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Thailand approves extension of free tourist visas to August 2017


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9 hours ago, AloisAmrein said:

 According to TAT, a quality tourist is a tourist with an income of 80'000 US$ or more per year, see immigration card. And what should I buy in Thailand? Coconuts or bananas? Or fake watches and similar rubbish? Thailand is not a good shopping place today, things are more expensive then in some European countries, e.g. computers, labtops, cameras, watches, etc. And no garantee in case of problems.

 

The income question in the immigration card has nothing to do with the quality tourist label.

A quality tourist is one who supports the tourism industry by staying in the best hotels, eating in the best restaurants and spending money (does not need to be on shopping).


People using land borders and visa exempt entries are in no way considered quality tourists.

But going back to your original post, why don't you are least pay for a proper visa?  There is a reason the authorities have limited it to 2 visa exempt entries per year, it is to encourage people to actually pay for a visa.

 

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The income question in the immigration card has nothing to do with the quality tourist label.

A quality tourist is one who supports the tourism industry by staying in the best hotels, eating in the best restaurants and spending money (does not need to be on shopping).

People using land borders and visa exempt entries are in no way considered quality tourists.

But going back to your original post, why don't you are least pay for a proper visa?  There is a reason the authorities have limited it to 2 visa exempt entries per year, it is to encourage people to actually pay for a visa.
 


Are you sure 2 exempts per year? Last year I had about 6 and no problems.

Sent from my LG-H990 using Thaivisa Connect mobile app

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14 minutes ago, reenatinnakor said:

Are you sure 2 exempts per year? Last year I had about 6 and no problems.

It only applies to visa exempt entries at land border crossings. New rule since the first of the year that you can only do 2 of them per calendar year.

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25 minutes ago, reenatinnakor said:

 


Are you sure 2 exempts per year? Last year I had about 6 and no problems.

Sent from my LG-H990 using Thaivisa Connect mobile app
 

 

A recent ruling said only 2 visa exempt entries by year when coming by land.  

Sorry I didn't make that clear, but I was talking to Alois and he's doing land crossings so it applies to him.

 

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Just now, reenatinnakor said:

 


Ah ok. But no limit on airport arrivals with the 30 day exempt?

Sent from my LG-H990 using Thaivisa Connect mobile app
 

 

 

No actual statement concerning a limit yet.  

Considering you can stay in Thailand for 60 days (30+30) on visa exempts when coming by air the theoretical maximum would be 6 visa exempts in a year.    

How many it takes before an Immigration officer takes you to task for having too many is unknown (some say 3, some say 4).    It could be based on what the person looks like, it could also depend on whether the person is living here or merely visiting frequently, or maybe just what kind of day the IO is having.

Given that tourist visas are now free until August 27, 2017, I would guess that until then immigration officers will likely just let back to back visa exempts slide.

When tourist visas start being charged for then entry on back to back visa exempts *may* become an issue again.

 

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12 hours ago, seancbk said:

A recent ruling said only 2 visa exempt entries by year when coming by land.  

Sorry I didn't make that clear, but I was talking to Alois and he's doing land crossings so it applies to him.

 

I do entries at land borders and by air, depending what is more convenient for me. When I stay in Vientiane and want to go to Udon Thani or Khon Kaen, I certainly do the land crossing, much faster. When I want to go to Hat Yai, I take the direct flight from Vientiane. Since 1.1.2017 new rule: Only 2 land crossings per calendar year. When I entered from Laos to Mukdahan, an english-speaking officer took his time and explained me the new rules. I told him that I knew already. The new rule does not apply for entries by air, but this may change also. Apparently tourists should spend their money in other countries which not have such stupid rules.

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13 hours ago, seancbk said:

 

The income question in the immigration card has nothing to do with the quality tourist label.

A quality tourist is one who supports the tourism industry by staying in the best hotels, eating in the best restaurants and spending money (does not need to be on shopping).


People using land borders and visa exempt entries are in no way considered quality tourists.

But going back to your original post, why don't you are least pay for a proper visa?  There is a reason the authorities have limited it to 2 visa exempt entries per year, it is to encourage people to actually pay for a visa.

 

Where from you take your definition of a quality tourist? From TAT? TAT is promoting tourism from China, certainly not the country with lots of quality tourists. For me, a quality tourist is a person who can spend as much as he wants and is not travelling with group tours. That is why the immigraton asks about the income on the immigration card.

