*Hi
In Australia when I want to casually thank our suppliers, it's so easy to invite the husband and wife to a barbque, or "drinkies" as the girls love to call them. I would love to thank our Thai friends, but have found they always want to be the ones entertaining us, and put on a real show if I buy them a present. I could easily arrange for the hotel to put on a spread, but I have always thought this may be a little to confronting or overwhelming, and I would feel bad if I did make one of our friends feel unconfortable. When we are entertained, it's always in the suburbs, either in little street cafes which we absolutely adore, or in what we perceive as being the best or biggest in that locality. Which ever way i look at it, if I do anything, it's going to look so over the top, compared to how they treat us. Coming back this weekend so if you have any sway, organise some good weather, and if you have a Thai insight into this "gift giving" please let me know regards bkkrop

Bkkrop,

I travel to Thailand 4+ times/year on company business. I can offer some ideas of what I have done. I've found that the simple and thoughtful gifts are the best. For gift ideas, try to find out the person's interests or hobbies to point you in the right direction. I also try to set a spending limit of ~$20 US, to avoid the "overwhelming" feeling the recipient can sometimes feel and to help me focus on not only what but where to shop.

With that being said, here are some of the gifts I have brought to Thais my past trip:

1.) A San Francisco 49ers cap. (This person loves American football and the 49ers are their favorite team).
2.) 2 Boxes of Granola Bars. (I bring some with me when traveling and one of the managers got hooked on them for a breakfast snack in BKK traffic).
3.) Garfield (a cartoon character) stationery and post-it note set. (This person loves all things Garfield--noticed on their desk last time).

Hope these ideas help.

A bottle of good whisky

Any souvenir-type stuff - caps, t-shirts etc - directly pertaining to your hometown is often gratefully received. Thais wear a lot of T-shirts in their spare time, and like to have unusual or exotic ones which aren't available on every street stand.

A bottle of whisky is an OK gift, but remember they usually drown it in water or even - (ewww)- Fanta, so there's no point in making it a rare single malt (except if you think there's some snob value).

Maybe any food item peculiar to your hometown or country. I live in Germany, so I once brought German Lebkuchen on an early December visit - sort of rich gingerbread Christmas cookies. They come in a decorative tin box which women like keeping to put their hair care stuff or love letters in. This gift was a big hit.

How many giftees? Are they all the same relative social and business level?

Generally I agree that the personal and unique touch and accent strike the right chord. I'd caution against alcohol; we have just entered Buddhist Lent so this might offend some.

Colognes/perfumes of the more citrusy variety. In spite of the huge availability of knockoff scents at Thai markets, the genuine article is quite well-received. As for whiskey, unless the recipient is a real connoisseur, a bottle of Johnny Walker black should be just fine. In general, anything that you can find in a duty-free shop should work.

Doubly agree with the local hometown touch! Reminded me of two other gifts that were big hits: Cactus seeds (can't bring in plants) and t-shirt of local university ASU Sun Devils.

Don't expect them to open your gift while you are there.
Thais will graciously thank you for the gift, and place it aside to be opened later. It's better to have the gift wrapped, even though the likelyhood that it will be opened while you're there will be much less. If you want them to see what you've brought, put the gift in a basket, or gift bag. Don't encourage them to open a wrapped gift. The idea is that they are happy for the gift, no matter what it is. The reasoning for opening it later is that on the slight chance that they're dissapointed with the gift, you won't see that reaction and both parties save face

Remember to ALWAYS leave the price tag on. For items without prices, expect to be asked the value of the gift. Don't be shy to tell them.

Name brands of Fragrances and Alcohol are great. I'm always asked for Canadian Whisky... the liquid carry-on ban has really messed me up in this regard.

Flowers are great gifts, but if you buy flowers, go BIG. Thais know how inexpensive flowers are here. Remember how much you've spent matters.

I've added a bit on party manners, thinking it may be slightly related. These are my observations on leaving a party early (a feat I always seem to need to do, with varying success).

In Thailand, manners matter more than anything. If you ever host, you can learn from how the Thais approach you. Then, after being taught, be sure to mirror the behavior when you're the guest. When you want to leave the dinner/party/event, ask the host 15-20 minutes before you want to leave. Ask in a way that reflects willingness to stay longer if required. When approval to leave is granted, be overly greatfull. Then when time comes to go, ask to leave again, as if permission to go has yet to be obtained. You may run into situations where they want you to stay longer, drink more, sing more, meet more people. These requests should be requested until permission to leave is "awarded".

Seanthepilot reminded me about the price tag--after getting over the initial shock (the first time) of being asked "How much?", I always leave it on. Knowing this, I seem to lean towards less "bargains" than I would for normal gift giving...funny really. :)