Finding your someone,there’s hope for lonely hearts
Too busy for dating? Well, there’s hope for lonely hearts when the matchmaking industry is thriving
It’s not exactly “arranged marriages”, but more parents these days are dragging their kids to matchmakers. If it sounds a little desperate, consider that the service is getting plenty of female customers around 25 years old and men up to 36.
In fact it’s quite normal for parents to register their daughters with a matchmaker, says Pitcha Prakaylerdluk of the dating service We Match. She mentions a 28-year-old auditor who runs her own business.
“Her parents wanted her to think about her personal life more so she’d have a more balanced lifestyle,” says Pitcha says, adding that if the female candidate is unsure about her service, she’s not a candidate.
Of every 10 people who come to see her, she might accept two clients.
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Nikki Asavathorn, a certified matchmaker and “dating coach” at a service called MeetNLunch doesn’t, says official records indicate there are 15 million singles in Thailand.
“You should do everything you can to not be single,” she says, “whether it’s using Facebook to meet people or some other networking service.”
Pitcha says matchmaking services are popular even with high-profile professionals, who otherwise “are so busy they don’t have time for love”.
Unfortunately, says Nikki, busy singles usually end up attached to old friends or co-workers, or someone they meet in a pub, which doesn’t bode well for romance.
MeetNLunch has assisted 1,500 people in its three years. WeMatch currently has 300 members and many more registering.
It’s a far cry from South Korea, where one of the top services has 40,000 members, but Nikki says the matchmaking industry in Thailand is worth more than Bt600 million annually and continues to grow.
The chance of success is high if the profiles are carefully matched and the service does a good job mediating.
Nikki had a client who went crazy because her prospective amour arrived hours late for a date. Nikki cooled her down and advised her to stay that way - and the couple have been happily together ever since.
source dailyxpress
