Han Ximin
THE Thai Government has scrapped tourist visa fees, 230 yuan (US$34) per person, hoping to bring in visitors still spooked by the political turmoil in the country during the past year.
The worldwide exemption of visa fees will last for only three months. It began Thursday and will end after June 4.
The move is expected to arouse the interest of Shenzhen residents, who consider Thailand a hot destination for overseas trips, local travel agencies said.
“The policy will promote trips to Thailand, which had been affected by the political turmoil in the country,” said Du Yan, a manager of Shenzhen Port China Travel Service. Trips there are gaining popularity after the Chinese New Year, and the visa fee exemption will further stimulate tourism, said Zhang Li, a manager of Shenzhen Comfort Travel Service.
Travel groups leaving the city Sunday will be the first batch to benefit from the exemption because it takes three days for a visa endorsement.
The cost for a five-day trip to Thailand, the first choice of Shenzhen residents for trips to Southeast Asian countries, had dropped by 40 percent to around 1,500 yuan. The package includes round-trip flights, accommodation in five-star hotels and visits to well-known tourist attractions.
The political turmoil in Bangkok in November damaged the country’s economy and affected the tourism sector, which accounts for more than 6 percent of the economy.
The number of foreign tourists entering the country dropped by 30 percent at Bangkok’s main international airport in past months.