Thai Tourist Sector want help
Battered tourism sector seeks urgent government help
BANGKOK: — Amid a sharp drop in tourist arrivals to Thailand, the country’s tourism agencies were alarmed and strongly urging the government to provide urgent measures to rescue the beleaguered industry.
Tosaporn Thepbutr, deputy-chairman of Committee on Tourism and Sports, said the Association of Domestic Travel (ADT), the Thai-Chinese Tourism Alliance Association (TCTA) and Thailand-Japan Tourism Promotion Association on Tuesday submitted a complaint letter to the committee.
They charged that although the government had announced tourism as a national priority, to date no concrete measures have been implemented by concerned-agencies to boost the country’s tourism industry. So the premier himself should intervene to resolve the problems.
Thailand’s tourist arrivals sharply drop to a critical level, Mr. Tosaporn said, in June alone, the number of tourist arrivals has dropped from 165,000 in the same period of 2008, to 27,000 in 2009 due to the Influenza A(H1N1) outbreak, or 33.45 per cent year-on-year.
Mr. Tosaporn said that with the falling number of tourist arrivals from almost every nation, except from Iran and Hong Kong, the earlier estimated arrival levels of 11 million tourists projected by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) will be unlikely to achieve the target.
“The causes of the sharp drop in tourist arrivals are attributed to the closure of Suvarnabhumi Airport by the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) in November and December, and recent domestic political turmoil, combined with the current outbreak of the H1N1 flu,” Mr. Tosaporn said.
Free tourist visas between June 25, 2009 and March 2010
BANGKOK: — Continuing its efforts to expedite the revival of the Thai travel and tourism industry, the Royal Thai government has agreed to exempt the fee for tourist visa applications, effective 25 June 2009 to March 2010.
All foreigners who apply for Tourist Visa at the Royal Thai Embassies and the Royal Thai Consulates-General worldwide will be exempted from tourist visa fee from 25 June 2009 to March B.E.2553 (2010).
Such arrangement is for Tourist Visa single entry only.
– Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangkok 2009-06-24
Free visa plan backfires on Thai honorary consulates
Free tourist visas is a threat to the future of the Royal Thai Honorary Consulates.
PHUKET CITY: — The future of honorary Thai consulates around the world is in doubt following the Thai government’s move to waive tourist visa fees until March 2010.
The Thailand Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday announced that as of today all foreigners applying for single-entry tourist visas at Thai embassies, consulates and honorary consulates will be exempt from fees.
Yet some honorary Thai consulates fear the move will cost them millions of baht in lost visa revenue and could result in their closure.
Alan Taylor, Honorary Thai Consul in Hull, UK, said unlike embassies and consulates, the 450 honorary consulates worldwide relied on the money they bring in selling visas.
“We won’t be closing but some will certainly be closing their doors,” he said.
William Dunn, Honorary Thai Consul in Brisbane, Australia, said those offices that relied heavily on tourist visa revenue would be worst affected.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok today told the Gazette that the Thai government would reimburse any lost income.
This was news to Mr Taylor.
“We’ve had no contact whatsoever,” he said. “No money has been offered and we’ve been told nothing.”
Earlier this year visa fees were waived between March 5 and June 4.
Both Mr Dunn and Mr Taylor said they saw no money from the Thai government for lost income during this period.
Mr Dunn had doubts his office would be reimbursed.
“They have talked about it but they won’t do it,” he said. “For a start I don’t think the money situation’s too good.”
Mr Taylor said the Hull office would have to look at ways of mitigating a “huge drop in visa income”.
“Numbers of applicants are unlikely to drop. If anything they will increase dramatically because people will get something for nothing,” he said.
Writing on the ThaiVisa.com web forum, a spokesperson for the Honorary Thai Consulate in Calgary, Canada, said, “This decision, as well as the previous decision waiving tourist visa fees for 90 days, has been a great disappointment to us here in Calgary. It seems as if Thailand is attempting to get rid of all honorary consulates around the world, no matter how helpful and successful they have been…”
“This is a very sad blow to all honorary consulates,” the spokesperson said.