Thailand’s tourism industry has raised a loud call for the re-establishment of the visa fee waiver program, targeting an increase in visitor numbers from densely populated nations such as China and India. This appeal closely follows a less than favourable recovery in several key sectors and is regarded as crucial to enhancing visitor intake this year.
Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, the President of the Thai Hotels Association, accentuated the strategic importance of targeting countries with large populations. For this, countries such as China and India are especially attractive, as their tourists majorly stay in popular Thai destinations including Bangkok, Pattaya, and Phuket. Despite the encouraging numbers of high-spending tourists contributing to Thailand’s tourism sector, the significance of budget travellers and large tour groups hasn’t waned, Marisa pointed out.
Emphasizing this notion, she stated, “While Thailand has been attracting quite a substantial number of high-spending tourists, we must not overlook the reliance many hotels place on budget travellers and big tour groups.” By this, she highlighted the potential held by nations like India, which recently surpassed China as the world’s most densely populated nation. With India’s growing workforce, the likelihood of attracting and encouraging more Indian tourists to venture beyond major city destinations seems a realistic prospect.
Marisa further suggested that Indian tourists present a multifaceted opportunity for hoteliers of all sizes, as they visit for a variety of purposes. From adventure-seeking individuals to wedding parties and those seeking health and wellness services, the mix of Indian tourists holds enormous potential for Thailand’s tourism industry. She also suggested a review of the current tourist visa and visa-on-arrival duration by the government.
Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn, the President of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, strongly believes that waiving the visa fee could offer a tremendous boost to the Chinese tourist market. Despite complications in visa applications and the slower pace of China’s economy, the potential for increased market growth from Chinese tourists remains substantial.
Delays in visa approval persist as a significant deterrent for Chinese tourists, which often extend longer than ten days. This situation is particularly discouraging for large tour groups, where their interest in Thailand is marred by a long approval waiting period. However, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is working towards alleviating these concerns by aiding consulates with the pre-screening of visa applications to reduce waiting periods.
Nonetheless, the Director of the New Delhi TAT office, Siriges-a-nong Trirattanasongpol cautioned that market growth could face disturbances amid an increase in tax collection for outbound packages by India. She further disclosed that the air service agreement between Thailand and India, which restricts flight capacity to just 39,000 seats per week for six Indian cities, could also stymie growth.
Despite these challenges, until July 16 this year, Thailand has played host to more than 14 million foreign tourists, of which 1.6 million and 826,000 visitors were from China and India, respectively. The appeal for reviving the visa waiver program is aimed at maintaining and even boosting this trend.
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