Page 32 - THAILAND THE BEST INCENTIVE

Religion
Business Hours Nearly 95 percent of Thailand’s population is
Common office hours are between 8am to Theravada Buddhist. Muslims are the second-
5pm with a lunch break from noon to 1pm. largest religious group and are scattered
Most business offices are closed on Saturdays throughout the country, with the largest
and Sundays, although most commercial communities found in Bangkok and on the
establishments remain open. Shopping malls southern peninsula. The remaining population
and supermarkets typically open every day are Catholic Christians (0.7 percent), while the
between 10am to 10.30am and close between rest of the 1 percent is divided between Hindu,
9pm to 10pm. Sikh and Jewish religions.

Clothing Tipping
Travellers can wear whatever they please. While tipping isn’t customary, it’s certainly
However, when visiting a temple or palace, it is appreciated. When travelling in taxi, it is
important to not wear shorts, sleeveless tops common for both Thais and visitors to round off
or flip flops and dress in conservative clothing, the fare upwards as a tip. High-end restaurants
preferably in pants, skirts or dresses that cover often include a service charge in the bill,
your knees. At temples, free sarongs are pro- in which case a tip is not expected.
vided to tourists, as a way to show For restaurants without a service charge,
respect to monks. Be prepared to wear them, however, a 10 percent tip is sufficient.
unless you are already properly dressed.
Utilities
Postal Service The standard electricity voltage is 220V, and
Mailing a letter or parcel in Thailand, the standard frequency is 50Hz. Power outlets
particularly in Bangkok, is convenient and most commonly feature two-prong round or flat
cheap. The main postal service is known as sockets. All hotels provide a converter.
Thailand Post Company Limited, which oper-
ates more than 3,000 post offices. Travellers Government and Politics
can opt for Express Mail Service [EMS], which Thailand is a constitutional monarchy with
is offered both domestically and internationally. a parliamentary form of government.
International couriers, including DHL, UPS and
FedEx can also be found at standalone
locations or at certain shopping centres.

206 MICE GUIDE TO THAILAND