Thailand seeks to attract tourists to reach $100 billion in revenue

Thailand plans to relax visa regulations for Chinese and Indian tourists, aiming to boost international visitor revenue to nearly $100 billion next year.

Thailand's new Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said that to achieve the above goal, the tourism industry will come up with "the best short-term economic stimulus measures". The head of the government wants to expand the list of visa-free countries, increasing the stay limit for visitors from most countries and territories from 15 to 30 days.

Chinese tourists take photos on a beach in Thailand's Phang-Nga province in early 2020, before pandemic restrictions brought tourism to a halt. Photo: Reuters

Srettha discussed the options with the CEO of Airports of Thai, the company that owns and operates the airport, and several airlines on August 28. Thailand’s short-term goal is to attract more international visitors in the fourth quarter, the peak tourist season. The airport operator has agreed to increase capacity by 20% to reduce congestion and speed up the clearance process for travelers.

Tourism accounts for about 12 percent of Thailand’s gross domestic product and 20 percent of employment, according to Bank of Thailand data. Thaneth Tantipiriyakij, president of the Phuket Tourist Association, said visa exemptions are a quick win for the tourism industry.

Thailand expects to welcome about 30 million international visitors this year, nearly triple last year’s target. As of August 17, more than 17 million international visitors had arrived in the country, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

About 28% of the 39.8 million international visitors to Thailand in 2019 were Chinese. However, the Chinese tourist market in Thailand has recovered more slowly than expected since the pandemic. Tantipiriyakij said that the number of international visitors to Phuket as of July was 70% of pre-pandemic levels, but the recovery rate of Chinese visitors was only 30%.

According to the new Thai Prime Minister, Chinese tourists, Thailand's largest international tourist market before the pandemic, are facing costly and cumbersome visa procedures. This issue has been identified by the government as a "barrier to tourists this year". In addition, China's unstable economy after the pandemic is also a problem.

Tourists from India, the world’s most populous country, must pay 2,000 baht ($57) for a visa for a 15-day stay in Thailand. The high visa fee is also seen as a barrier to attracting visitors.

To make up for the problems, Prime Minister Sretta Thavisin said he has proposed adding flights to Phuket and Krabi, easing visa restrictions for Chinese and Indian visitors, and extending visas for tourists from Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia, three markets that are believed to spend more than Chinese and Malaysian visitors.

Anh Minh (According to SCMP )

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