Chinese new “Tourism Law” will improve the quality of travel in Thailand

THAILAND – Being the largest tourist market of Thailand, China once again attracts the country’s highly concern with the new “Tourism Law” that will be carried out officially on the 1st October. According to Thai media, the price of tours to Thailand is expected to rise by 100% after Chinese National Holiday while the number of inbound Chinese tourists will decrease a 40 percent year-by-year during that period.

Deputy Secretary of Thai Tourism Authority Asia and South Pacific, Sansern admitted that after the introduction of the new law, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Thailand would decrease to some extent, but definitely not for a long period. What practitioners in tourism industry need to do is to be well-prepared, follow and adjust themselves to the law. 

As stated clearly by Article 35 in Tourism Law, travel agencies must not organize any tour or lure customers by offering unreasonably low price, nor make improper profits by arranging shopping or other paid projects to get kickbacks, which means tour guides or agencies forcing tourists to go shopping is no longer regarded merely as breaking the rule, but illegal. In terms of this, Sansern believes that it is more of an opportunity for Thai companies to return to industrial regulations than a piece of bad news only focusing on short-term profits, and the law will therefore bring further benefits to both countries.

Although media reports tend to worry about the short-term influence of the new law on Thai tourism industry, officials believe that this movement will further improve the quality of tours to Thailand as well as facilitate the development of the nation’s tourism products. Meanwhile, they also hope that their Chinese counterparts could give explanation on the details of the law for a better understanding and adaption.

According to statistics, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Thailand was 2.8 million, compared to which, the figure has already reached 2.2 million only during the first half of this year. It is estimated that Thailand this year will welcome 4 million Chinese tourists as a whole, which remains China the largest tourist market of Thailand.

Sourced: TravelDailyNews