Thai tour operators are demanding that the visa-free entry period for Chinese tourists be reduced to 15 days due to illegal labor activities and fraud without affecting the main tourist flow.
Thailand, a popular tourist destination, faces a dilemma: maintaining its appeal to foreign visitors while addressing illegal labor activities and fraud. The country’s tour operators have proposed that the government reduce the visa-free stay for Chinese tourists from 60 to 15 days. According to them, this will effectively help fight illegal employment and improve security.
The cause for concern was the sensational case of Chinese actor Wang Xing, who was victimized by fraudsters and lured to Myanmar through the Thai border. According to Thapani Kiathphaibul, head of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the incident has heightened the fears of local tour operators about the activities of foreign scammers actively taking advantage of the visa-free regime.
The proposal to shorten the visa-free stay is based on an analysis of Chinese tourists’ actual travel duration. As Kiatphaibul points out, Chinese tourists prefer more frequent and shorter trips (7 to 10 days) than long vacations. Therefore, according to the TAT, reducing the visa-free stay to 15 days should not significantly affect the overall flow of tourists from China.
Despite pressure from some in the private sector calling for the complete abolition of visa-free travel for Chinese nationals, the TAT opposes such drastic measures. The agency believes that not only will it not solve existing problems, but it will also negatively affect the tourism industry, depriving it of the opportunity to attract more travelers from China’s second-tier cities, for whom visa-free travel is a significant advantage.
The proposal to shorten the visa-free period has yet to be formally submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The issue is expected to be discussed at an upcoming meeting of the TAT board, which includes a Foreign Ministry representative.
Thailand’s Tourism Ministry has set an ambitious target of attracting 8.8 million and 9 million Chinese tourists this year. The expected flow of foreign tourists is between 39 million and 40 million.
However, security concerns in Thailand have already affected the tourism market. According to the Hotel Association of Thailand, Chinese tourists canceled 4,572 room reservations in January, of which 1,001 reservations were in Bangkok. The negative sentiment also affected other foreign markets, leading to 7,856 reservations being canceled.
Ratchaporn Pulsawadi, vice president of the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT), stressed that security concerns affect not only the Chinese market but also other Asian travelers, who are more sensitive to this factor than tourists from Western countries.
TST has proposed developing a “Chinese-friendly” standard for tour operators in cooperation with the Thai-Chinese Travel Association, which has already approved a list of 200 travel companies that guarantee safety standards.
Ratchaporn also urged the government to seriously address fraud and human trafficking to prevent such situations in the future. In addition, he advocated the resumption of international concerts (the cancelation of which, such as the scheduled concert of Hong Kong singer Eason Chan, negatively affects the trust of fans and their communities). According to the experts, these measures would help restore Thailand’s image as a safe and attractive tourist destination.
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