Tourism Entrepreneurs Ask Thai Govt To Scrap Visa Fees

[TheWizardofRnR]

If they wish to attract more tourists ,in this ever changing Tourism industry then the Government must help create and make areas like Phuket into a duty free port and legalized gambling ...that alone will bring the Chinese , who are well noted as people who do like

to gamble !

Give them free visas or just raise the 30 day no-visa limit to 90days, that would avoid bothering embassies and consuls....but isn't that how they pay for themselves to operate

in foriegn countries , from visa monies collected?

Pattaya and somewhere up north , could also have a casino in operation.

Sooner then later!

I remember Bernard Trink's story about the train connection to Phuket being finished

in 10 years , he wrote that around 1990.....if they want to help tourism , they need to

act now ! not 20yrs. from now !!!

Also a really good music festival with Jazz as a theme but thats another story..BB

[Diablo Bob]

But people with money from the US won't come here because Thailand has a reputation in our country of being a total scam and extremely racist, both of which are true.

What BS, being from the States myself, 99% of the Americans you talk to, don't know that Thailand is even a country. They confuse Thailand with Taiwan...... they do not associate Thailand with scams, that is Nigeria and they associate racism with Alabama.

[sydneyjed]

I'll give you a clue...it aint TAT!! I'm just looking at this very moment at the TravelToday online industry daily news letter for Australian travel operators...In it today David Keen, (Chief Executive of brand strategy company Keen)warns that Thailand needs to build more iconic 'mega attractions'to reverse a worrying downward spiral which has seen high yielding tourists replaced by high volume,cost conscious visiters.Amongst other things he goes on to say that the over supply of rooms and seats are the key factors pushing Thailands brand reputation into a downward spiral.Keen also urged Thailand to follow the example of Singapore and Hong Kong who have already built attractions such as Marina Bay Sands and Disneyland.The hotel issue is particulary concerning,with companies forced to slash rates in order to fill rooms.'Old lessons are still not being learned ',he says. 'If you are going to build,stop building so many hotels and start building some iconic mega projects to attract the higher end!'Interesting!!!!

So this man says that the Thai tourism industry is in dire need of promotion, yet TAT report target busting figures this high season.

One of them is correct.

[MAJIC]

IMO This latest idea to generate more Tourism is flawed in the extreme.

Are they saying that the 30 day free on arrival Visa is not long enough for the average Tourist?

And are the Tourist Entrepreneurs saying the opposite of what TAT is claiming (Tourism is up,on last year) that Tourism needs a free Visa incentive to make up for the loss in Tourists?

Who ever heard of Thailand giving up a nice little money earner? on the chance of more Tourists,

they dont think farther than a day ahead,let alone a Year.

And if a Tourist has to consider the cost of a Visa,then he/she is hardly Quality Tourists,so the whole thing is nonsense.

Whatever the outcome I doubt that the Resident Farang,will gain a Single Satang,from this hairbrain idea!

Maybe the opposite,might be some Visa increases for Resident Farangs, planned........now that I could believe!

Edited March 10, 2011 by MAJIC

[jadedpanda]

Most countries in the world charge a fee for different visa's and also a huge amount of paper work. I also see many who are living in Thailand always complaining. Do you have so little to do? Go back to you own country and sob if you are not happy here. Thailand did not ask you to come here to live. It was your choice.

Oh, thank god someone on these forums is sane. The amount of whining by smarmy, hypocritical, racist*, entitled expats here is nothing short of farcical. Hate it so much? Shut up; get out. Nobody wants you here--you barely contribute to the economy, most of you are arrogant and obnoxious, and very few of you deserves anything but to die alone and unloved. At every chance you sit down in a circle-jerk to whine and whine and whine how you have to pay 50 baht more for something than a Thai, which is amusing given that 50 baht is nothing. Think we're out to scam you? Ridiculous. You pathetic little parasites don't have an income, only savings and pension that dwindle by the day (and then some, thanks to the USD plummeting). Many among our middle-class make more money than you, are better educated, and... actually, there's a reason only financially strapped women want anything to do with you.

Incidentally, the grandfather-age types among you who pant after us twenty-something Thai women? Some of us mightn't say it to your face, but rest assured that nearly all of us find you disgusting, creepy, and unwelcome. Like, incredibly, deeply, thoroughly repulsive.

*And yes, the lot of you are racist. And sexist. And some are homophobic too. Thaivisa.com: a cesspit of bigotry in all its wonderful flavors.

