Expats happiest in Thailand

Expats have voted Thailand as the best destination in the world when considering economic and lifestyle factors.

HSBC Bank International’s latest revelations from it’s 2011 Expat Explorer survey, shows that Thailand has knocked Bahrain from the top spot of most favoured expat location. But who would have guessed that Egypt would be ranked in second place and Saudi Arabia in third?

The survey is now in its fourth year, and canvassed the opinions of 3,385 expats from over 100 countries. It covers every aspect of life overseas from managing finances and the economic benefits of relocating, to lifestyle issues and raising children abroad. The report looks in detail at some new expat trends, including economic outlook in the host country; economic benefit since becoming an expat, and attitudes and responses to language barriers.
 
Lisa Wood, Head of Marketing at HSBC Bank International, says “We’ve seen some pretty major global events in the past year, from economic turmoil to widespread political and social unrest and it will be interesting to see how expats have been affected.
 
“For those looking for the best overall expat experience, our findings this year show Thailand as the top expat destination, being ranked as number one by our expats for ease of organising healthcare, finding accommodation and the work environment. Last year this destination was ranked highly as a retirement hotspot, so it’s great to see the country develop in terms of its economic appeal.”
 
The full findings of the survey will be released this November.

www.expatexplorer.hsbc.com/2011surveypreview