Serious brainstorming on plunging Chinese arrivals

BANGKOK, Oct 3 (TNA) -- The Tourism and Sports Minister is about to call a meeting with concerned authorities to discuss effective solutions to the plunging arrivals of Chinese tourists. Minister Weerasak Kowsurat said authorities would have to restore the image of Thai tourism and boost safety measures to protect tourists after a security guard at Don Mueang airport assaulted a Chinese traveller, a Chinese tourist was killed at the Ton Nga Chang waterfall in Songkhla province and the Phoenix tour boat capsized in Phuket province. The incidents caused considerable doubts in Thai tourism among Chinese travellers, he said. "The first thing is for all concerned organisations to quickly set standards for safety and conveniences for Chinese tourists," the minister said. He acknowledged tour operators' call for double-entry visas to woo visitors. He said that the issue concerned the Foreign Ministry and visa-based revenues. He expected relevant authorities to have a clear direction on the issue within this week. Thanes Phetsuwan, deputy governor for marketing communication at the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said the declining number of Chinese visitors also resulted from the trade war between China and the United States which caused the depreciation of yuan and thus decreased outbound Chinese traffic. He projected the number of Chinese visitors would drop by not over 5% this year and thus would have limited impacts on Thai tourism. (TNA)