Jump to content

Thai Tourism Minister to seek free visas for Chinese, Indian tourists; floats ‘Eat, Shop, Spend’ scheme for foreigners


webfact

Recommended Posts

5 hours ago, unamazedloso said:

Malaysia and surrounds are nicer and not so greedy! You guys aint got nothing interesting to sell. See one market and you seen em all. Thai food, massage and even the good ones are now cheaper abroad so no need to be ripped off and have a miserable un safe holiday. People shop online, they travel to unwind. TAT is stuck in the stone age literally.

Free visas to china right now is just plain stupid but i must say why not to everyone? Equality will get the tourists. Nobody likes to feel insignificant.

Maybe TAT needs a video to guide them. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Gweiloman said:

Are you a Republican by any chance?

Thai food and massage cheaper abroad?

Free visas to go to China?

You should really check your facts. 

Thai food is cheaper abroad in many countries I have visited the past two year.

 

Thailand is getting as expensive with many things as in the west.

 

Many destination that replace thailand are cheaper and more freindly for foreigner to come and stay.

 

Also for comapanies Thailand loses the postion it thinks is has and is now filled in by others. You see many reconcider investments.

 

Thailand supposted to be today like South Korea the both started at the same level with Thaoland having a head start. For some reasons Thailand not catched up with South Korea.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Minister to seek free visas for Chinese, Indian tourists; floats ‘Eat, Shop, Spend’ scheme for foreigners

 

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Minister to seek free visas for Chinese, Indian tourists; floats ‘Eat, Shop, Spend’ scheme for foreigners

I had to read it twice as I fell off my chair the first time !!!!!

A new "gimmick" every day... "eat-shop-spend" with cash coupons, why not just reduce the prices to start with instead of all the price hikes that are going on now!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What does Thailand actually gain from an increase in Chinese arrivals? They are a drain on local resources and the amount they spend is minimal - going back to the phrase 'zero dollar tours' where the monies paid by the tourists is upfront to the tour operator and then goes to pay for local Chinese owned businesses. As the article in a link above says, when Thailand imposed B1,000 fees for each tourist to counter this, the Chinese arrivals dropped by 30% the following year (2016). The solution for boosting the economy by increased numbers from China (and India) is therefore not the answer. But then it seems that all TAT wants is a figure they can boast about.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How about making it easier for European tourists to come to Thailand, get rid of that stupid website for visa application and open the doors.

 

People would come for up to 6 months at a time over the winter if it was easy to do so.

 

If it's hassle then a lot of people don't bother to stay longer than 60 or 90 days.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, zydeco said:

Free quarantine facilities, too?

You imagine if the Indians and Chinese combined are infected with this flu problem the population mass of both. Yes invite more Chinese flu types and stick them and Indians in same area in Thailand and close the country down. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cash  vouchers?  This sounds of such desperation.  How will this look to  the chinese?   It's now free visa and w give you some cash to spend.  We really love you in our country? Or have many ways to bend you over? Free visa could  lower a trip  cost.   So tax  payers lose but hotels make more?  Maybe hotels need to pay for this free Visa. 

I don't mind the Chinese so much but they do not want to talk to a western person I think they are worried their English is not very good.  They do talk loud and make crowded groups everywhere but I'm seeing more couples and small groups. I only come to Thailand two or three months a year so I don't have 100% prospective. I do have a bad line cutting encounter multiple times per week from Chinese people including at the immigration lines and just everywhere.  Just this week on my return waiting for the passport check on departure a couple of Chinese the lady tried to get in my line right next to me so we were three of breast and her husband was in the other line and she tried to decide which line was faster but her husband was not happy with this but finally after 10 minutes she went back over to his line which probably was progressing faster. The lady to my left who even had some people behind her that we're friends was trying to cut in front of me as the line came down to one single line. Or at least putting pressure on to me and invading my space which maybe is just normal for them. Many of these Chinese women look very cute and dressed very nice and their husbands are somewhat chubby and out of shape probably from being overworked and eating to much.  Or Chinese  gals marry for money  like thai.  

 

I agree with everyone that Thailand needs to fix its product first.  It's broken. Trash, air pollution, dirty  beaches, greedy people are not even hiding this anymore.  the more tourists you bring over now the more negative impressions are going to go back and taint the chinese well long into the future.    I do think TAT has it right on one account.   China is a good tourist draw because they are used to dirty air and crowds and dirty streets and Shanghai is only a 3 hour flight.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Like many here have stated its clear the 39 million visitors quoted by the TAT are utter lies, where are the other 25+ million tourists coming from considering these make up the greatest tourist numbers... Its clearly impossible to believe anything any ministry says in Thailand clearly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Gweiloman said:

Are you a Republican by any chance?

Thai food and massage cheaper abroad?

Free visas to go to China?

You should really check your facts. 

It's free visas for chinese coming to thailand. They can bring the flu.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Over the past few years, various officials have claimed that there was a fiscal crisis because foreigners had supposedly run out on 300-700 million baht in unpaid hospital bills (the amount varies depending on who's talking).

 

Yet now they want to waive the 2000 baht VOA fee for 11 million people, for a loss in income of 22 billion baht, and offer vouchers to 30+ million foreign arrivals, which would amount to an expenditure of over a billion baht even if the vouchers were only for a paltry 30 baht each. How is that affordable, while reimbursing hospitals for a few unpaid bills as a cost of running a huge tourism-driven economy is somehow impossible?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, spetersen said:

How would that be possible ‘Eat, Shop, Spend' with a balloon currency that sooner or later will explode, no one with sane mindset will go to destinations where you will get ripped off, people don't afford Thailand anymore and it's not only tourists and expats even Thai people suffering. The only way would be that BOT devaluate the currency 15-20 %, and the tourist will be back...

" The only way would be that BOT devaluate the currency 15-20 %, and the tourist will be back"

No they won't, there are a multitude of problems that need to be fixed before the tourist come back. The high Baht is just one of them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

54 minutes ago, Parsve said:

Hmm, isnt it also TAT who says that  

Chinese and Indian tourists are quality tourists that spend heavenly? If so, my question is, why should the rather small cost of a visa hold them back from coming?

I think it's probably the cost of re-incarnation, got to get them back down here somehow. Maybe one of the vouchers is a discount 'Roll Away The Stone' or something?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd like to thank each and every poster who contributed to this thread.

 

After the sad passing of Terry Jones this week, it's great to see that satire and off the wall comedy survives.

 

It was comedy wasn't it? Like the bloke that told me I was diluted in another thread?

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, Parsve said:

Hmm, isnt it also TAT who says that  

Chinese and Indian tourists are quality tourists that spend heavenly? If so, my question is, why should the rather small cost of a visa hold them back from coming?

And the offer of a voucher for somtam or Khao pad ain't gonna swing it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.





×
×
  • Create New...