Exactly. And that is especially so and true in Thailand, because the consulate (where you get visa from) does not have the same information like the immigration police. So basically the consulate (part of the foreign ministry) only looks at your passport and stamps and then SELLS you a visa. While the immigration police (part of the interior ministry) checks all your actuall entry history and then denies entry. A prime exampel of the lack of processes in Thailand.
May be true. Have not been in Thailand myself, back then. And sure a society changes / progresses over time (albeit at times kind of at a slow pace here). It still felt much better without masses of tourists everywhere.
While I am aware of the immigration IT being quite state of the art now (with biometrics and such) - they actually allowed me to look at their screen on my recent entry - I believe it is still the case that consulates and immigration don't share a common system, due to them being part of different ministries. Which is cause of some problems, really. Else getting a visa might actually mean being granted entry.
And they figure correctly. I so enjoyed Thailand during the better part of the COVID years. Thailand like it must have been 50 years ago, without all that mass tourism that suddenly came back much quicker than expected.
I would love to set up a company, if only they would allow me to own / control one as a foreigner. Unfortunately, they only allow that for US citizens or in edge cases via the BOI.
While easy to get, rumors have it, that it may be little help. A tourist visa does not guarantee entry. And if they deem one has been in Thailand for too long as a tourist, having a tourist visa or not (i.e. just entering on visa exemption) does not make any difference. Both can be rejected just the same.
