Maybe if they spent more money and didn’t upset the better-heeled visitors from Europe, Chinese visitors would get some love from the tourism industry.
A proposal to offer free visas to Chinese visitors has been met with resistance from the ground up, with the ever-ebullient Tourism Authority of Thailand even weighing in against the idea.
The authority has publicized results of a “survey” which concluded Chinese arrivals are “low-end” and negatively affect the more profitable tourist-flows from Britain, France and Germany, according to Bangkok Post.
Cutting through the euphemisms, those opposing the idea seem to believe the unpopular guests from China are too cheap and chase away the more predictable guests with deeper pockets.
Rising incomes and a movie popularizing travel to Thailand led to a large spike in Chinese arrivals. With the new visitors, however, came unpopular behavior and soon a damaged reputation.
Chinese visitors must pay a THB1,000 visa fee, which is waived for those from a number of other countries.
Photo: Kajonsak Intarapong
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