Thailand Urged to Enhance Tourist Screening Amid Visa-Free Boom

[Felt 35]

  On 2/26/2025 at 6:13 AM, daveAustin said:

Preserving Thailand's Tourism Reputation

 

lol

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 Something for TAT on their travel exhibitions abroad, come to Pattaya for the temples😀

 

[Andrew65]

  On 2/26/2025 at 5:43 AM, Briggsy said:

He does not mention what screening is? Any sort of criminal record check would be very hard to do properly.

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America does so?

[BusyB]

  On 2/26/2025 at 4:53 AM, ScubaGuy said:

 

These xenophobic clowns seem to think the TM6 ever had any useful purpose. I always had reservation for the first night or few nights. Then move on to different locations. Nothing to do with my intentions or if I might overstay. Really, putting an address on a form somehow magically prevents overstay. 

The same thing goes for all the whining about having a 60 day visa-exempt instead of 30 day, or visa-free for previously requiring VISAs somehow has any bearing on "bad behavior" or other issues. Malaysia has 90 day visa exempt and no issues at all.

It is really funny and pathetic at the same time Thais get their panties in a bunch over some tourist acting like a Jack-ass but it is perfectly fine for tourists to be attached with swords and iron pipes or some 23 year old Thai coward punching a 70 year old woman.

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Glad you mentioned Malaysia - it was exactly what I was thinking. 

[Mayhem11]

Evaluation of tourists? Piffle.

[khunjeff]

Mr. Boon-Anan is living in a fantasy world. Thailand has never had strict screening of tourists, and is not going to start anytime soon. He and his fellow pearl-clutchers seem to think there's "one weird trick" that will magically detect people who will end up causing mischief here, but there isn't.

 

Biometrics and database checks are all well and good, but all they show you is whether someone has gotten into trouble in Thailand in the past. Unless they want to start personally interviewing all potential tourists and rejecting anyone who looks the least bit suspicious, they will never keep out the troublemakers. Whether foreigners need visas in advance, or get them on arrival, or get a 30,60, or 90 visa exemption, there will still be no checks conducted other than running their names and (maybe) fingerprints through a local database. That's it. 

 

And his call for a return of the TM6 is patently absurd. There was never any check made of the accuracy of the listed accommodation, and even if there were, what would that prove? Are criminals unable to book hotels for one night? 

 

 

[Shocked farang]

  On 2/26/2025 at 3:39 AM, Emdog said:

"...alongside those not providing clear accommodation details. " I started coming to Thailand and SE Asia in 1982. Since that time I have NEVER had reservations, yet somehow I always found good accommodations reasonably priced.

Mr B-A is worried about tourists not checking in at the pricier joints he represents, nothing to do with disreputable types coming here. Admittedly with internet even lower priced places can have a presence on the net, but not as fancy as the $100+ a night places

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The trick is to always have a print out of a booking through Booking.com, Agoda or even Airbnb for a few nights, then you move to whatever accommodation you want, just play the game. It's their country, they set the rules... 

[JoseThailand]

Let only elderly retirees in. They don't cause much trouble.

[DonniePeverley]

Thailand open door visa policy is a mistake. 

 

It simply attracts cheap quality tourists, that turns away high end family tourists. 

 

Culture erosion, crime, infrustructure pressures, and VERY CHEAP tourists have ruined the image. There should have been a pivot to quality tourism.

 

Allowing cheap backpackers, and cheap tourists to stay here for longer periods with such little over sight and measures is a barbaric mistake of epic proportions.

 

No other country on this planet has an open door visa policy for Indians. None. Not even African countries. Thailand does. 

 

What's going on here ?

[biggles45]

  On 2/25/2025 at 11:39 PM, webfact said:

discontinuation of requiring foreign arrivals to declare their Thai address on form TM.6.

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I doubt it was ever checked by anyone. There must be a huge stockpile of meaningless paperwork in Thailand. 

