Thailand should focus more on high-quality tourists: people with a high spending power and an eye for sustainability. This is the view of wellness resort Chiva-Som, which has been committed to sustainable tourism and top-level health tourism for years.
Yet recent policy measures seem to be undermining this ambition. For example, the Thai government is considering halving the visa-free stay for foreign tourists, from 60 to 30 days. According to Chiva-Som, this endangers the type of tourist that Thailand should be nurturing: travelers who stay long-term, spend a lot and have little impact on their environment.
Wellness tourism offers enormous growth opportunities
Krip Rojanastien, Chairman and CEO of Chiva-Som International Health Resorts, points to Thailand’s strong position as a wellness travel destination. The country is globally recognized for its high-quality wellness services and has the potential to capture a much larger share of the market.
According to the Global Wellness Institute, the global wellness tourism market is expected to be worth US$2023 billion in 830. Thailand will account for just US$12 billion of that – less than 2% of the total. That leaves room for growth, especially as health and wellness become a growing priority for travelers worldwide.
Thailand’s wellness industry is expected to grow strongly again this year. But to realise this potential, Thailand must remain attractive to tourists who want to stay here for a long time and invest in their wellbeing.
Visa shortening deters high-value tourists
Since July 2024, travelers from 93 countries have been allowed to travel to Thailand without a visa, with a maximum stay of 60 days. The Thai government may now reduce that period to 30 days, partly to combat illegal business activities.
But according to Krip Rojanastien, this policy is actually driving away the wrong group. In places like Hua Hin, he sees that tourists who stay for a long time often have a high spending capacity. They are often retired Europeans with a large pension, who consciously choose a quiet, long-term holiday focused on health and well-being.
Wellness programs take weeks or even months. A visa period of only 30 days makes Thailand unattractive for this target group. Countries that are flexible about long-term stays quickly become a better alternative.
Sustainable tourists are worth their weight in gold
These travelers generate more than just revenue. They behave environmentally consciously, respect local culture and avoid mass consumption. Their impact on the environment is relatively small, while their spending pattern is high.
According to Rojanastien, Thailand should actively try to retain this group. Instead of limiting the length of stay, he advocates an extension from 60 to 90 days. This creates space for visitors who really invest in their stay.
Concerns about illegal activities could be better addressed, he says, by means of stricter checks upon entry. He proposes to set up a digital database that would allow for better screening of traveler profiles. This would prevent abuse without deterring valuable tourists.
Quality over quantity
Every tourist consumes water and energy, and produces waste. Focusing solely on more arrivals is therefore not a sustainable strategy. Rojanastien warns that focusing on numbers not only causes environmental damage, but also complicates the work of authorities in the areas of security and crime control.
High-value tourists – such as wellness travellers and long-stay hotel guests – spend a lot, respect their environment and contribute more to the Thai economy in the long run. But Thailand needs to ensure that it has attractive infrastructure, reliable safety facilities and a clear direction on sustainability.
According to Rojanastien, it is crucial that Thailand actively promotes its natural beauty, focuses on ecological responsibility and makes clear choices about the type of tourism it wants to attract.
30 years of Chiva-Som
Chiva-Som will celebrate its 19th anniversary on April 30 with a party day at the resort in Hua Hin. The program includes tree planting, crab release, a traditional khondan dance performance and a charity auction. With this, the resort underlines its core values: investing in health, contributing to nature conservation and building a future-proof tourism in Thailand.
Source: Bangkok Post – Call to zero in on high-quality tourists
About this blogger
-
This article was written and checked by the editors. The content is based on the author's personal experiences, opinions and own research. Where relevant, ChatGPT was used as an aid in writing and structuring texts. Although the content is handled with care, no guarantee can be given that all information is complete, up-to-date or error-free.
The reader is responsible for the use of the information on this website. The author accepts no liability for any damage or consequences resulting from the use of the information provided.
Read the latest articles here
News from ThailandMay 14, 2025Baht set for fresh dip on strong dollar and global uncertainties
Shopping May 14, 2025Tourist Guide: Shopping for Fashion and Clothes in Bangkok
Food and drinksMay 14, 2025Coconuts in Thailand are a delicious thirst quencher and healthy too!
IslandsMay 14, 2025Bounty Island Koh Phayam
High-quality tourists also like to be transported on a high-quality road surface.
When they get out, they naturally also like to breathe high-quality oxygen.
With a bit of luck, some tourists will come from Monaco, Florida, or Cote D'Azur when there is a Formula 1 race.
Eco this, eco that. In the meantime, you get smoked out here every year during a part of the high season. You are sometimes surprised that anyone comes at all during that period.
Haha Thailand is one big coffee shop, everywhere you go there is someone steaming.
It all depends on what you mean by quality, of course.
This call for quality is only professed with the lips.
It's just PR to get quality tourists to come to Thailand.
In the meantime, it remains a matter of chatter and practical implementation proves the opposite.
In the meantime, the length of stay is easily reduced from 60 days to less instead of increasing it to, for example, 90 days.
Meanwhile, our environment in Phuket is under heavy pressure.
Waste processing that does not keep pace with the increase in thousands of tourists that are being cheered about.
Many non-quality tourists.
And the construction of more tourist accommodations continues without limits.
Phukek's beauty has completely disappeared under hot, heat-radiating concrete.
To see nature you have to look up, to the hills, where it is now also allowed to build higher.
All that for more, more tourists. Quality or not.
The news comes from the wellness travel corner, being the Chairman and CEO of Chiva-Som International Health Resorts.
In short, a talk for the converted, the man will have to make good on his probably lavish function, with popular talk. The desire of the Thai government to attract 80 million tourists per year in the future. And the annual haggling with policy issues to achieve that is already humor enough. I rather suspect that they will really get the lid on their nose with that 'all for The money' policy.
Whether the length of stay to enter without a visa will be reduced is questionable because a few days ago the prime minister said that everything must be done to attract more tourists because it is good for the economy. There are some hotel owners who preach to their own parish because long-term residents also stay in rental apartments and not in hotels, allowed because longer than 30 days rental is also allowed in an apartment/house
, and then they are talking about a maximum of 30 days visa-free access. On the other hand, there is this notification to extend the length of stay and look, this is a good contribution because it attracts more tourists. As far as I'm concerned, just allow 90 days; Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea, to name a few countries in the region, also allow 90 days and are not even dependent on tourism, while Thailand largely depends on it. And that is why they should consider increasing visa-free stays to 90 days, like in other countries, every little bit helps to earn more money from tourism, which in turn benefits the economy. And the latter could use some help after the announcements from the US.