Private sector supports double-entry visas for Chinese tourists idea

BANGKOK, Oct 3 (TNA) – The Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking (JSCCIB) urges the government to introduce double-entry visas to restore confidence among Chinese tourists as the number of Chinese visitors to Thailand dropped by 11.8% after a boat tragedy. Kalin Sarasin, chairman of the Board of Trade of Thailand, said that JSCCIB acknowledged the 11.8% decline of Chinese visitors from 930,000 in July to 870,000 in August due to the Phoenix boat tragedy in Phuket in July and a trade war which affected the Chinese economy. However, JSCCIB still believes that the targeted arrivals of 10 million Chinese visitors would be achieved this year as 7.73 million Chinese people visited Thailand in the first eight months of this year. The number rose by 16.5%. JSCCIB supported the Tourism and Sports Ministry and the Foreign Ministry in quickly explaining the boat tragedy, a security guard’s physical attack on a Chinese tourist at Don Mueang airport and bribery. JSCCIB was also confident that double-entry visas would help revive the Chinese market as the problems affected Chinese tour groups rather than independent travelers. Chinese tourists spent up to 50,000 baht each as they preferred to stay at five-star hotels, Mr Kalin said. He also commented that downtown VAT refund outlets by the Revenue Department would encourage foreign tourists to spend more. (TNA)