Members of the Thai-Chinese Tourism Alliance Association (TCTA) agreed the ceiling price at the start of this year, and many have already implemented it, said president Kasian Watanachaopisut.
“We know this measure cannot solve all problems for Chinese tourists but it’s a good start,” he said.
In recent years, Chinese tourists have been lured to buy cheap package holidays to Thailand. When here, if they did not buy optional tours, they would be abandoned or taken to places where they were forced to buy expensive goods.
In 2013, about 80 per cent of Chinese travel agents in Thailand suffered big losses as they faced heavy competition to offer very low tour prices. More than 10 tourists lodged complaints every day at the Chinese embassy in Bangkok about tour nightmares.
“Chinese tour prices to Thailand will be higher after agents apply the ceiling for optional tour prices, but Chinese tourists like to visit Thailand, which remains more affordable for them than Japan,” Mr Kasian said.
If private tour operators let the problems drag on, it will affect Thai tourism’s reputation in the long term in its biggest market.
“What we want is the government to seriously step up law enforcement to solve major problems in the Thai tourism business before it’s too late,” Mr Kasian said. The TCTA hopes the tour price ceiling will help reduce scams on tourists by about 50 per cent by the end of next month.