Edited March 10, 2011 by jadedpanda

[SGD]

So how do i understand this? people don't come to Thailand because the visa is too expensive? is this for real? Wow, Now, Thailand has no visa fees,everybody is going to come here and spend lots and lots of money,they saved on the visa fees............PUKE...

right on... i'm on tourist visas, so being free is good for me, but i think the reasoning here is beyond ridiculous... look honey, we don't have to pay $30 for the visa in thailand, let's go there!

ludicrous reasoning...like $30 or $60 is going to sway anyone one way or the other towards taking a vacation or not, let alone be part of the deciding factor on where they'll go.

I think you are mistaken. Some years ago I planned a long trip around SE Asia and one of the countries I was visiting was Vietnam. As a UK passport holder, I was quite taken aback at having to get a visa in the first place and even more annoyed at the fact that I had to pay for it and also that it would take so long to receive. It didn't exactly put me off going there but it meant that on the spur of the moment decisions to travel to Vietnam were off limits.

It wasn't about how much it cost though if you look carefully, there are thousands of posts on money saving in Thailand !

As an aside, it would really help the tour groups as visa fees are likely to form part of the whole fee structure.

[ginjag]

Most countries in the world charge a fee for different visa's and also a huge amount of paper work. I also see many who are living in Thailand always complaining. Do you have so little to do? Go back to you own country and sob if you are not happy here. Thailand did not ask you to come here to live. It was your choice.

Good name---have a wonder amongst some of your deer.

[ginjag]

This is an answer that is deserved to a very bad post #95-by jadedpanda, please would you post this. This post is obnocious.

Some are homophobic, some are arrogant, creepy, and some are even repulsive, and most are beggining to feel unwelcome, as more and more people like you are emerging from the crypt. The west in general welcomes tourists, different cultures, and most tourists will feel safe there.................BUT here NO, not anymore, you talk about scams--Thai is the hub of scams.

Your middle class make more money than us because they rob YOU Thai people, and if you think they are better educated..dont make me laugh, as for you twenties age group here dont find it hard to sleep with these old farrangs, a few million of you.....you do it for what love--money-- sex--but you still do it. We tend to be unwelcome only after the wallet has paid.

Racist--Ha Ha 5555555---you go to europe and are you--Thai --asked to pay 10 fold to enter a national park ??

And we do tend to die alone, nice that way, You go first I follow--heard that in Thailand before ?? sure....go to a european funeral and you will find real tears---go to a thai funeral and you will get few tears--only drunkeness-gambling-............you think I,ve been here and not had my eyes open.

[blackthorn2005]

Ah I am a little slow on these matters , these are the people Abhisit was talking about last week in which he said to target Quality tourists to Thailand.

Quality tourists are looking for alternative destinations. They have heard about the crime here. especially in Phuket. Now Thailand gets the bottom of the barrel tourists.

[MAJIC]

Most countries in the world charge a fee for different visa's and also a huge amount of paper work. I also see many who are living in Thailand always complaining. Do you have so little to do? Go back to you own country and sob if you are not happy here. Thailand did not ask you to come here to live. It was your choice.

Oh, thank god someone on these forums is sane. The amount of whining by smarmy, hypocritical, racist*, entitled expats here is nothing short of farcical. Hate it so much? Shut up; get out. Nobody wants you here--you barely contribute to the economy, most of you are arrogant and obnoxious, and very few of you deserves anything but to die alone and unloved. At every chance you sit down in a circle-jerk to whine and whine and whine how you have to pay 50 baht more for something than a Thai, which is amusing given that 50 baht is nothing. Think we're out to scam you? Ridiculous. You pathetic little parasites don't have an income, only savings and pension that dwindle by the day (and then some, thanks to the USD plummeting). Many among our middle-class make more money than you, are better educated, and... actually, there's a reason only financially strapped women want anything to do with you.

Incidentally, the grandfather-age types among you who pant after us twenty-something Thai women? Some of us mightn't say it to your face, but rest assured that nearly all of us find you disgusting, creepy, and unwelcome. Like, incredibly, deeply, thoroughly repulsive.

*And yes, the lot of you are racist. And sexist. And some are homophobic too. Thaivisa.com: a cesspit of bigotry in all its wonderful flavors.

With only 2 Posts to your name,

It seems very obvious that you have a hate filled agenda,which is the only reason you have surfaced here.

You will find out,that there are many more Intelligent Posters on here.

