Waiving visa-on-arrival fee only way to bring back Chinese tourists, says Thai Sang Thai Party
The government should make the visa application procedure cheaper and easier for tourists, so Thailand does not miss its “humble” target of welcoming 5 million Chinese tourists this year.
Sorathep Rojpotjanaruch, Thai Sang Thai spokesman and chief of the party’s tourism taskforce, was responding on Saturday to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) report that the country has only seen 1.6 million Chinese arrivals in the first half of this year.
This number, he said, was “underwhelming” and Thailand would most likely miss its already “humble” 5-million target compared to 11 million in 2019, before the pandemic.
TAT has also estimated that Chinese tourists will likely generate some 446 billion baht in revenue this year.
Thai Sang Thai is part of the eight-party alliance led by election winner Move Forward.
“We have three months left before the high season kicks in,” Sorathep said. “The government should use this time to roll out measures to attract tourists or we will miss the opportunity of bringing the tourism industry back to pre-Covid levels.”
Thailand’s high season usually starts in October and lasts until March.
He said the best measure will be to waive the visa-on-arrival fee, which has now risen to 2,000 baht per person from the pre-Covid rate of 1,000 per head.
He said waiving the fee for the last four months of the year will help boost the number of Chinese arrivals.
Other measures he suggested were streamlining the visa application process so waiting time can be reduced and holding campaigns highlighting attractions such as street food and festivals.
“The government can apply promotions like the ‘Let’s Go Halves’ stimulus campaign to attract tourists,” he said. “For instance, tourists who pay using a digital wallet at local shops should be eligible for a 50% subsidy. This will be a great way to help local restaurants and small and medium enterprises to get back on their feet faster.”
