Thai Govt Consider Visa Fee Waiver To Help Rebuild Tourism

[webfact]

Tourism in urgent need of aid

Suchat Sritama,

Seetalavajit Sabayjai

The Nation

The public and private sectors need urgent government assistance to help rebuild the tourism industry, and Tourism and Sports Minister Chumpol Silapa-archa is planning to ask the Cabinet to consider waiving visa fees and aircraft parking charges at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Last year's visa-fee waiver - introduced to help tourism operators recoup their losses after the airport closure and political crisis - came to an end this March. A corporate-tax deduction for travel and meetings is also being considered.

The government is also considering other measures to help the sector:

TCEB moves to help MICE

The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) plans to meet with operators in the meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) industry next week to calculate the damages and losses caused by flooding. The TCEB is likely to seek urgent assistance from the government to restore the confidence of international businesses.

TAT focuses on domestic market

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) will next week introduce the first phase of its restoration plan and packages that will focus on the domestic market. The authorities will encourage the public and private sectors to organise rehabilitation trips into provinces that have been hit hard by flooding.

THAI offers special fares

Piyasvati Amranand, president of Thai Airways International, said the airline would offer fares that are 47-58 per cent cheaper under the "Southern Thailand Flood Relief" promotion. The promotion, introduced yesterday, runs until December 10.

THAI will accommodate a total of 5,039 passengers daily on flights from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Southern provinces, and will add more flights and change aircraft if necessary. Under the promotion, flights from Bangkok to Surat Thani will be reduced from Bt4,290 to Bt1,820; Bangkok-Krabi from Bt4,490 to Bt1,920; Bangkok-Phuket from Bt4,675 to Bt2,015; Bangkok-Hat Yai from Bt5,155 to Bt2,255; and Bangkok-Samui from Bt6,360 to Bt2,930.

THAI has appointed two new board members, according to a regulatory filing yesterday. Voradej Harnprasert has replaced Pravich Rattanapian and Chutinant Bhirom Bhakdi has replaced Varah Sucharitakul.

-- The Nation 2011-11-12

[JUDAS]

That'll bring them "flooding" back in

[animatic]

Then they all chip in and buy more pumps?

They will focus on the domestic market.

People spending the last of their savings and then borrowing to repair their homes and businesses after the 5,000 baht Gov. assistance is finished on day 1, will really have the ready cash to jet off to the other parts of Thailand next year...

Edited November 12, 2011 by animatic

[Samuian]

Great, it's just one mor of these "government presents"! This "aid" package will run short of any genuine relief, cause it stops on the 10th of december just day's before high season kick's in, so it can be rendered as useless, only extra icing on the cake, but the cake will be consumed at home!

[Orgathai]

I never paid fopr a visa on arrival, so what is the difference??

[houzz]

The only way tourism will come back is if the government lowers the baht like the dollar, euro and pound did the last 2 years.. A retour flight from Europe cost already 40,000 baht and then getting 40-41 baht for 1 euro makes the holiday to expensive, same for dollar and pound.

[Jimi007]

There have been free tourist visas in the past couple of years, so why not this one? I don't know about linking it to the floods though...

[blazes]

I never paid fopr a visa on arrival, so what is the difference??

Erm, did you come in for just one month? Or do you plan on doing a visa run for a second month?

[maxbentley]

I never paid for a visa on arrival, so what is the difference??:

I lived in Thailand off and on for eight years.

I left when the visa restrictions became an issue of ignorance or worse.

The Kingdom has the Russian Mafia operating freely but the lowly tourist spending $1,000 bucks+ every month is being treated like crap.

One free visa on arrival is a joke and now the officials that honored thieves are being shown the reality of their ignorance.

Treat honest people with fairness and they might come back one day.

Thailand blew it.

[Jimi007]

I never paid fopr a visa on arrival, so what is the difference??

A Tourist visa allows you to stay 60 days. Some counties do not get 30 days on arrival...

[Woody1]

I never paid fopr a visa on arrival, so what is the difference??

Depending on your country of origin, you are correct, you don't have to pay for a 30 day tourist visa on arrival.

If you want to apply for a 60 day tourist visa (and number of entries to the Kingdom) which is extendable by 30 days at Immigration for 1900 Baht, then normally you have to pay for this type of tourist visa.

I believe this is where the OP is refering to.

[BwindiBoy]

So the heavily discounted flights on Thai will be similar to the normal fares offered by Air Asia...just another lot of hot air really.

[maxbentley]

I never paid fopr a visa on arrival, so what is the difference??

A Tourist visa allows you to stay 60 days. Some counties do not get 30 days on arrival...

30 days.Leave.

14 days.Leave.

Fly in every month? 30 days.

Most expats with half a brain don't wish to make an expensive journey to Burma,Malaysia or Cambodia once a month for a

30 day visa-every thirty days.