And you will definately need to take a course in Debating Skills,unless you want to be metaphorically "Eaten Alive"

Mere sordid,misguided, general abuse,is nowhere near enough!

And by the way I don't believe you are a Thai Woman!

[asiawatcher]

They need the visa fees to cover all the stamps, paper, files, employees, paper, folders, paper, more stamps, paper ... did I forget to mention... paper?

[MAJIC]

They need the visa fees to cover all the stamps, paper, files, employees, paper, folders, paper, more stamps, paper ... did I forget to mention... paper?

Ah never mind Asia,the photocopies will cover all the Visa expense.

Edited March 10, 2011 by MAJIC

[sunnyrolfe]

And of course more discrimination about other nationalities ... what about the other tourists ?

The Chinese already run the show anyway so the next plan is to gradually phase out the ethnic Thais from all but menial labour jobs and bring in more of their Sino brethren. The pigs will then move into the farmhouse, eat at the table and sleep in beds. All animals are equal but some are more equal than others.

[coralia]

I wonder why Thailand can't allow tourists 90-day visa-free stays, just like Malaysia, S.Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong..............

[bangon04]

And of course more discrimination about other nationalities ... what about the other tourists ?

How about a double fee for the Russians? Even though they don't actually need a visa...

[MAJIC]

A lot of posters seem concerned that getting rid of the visa will somehow discourage high end tourists - or at least that's how many of your posts read. Yes - the government/TAT may wish to focus on attracting high spending visitors, but I'm not sure that a wealthy business man or women would decide against visiting Thailand because the visa requirements (or just visa fees) were dropped!!

Secondly, this is not the Thai government suggesting that they will drop visa fees, it's a group of tourism sector business asking for this to happen. It's funny how so many posters on Thai Visa Forums equate anyone Thai suggesting something as the same as proposed government policy. Seems to be an us vs. them mentality. Unfortunate since I have never felt such hostility from anyone Thai since moving here last year.

Reducing visa fees may actually attract higher spending tourists (and probably lots of lower spending ones too - which is OK isn't it?) who do not want the hassle of having to pay up in their home country or on arrival. However, if they still have to queue to get a visa prior to passing through immigration, then such a policy would be pretty pointless. Reducing hassle is going to be more useful than reducing fees.

barryFunk

I think you have missed some important points here Barry: The Rich would not even think about the price of a Visa!

And if Reducing Visa Fees was to attract Higher Spending Tourists,then it stands to reason they were not big spenders in the first place,if a paltry Visa Fee was the only reason they didn't visit Thailand in the first place,then they will not suddenly become High Rolling/ Big Spenders,just because they got a free Visa.,over and above the current free 30 day on arrival.

Secondly the lower spenders are coming to Thailand anyway,whether it would attract any extra low spenders, with no Visa fees is debatable,considering they also get 30 days free on arrival,so where is the incentive for the new 1 month Tourists? would they stay an extra week to spend the Visa saving? I dont think so,we are talking Peanuts here.

No there is a lot more Thought to be put into Attracting new business to Thailand,wrongs they have no intentions of ever putting right,if they did put things to right,it would mean having to admit,they have been wrong for so many years,and guilty of so much gross Injustice Worldwide,resulting in the excuse for all misdeeds,Loss of Face,and not my fault.

Were they to admit the above faults Then the whole Facade would Collapse, Into LOS,.....................Land Of Scams.

Thailand has an extremely poor Worldwide Reputation, if only they knew the value of a good Reputation, it is: a hugely saleable Commodity,but once lost is very costly to retrieve! and that is the root cause of their expansion problems and nothing to do with Visas, or as my Father once put it:

"Your Good Name is Your Passport to the World"

Edited March 10, 2011 by MAJIC

[tropo]

This 's dam_n discrimination. right? The world without any boundaries would be nice. As Citizens of the world, goin' anywhere is freely to do. (imagination)

If everyone could go anywhere they wanted to you wouldn't find anywhere worth living.

[zthyadat]

I'd rather the tourists pay their visa fee and the proceeds pay for the processing, rather than being subsidized by government funds that could be spent on something more worthwhile, like healthcare, schools and infrastructure.

Ahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!! as if! Or into the pockets of the brave and the few.... how long have you been here matey? You're not in the UK anymore.

[OzMick]

My calculations, the key number is how many MORE come because of the no fee.

let's say for every 100 tourist you gain 10 extra from no visa fees. that means Thailand lost 100*1,900 baht or 1,900,000 baht from the missing visa fee.

