With so many lonesome singletons nationwide, the competition to find a partner is hotting up.
As Thailand has developed, its people have also taken on a more Western lifestyle, one that sees people working longer hours, and also marrying (and having children) at a later age than ever before.
In addition, people have become more technologically savvy, with smartphones commonplace, and Facebook one the most popular websites (not to mention ways to waste time) in the Kingdom.
Another research report by KRC described how the internet is increasingly playing a key role in introducing people to each other, with ever increasing numbers using it to find a date or a mate.
The dating business in Thailand is dominated by two main types of service: online dating and matchmaking, which also relies upon the internet for business.
In 2009, KRC estimated the value of Thailand’s matchmaking industry to be an astounding B470 million. In the same release, it said that the year-on year online dating business had grown by 10 per cent from 2008 to 2009.
However, many Thais are still wary of using online dating websites because of the possibility of deception on the part of others – such as lying about age, looks, social status, and wealth.
This has led to increased use of matchmaking agencies, where members are screened to ensure every details is truthful. They also offer strict confidentiality for those who sign up – an important factor for hi-sos.
THE MATCHMAKERS
Dr Date, who also goes by the name Rachata Thammarat, is the owner of matchmaking company ‘I Like Date’. In a recent interview, he explained to The Phuket News that the idea of setting up a matchmaking service agency came from his experience in the spa and car rental business.
At the spa, he found that groups of women most commonly talked about beauty and love, while the vast majority of the customers for his car rental business were men, and most of them were single.
Dr Date says that “I had the idea of organising a party for both sets of customers, so they could meet. Afterwards I sought their feedback, and found they wanted to know more about each other.”
It’s a different story for Kulchulee Subsinudom Nylander, or Khun Bee, managing director of Bangkok Matching Company. She explained to The Phuket News that she has always loved to party and meet new people.
Often she found herself introducing friends to each other, as they were too shy to initiate relations on their own. She eventually began handing out matchmaking business cards to them.
A third matchmaker, Nitinan Assawathorn, or Khun Nikki, managing director of the Single Solution Company, owner of “MeetNLunch” and “Meet Farang”, told The Phuket News that she found she had many single friends who she was introducing to other friends. She eventually turned this into a business.
BUSINESS OF LOVE
Dr Date established his matchmaking business in 2005, and now has around 5,000 customers. Of these, about 90 per cent are Thai and 10 per cent foreigners. The vast majority are from Bangkok and the surrounding provinces, with the remaining 20 per cent from other places nationwide.
He’s seen a 10 per cent rise each year in customers, who are aged anywhere between 22 and 70. His ‘I Like Date’ company has some 80 clients in Phuket, with a 60:40 female-to-male ratio. They usually have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree, and work in secure jobs with a monthly salary over B10,000.
I Like Date offers three packages, depending on how many dates you want. The cost for one date is B5,500. If you want to hedge your bets, then three dates cost B12,000, while a year of unlimited dating will set you back B25,000. For the three-dates package, dates must be spaced three months apart.
Bangkok Matching, meanwhile, charges from B6,800 per date to B350,000 for a lifetime’s worth (should you need that many). The process consists of an interview with the matchmaker, provision of documents, verification of documents and payment. All in all, the process takes around two weeks.
Demand is constant, according to Bangkok Matching’s Khun Bee, who says “Even during floods or Bangkok’s political problems, we still had customers contacting us to help them meet their match.”
FIND A FOREIGNER
AJ Reviere, public relations manager of “Meet Farang”, told The Phuket News that their customers are “around 50 per cent from Bangkok and surrounding provinces, and 50 per cent from provinces nationwide.” As the name suggests, they cater exclusively to Thai women looking for foreign men.
According to Reviere, they have a database of more more than 1 million foreign men from countries worldwide, the result of a joint venture with a similar matchmaking company in Hong Kong. The company’s other matchmaking service, MeetNLunch, which opened in 2006, caters to Thais only.
According to Reviere, “The selling points of Meet Farang are safety and convenience, because even if some of our customers are famous people, we still keep their information completely confidential.
Also, if a Thai customer is not completely confident with their English abilities, our matchmaker team will help support them by translating, or composing an email, depending on the needs of the customer.”
MACHINATIONS OF THE HEART
So how does matchmaking work? The first step is to arrange an initial interview by phone, before meeting in person with the matchmaker to discuss your background and personal information, including what you are looking for in a mate.
It then takes around three weeks for the matchmaking company to verify if you have a criminal record, and to process your profile through the system.
Once your profile is approved, you then pay for your package, before matchmaker analysis helps find someone of a similar lifestyle, attitude and qualifications – hopefully your dream mate. Once a match is made, profiles are sent to both parties for their consideration, and a date is then made.
Dr Date told The Phuket News, “We usually have an initial matching success of around 80 per cent, which means people seeing each other’s profiles and agreeing to a first date. However, despite initial success, some couples fail to establish a long-term relationship, and make use of our company again.”
The good doctor tells us about a recent success story: “A couple that we helped introduce fell in love immediately after a first date. Aged 35, the Thai man is a business owner in Phuket, while the 29-year-old woman lives in Bangkok. Both of them agreed that we had made a good match.”
MAKING A MINT
I Like Date is obviously going from strength to strength, with its matchmaking business having expanded via franchises to six branches in Hua Hin, Chonburi, Ayutthaya and elsewhere.
Dr Date, meanwhile, has been contacted by an individual in Phuket about opening a local branch, which is now being considered by the company. He says it is highly likely it will begin operation later in 2012.
The cost of a franchise operation starts at B350,000, a fee that includes a website that supports eight languages, has a database of customers worldwide, and a system for support marketing. In addition to its franchises, I Like Date has even opened a college for anyone interested in being a matchmaker.
Established in 2010, the Matchmaking College offers two programmes: basic and advanced matchmaker. Two days’ training costs B25,000.
According to Dr Date, to succeed as a matchmaker you must have a passion for love and beauty, as well as be strongly interested in helping others. The course is taught by professional matchmakers with more than four years’ experience, and you receive a certificate upon graduation.
“We have already proposed our course to the Ministry of Education for approval, and are waiting for acceptance because this course is brand new in Thailand,” explains Dr Date. He goes on to say that, as a professional matchmaker, you can eventually expect to make anywhere up to B2 million per year.
Khun Nikki of MeetNLunch and Meet Farang, told The Phuket News, “The annual income of a matchmaker at managerial level could be more than B1 million.”
While the riches on offer undoubtedly make it an attractive business to go into, all of the matchmakers interviewed confirmed that they still believe their role is just to help you find your destiny that little bit sooner than you would have on your own.
After all, as War and Peace sang “We all need someone to love.”
–Apinya Saksri