Reply To:
Name - Reply Comment
Last Updated : 2024-04-26 15:05:00
A couple from China (R) looks at another tourist praying at the Erawan shrine in central Bangkok
BANGKOK (AFP) - A ferry disaster that killed dozens of Chinese tourists in Thailand earlier this year has sent visitor numbers plunging from the kingdom’s single largest market.
The Chinese make up about a quarter of Thailand’s 35 million annual visitors who are drawn by cheap beach vacations, renowned food and Bangkok nightlife.
But in July a ferry carrying mostly Chinese tourists back to the resort island of Phuket sank killing 47.
August recorded an immediate dip of 12 percent and September brought 15 percent fewer Chinese tourists than the same months last year.
October was the hardest hit, with the tourism ministry reporting Wednesday a same-period decrease of about 20 percent or 160,000 people from 2017.
About US$ 476 million was lost in spending over the three-month period, statistics showed.
Thailand has seen tourism slowdowns following a bombing in 2015 in central Bangkok and a military coup in 2014.
But the prolonged slump of the past few months has been a “wake-up call” for Thailand’s tourism operators, Paul Pruangkarn of the Pacific Asia Travel Association said, as it has pushed the sector to mull its overreliance on one country.
“Too many people have always been focusing too much on getting Chinese tourists,” said Pruangkarn, whose association represents hundreds of businesses around the region. He predicted tourist numbers will ultimately bounce back. Since the Phuket tragedy the government has rolled out inducements aimed at regaining trust and making travel easier. The immigration bureau exempted Chinese tourists from paying a US$ 60 visa-on-arrival fee from November to mid-January.
Last month four immigration officials were demoted from their position following a probe that found they were demanding ‘tips’ from Chinese tourists to fast track their entry.
Add comment
Comments will be edited (grammar, spelling and slang) and authorized at the discretion of Daily Mirror online. The website also has the right not to publish selected comments.
Reply To:
Name - Reply Comment
US authorities are currently reviewing the manifest of every cargo aboard MV
On March 26, a couple arriving from Thailand was arrested with 88 live animal
According to villagers from Naula-Moragolla out of 105 families 80 can afford
Is the situation in Sri Lanka so grim that locals harbour hope that they coul