TTAA forecasts more bookings to Taiwan

BANGKOK Thai Travel Agents Association says Taiwan’s decision to grant visa exemption for Thai citizens will boost travel to around 200,000 trips by year-end.

TTAA president, Suparerk Soorangura, told TTR Weekly that the visa exemption would make it more convenient for Thai travellers to book a tour to Taiwan, saving both time (visa processing) and costs, especially for Thais living outside of the capital.

“The scheme will encourage Thais to travel as they do not need to apply for a visa and it saves around THB1,000 in visa fees….Taiwan is now  a  favourite destinations for Thais as it is only a three-hour and 30-minute flight from Bangkok… it is safe and lots of airlines and low-cost airlines offer services that keep the package prices competitive.”

Taiwan was one of the first destinations that Thai Airways International served along with Hong Kong in the 1960s and over the years has remained a popular destination for commercial travellers.

Leisure tour travel was slower due to visa issues in the past,  but the country’s main outbound tour operators’ association said that would change with the new visa ruling.

The TTAA president added: “The visa exemption policy will boost travel the same way that it did for Hong Kong and Japan… Thais are free to travel to most destinations in Asia especially in ASEAN.”

Last year,  124,000 Thais visited Taiwan, an increase of 40% from 2014, the president said predicting that this year the number would rise to around 200,000 visits.

On average, Thais spend THB5,000 per day per head with four days for length of stay.

After the one-year trial, Taiwan will study the results and if the number of overstays is not an issue it is likely the provision would be extended.

Japan was the first country in East Asia to offer Thais visa-free entry. It resulted in a substantial increase in travel from Thailand and helped local outbound tour operators expand their business.

Taiwan approved, 12 July, a visa exemption for Thailand and Brunei citizens visit to Taiwan starting 1 August.

They can stay for up to 30 days.

Nationals of Cambodia, Philippines, India, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam who have received visas to Australia, Canada, the Schengen region, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom or the United States over the past 10 years, will also be allowed to enter Taiwan visa-free after registering on the Internet (e-Visa website) starting 1 September.

The measure is part of the administration’s “New Southbound Policy” aiming to increasing tourists from Southeast Asia.

About 1.43 million tourists from Southeast Asian countries visited Taiwan last year.

The new visa-free initiative is expected to boost the number of visitors from Southeast Asia by 20% or 280,000 visits in 2016.

In the first five months of 2016, visitor arrivals from Southeast Asian countries were already up 11.09% year-on-year at 613,808.