 

People using land borders and visa exempt entries are in no way considered quality tourists. 

Very funny definition because this says nothing of the spending power of such a person. Why should I make a visa when I get a visa-free entry? If I want to stay longer then 30 days, I make a visa, if not, I don't need one. And I am a person who travels a lot, not only in Thailand. Neighbouring countries have a lot to offer, with less stupid rules.
 

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This might have been mentioned earlier in the topic, but just in case not, the Portland, OR Honorary Consulate has advised me that the free-visa extension thru AUG does NOT apply to the U.S., per communication they say they've had with the Embassy.  So U.S. travelers have until the end of this month to get their free visas.   There was a list of 21 countries and the U.S. isn't one of them (looking up the list, neither are Australia, Canada or any European countries). 

 

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3 hours ago, hawker9000 said:

This might have been mentioned earlier in the topic, but just in case not, the Portland, OR Honorary Consulate has advised me that the free-visa extension thru AUG does NOT apply to the U.S., per communication they say they've had with the Embassy.  So U.S. travelers have until the end of this month to get their free visas.   There was a list of 21 countries and the U.S. isn't one of them (looking up the list, neither are Australia, Canada or any European countries). 

 

You have been given false info. The free single entry tourist visa is for all nationalities.

The list of of 21 countries is for the reduced fee for visas on arrival.

The honorary consulates might tell you they are not free since they get no revenue other than visa fees. Some have been collecting a service charge to issue the free visa.

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On ‎2‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 10:21 PM, seancbk said:


If you are such a quality tourist why do you expect to enter Thailand on a visa free entry and why do you have to do your entries by land?

Try paying for a visa and flying in instead.

If price is your primary concern then what makes you a quality tourist?

Your reasoning and implications are poor.  I consider myself a quality tourist.  I don't do anything illegal.  I smile and treat the locals respectfully.  I don't stay in the cheapest flea bag hotels, but I don't stay in the 5 star hotels either.  I have no need for such things.  I am a reasonable tipper, I typically visit a few of the tourist destinations or parks or museums or Nong Nooch gardens types of places.  I don't smoke and don't litter.   I see nothing wrong with spending my money in ways that to me give me better values.  If a Tourist Visa is now free, then it is worth the hassle of risking mailing my passport around the USA to a Thai embassy or taking time from work to drive to and drop off and pick up my passport and Visa.  Nobody said Price is a primary concern, and even if it were, that doesn't mean the person is not a good tourist.  I am sure some definitions of a quality tourist might be spends 10,000 USD in one month . Fine, so be it.  I think the few thousand I spend when I go is enough and certainly provides me with a fine vacation

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On 10/02/2017 at 5:38 PM, IMA_FARANG said:

Not all tourist visa are used by those flying half way around the world.

Some are used by Chinese,  Malaysians, and other Asian countries.

In January, when I got my tourist visa in Hong Kong there were many Chinese or Hong Kong getting visas that were free.

They may not be the high-value tourists that TAT may want, but they do spend money in Thailand.

That is probably what TAT is thinking.

 

 

 

I think this is what so many posters on here who are wrapped up in their little farang bubble don't get, the number one and number two countries by tourist arrivals to Thailand are not Western, they are China and Malaysia. Being right next to Thailand and with China having a population three times the size of the entire EU by itself and growing rapidly, it is actually more important long term to Thailand than farangland is. 

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On 09/02/2017 at 4:20 PM, AloisAmrein said:

It is nothing else then a desperate move of TAT and immigration to boost tourism. On the other hand, the immigration does all to keep quality tourists like me away from the country, by limiting entry by land border to 2 times per year, with visa-free entry for now 30 days. So I am forced to spend my money in Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia. Never mind, prices in all these countries are cheaper then in Thailand. And they have nice beaches (not in Laos and Cambodia) and landscapes also.

Alois, I agree this limitation is not fully thought out and it has already been seen to have a negative impact down south in Songkhla where a lot of people living in Malaysia would take weekend breaks overland to Southern Thailand. Malaysians were actually made exempt, but what they have now found was that there were also a lot of Indonesians, Singaporeans and Chinese who lived around there and used do this but can't any more and it has had a measurable impact on tourism there to the point where the governor of Songkhla has appealed to immigration for a review.

 

So sure, like so many things it is ill thought out and is going to have negative impacts they did not forsee.