So the 10 extra tourist would have to make up the total loss, (1900000/10 = 190,000 each) in VAT fees.

Now for the government to get 190,000 in VAT fees from each tourist, each of the 10 would need to spend 2,714,286 on their vocation to Thailand.

I think we all know that will not happen.

You have failed to allow for the snowball effect. Take for example the tourists hotel bill, with tax. The non-tax component is used by the manger to pay staff and suppliers, hopefully with some profit to the owners. Each of these paid persons spends their money at tesco, 7-11 etc, and these companies go through the same process, paying staff, suppliers and owners. The overall tax gain is many times the initial expenditure.

currency brought in by tourists also helps offset imports.

[OzMick]

They need the visa fees to cover all the stamps, paper, files, employees, paper, folders, paper, more stamps, paper ... did I forget to mention... paper?

Ah never mind Asia,the photocopies will cover all the Visa expense.

It amazes me that in the computer age, photcopies and passport photos are required by thai consulates when you apply for a visa. Just how hard would it be for consulate staff to slap your passport onto a scanner and record the data, or if you have a new chip-type passport, to download this data from the chip.

Going back to oz is now a snap - insert passport, smile at the camera, done and dusted. Even bloody Myanmar can do it, and Cambodia has on-line visa service.

[Thai at Heart]

They need the visa fees to cover all the stamps, paper, files, employees, paper, folders, paper, more stamps, paper ... did I forget to mention... paper?

Ah never mind Asia,the photocopies will cover all the Visa expense.

It amazes me that in the computer age, photcopies and passport photos are required by thai consulates when you apply for a visa. Just how hard would it be for consulate staff to slap your passport onto a scanner and record the data, or if you have a new chip-type passport, to download this data from the chip.

Going back to oz is now a snap - insert passport, smile at the camera, done and dusted. Even bloody Myanmar can do it, and Cambodia has on-line visa service.

Irrespective of that, i was told that all of these government documents are held and then burned after a period of time. Meanwhile, we have NGO's running around complaining about pollution here, pollution there. If it is true that all the government photocopies are burned and not recycled, that in itself is a travesty.

[kirk0233]

Could be they just give Chinese a free entry and charge everyone else

Why not? They charge farang 400 baht if you want to visit the Grand Palace; while Thai's and those who can pass as Thai's (i.e. Cambodia, Viet, Lao, Burmese, Malay, etc.) can simply walk in free. Racism is alive and well.

Yes it is, this is a fact

It is a fact you are charged admission even if you have a work permit. I went to the ticket window and showed an employee my work permit and said I paid taxes soi I should not be charged. I was not a touirist. The woman who spoke passable English said she did not care and I had to anyway. My brother-lin-law who is Japanese gets in free to all these events. By the way, Thais can tell the nationality of others. For example, I was told by some of my adult students that they could spot a Korean by their round face. The fee is for nonAsians in my opinion.

[brahmburgers]

I wonder why Thailand can't allow tourists 90-day visa-free stays, just like Malaysia, S.Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong..............

You're assuming Thai bureaucracy has a modicum of common sense when formulating their policies.

If there were 5% human population and we could start with a relatively clean slate, SE Asia would be one country and its present day countries would be states within it. The middle east would be designated a desert preserve which allowed campers only, one week maximum. Closed minded, paranoid provincial thinking (this my country, that's your country, na na na na na) may evolve to magnanimous thinking, but it won't happen for a few thousand years.

"imagine there's no countries, I wonder if you can" ....John Lennon

[SICHONSTEVE]

sounds like a very good idea, and along with that, the 1,900 THB fee every few months would be nice!

I don't think that they will entertain this as it is too much for them to see sense and appreciate that they could attract more money indirectly (through increased tourism) as against directly (visa fees) as they are so blinkered when it comes to this type of approach and they like to see guaranteed income as compared to projected income, no matter how convincing the argument is for this!!!!!!!

[atsiii]

My first time in Thailand back in 1987, I felt very welcome indeed. It was truly the land of smiles. Polite, friendly people everywhere I went. Now, 24 years later, it is a very different place; occasional friendliness, occasional hostility, for the most part just indifference.

Annual tourist arrivals were 3 million in 1987, now it is 15 million. Yet, the tourist industry still whines.

