Thailand decided to waive visa fees for Chinese and Taiwanese travellers starting August 1st. The perk will last until October 31.
TAIPEI – Thailand will waive visa fee for Taiwanese and Chinese travellers during a peak tourism period Aug. 1 to Oct. 31 according to an official news report from the National News Bureau of Thailand, the official information channel from the government. The President of the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) Piyaman Techapaiboon announced at the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) daily press conference at Government House on July 16 that Chinese and Taiwanese tourists wanting to come to Thailand for a vacation are exempted from a visa application fee during the three months August to October 2014.
The visa fee-waiver decision is part of the efforts by Thailand’s the Military Junta to restore normalcy and lure back tourists to the country following months of political turmoil and deadly protests, according to the National News Bureau of Thailand. The three-month fee-waiver period was timed to coincide with schools’ summer break, when many students and families usually travel abroad, according to the reports. The fee-waiver program will mean a savings of US$40 per person in application fees.
Although Ms. Piyaman said that the measure is to thank Chinese people for greatly supporting the Thai tourism industry, there is no doubt that the measure is supposed to revive a declining market, deeply battered by months of violence, demonstration and political turbulences in Bangkok. Ms. Piyaman said that the number of tourists coming to Thailand this year is expected to be similar to last year which reached 28.6 million.
In response to reporters’ questions, the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Taipei Office said fee-waiver arrangements for Taiwanese nationals are in progress but the formal announcement will be left to the Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei.
In the first six months of 2014, the number of Chinese tourists to Thailand dropped by 20.4% to 1.88 million compared to 2.36 million during the same period of 2013. Taiwanese tourist arrivals’ performance was even worst, down by 31.2% to 174,000 compared to 253,000 according to data from the Department of Tourism. The drop was recorded amid political instability that lasted for close to seven months in Thailand as demonstrators occupied government offices, blocked major road intersections and held mass rallies in Bangkok. Since the military coup, peace and order are back in the Kingdom which should incite travellers from Taiwan and China to be back.
(Sources: National News Bureau of Thailand, CNA Taiwan)
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