 

Your "so I'm just going to go spend my money somewhere else" however is misguided... Laos only gives 1 month visas which are quite expensive ($35) and renewals are very expensive if you want to stay any longer ($2-3/day IIRC). Vietnam also has a visa required which you have to get in advance at an embassy, I do not believe you can get anything at the land border whatsoever. If you fly in you can jump through some hoops and pay some more money for an authorisation for you to pay again for a visa when you get there. Malaysia to their credit does give most Westerners 90 days free at the border, but at least in my experience are far less tolerant than Thailand regarding people staying long-term as a tourist, I got the third degree trying to re-enter Malaysia having been out of it for well over a month in Singapore and Indonesia because they thought I had been there "too much" over the previous year, I had to have a formal interview and convince them I was not working. Indonesia only opened up free entry recently and there apparently is a whole hoo hah over needing to find a local agency to "sponsor" you for extensions, which I believe become a problem after a certain point, maybe six months or so. Cambodia you also do have to pay for a visa at the border, there is no free option like Thailand, I believe it is $30 now before whatever the immigration try to extract out of you on top of that. To Cambodia's credit you can get a business/ordinary visa for an extra $5 and unlike most other countries you can extend that pretty much indefinitely without leaving. The only catch? You are in Cambodia.

 

And frankly, no, these countries are NOT cheaper than Thailand, despite being (Malaysia excepted) much poorer. What is remarkable about Thailand is that it is not actually significantly more expensive than its much poorer neighbours. Booze excepted, that is much cheaper in Laos, Cambodia or Vietnam (not Malaysia where there is a big sin tax on it). But everything else, no, not really, if you live in Udon or Nong Khai you should know this well yourself, hotels are cheaper in both those places than in Vientiane and just go look at the price for anything imported in Laos like a phone or laptop. There's a reason everyone comes over the border TO THAILAND to do their shopping.

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1 hour ago, blorg said:

Sean, the actual reality of the matter is that that segment is a small minority of the actual tourist business in Thailand. So sure TAT want to get more high rollers, who wouldn't, but the vast majority of Thai tourist industry is rather lower end than that and you cannot just say, we don't care about 90% of our tourist industry because we are only interested in the top 10%... sure these people spend more on a per capita basis but most of the Thai tourist industry is budget to mid-range. Thailand being CHEAP is a major selling point for the country and you are deluding yourself if you think it isn't.

 

Over half of ALL tourist arrivals to Thailand come from China or another ASEAN country, and that is only growing. Much as farangs like to moan and whine in borderline racist terms about Chinese tourists, this is the big growth market and the future of Thai tourism, there is a market three times the size of the EU, five times the size of the US, sixty times the size of Australia and it is right next to Thailand and easy for their burgeoning middle class to come here. That's where the money is, not this fantasy of getting a handful of Western millionaires to spend two weeks here.

 

You are of course absolutely correct.  It is not only Chinese mass market tourists that will be coming here but also Indians, they too have a large and growing middle class that are keen to travel.

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7 hours ago, gk10002000 said:
On 2/13/2017 at 1:21 PM, seancbk said:


If you are such a quality tourist why do you expect to enter Thailand on a visa free entry and why do you have to do your entries by land?

Try paying for a visa and flying in instead.

If price is your primary concern then what makes you a quality tourist?

Your reasoning and implications are poor.  I consider myself a quality tourist.  I don't do anything illegal.  I smile and treat the locals respectfully.  I don't stay in the cheapest flea bag hotels, but I don't stay in the 5 star hotels either.  I have no need for such things.  I am a reasonable tipper, I typically visit a few of the tourist destinations or parks or museums or Nong Nooch gardens types of places.  I don't smoke and don't litter.   I see nothing wrong with spending my money in ways that to me give me better values.  If a Tourist Visa is now free, then it is worth the hassle of risking mailing my passport around the USA to a Thai embassy or taking time from work to drive to and drop off and pick up my passport and Visa.  Nobody said Price is a primary concern, and even if it were, that doesn't mean the person is not a good tourist.  I am sure some definitions of a quality tourist might be spends 10,000 USD in one month . Fine, so be it.  I think the few thousand I spend when I go is enough and certainly provides me with a fine vacation

 

I was replying to a specific member who had complained that he can't do land border crossing and keep entering on visa exempt entries (There is a limit of 2 per year when coming by land).  

 

My point to him was if he wants to keep coming here then why not go somewhere regional by air and actually pay for a tourist visa for Thailand (although as we should all know they are free until 27th August, 2017).     

