting price of 

144,000 VND apiece on 12 December. 

The method of transaction for F&N’s bids was 

by public auction, put-through transactions and 

order matching on the stock exchange between 

December and 6 January 2017. 

The intention of stepping up in buying Vinamilk 

has marked another move in the deal-making 

spree of Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, the 

magnate behind ThaiBev, who completed acquiring 

Metro Cash & Carry Vietnam for 655 

million euros earlier this year, and reportedly 

the Melia Hanoi Hotel and retail distributor Phu 

Thai Group in 2013. 

WorkVenture 

Online job matching platform WorkVenture 

raised US$420,000 in a seed funding round 

participated by several investors including Thai 

businessmen Songphon Chaovanayothin and 

Sommaphat Traisorat. 

Through its own algorithm called ‘WorkScore’, 

WorkVenture is able to help both job seekers 

and hiring companies connect and match with 

each other in terms of availability, requirements, 

qualifications, salary, location, among others. 

Founded in 2014, WorkVenture is a Thai social 

enterprise led by a team of Chulalongkorn 

University & Sasin graduates. It provides 

opportunities handpicked from the largest and 

most prospective local and multinational companies 

in Thailand. 

Formerly known as JobNisit, the startup’s portal 

now reportedly has 500 signed up hiring companies, 

with an average of 400,000 monthly 

visitors. 

Asahi Glass 

Japan’s biggest glass maker Asahi Glass has 

announced it was going to buy a controlling 59 

percent stake in the Thai plastics company 

Vinythai from Belgium chemical firm Solvay SA. 

The Japanese maker of autoglass and display 

panel components will pay the equivalent of 

US$291 million for the stake, with the purchase 

to be completed by the end of June next year. 

Asahi Glass said the purchase of Vinythai was 

aimed at bolstering its chemicals business in 

Southeast Asia. 

Vinythai makes construction materials and 

coatings used by car manufacturers and consumer 

electronics makers. 

For Solvay, the deal represents a further 

withdrawal from PVC production after the sale 

of its European operations and the impending 

divestment of its Brazilian activities as it 

seeks to concentrate on specialty chemicals 

and polymers. 

Solvay said the sale, based on an enterprise 

value of 16.5 billion Thai baht, represented a 

multiple of eight times core mid-cycle earnings 

(EBITDA). Solvay said the proceeds would be 

used to reduce its net debt. 

www.NewspaperDirect-Asia.com 

OUR BRANCHES IN THAILAND: 

: NewspaperDirect Thailand 

BANGKOK PATTAYA PHUKET KOH SAMUI HUA HIN KHAO LAK 



THE HUAY YAI 

RIVERSIDE 

5 EXCLUSIVE VILLAS UP FOR SALE 

JUST SOUTH OF PATTAYA, THIS EXCLUSIVE 

SMALL PROJECT IS SET AMONG COCONUT TREES. 

PRIVACY, LUXURY AND TOP QUALITY 

ARE THE KEYWORDS THAT COME TO MIND. 

English French 

German Dutch 

Thai 

Chinese 

086 790 4899 

080 094 6178 

095 524 8880 

Email: lex@thehuayyairiverside.com 

www.thehuayyairiverside.com 



ID 38057619 © Pixattitude 

Dreamstime.com 

TOURISM EXPECTED TO GROW 

SUBSTANTIALLY IN 2017 

According to Vithan Charoenphon, 

the head of service cluster 

at the Siam Commercial Bank’s 

Economic Intelligence Center 

(SCB EIC), Thailand saw some 

33.8 million foreign tourists during 

2016. 

This equated to a growth of 

around 10 percent from the previous 

year and was thanks to a 

sharp rise in Chinese tourists, 

who represented about 30 percent 

of total arrivals. 

Based on these figures and other 

trends and analysis, the SCB believes 

tourism will grow a further 

11 percent across 2017. 

Mr Vithan was quoted as saying, 

“Thailand has high potential to 

draw more Chinese tourists to 

visit despite the impact of the recent 

zero-dollar tour crackdown.” 

“We should also focus more on 

building sustainable growth in the 

long term to stay competitive,” Mr 

Vithan stated. 

