Mr Srettha has outlined a temporary visa-free policy for Chinese visitors to stimulate the tourism sector in the short term which would run until the end of the high season. The proposal is scheduled for discussion at the first cabinet meeting since the new ministers swore their oath of office this week.
Tourism is regarded by the new Prime Minister as a major economic growth driver. Only days after being royally endorsed as the country’s 30th Prime Minister, Mr Srettha paid a visit to Phuket to meet with officials and discuss ways to improve the situation, with the full revitalisation of tourism a key focus.
Responding yesterday (Sept 9) to the fact the policy would mean an increase in tourist numbers and therefore more workload for his department, Pol Col Thanet Sukkachai, chief of Phuket Immigration office, said the office supported the proposed visa-free policy.
“We are ready to work and create an understanding for foreign tourists, to build confidence for foreigners who travel to Phuket,” Pol Col Thanet said.
He added that more intense screening of all tourists arriving on the island is now being deployed as is extra focus on the “white accommodation” program which keeps track of where tourists are staying on the island while establishing closer relations between tourist attractions and residents.
By making visitors traceable, authorities have managed to deter crimes and provide assistance to tourists as and when it is needed, Pol Col Thanet explained.
The program can be a model for other provinces, he added, stating it “makes it possible to control and take good care of foreign tourists.”
Chinese tourists make up the largest group of foreign visitors to Phuket, at 60,000 last month, followed by Russians and Australians. Phuket welcomed 300,000 foreign visitors last month, reports the Bangkok Post.
However, concerns with the program were aired last week when the Immigration Bureau (IB) claimed free-visa travel privilege for Chinese visitors could lead to more transnational crime.
IB chief Pol Lt Gen Pakphumpipat Sajjapan said last Monday (Sept 4) that an offer of a free visa could create a loophole through which operators of call centre gangs, illegal businesses and other transnational crimes could slip into the country.
He said the IB’s workload would multiply trying to catch such elements once they have entered the country.
The planned policy, it is feared, would also worsen congestion at immigration counters. But Pol Lt Gen Pakphumpipat said the bureau was ready to follow a free-visa policy.
The IB would need to prepare measures to alleviate airport crowding due to the expected spike in Chinese visitors. For instance, all immigration check-in counters must be fully opened during peak arrival hours.
The IB was looking to designate dedicated immigration lanes for Chinese passport holders. Pol Lt Gen Pakphumpipat added the IB unsuccessfully asked the Airports of Thailand to allocate more space for immigration checkpoints at international airports.