[spidermike007]

Thai Airlines announces that under it's new promotion, it will reduce it's Bangkok - Samui route from 6,360 bt., to 2,930 baht. Well, this is going from the aeronautical stratosphere, to somewhere closer to reality. Was ANYONE buying those $6,360 baht tickets? And we thought Bangkok Air was unreasonable. Well, the AOT had better do something. The high season is approaching, and the work to be done to rehabilitate Thailand's reputation at this point, is Herculean, to say the least. First the coup, then the disastrous coup administration, the the administration of the yellow shirts (does anyone remember Samak?), then the Pattaya riots at the international meetings of heads of state, then the airport takeover by the yellow bellies, then the international outcry and subsequent BBC airings of the documentaries about the jet ski scam operators, and the King Power scam, then the red shirt demonstrations, that shut down the capital for 7 weeks, and now the floods. What else can happen to Thailand? Is there anyone competent enough in the AOT to do what needs to be done to revive the tourist sector? Free visas is the least they can do. What about arresting people like the director of the Samui Immigration office, for his constant request for bribes? What about ousting the Samui mayor, for his tremendous level of incompetence, that is driving tourists away by the thousands. There is so much to be done. Where to start?

[eljeque]

"A corporate-tax deduction for travel and meetings is also being considered"

... a nice little gift to corporations

[Jimi007]

I never paid fopr a visa on arrival, so what is the difference??

A Tourist visa allows you to stay 60 days. Some counties do not get 30 days on arrival...

30 days.Leave.

14 days.Leave.

Fly in every month? 30 days.

Most expats with half a brain don't wish to make an expensive journey to Burma,Malaysia or Cambodia once a month for a

30 day visa-every thirty days.

Tourist visas are for tourists, at least that's why they call them a tourist visa... As an expat I have a non immigrant visa and I don't ever do a visa run... I just get a one year extension every year.

[Woody1]

I never paid fopr a visa on arrival, so what is the difference??

A Tourist visa allows you to stay 60 days. Some counties do not get 30 days on arrival...

30 days.Leave.

14 days.Leave.

Fly in every month? 30 days.

Most expats with half a brain don't wish to make an expensive journey to Burma,Malaysia or Cambodia once a month for a

30 day visa-every thirty days.

I believe the number of these expensive overland visa renewals every month has also been limited, please correct me if I'm wrong, but the last I heard was that a person was entitled to this type of renewal a maximum of 3 times before having to leave via an airport?

[maxbentley]

I never paid fopr a visa on arrival, so what is the difference??

A Tourist visa allows you to stay 60 days. Some counties do not get 30 days on arrival...

30 days.Leave.

14 days.Leave.

Fly in every month? 30 days.

Most expats with half a brain don't wish to make an expensive journey to Burma,Malaysia or Cambodia once a month for a

30 day visa-every thirty days.

Tourist visas are for tourists, at least that's why they call them a tourist visa... As an expat I have a non immigrant visa and I don't ever do a visa run... I just get a one year extension every year.

I am under 50 years of age and have no fixed address,wife or Thai attachments.

Do I qualify for a non immigrant visa ?

TIA

[sunjunkie56]

The only way tourism will come back is if the government lowers the baht like the dollar, euro and pound did the last 2 years.. A retour flight from Europe cost already 40,000 baht and then getting 40-41 baht for 1 euro makes the holiday to expensive, same for dollar and pound.

Also would be a good idea to get rid of the racket of charging Bht150 for using a foreign ATM card

[maxbentley]

I never paid fopr a visa on arrival, so what is the difference??

A Tourist visa allows you to stay 60 days. Some counties do not get 30 days on arrival...

30 days.Leave.

14 days.Leave.

Fly in every month? 30 days.

Most expats with half a brain don't wish to make an expensive journey to Burma,Malaysia or Cambodia once a month for a

30 day visa-every thirty days.

I believe the number of these expensive overland visa renewals every month has also been limited, please correct me if I'm wrong, but the last I heard was that a person was entitled to this type of renewal a maximum of 3 times before having to leave via an airport?

For eight years I did a monthly visa run up to Nong Khai and back.Now they are limited to 3,as you say,PER YEAR.

I wonder why me and all my friends left?

One cannot live in Thai under 50 years of age.

Anybody with another legal course that does not involve paying off some official or agency?

Edited November 12, 2011 by maxbentley

[Jimi007]

A Tourist visa allows you to stay 60 days. Some counties do not get 30 days on arrival...

30 days.Leave.

14 days.Leave.

Fly in every month? 30 days.

Most expats with half a brain don't wish to make an expensive journey to Burma,Malaysia or Cambodia once a month for a

30 day visa-every thirty days.

Tourist visas are for tourists, at least that's why they call them a tourist visa... As an expat I have a non immigrant visa and I don't ever do a visa run... I just get a one year extension every year.

I am under 50 years of age and have no fixed address,wife or Thai attachments.

Do I qualify for a non immigrant visa ?

TIA

No. You could go to school and learn Thai and get an education visa. Some consuls gave out O visas, based on visiting and staying with friends, I'm not sure they do anymore though... But I really don't know of any country who allows someone without any attachments to their country just stay indefinitely...

[maxbentley]

No. You could go to school and learn Thai and get an education visa. Some consuls gave out O visas, based on visiting and staying with friends, I'm not sure they do anymore though... But I really don't know of any country who allows someone without any attachments to their country just stay indefinitely...

