South-bound Tourists May Get Visa Break

[george]

South-bound tourists may get visa break

Landing fee cuts also considered

Visa fee waivers for Chinese and Taiwanese tourists flying to Phuket are among a series of proposals to help revive tourism in tsunami-affected southern Thailand.

At the same time, Airports of Thailand Plc is considering landing fee waivers for Phuket and Krabi, and airport tax exemptions for foreign tourists at the two sites, according to Juthamas Siriwan, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Currently, Chinese and Taiwanese tourists are charged visa fees of 1,000 baht and 1,200 baht respectively. The cabinet is expected to consider waiving the fees when it meets on Tuesday.

Landing fees at Phuket and Krabi range between 60,000 and 120,000 baht, depending on the size of the aircraft.

Since the Dec 26 tsunami struck, the TAT has invested considerable effort and money in promotions and overseas marketing to persuade foreign tourists to return to the beaches of southern Thailand. To date, though, the effort has not been as successful as hoped.

Although some recovery was seen in February and March, a series of earthquakes and aftershocks on Nias Island in Indonesia conspired to drive visitors away. Tourist arrivals dropped in April and the trend has continued since.

A recent report by Visa Asia Pacific. Based on tourist spending through credit cards, said tourism in the region remained fragile. It said credit card spending in Phuket for the week ending May 8 was 37% lower than in the same week in 2004, despite being up by 6% in March.

Since the tsunami hit Phuket in December, the number of flights has nosedived to 35 per week, compared with 192 during the last low season. Ten charter companies have stopped servicing the island.

During last year's peak season, Phuket airport welcomed 365 scheduled flights a week from five international and six domestic airlines, as well as 24 charter flights a month. In the low season, regular flight frequencies are half that total.

Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak, discussing the the tourism outlook yesterday with various agencies, said Thai Airways International should act as the core agency in partnership with tourism organisations to offer more attractive tour packages and discounted tickets.

''Thai Airways should quickly come up with the package to help boost tourism in the affected areas. The government is ready to offer it a financial subsidy if necessary,'' he said.

Over the next three months, the industry should be able to persuade at least 750,000 foreign tourists to travel to Thailand.

Mingkwan Sangsuwan, the president of the broadcasting state enterprise MCOT Plc, suggested that all businesses on the island participate in the package.

''The entire island has to be offered at a discount, otherwise the new package would not yield fruit,'' said Mr Mingkwan.

--Bangkok Post 2005-06-11

[News_Editor]

Visa fee exemptions aimed at wooing tourists

PHUKET CITY: -- Tourists from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan are being exempted from paying visa fees for Thailand as part of the ongoing attempt to revive tourism after the tsunami.

In addition to the government waiving the 1,000-baht visa fee until October this year, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is working with Thai Airways to put together a 3,500-baht mid-week package including roundtrip flights from Bangkom to Phuket or Krabi, two nights’ accommodation and airport transfers.

Hotels in Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi and Trang are being invited to join the promotion.

Suwalai Pinpradab, Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s office in Phuket, told the Gazette it was hoped these initiatives would attract more mainland Chinese, Taiwanese and Hong Kong tourists to the Andaman provinces.

She said, “Around 60 hotels have expressed an interest in taking part in the promotion, which we plan to market with the slogan ‘Beach basking, bargain shopping’.”

Kalayapha Panich, Thai Airways’ Phuket-based District Sales Manager for Upper-Southern Thailand, said the promotion was currently being considered by senior managers. It is hoped that everything will be finalised by next month, so that TAT national head Juthamas Siriwan will be able to launch the package then in China.

K. Kalayapha said, “I think these packages will increase the number of tourists who come here, especially if they are attractive and marketed well.”

However, one hotel manager is not so confident that waiving visa fees and offering cut-price packages will be enough to tempt back large numbers of tourists.

Claude Sauter, recently appointed Resident Manager of the Cape Panwa Hotel, said, “Promotions may help bring people back, but many hotels here – and Thai Airways too – did lots of promotions in Europe and Asia after the tsunami, and those don’t seem to have succe eded in attracting back the tourists so far.

“That said, I do think this promotion is a good thing, but it has to be done in conjunction with reconstruction projects and restoring the infrastructure, and installing a tsunami warning system.

“I really don’t think one promotion alone will make that much of a difference; other things have to be done too.”

Mr Sauter added that his hotel had reduced its rates and is currently trying to market Phuket to the domestic market, for instance promoting weekend breaks in Phuket to Thais living in Bangkok, and trying to persuade Bangkok-based companies to hold conferences and seminars on the island.

He said, “This is what we’re trying to do with the domestic market, as we know the overseas market will take some more time to come back, especially now that we’re in the low season.”

--Phuket Gazette 2005-06-16

[mnoorsapl]

Visa fee exemptions aimed at wooing tourists

Mr Sauter added that his hotel had reduced its rates and is currently trying to market Phuket to the domestic market, for instance promoting weekend breaks in Phuket to Thais living in Bangkok, and trying to persuade Bangkok-based companies to hold conferences and seminars on the island.

--Phuket Gazette 2005-06-16

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If the reduce rates is affordable, don't see why not have a good time in Phuket.

May be a further discount for the locals, will be a boost to get them local to come down.