You sound like the type of tourist that we all should want here, and TAT should also want.  Law abiding, spending a bit of money, not causing trouble.    

But you are flying here (I guess given mention of the US) and whether you have a visa or use visa exempt entries doesn't really matter as it sounds like you are not trying to enter Thailand 6 or 8 times a year.   

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11 hours ago, blorg said:

Alois, I agree this limitation is not fully thought out and it has already been seen to have a negative impact down south in Songkhla where a lot of people living in Malaysia would take weekend breaks overland to Southern Thailand. Malaysians were actually made exempt, but what they have now found was that there were also a lot of Indonesians, Singaporeans and Chinese who lived around there and used do this but can't any more and it has had a measurable impact on tourism there to the point where the governor of Songkhla has appealed to immigration for a review.

 

So sure, like so many things it is ill thought out and is going to have negative impacts they did not forsee.

 

Your "so I'm just going to go spend my money somewhere else" however is misguided... Laos only gives 1 month visas which are quite expensive ($35) and renewals are very expensive if you want to stay any longer ($2-3/day IIRC). Vietnam also has a visa required which you have to get in advance at an embassy, I do not believe you can get anything at the land border whatsoever. If you fly in you can jump through some hoops and pay some more money for an authorisation for you to pay again for a visa when you get there. Malaysia to their credit does give most Westerners 90 days free at the border, but at least in my experience are far less tolerant than Thailand regarding people staying long-term as a tourist, I got the third degree trying to re-enter Malaysia having been out of it for well over a month in Singapore and Indonesia because they thought I had been there "too much" over the previous year, I had to have a formal interview and convince them I was not working. Indonesia only opened up free entry recently and there apparently is a whole hoo hah over needing to find a local agency to "sponsor" you for extensions, which I believe become a problem after a certain point, maybe six months or so. Cambodia you also do have to pay for a visa at the border, there is no free option like Thailand, I believe it is $30 now before whatever the immigration try to extract out of you on top of that. To Cambodia's credit you can get a business/ordinary visa for an extra $5 and unlike most other countries you can extend that pretty much indefinitely without leaving. The only catch? You are in Cambodia.

 

And frankly, no, these countries are NOT cheaper than Thailand, despite being (Malaysia excepted) much poorer. What is remarkable about Thailand is that it is not actually significantly more expensive than its much poorer neighbours. Booze excepted, that is much cheaper in Laos, Cambodia or Vietnam (not Malaysia where there is a big sin tax on it). But everything else, no, not really, if you live in Udon or Nong Khai you should know this well yourself, hotels are cheaper in both those places than in Vientiane and just go look at the price for anything imported in Laos like a phone or laptop. There's a reason everyone comes over the border TO THAILAND to do their shopping.

Just a short reply:

 

Thailand: You need a visa, when you want to stay longer then 30 days, even when married with a Thai citizen and supporting the family. Absolutely a no-go, never seen in another part of the world and also not in other countries in Asia.

 

Laos: I do not need a visa for Laos, visa-free entry for 15 days (valid for a few nations only, Switzerland, Japan, Luxembourg).

 

Vietnam: The visa rules are changing. Now already 15 days visa-free entry for many countries of the EU, e.g. Germany, France, Italy. Others will follow and there ar rumours that visa-free entry will be extended to 30 days. Visas easily available at any consulates, if you want stay longer. I make it always in Khon Kaen, they do it on the spot, you turn up at 9.00 a.m., you leave before 10 a.m. with the visa. And yes, Vietnam is quite cheaper then Thailand, especially accomodation.

 

Malaysia: 90 days visa-free entry, the best in South-East Asia, so far never any problems, despite I use KL as a hup (Air Asia).

 

Indonesia: Visa-free entry is already 3 years old. I didn't have any problem.

 

Philippines: visa-free entry 30 days.

 

Electronic stuff as laptops, cameras etc. is cheaper in many European countries then in Thailand, and with a reliable garantee of 2 years, which you can forget in Thailand.

 

 

 

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On 13.2.2017 at 9:01 AM, reenatinnakor said:

 


Because you're a quality tourist, he is suggesting that you should be able to fly to London, Tokyo or NYC and do some shopping and get your tourist visa there and then fly back after a few weeks being a quality tourist. Not do land border crossings to save money... Since that's not what quality tourists do. He has a point and I agree with him! Why don't you just fly to hk and get your 2 months tourist visa there? Easy and quite cheap.