Phuut pasaat Thai,dai,Khrup.Kawp Khun,Maak Maak!!

I can buy a one year in Cambodia for $750.

I can -and am presently doing -concurrent six months visas in Indonesia.

I am given three months in Malaysia -free visas-indefinitely.

I have friends that are high ranking Thai immigration officials and I can pay off somebody and get in.

Argument is : I want to be free.Thai.Free.Ironic,isn't it?

I used to be able to do that.We all did.

Major Mafia problems in Phuket and Pattaya and the Mafia problems are not addressed.

Instead,the regular guy is hung out to dry and the perpetual tourists that love Thailand left.

Now the govt is acknowledging that they have no tourist money.

Quit punishing PT's that provide good income for the Kingdom.

We all left.

[Jimi007]

"No. You could go to school and learn Thai and get an education visa. Some consuls gave out O visas, based on visiting and staying with friends, I'm not sure they do anymore though... But I really don't know of any country who allows someone without any attachments to their country just stay indefinitely..."

Phuut pasaat Thai,dai,Khrup.Kawp Khun,Maak Maak!!

I can buy a one year in Cambodia for $750.

I can -and am presently doing -concurrent six months visas in Indonesia.

I am given three months in Malaysia -free visas-indefinitely.

I have friends that are high ranking Thai immigration officials and I can pay off somebody and get in.

Argument is : I want to be free.Thai.Free.Ironic,isn't it?

I used to be able to do that.We all did.

Major Mafia problems in Phuket and Pattaya and the Mafia problems are not addressed.

Instead,the regular guy is hung out to dry and the perpetual tourists that love Thailand left.

Now the govt is acknowledging that they have no tourist money.

Quit punishing PT's that provide good income for the Kingdom.

We all left.

I hear you. The year they started clamping down on 30 day entries, I turned 50, so I guess I was "lucky." Other than turning 50...

[galoubet]

Also would be a good idea to get rid of the racket of charging Bht150 for using a foreign ATM card

I agree. That's a killer particularly with the poor exchange rate as I can only withdraw the equivalent of 300 UKP per day. And now banks in the UK have put up their charges for using cards in foreign atms.

I get round it by sending a large sum to a "friendly" bank account in Thailand by SWIFT bank transfer. A one off 25 UKP fee for however much I want to send and the exchange rate is a lot better too. All done on the internet too boot.

[Soboringtochooseaname]

Yes, free tourist visa, perfect for people living in Thailand for 10 years with tourist visa just as me !

And people who don't know what they are talking about still believe that it's not possible... funny...

[Samuian]

.....

..... the lowly tourist spending $1,000 bucks+ every month is being treated like crap.

Dont get disheartend, it's still a vely luvely countly and it's people are so genuinely amazing, just watch how they bear it all, and how hard all concerned agencies are working together to make this crisis a "walk in the park" for everyone, ah' this bit of water and those farangs always complaining, complaining, complaining, they don't know... and hey doesn't becoming a victim in favor of "high grade tourist" make you feel proud, to be singled out as someone who doesn't spend enough in less then 30 days to support this countries tourism industry?

I think it's great!

and now even more so look at all the money that will be needed to fill all these bags....and support the economy.

[maxbentley]

Yes, free tourist visa, perfect for people living in Thailand for 10 years with tourist visa just as me !

And people who don't know what they are talking about still believe that it's not possible... funny...

Waiting for enlightenment.

Why are you the only one that is given ten year free tourist visas?

[BinDhumm]

.....

..... the lowly tourist spending $1,000 bucks+ every month is being treated like crap.

Dont get disheartend, it's still a vely luvely countly and it's people are so genuinely amazing, just watch how they bear it all, and how hard all concerned agencies are working together to make this crisis a "walk in the park" for everyone, ah' this bit of water and those farangs always complaining, complaining, complaining, they don't know... and hey doesn't becoming a victim in favor of "high grade tourist" make you feel proud, to be singled out as someone who doesn't spend enough in less then 30 days to support this countries tourism industry?

I think it's great!

and now even more so look at all the money that will be needed to fill all these bags....and support the economy.

You must be new here and not watching news.

[hellodolly]

I never paid fopr a visa on arrival, so what is the difference??

A Tourist visa allows you to stay 60 days. Some counties do not get 30 days on arrival...

30 days.Leave.

14 days.Leave.

Fly in every month? 30 days.

Most expats with half a brain don't wish to make an expensive journey to Burma,Malaysia or Cambodia once a month for a

30 day visa-every thirty days.

Don't know what backward country you live in but I am sure they are not as easy to get into as Thailand for a holiday. The very fact you have been doing it off and on for eight years shows how easy it is.

Thailand is looking to attract tourists not expats it has lot's of them already. You really should read the post before you kick your mindless bashing in to gear.

Most expats have a full brain and have other types of visa's You on the other hand

[wayned]

The thing that they should do immediately is waive the overstay and failure to report fees that foreigners stuck in the flood are currently facing. They obviously came here because they like Thailand and if Thailand charges them fines because of the flood how will it affect their desire to return and what they say to other people.