I agree completely; I've had the same experience. I suspect it's not surprising: when first tourists come to a new destination, they are generally welcomed and their spending appreciated. But as more and more come, locals often begin to resent all the inescapable changes, nor do they appreciate being reminded on a daily basis of just how much better off than they much of the world is. The typical arrogance of tourists doesn't help, either. On average--due to tourism--some local's lifestyle have improved some, but for most the improvement is negligable. Thus, what was warmly received in the beginning leads to indifference and ultimately hostility. After 30+ years of incessant wandering, I've witnessed this same progression in many places.

So... is there a way for us to collectively find balance? Or do we just wander on in search of the next destination?

[Markaew]

Isn't this something that is already planed as part of the ASEAN treaty? I think the business operators should be careful what they wish for because I think free labor is also attached to the ASEAN treaty.

This is a bit off topic but... speaking about the ASEAN treaty, weren't we suppose to get more variety and cheaper beer as a result?

[Markaew]

My first time in Thailand back in 1987, I felt very welcome indeed. It was truly the land of smiles. Polite, friendly people everywhere I went. Now, 24 years later, it is a very different place; occasional friendliness, occasional hostility, for the most part just indifference.

Annual tourist arrivals were 3 million in 1987, now it is 15 million. Yet, the tourist industry still whines.

I agree completely; I've had the same experience. I suspect it's not surprising: when first tourists come to a new destination, they are generally welcomed and their spending appreciated. But as more and more come, locals often begin to resent all the inescapable changes, nor do they appreciate being reminded on a daily basis of just how much better off than they much of the world is. The typical arrogance of tourists doesn't help, either. On average--due to tourism--some local's lifestyle have improved some, but for most the improvement is negligable. Thus, what was warmly received in the beginning leads to indifference and ultimately hostility. After 30+ years of incessant wandering, I've witnessed this same progression in many places.

So... is there a way for us to collectively find balance? Or do we just wander on in search of the next destination?

I can answer your question....No to the first part, and Yes to the second part..

But I hear more and more foreigners speaking your exact words, including myself. Things are changing here.

[quandow]

Honestly, who would think they would EVER give up this cash cow? Entire industries are built around it.

[ginjag]

My first time in Thailand back in 1987, I felt very welcome indeed. It was truly the land of smiles. Polite, friendly people everywhere I went. Now, 24 years later, it is a very different place; occasional friendliness, occasional hostility, for the most part just indifference.

Annual tourist arrivals were 3 million in 1987, now it is 15 million. Yet, the tourist industry still whines.

I agree completely; I've had the same experience. I suspect it's not surprising: when first tourists come to a new destination, they are generally welcomed and their spending appreciated. But as more and more come, locals often begin to resent all the inescapable changes, nor do they appreciate being reminded on a daily basis of just how much better off than they much of the world is. The typical arrogance of tourists doesn't help, either. On average--due to tourism--some local's lifestyle have improved some, but for most the improvement is negligable. Thus, what was warmly received in the beginning leads to indifference and ultimately hostility. After 30+ years of incessant wandering, I've witnessed this same progression in many places.

So... is there a way for us to collectively find balance? Or do we just wander on in search of the next destination?

I've had the same long term experience, but looking at it from say Sri Lanka, sort of dev/country, I've travelled there many times also over the period, They havent become hostile to tourists or resented them. There arn't a million bar girls and boys getting the benefit+families, In general they dont steal and cheat on the same scale as Thai.

Arrogant tourists are here of all nationals but really a small per/cent. The lifestyles have changed--for the want for MORE money-greed. The biggest problem is they are not taught right from wrong, most dont bank good money, given by tourists-it's gone down the family bottomless pit. So many different crimes happen here largely unchecked by FAMILY or police.

O.k. most will say why don't you go to Sri lanka----I may well do that, once I've sold up here, rats here in general are more welcome, ask any animal/wildlife, where are all the lovely coloured birds in the wild ?? cattapulted/same the lizards on a daily basis. It is just a pity that a country like Sri lanka with mostly warm and genuine folks, isn't getting the same numbers as here.

1 thing thats stopping that is the SEX places that are here This is why majority of people are here. There will never be a balance here, I believed there would be at one time but no more. All the ex pats that are telling the whiners to leave eventually will have the place to themselves, then they will whine cause theres no one here but the contented few.

[dunkin2012]

dont steal and cheat on the same scale as Thai. How did you get this information? ... If you ain't like Thailand, you are free to leave then. I ain't mean Thailand is better than Sri Lanka but I live here and I am happy with it for now and then.