Sent from my LG-H990 using Thaivisa Connect mobile app
 

 

Doesn't make sense, because I don't want to go to London, Tokyo or New York. And when I travel by car, I must use land borders.

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11 hours ago, blorg said:

Sean, the actual reality of the matter is that that segment is a small minority of the actual tourist business in Thailand. So sure TAT want to get more high rollers, who wouldn't, but the vast majority of Thai tourist industry is rather lower end than that and you cannot just say, we don't care about 90% of our tourist industry because we are only interested in the top 10%... sure these people spend more on a per capita basis but most of the Thai tourist industry is budget to mid-range. Thailand being CHEAP is a major selling point for the country and you are deluding yourself if you think it isn't.

 

Over half of ALL tourist arrivals to Thailand come from China or another ASEAN country, and that is only growing. Much as farangs like to moan and whine in borderline racist terms about Chinese tourists, this is the big growth market and the future of Thai tourism, there is a market three times the size of the EU, five times the size of the US, sixty times the size of Australia and it is right next to Thailand and easy for their burgeoning middle class to come here. That's where the money is, not this fantasy of getting a handful of Western millionaires to spend two weeks here.

Chinese like to gamble.

Casinos would really pull in these highrollers

Edited by Destiny1990
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20 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

You have been given false info. The free single entry tourist visa is for all nationalities.

The list of of 21 countries is for the reduced fee for visas on arrival.

The honorary consulates might tell you they are not free since they get no revenue other than visa fees. Some have been collecting a service charge to issue the free visa.

That was my suspicion on hearing it, but she says they got it from the Embassy, so I suspect it's the Embassy that's got it wrong.   ...which actually doesn't surprise.   Could you provide a link to an official source?  All I've been able to find is that list of 21 nations.

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i recently went to get my tourist visa from Brisbane, Australia and because i made a mistake on the return date of 2 days over the 2 months was refused.Told to have the return date changed on the ticket to reflect the 60 days.Isaid i would extend the visa in thailand for another 30 days but no. looks like this particular consul is sticking religiously to the letter of the law.

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3 hours ago, Destiny1990 said:

Chinese like to gamble.

Casinos would really pull in these highrollers

it seems that you do not know that gambling in casinos is prohibited in Thailand. Gambling for money is prohibited, not only in bars or restaurants , but also privately. That's why casinos in Cambodia and Laos near the Thai border are flourishing.

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4 hours ago, hawker9000 said:

That was my suspicion on hearing it, but she says they got it from the Embassy, so I suspect it's the Embassy that's got it wrong.   ...which actually doesn't surprise.   Could you provide a link to an official source?  All I've been able to find is that list of 21 nations.

Here is the original notice for the December to the end of this month form the Vientiane website that clearly states all nationalities.

http://vientiane.thaiembassy.org/en/news/announce/detail.php?ID=407

I have not found anything about the extension of the free visa until August.

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1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

Here is the original notice for the December to the end of this month form the Vientiane website that clearly states all nationalities.

http://vientiane.thaiembassy.org/en/news/announce/detail.php?ID=407

I have not found anything about the extension of the free visa until August.

Yeah - that's really what's needed.  There's no question about the free visas thru Feb and who it applies to.  It's the extension thru AUG that they seem to have been informed by the Thai Embassy (in the U.S.) does not apply except to that list of 21 nations.

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2 minutes ago, hawker9000 said:

Yeah - that's really what's needed.  There's no question about the free visas thru Feb and who it applies to.  It's the extension thru AUG that they seem to have been informed by the Thai Embassy (in the U.S.) does not apply except to that list of 21 nations.

The extension to August is the same as the original free visas.

The list of 21 countries is not for the free visas it is only for the reduced fee for a visa on arrival. Fee reduced from 2000 to 1000 baht. The 21 countries are those that qualify for them.

Somebody is talking nonsense at the consulate and/or the embassy. 

Here is the first announcement from the New York consulate that mentions the 21 countries.

https://www.thaicgny.com/s/cc_images/teaserbox_897760969.jpg?t=1483025987

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Just now, ubonjoe said:

The extension to August is the same as the original free visas.

The list of 21 countries is not for the free visas it is only for the reduced fee for a visa on arrival. Fee reduced from 2000 to 1000 baht. The 21 countries are those that qualify for them.

Somebody is talking nonsense at the consulate and/or the embassy. 

