Tightening visas for Chinese visitors, Thailand worries about tourists moving to Vietnam

Thai inbound tour operators specialising in tours for Chinese tourists are calling for clarification on new visa rules for groups from the country, fearing they could lose a lucrative segment to competitors.

Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn, president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, said businesses want clear answers about the new visa procedures because they could hinder tourism activities for group tours and MICE (tourism and events) tours, which include groups of hundreds or thousands of people.

Siết visa khách Trung Quốc, Thái Lan lo khách chuyển đến Việt Nam - Ảnh 1. — In the first quarter, Thailand welcomed 750,000 Chinese tourists, not as many as expected.

Specifically, from May 8, the Thai Consulate Office in China requires all visitors to apply for individual visas instead of group applications even if they are traveling as part of a tour group.

The number of applications per travel company is also limited.

Other requirements have been added with the new measure, including presenting a hotel booking confirmation and proving financial means of at least 10,000 yuan.

Furthermore, some travel agencies are limited to booking visa applications only three days per week, and only 20-30 applicants per batch, unlike previously unlimited.

The Thai Consulate General in China also requires travel agencies to present certified documents allowing foreign visa applications and a "yellow card" issued by the Chinese government , which must be renewed every one or two years.

However, most of the cards expired during the pandemic and they were unable to renew them due to the slow process.

Many visitors can apply for a visa upon arrival at the airport, but that can lead to congestion at immigration counters as they queue alongside independent tourists.

Mr. Sisdivachr added that many large MICE groups are worried about the inconvenience of the new regulation and may change their plans to Vietnam, Hong Kong or Macau if the Thai government does not urgently handle this issue.

"This is definitely an obstacle in ensuring the Thai government's target of welcoming 5 million Chinese tourists this year," he told the Bangkok Post .

Recently, there have been a number of kidnappings of Chinese compatriots in Thailand. Most recently, on April 17, a 28-year-old female Chinese tourist was invited by a man to a rented apartment in the Rama 9 area of Bangkok, but was kidnapped and had many valuable items taken. The kidnapper then fled Thailand.

Earlier, on March 19, Thai police said three Chinese citizens - two men and one woman - were arrested for allegedly kidnapping a female compatriot and extorting about 3.2 million baht (nearly 94,000 USD) from her...

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