Medical tourism has also become 

a major sub-factor and it attracts 

visitors from countries where 

healthcare expenses are very 

high such as Australia, Germany 

and France, or some countries 

with low quality healthcare such 

as Myanmar. Even nationals from 

Malaysia, where healthcare is 

not necessarily sub-standard or 

expensive, can often be found at 

some of the higher-end hospitals 

in Bangkok. 

Countries with massive populations 

such as India and Indonesia 

are showing a very strong potential 

to become significant tourist 

markets, with the rise of middle-income 

groups. 


DON’T 

MISS OUT ! 

When It Comes 

To Promoting 

Your Business 

You Can’t 

Afford To Miss 

A Single Day! 

For Guaranteed 

Daily Exposure 

place your 

advert here 

in the 

BANGKOK 

TM 

BUSINESS 

SUPPLEMENT 

Contact Ben 

0846 77 43 60 

Email: Ben.HighTowerLtd@gmail.com 

Do you provide free WiFi 

to your guests? 

Do you need to comply with data collection laws? 

He noted that Chinese tourists 

coming to Thailand represented 

only nine percent of the 100 million 

Chinese people who make 

overseas trips annually. 

According to the MasterCard 

Global Destination Cities Index 

2016, Bangkok was the world’s 

most-visited city last year, owing 

to cheaper living costs and the 

availability of facilities for travel 

and entertainment. Without doubt 

part of the attraction in Bangkok 

is the improved infrastructure 

witnessed over the past 15 years 

with the start of the BTS and its 

subsequent expansion as well as 

the opening of the MRT. 

Tourism has once again become 

a major driver of economic 

growth, with international tourist 

arrivals growing at an average of 

10 percent annually in the past 

three years. 

Mr Vithan said, “The government 

should support the development 

of new tourist attractions such as 

theme parks, water parks and 

museums as well as organising 

international sports events.” 

He suggests the government 

and private sectors should jointly 

put serious efforts to developing 

human resources, maintaining 

tourism sites and public assets as 

well as investing in well-connected 

transport infrastructure. 

One area of concern, according 

to SCB EIC, is that tourism personnel 

are in need of training 

about business ethics, technology, 

creativity and innovation as 

well as improving their language 

skills and service quality. These 

factors can make a big difference 

in whether tourists return a second 

time to Thailand. 

Connect2Social provides affordable legally compliant 

intelligent business software that captures valuable 

customer data. 

Guests help promote your business through social media, 

and the customer data can be used to directly market 

special promotions, upcoming events and to reward loyalty. 

Perfect for Hotels, Restaurants, Cafes, Bars, Retail outlets, 

Salons and Shopping Malls. In fact any business that 

interacts with customers. 

You can now enjoy the same 

data collected by online 

businesses to help you remain 

connected to your customers 

and drive repeat business. 

For more information, visit our website 

www.connect2social.com or contact us 

at sales@connect2social.com 




SUDOKU 

These Sudoku puzzles are pitched at a middle level: not too easy, 

and not too frustratingly hard, for the average person. 

We will publish the solutions in next month’s issue. 

Last months sudoku answers 

ACROSS 

1. Fruit (5) 

4. Space key on keyboard (3) 

6. Vegetable (7) 

7. Performed (5) 

8. beverage (3) 

9. totals (4) 

10. Modus operandi init. (2) 

12. In front (5) 

1 

2 

6 

CROSSWORD 

3 

DOWN 

1. Mattock (7) 

2. mediate (9) 

3. stashed (7) 

4. pact (6) 

5. dressing (7) 

11. overdose (init.) (2) 

4 

5 

TRIVIA Quiz 

1. Which European country’s capital city changed its 

name from Christiana? 

2. What do the letters TT stand for in the Isle of Man 

TT race? 

3. The largest naval battle ever fought took place in 

October 1944 between the United States and Japanese 

fleets off the Philippine islands. What is the name of 

the battle? 

4. Which film featured the character Kunte Kinte? 

5. Which deceptive animal’s name derives from the Greek 

word for ‘Earth Lion’? 6. Which band’s debut album was 

entitled ‘Boy’? 