Here is the first announcement from the New York consulate that mentions the 21 countries.

https://www.thaicgny.com/s/cc_images/teaserbox_897760969.jpg?t=1483025987

You know that.  I know that.  But nonsense or no, the Embassy is telling the consulates, or at least the HC in Portland, something different.  What would help is something that spells it out point blank, unambiguously and specifically, that the free visas continue through August and for everyone.  Without that, it's all just he said she said.  ...which doesn't carry much wait with a consulate person.

 

It would be interesting to know if others applying at other consulates in the U.S. are being told this as well, or something different.  'Maybe have to wait until the month turns and somebody gets his application returned for non-payment for this to blow up. 

 

 

 

 

 

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10 minutes ago, hawker9000 said:

What would help is something that spells it out point blank, unambiguously and specifically, that the free visas continue through August and for everyone

I have looked for that on the MFA website and several embassy and consulate websites but I have not been able to find it.

I assume they will post some kind of formal announcement prior to the 28th.

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One reason I see for this "free visas" offer, is that it has taken the money out of selling Tourist Visas from the Consulates.  In so doing, they are now looking to limit the number of visas they issue (See changes at Penang and Savanahket), rather than maximize them.  This move is undoubtedly to the delight of those who seem to be trying to limit long-term farang visitors.  

 

Shaking down Oil/Gas workers coming in on Visa-Exempts must be the most foolish of all the policies implemented in the last round of crackdowns.  Those people are well-paid, fly in, can prove why they are here, and are absolutely not going to take Thai jobs. 

 

On 2/16/2017 at 2:56 PM, blorg said:

... most of the Thai tourist industry is budget to mid-range. Thailand being CHEAP is a major selling point for the country and you are deluding yourself if you think it isn't.

Agree 100% on this part, above.

 

On 2/16/2017 at 2:56 PM, blorg said:

Over half of ALL tourist arrivals to Thailand come from China or another ASEAN country, and that is only growing. Much as farangs like to moan and whine in borderline racist terms about Chinese tourists, this is the big growth market and the future of Thai tourism, there is a market three times the size of the EU, five times the size of the US, sixty times the size of Australia and it is right next to Thailand and easy for their burgeoning middle class to come here. That's where the money is, not this fantasy of getting a handful of Western millionaires to spend two weeks here.

China is that much bigger in population, but not many times more in visitors - because most Chinese are dirt-poor, and their economy is structured to keep them that way.  Their "selling point" to the world is, "We have wage-slaves for sale real cheap."  Yes, they are in a boom right now, but that is already beginning to level-off, and will likely contract in the future.  Other countries importing from China are the only reason China has good economic numbers, and those countries populations are agitating to change the trade-imbalances which are quickly draining their own economies, for the benefit of the Transnationals and Chinese Elites, and to the detriment of their own citizens.  China will see a major contraction as these policies are adjusted.  If Chinese military power in the region is also challenged, their clout (threat-level) will contract, and I would expect Thai policies to change to reflect this.

 

I do agree about the foolishness of focusing too much on millionaires, but think the working/middle class of the West should remain a primary target of TAT - as that is where a large number of potential tourist-spenders are, and will remain, into the future.  As nationalist trade-policies take hold, middle-class populations in developed nations will be the "fastest growing tourist markets," again.  And then there are the millions of people who are no longer tied to a "location" for their job.  Huge money in a fast-growing segment is just waiting for Thailand to tap it with welcoming visa-options. 

 

In Vietnam, the 1-year option for Americans exists, and most other Western countries can stay there indefinitely without an issue.  Same for Cambodia and the Philippines.  Of those not so friendly, Laos is a semi-closed communist country and  Malaysia has good jobs to protect.  Thailand is now somewhere in the middle - leaving the "Tourist Visa" loophole in place, but otherwise becoming incrementally more closed, and driving away a lot of foreign-income by this policy.

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3 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

 

 

China is that much bigger in population, but not many times more in visitors

Jack, you are simply wrong here, for every one American than comes to Thailand there are ten Chinese tourists. Those are the numbers right now.

 

Far too many Westerners have this strange imperial idea that China and other developing countries are somehow destined always to stay poor. 76% of the entire Chinese population are projected to be middle class within the next five years. And China is only a short haul cheap flight away, I flew there return myself recently for under 4,000B. A far cry from the $1,000 16-hour flights you are looking at from the US.

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