New Tourism minister gung ho that 2019 records can be smashed in 2024 despite falling spends

[webfact]

The new Minister of Tourism and Sports Sudawan Wang-Suphakitkosol was speaking to reporters on Thursday after Wednesday’s cabinet meeting where the Prime Minister underlined the importance of foreign tourism to the economy and demanded that all ministries assist efforts to boost arrivals into the kingdom.

Easier visa-free access for Chinese tourists is a risky move amid lower demand with a rising flight of criminal classes and the desire by certain elements in China to shift funds offshore. The move may backfire and lead to more damage to the kingdom’s reputation among genuine tourists from affluent Chinese population centres although the Royal Thai Police has assured the government in recent days that it was prepared to ensure the security of all visitors even under the new free visa regime.

The new Tourism and Sports minister Sudawan Wang-Suphakitkosol, on Thursday, set out her stall to not only reach record levels of foreign tourist numbers next year but to exceed the income level earned that year by over 50%. This comes despite substantially lower income per capita income generation when compared to 2019, recorded in 2023 and what appears to be out-of-kilter official figures. It comes with visa-free access approved by the cabinet on Wednesday for both China and Kazakhstan in the face of strong security concerns and heightened links between criminality and undesirable elements from the Communist country. 

 

Following the first working cabinet meeting on Wednesday this week, the Thai government confirmed that it had granted permission for a free visa regime to be operated from the 25th of September 2023 to the 29th of February 2024 in respect of visitors from China and Kazakhstan.

 

The proposal to offer visa-free facilities to Chinese visitors has already proved controversial, with security analysts pointing to the large spike in criminality which resulted at the start of the year in conjunction with a surge in the number of Chinese arrivals.

 

by James Morris and Son Nguyen

 

Full story: Thai Examiner 2023-09-18

 

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[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The new Tourism and Sports minister Sudawan Wang-Suphakitkosol, on Thursday, set out her stall to not only reach record levels of foreign tourist numbers next year but to exceed the income level earned that year by over 50%. T

So she's more in favour of the mass tourism over the more sustainable quality variety?

[jacko45k]

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

So she's more in favour of the mass tourism over the more sustainable quality variety?

Beginning to think the 'quality tourist' plan has been shelved as scraping the barrel is proving easier. Less discerning tourism is cheaper than improving services and facilities. 

[spidermike007]

As usual, they picked another bottom of the barrel minister. Her qualifications? 

 

Currently 41 years old, she is the daughter of “Kamnan Por” or Mr. Weerasak Wangsupakitkosol, former deputy minister of transport and deputy minister of commerce during the government of Gen. Prayut Chan-o-Cha. 

 

They must have searched far and wide for someone highly qualified for this post. 

 

After the Covid failures here and the astonishing level of cowardice displayed toward the re-opening, Thailand has not recovered and it is possible they never will. The quality of tourist was already falling in love before Covid. And why did it all happen? Why were the shutdowns so selective?  It is more and more apparent by the day, that the destruction and sabotage of Thailand's tourism industry is likely deliberate, and planned out. Nothing else makes sense. They have been wanting to get rid of the nightlife for as long as they have been in power. What better way to do this, than use the cover of Covid? Reduce the entire industry to ashes, then rebuild it, in their own pure as snow image. Without a trace of nightlife, or a hint of a sex industry.
 

The only problem is the more they sanitize the country, the less appealing it becomes to tourists. 

[newnative]

   Trying to justify the enormous--and unwarranted--budget increase TAT is asking for.

[RichardColeman]

They seem to be inviting to the country ALL the nations of the world known for certain criminality - Chinese , Russians, etc. Maybe they should go the whole way and make 6 months easy visas for Columbians and Somalians !

[greeneking]

Will she ever be held accountable  for making  irrational promises?

Altogether now.......NOOO!