7. What is the one place in all of Great Britain that the 

reigning British monarch cannot visit? 

7 

8 

8. What is the Japanese word for ‘hoorah’? 

9. His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) was 

born in the United States. Which state? 

10. What was the name of the stone which became the 

key to understanding Egyptian hieroglyphics? 

9 

10 

11 

Answers 

1. Norway (Oslo) 2. Tourist Trophy 3. Leyte Gulf 4. Roots 5. Chameleon 6. U2 

7. House of Commons 8. Banzai 9. Massachussetts 10. Rosetta Stone 

12 

CROSSWORD ANSWERS 

ACROSS 1. Peach 4. Tab 6. Cabbage 7. acted 8. tea 9. adds 10. MO 12. ahead 

DOWN 1. pickaxe 2. arbitrate 3. hoarded 4. treaty 5. bandage 11. OD 

For information on the BANGKOK BUSINESS SUPPLEMENT Contact High Tower Co., Ltd. Tel: 089 249 2778 

*The Bangkok Business Supplement is published by High Tower Co., Ltd.


the street next to Foodland that is almost exactly 

the same as this new one. Since this first 

market appears to be empty most of the time 

(after a couple of years) we’re wondering why 

anyone would rent a space in the new one 

that just opened. And, it seems like the same 

company owns both of these spaces. Having 

said this, however, it seems like not many people 

are interested in renting space in the new 

building because it’s still mostly empty. Good 

luck to the ones that are in there already. We 

think you’re going to need it. 

SUKHUMVIT NEWS 

Some of the latest developments in this area 

have us a bit puzzled this month including the 

building between sois five and seven. This block 

of shops and restaurants has been the subject 

of demolition rumors for the last several years 

with talk of a hotel and/or several other projects 

going up here. The rumors seemed to be true 

after the demolition of the tunnel which was 

right behind this block that occurred months 

ago and also the closing of Check Inn 99 at the 

end of June. 

However there is a recently opened Indian 

restaurant close to Check Inn 99’s old location 

and no sign of the Check Inn 99 building being 

taken down yet. Perhaps this will be taken down 

at some point in the future but why would there 

be a new restaurant in the same general proximity? 

Doesn’t make sense to us but then things 

seldom do in this city. 

Another thing that doesn’t seem to add up to 

us is the fact that what used to be a parking lot/ 

beer garden next to the Amari Boulevard Hotel 

on Soi 5 is now a Middle Eastern marketplace 

full of small stall-like spaces selling the usual 

assortment of unneeded goods. What is confusing 

is that there is already a market across 

Strikers Sports bar has re-opened on Soi 4 

in the last few weeks. It’s a large space with 

plenty of pool tables and a commanding view 

of Soi 4 from its second floor perch. The food 

is being prepared by Kip Oxman, former chef 

at Monsoon and Hemingways so the quality 

should be good. 

And the construction project that is now 

occupying the former Strikers space in what 

was the parking lot of the Rajah Hotel is proceeding 

apace. It’s going to be a lot larger than 

we originally thought and will take up most 

of the space, going up at least four stories 

from what we can see now. We wonder if they 

will find enough people to pay 3,000 baht per 

square meter for space there. Seems like a 

lot but who knows. What it appears they’re 

banking on is that they feel the makeup of the 

soi’s visitors will change to a more upmarket 

crowd instead of the current expat/tourist that 

is drawn by the soi’s current attractions. It will 

be interesting to see what happens when 

this new development opens. 

Get A Great Breakfast Every Day 

Open Every Day At 7 AM 

Monday Is Steak Day 

Enjoy great imported Australian 

steaks at 50% off 

all day. 

Check out the best breakfast prices in 

Sukhumvit starting at 110 baht. 

Watch All NFL & EPL 

Games 

085-486-1144 • Sukhumvit Soi 8 

www.americanbarbangkok.com • americanbarbangkok@gmail.com 

Delicious Food • Best Sports • Real Music 


Bookings are 

recommended.

Bangkok Business Supplement - Jan 2017

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template ?