Special Tourist Visa 2.0 – This is what should happen on September 26
OPINION
So here’s an idea. If Thailand truly wants to attract tourists why not offer FREE QUARANTINE for the first 10,000 people who contact their Royal Thai Embassy and register to come as tourists under the new Special Tourist Visa. The Thai government or TAT could pay the hotels directly (I bet it will be a lot less than the extortionate price currently being asked by participating hotels). Some other countries are paying for tourist quarantine expenses. Thailand, with a big reliance, directly and indirectly, on tourist dollars, should consider the same.
Provide a valid incentive rather than just spewing out clear attempts at price-gouging people who genuinely want to visit Thailand. Stop this veneer of acting as ‘generous hosts’ and actually be properly and sincerely generous. Long term, attracting a handful of wealthy tourists, with time and money in plentiful supply, is not going to fill the country’s hotels, tour boats or street-side restaurants.
Whatever the cost to the Thai Government, it would be easily repaid in increased revenue to the country from the foreigners’ 90 days+ stays in the Kingdom. Given the bad PR Thailand is receiving at the moment, related to its numerous unworkable visa “plans” and “models”, turn travellers’ frowns upside down and revel in the power of positive PR instead of trying to ‘spin’ a travel plan into profit for a selected few.
And allow the current tourists, or people stuck here with lapsed visas, to “roll over” onto the Special Tourist Visa on September 26. Yes, they should report to their nearest Immigration office and report where they are and pay the 2,000 baht application fee. But just stamp them in for another 90 days and save yourself additional paperwork. Let them, instead, spend any cash they have left on restaurants, travel and bar girls… whatever. Those remaining foreigners are your best best to revive international tourism with their stories about Thailand’s ‘good will’ and the posts about their adventures around the Kingdom.
Even better, for the foreigners who want to come to Thailand, dust off one of your grounded Thai Airways planes and fly them here for free as well, or at least at highly discounted fares (given the 100s of thousands of un-refunded fares you have sitting in the bank). With a handful of airlines currently flying into Bangkok, the sight of a Thai Airways plane at international airports would be another attractive reminder about Thailand and its many alluring natural and cultural assets. Heaven knows, the beleagured airline needs some good PR too and would be the best gift to the patient airline staff and pilots as they bite their nails awaiting the outcome of the current restructure and bankruptcy proceedings.
We won’t even mention the whole Covid-19 insurance ‘scam’, provided magically by Thai companies. Or the reception they’ll get at Suvarnabhumi which is more like the set of the Andromeda Strain than a welcoming airport. Or the many reports of foreigners footing up to embassies around the world to be told they know nothing about the new Special Tourist Visa.
Be real hosts and put the smile back into the Land of Smiles.
Of course we realise none of this will happen but simply express the frustration of many in the form of ‘wishful thinking’.
We posted something similar on Facebook yesterday and received the following responses…
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