Tourism set for B1bn revival plan

[kendo]

Going back some time on here their was a thread about some sort of Thai farang committee for dialog between ex pats and their needs I think on the other side Eastern sea board it didn't last to long but I remember Richard posted on it.

Kendo.

[uncle tom]

You mean have a team of immigration officers applying the immigration laws and offering extensions of stay in various locations around the country?

Yes, a mobile team empowered to create a virtual Thai border, so that long stay visitors don't have to physically leave the country.

Or are you seriously suggesting there should be an authorised team of border control immigration officers wandering around offering 'on entry' arrival stamps to foreigners who haven't actually left the country in the first place? Clearly in breach of their own immigration laws, of course. Please tell me you're kidding.

Yes, seriously. Whether it would need primary legislation to facilitate it depends on the fine detail of Thai law.

Almost every country in the world embraces the concept that the land on which foreign embassies sit is the sovereign territory of the guest country, so that by walking through the gate, you are actually leaving the country you are in, and entering the territory of the embassy concerned.

Most countries have laws that enable these islands of foreign territory to be created as and when needed, without recourse to specific legislation; so it may be possible to create a temporary land border for immigration purposes within the existing legal framework.

Obliging visitors to travel long distances to Ranong (or wherever) just to cross a border and then re-enter is pointless and absurd. All that is actually necessary is for the long haul visitor to present themselves to an immigration officer for a minute or two, so that their immigration paperwork and legitimacy of stay can be checked.

[oakdale160]

Something I had not thought about. Evey time a foreigner does a visa run, the re reentry is counted as a tourist entry to Thai, that sure boosts the numbers that TAT churns out.

[Korkenzieher]

You just tumbled to that? If you add up all those cases - perhaps tens of thousands a day - and the weekending Malaysians, Singaporeans and sundry others, then it gets very tricky to form an accurate picture. In fact, I would say you could go so far as to say that only long-haul flight arrivals should be counted, especially when dealing with European arrivals.

[oakdale160]

Do you really think ten thousand + in a day?????? The figures for Malaysians coming over for cheaper shopping and other comforts is huge. The real numbers could be calculated but then when did reality really matter.

[Stargeezer]

A 60 or 90 day visit would be a big improvement for my visits to Thailand.
I have stayed only the 30 days, and paid some baht penalties for the 3 or 4 days beyond that,
but I felt the visit was too short to be really enjoyable. I generally stay 5 to 6 weeks when I can
and would have stayed longer except for the cost of getting a visa for the longer stay.
I can go to the USA for a longer period of time without a visa and to Mexico and Central America.
It would be nice for the TAT or Immigration Department to improve the tourism to Thailand
by letting us foreigners stay longer. I am not sure how long most people can come and stay in Canada without a visa, but hopefully it is more than the 30 days!
Stargeezer

[Big Boy]

Stargeezer, Thais cannot travel to Canada for any period without a visa. In some instances a visa is even required to transit through the country. So you're getting a pretty good deal at the moment.

[dozer]

Thailand and tourists would be better served if they replaced the 30-day exempt on arrival with an online 60-day tourist visa, with proof of adequate insurance cover.

[Pleng]

A 60 or 90 day visit would be a big improvement for my visits to Thailand.
I have stayed only the 30 days, and paid some baht penalties for the 3 or 4 days beyond that,
but I felt the visit was too short to be really enjoyable. I generally stay 5 to 6 weeks when I can
and would have stayed longer except for the cost of getting a visa for the longer stay.

The cost of getting a Visa? Is that really significant compared to the cost of the flight and the amount of extra money you spend while out here?

[dtaai-maai]

^^Not to mention the cost of "some baht penalties for the 3 or 4 days beyond that"...

[Dannie Boy]

A 60 or 90 day visit would be a big improvement for my visits to Thailand.
I have stayed only the 30 days, and paid some baht penalties for the 3 or 4 days beyond that,
but I felt the visit was too short to be really enjoyable. I generally stay 5 to 6 weeks when I can
and would have stayed longer except for the cost of getting a visa for the longer stay.

The cost of getting a Visa? Is that really significant compared to the cost of the flight and the amount of extra money you spend while out here?

Doubt it will be much different to the UK where a tourist visa costs £25, which is probably less than the fine for a few days overstay

[MrPlum]

I don't remember Wrens being this cute...

[Korkenzieher]

@Oakdale. 10k - is it a realistic number? Well, I guess you have to look at the number of non-Thai residents and 'pseudo' residents and divide by 90 :-)

10,000 a day on some sort of 90 day rotation would add up to 900,000 - less than 1m. Of course, there may be some messy adjustments to do involving internal reporting. I guess a lot of retiree and marriage visa holders would be saved from doing re-entries through that. But do you think approx 1m 'reportable' visa holders in the LOS at any given time is so out of line? Considering that it is not just Europeans we are talking about, it could easily be more IMO.

[hhfarang]

"Recovery plan in place following Thailand military coup

By Phil Davies | 19 June 2014 at 12.52 GMT

comment icon 1 Comment
Recovery plan in place following Thailand military coup

A short-term recovery plan has been put forward by the UK and Ireland office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand following last month’s military coup.

Seventeen agents and operators will be invited on a Thai Airways fam trip next month together with eight trade and consumer press. They will visit Bangkok, Kanchanaburi and Hua Hin.

“TAT's global aim is to bring over 1,000 guests to Thailand to see the situation for themselves in Bangkok and nationwide,” a spokeswoman said.

Three key operators are being selected for joint marketing campaigns to boost summer bookings.

Etihad Airways and Eithad Holidays will also launch a marketing push focused on the country next month.

A national UK radio campaign is planned to boost consumer confidence and promote the message that Thailand is open for business as usual.

The planned promotional activity came as TAT released latest visitor figures showing a 14.9% rise in UK arrivals to 66,251 in May despite the coup and curfew, which has now been lifted, but a 0.2% decline from Ireland to 3,928.

Tourist numbers from the UK rose by 7.2% to 407,699 in January to May while those from Ireland were up by 9.44% to 24,825 over the same period last year.

“This is very encouraging, however, our hard work must continue to ensure that forward bookings are not affected and to maintain increased visitor arrivals throughout the summer months,” the TAT spokeswoman said."

http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/ ... +coup.html

[caller]

A strengthening pound has seen many destinations become more affordable.