[What to do now]

Here's a novel thought.. how about actually punishing bad behavior instead of just taking a bribe. 

[Gknrd]

"To safeguard Thailand’s reputation as a safe and attractive destination, Mr Boon-anan strongly advocates for stricter tourist evaluations. By doing so, the government can ensure a sustainable and secure tourism environment."

 

Joke of the day!

 

[black tabby12345]

  On 2/26/2025 at 4:30 AM, VBF said:

Oddly, years ago when one needed a visa for longer than 30 days and applied on paper rather than online, you were asked to list previous trips to Thailand and give an address. 

Perhaps it's time to reinstate that?

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Looks like their old system was more functional than the proposed (troublesome) online entry screening scheme.

Thailand is not really good at maintaining official interactive site.

So once it malfunctions, it simply increases headaches to immigration officers and the arrivals.

They are often keen to jump on something new.

But often lack the capability to keep it well.

 

[black tabby12345]

  On 2/26/2025 at 3:39 AM, Emdog said:

Mr B-A is worried about tourists not checking in at the pricier joints he represents, nothing to do with disreputable types coming here. Admittedly with internet even lower priced places can have a presence on the net, but not as fancy as the $100+ a night places

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One big attraction of this kingdom is, availability of wide range of accommodation that suits anyone's budget.

If they only want those picking pricy 4-5 star hotels, they should do like Bhutan(strictly select the would-be entrants).

But it dramatically cuts tourists numbers; 10 millions people will be out of jobs again(as seen during the tourism shutdown/border  blockade by coronavirus scare). 

And it immediately triggered  civil unrest(daily anti-govt rally in major cities 2020-2022). 

 

[black tabby12345]

Expectation of further tourists increase.

And more strict controls over the entrants.

 

2 things cannot be done at the same time; either one can be done at the expense of the other.

 

Just like cannabis deregulation, once the gate is open, they cannot close it again, without great cost.

[Shocked farang]

  On 2/26/2025 at 6:12 AM, wensiensheng said:

Exactly what I say on every thread like this. Thailand gets the tourists that match the services that it provides. Remove the easy sex, drugs and drink and you would get a different kind of tourist.

 

I recently commented on the difference between Pattaya and Danang. Both R and R destinations for IS service men during the Vietnam war, one now a family resort, the other a sleaze pit. Pattaya gets the tourists that it was built for, and the building was done by Thai’s keen to make quick money without the need for capital investment 

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Danang is so much more pleasant and relaxed than Pattaya. You never get that weird feeling that there's always someone out there trying to rip you off in Danang. It's plain business, good food, good value. Always. 

[Shocked farang]

  On 2/26/2025 at 12:36 PM, black tabby12345 said:

Expectation of further tourists increase.

And more strict controls over the entrants.

 

2 things cannot be done at the same time; either one can be done at the expense of the other.

 

Just like cannabis deregulation, once the gate is open, they cannot close it again, without great cost.

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True, the cannabis gate is open forever! 

[watchcat]

  On 2/26/2025 at 10:41 AM, biggles45 said:

There must be a huge stockpile of meaningless paperwork in Thailand. 

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Correct and they seem to like it. Just think about all expats in Thailand have that have to make useless photo copies of every paper you hand over to the officer with a blue ballpoint pen and sign every copy with said blue colored  pen!  What happened to their pc/laptops?

[Merrill]

Wife tells me a good tourist is one with money 

[JAG]

  On 2/26/2025 at 10:15 PM, watchcat said:

 

Correct and they seem to like it. Just think about all expats in Thailand have that have to make useless photo copies of every paper you hand over to the officer with a blue ballpoint pen and sign every copy with said blue colored  pen!  What happened to their pc/laptops?

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The signed photocopies are scanned into the PCs and laptops (colour of course, so they can discern the blue pen) before the papers are physically filed for "future reference".

 

It is just another layer of pointlessness!