Cabinet waives visa fee for tourists from 19 countries

[Retiredandhappyhere]

Lavezzi said:

 

"Please consider that advanced countries have centuries of history of immigration and some of tourism.

Thailand few decades so they are just doing what web marketers do everyday to understand whats better: A/B testing."

 

Yes but in those few decades, Thailand has generally taken the money from all the tourists but spent very little of it on improving the product. The roads are extremely dangerous, safety concerns are bottom of the queue and continuity of electricty and water supply is tenuous, not to mention the problems in many resorts relating to floods resulting from poor or the absence of drainage  plus sewage and refuse disposal problems. The tourism industry has done well financially up to now, but social media has ensured that various scams, crimes and many of the other problems are constantly becoming known and the travelling public are beginning to take note and, I believe, are now voting with their feet.   I, for one, will be amazed if the target of 32.6 million tourists is met this year, although no doubt we will be told that it has been exceeded.

 

Generally speaking, web marketeers do try to advertise a decent product.  I just cannot see that Thailand is trying to improve theirs but instead are just offering tiny discounts on visas and are basically attracting the very people they say they do not want (i.e low spenders).

[fruitman]

Europeans don't care much for the visafee but the big problem is they even can't give you the visa the same day!! So you have to come back some days later, take another day off and travel many hours.

 

In the past they gave it 2 hours later, now many days.

[gemguy]

It is like a love / hate relationship with the authorities in Thailand

Before we loved you ...then we hated you ..now we love you again....please come back to us ..we miss you...lol

 

Cheers

[KHAN no 1]

Why not 20 country?  I didn't understand why BANGLADESH not included in this list. Thai government officials can consider the matter....

[JHolmesJr]

No visa fr india is huuuge

[Honthy]

11 hours ago, madmitch said:

An interesting collection of countries. We've had one guest from Mauritius and a few from Malta in the last twelve years, but there's one country on there that would provide many more tourists than the rest combined and that is Ukraine. Sneaked in near the bottom, Ukrainians often get mistaken for Russians and there are a lot here.

 

But how they think they'll get an additional 357,000 tourists by the end of the year, I don't know. Maybe they don't quite comprehend that the vast majority of tourists to Thailand book weeks, if not months in advance. Delusional! 

 

I think the Ukrainians could come before in great number. Now, together with Russians they simply cannot afford

[madmitch]

1 hour ago, Honthy said:

I think the Ukrainians could come before in great number. Now, together with Russians they simply cannot afford

The Russians are back, well they certainly are in Phuket, I can't speak for other areas.

[fish monger]

Andora....City in Italy.

 

Andorra....Sixth smallest country in Europe.

[bodymassagemyfriend]

5 hours ago, madmitch said:

The Russians are back, well they certainly are in Phuket, I can't speak for other areas.

Rubble is still very low ...

[Honthy]

On 11/23/2016 at 8:54 PM, KHAN no 1 said:

Why not 20 country?  I didn't understand why BANGLADESH not included in this list. Thai government officials can consider the matter....

Same reason as Swaziland. Authorities did not find them close to San Marino on the map.

[Essaybloke]

On 11/23/2016 at 0:38 AM, Honthy said:

How many tourists come from Andora, Bhutan, Ethiopia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, San Mario all together in a year?

Now, I am quite positive their munber will be multiplied....

There are tourists from Ethiopia?  Ethiopia?!!! 

[Honthy]

1 hour ago, Essaybloke said:

There are tourists from Ethiopia?  Ethiopia?!!! 

Teachers came from Ethiopia ....

[ChomDo]

What a weird list of countries indeed. How did they come up with those random countries? As many say sounds crazy that the decision to travel to Thailand would come down to the 1000 THB visa fee. I think they should just waive the whole visa system..what do they have to lose!