The Thai administration is being prodded to collaborate with Beijing earlier than implementing a visa-exemption scheme for Chinese tourists, as the country’s image suffers because of its portrayal as a transit hub for fraudulent actions in recent Chinese media, hindering tourism safety.
A Chinese movie titled No More Bets, which revolves round scammer networks in Southeast Asia, grossed a whopping US$505 million in its initial five weeks. The thriller topped China’s box workplace in August, simultaneously souring Chinese sentiment towards travelling to Southeast Asia, according to Surawat Akaraworamat, vice-president of the Tourism Council of Thailand.
Since March, the region has been witnessing a slump in Chinese vacationers, triggered by an incident the place Chinese guests were abducted in Thailand and transported to a neighbouring nation. This sentiment was exacerbated by numerous Chinese online content creators highlighting the risks related to travelling in Thailand, adversely impacting tourism security in the nation.
Surawat Akaraworamat voiced his concern over the potential ineffectiveness of the visa-free coverage in stimulating tourism, as other countries plan to offer similar incentives to draw Chinese travellers. He noted that tour operators in China are inspired by Thailand’s proposed visa coverage, but the primary deterrent for Chinese vacationers stays safety issues. He suggested that a visa-free programme may not yield the desired outcomes if the adverse notion of Thailand persists in China.
Surawat underscored the need for the Thai authorities to collaborate with China to handle this delicate problem and assuage the issues of Chinese residents. He mentioned that despite the crux of the scammer networks being situated in neighbouring countries, the perception that Thailand serves as a transit hub for these fraudulent activities persists, discouraging Chinese tourists.
The vice-president suggested that Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin ought to consider making an official go to to China to strengthen financial ties, forge investment partnerships, and assure the Chinese authorities of Thailand’s safety. Furthermore, he emphasised that the Royal Thai Police’s efforts in tackling scammer networks would be futile if not communicated effectively to potential vacationers.
Echoing Elementary , Chuwit Sirivejkul, regional director of promoting for East Asia at the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said that the reduced confidence in traveller security is extra prone to have an effect on the growth of Chinese tourists than the visa application course of. He suggested that the Thai authorities should concern a press release assuring vacationers about security to regain their confidence.
Chuwit pointed out that quite a few countries are altering their visa policies to entice Chinese travellers. For occasion, South Korea, which has already waived visa necessities for scholar teams, plans to increase this benefit to vacationer groups this yr to boost the gradual development within the Chinese market.
As of September 3, Thailand has attracted 2.2 million Chinese tourists and has a goal of luring a further 2.eight million travellers throughout the remaining four months of the year to achieve its aim of 5 million for this 12 months, reported Bangkok Post.
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