Thai tourism companies want the government to take measures and launch campaigns to boost tourism from other markets amid no concrete plans to counter the decline from China.
It has been proposed to scrap the fee for a visa on arrival for tourists and to offer multiple-entry visas, but the authorities are not in favor of this. It has been calculated that this could cost the country 3 billion baht per year.
Director Thanapol of Quality Express accuses the government of an unclear policy, which risks that even more tourists will stay away, especially from China. According to Thanapol, the Chinese stay away because of safety (such as the recent boat accident), but also the weaker Chinese economy, trade disputes with the US and an intensive hunt for corruption in the country.
President Vichit of the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) sees the most in a visa waiver: "Without a good offer for Chinese, the number of arrivals will continue to fall by 15 percent per month until the Chinese New Year in February." He says that since the July boat accident in Phuket, the number of Chinese tourists has declined by 30-40 percent on an annual basis.
ATTA thinks that a visa exemption for foreign tourists will not only attract tourism from China, but also from other countries such as India.
Source: Bangkok Post
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Visa on arrival, they certainly mean the 30-day exemption? It's free isn't it? Or only for certain countries?
But if you turn those 30 into 60 days for Westerners and Asean countries, and relax the procedure for 'other countries', you will get more people. Then simplify the border formalities for people who do a week in Laos and a week in Cambodia.
But a country that prefers to put a chip under your skin to track your movements scares its guests away.
No, Erik, visa on arrival and visa exemption are two things for two groups of countries. See my comment below. Then there are also countries that must apply for a visa in advance.
We Dutch people therefore do not get a visa if we want to play the tourist for a maximum of 30 days.
There is no fee for a visa on arrival! At least not for us. Is that different for Chinese? do they have to pay money for a visa on arrival?
Westerners do not get Visa on Arrival but Visa Exemption. You may have noticed signs and counters with visa on arrival between the gates and the immigration (border guard). With a bit of bad luck you have to struggle through a horde of people from India, among others, who do need a visa on arrival.
More visa exemptions of up to 30 days can lower the threshold, no hassle with papers (although you can always ask to have enough cash, etc. in your pocket, but in practice it seems to be a rarity). Extending the visa-free period/groups from 30 to 60 days will make less sense, most people can only go on holiday for a few weeks or even days. It therefore seems logical to me to transfer the visa-required groups, which in practice almost never have anything wrong with them, to the visa-exempt category.
The Chinese – and a number of other nationalities – require a 'visa on arrival', which is issued against payment. You, as a Belgian or Dutch citizen, enter with a free visa exemption for 30 days.
Visa on arrival costs do apply; 2000 baht.
What you refer to as “for us” is a Visa Exemption. That's free.
Here are the 21 countries, including China, that require a visa on arrival, so that is not an exemption like other countries. Costs 2.000 baht (cash, baht) with some other rules
http://www.thaiembassy.com/thailand/visa-on-arrival.php
And then the 55 countries with a visa exemption. Costs nothing, but some other rules, e.g. max 30 days.
http://www.thaiembassy.com/thailand/changes-visa-exempt.php
Belgians and Dutch people do not receive a visa on arrival but a visa exception stamp, there are countries that can get a visa on arrival.
This is about a “Visa on Arrival” (15 days) and not about a “Visa Exemption” (30 days).
This only applies to the following countries:
Andorra, Bhutan, Bulgaria, China, Cyprus, Ethiopia, Fiji, India, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Papua New Guinea, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Ukraine, Uzbekista
Terms & conditions
Must be the citizens of nationalities in accordance with Ministry of Interior's announcement
• Passport must be genuine and over 30 days validity.
• Purpose of touring not more than 15 days.
• Must have confirmed return ticket within 15 days.
• Must notify the address In Thailand that can be verified.
• Not under section 12 Immigration Act BE2522 (AD1979)
• Visa fee in Thai currency only (Cash)/Non-refundable
• Having appropriate means of living. (10,000 Baht/person, 20,000 Baht/family)
This visa normally costs 2000 Baht for a stay of up to 15 days, but in the past this was sometimes temporarily reduced to 1000 Baht.
Still, not really cheap for a stay of max 15 days.
Cannot normally be extended.
The applications can be made at the border posts or can also be requested online in advance.
https://extranet.immigration.go.th/voaonline/voaonline/VoaonlineAction.do
Not important for Dutch or Belgians
There are countries that are visa exempt for a maximum of 15 or 30 days. 15 days applies to other countries in Asean and 30 days to most western countries. Visa exempt therefore means no visa and therefore no visa costs.
Then there are countries that can apply for a visa on arrival (this instead of at a Thai consulate or embassy outside Thailand). This rule also applies to holders of Chinese passports. Visa on arrival does mean a visa and therefore visa costs.
I dare say that abolishing “visa on arrival” will not yield more than 100.000 tourists because most Chinese have booked a group trip and have already paid the amount of 2000 Baht in the package price without knowing it (as also the case with the airport tax). If the visa on arrival is abolished, the package tour in China remains the same and the Chinese travel agent puts the 2000 Baht in his pocket.
Agree.
They reduced the Visa-on-Arrival from 2000 Baht to 1000 Baht during peak season last year.
Has that brought them more tourists?
Don't know. Haven't read anything about it, but I also think that the 1000 Baht will have ended up in the pocket of the travel organization
I am not an expert on tourism, but I think that you should not earn tourism at the border, but within Thailand.