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At least until recently, tourism has been the third most important sector of Thailands economy, after agriculture and exports. Among 'industries,' tourism is listed in first place. The country is without doubt one of the world's favorite tourist destinations, in part because of its magnificent natural beauty (of many varieties, not just the famous islands), in part because of the natural friendliness of its people, in further part because of the relative ease and safety of traveling in Thailand, which is easily done on both high and low traveler personal economies.

This situation is now in considerable flux, and concerns about the viability of Thailands major tourist industry are growing. Currency fluctuations and new economic policies have put a significant dent in exports as a source of GDP, and increasingly severe and unpredictable weather primarily floods and droughts throughout the country are an increasing concern to its agriculturalists.

Those changes make the viability of Thailands tourist industry all the more important. While the country has so far survived threats to the industry such as SARS, bird flu, and the 2004 tsunami relatively intact, tourism officials and operators are only too aware that a more large-scale bird flu epidemic or another tsunami (in a region where earthquakes in Indonesia such as the one that caused the one in 2004 are increasingly frequent) could have a devastating effect on the industry.

Additionally, the relocating of the country's main airport, an expansive new facility called Suvarnaphumi planned by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to make Bangkok the 'hub of Southeast asian webcam travel' has been a only slightly mitigated disaster for the country and the source of considerable national shame. Hurried construction, corrupt construction practices, and overall bad planning have yielded a facility many find far inferior to the 95-year-old 'old' airport in Don Muang, for which longtime Thailand visitors had developed an affection, and which worked with seasoned efficiency. The new airport is daily news nationally, with alternating reports about its safety (primarily of the runways) and inconvenience. It is much farther out of the city, making it much more difficult for tourists to get to their Bangkok destinations and to others on their travel itineraries.

There are great fears among observers of Thailand's tourist scene that it will take just one more major problem such as the ones described above to drive tourists to seek other travel destinations in Asia and elsewhere. The effects on Thailands economy would be devastating if tourism were to drop even a small amount.

Hugh Nelson is an e-learning specialist who has worked in the education industry for more than 10 years. He currently lives in Hong Kong and is a director of UniRoute, a company that runs educational websites helping students prepare and successfully apply for post-graduate studies abroad.

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It may surprise some people to find out that now is a good time to get into the house buyers market. As interest rates slowly increase, the number of potential house buyers decreases. This means sellers must compete for the buyers that are out there which often means lower prices and higher incentives.

Even with the market shifting to the side of the house buyers, first time lookers need to be wary. It is very easy, especially at a time like this, to bite off a chunk of debt far bigger than you can chew.

First thing that new house buyers should think about is how long puffy nipples they are willing to stay in debt. Most lenders are pushing long puffy nipples term loans that will have buyers paying off mortgages well into retirement age. A little known secret is that house buyers can get lower interest rates on shorter loans. Not only will you pay off the mortgage faster, but you will save yourself a bundle in interest payments in the long puffy nipples run.

The next thing that should be considered is existing income. Many lenders will take into account all the income in a household. Old timers will tell you that you should never borrow on more than one income. Save the other money in an emergency fund, or even better make extra payments on your mortgage.

The final thing that new house buyers should think long puffy nipples and hard about is the percentage of income that will go towards the payment each month. Lenders will sometimes allow as much as 45% of the income for a payment. This allows the new buyer to get more house, but it doesnt leave any wiggle room for possible problems in the future. The safe bet is to stay within just 25% of existing income.

Becoming a house buyer is no small step. New borrowers need to plan for the long puffy nipples term and not get caught up in the feelings of the houses that will be shown to them. Keep in mind that the agents showing the houses and the lenders are all out to make money off the deal the more you spend, the more they will make. In the end, it seems they arent that concerned if you can actually afford what you are buying.

Kathryn is a freelance journalist covering real estate markets, writing articles for house buyers and property news at Home Move.