Visa-on-Arrival fees to double for 19 countries

[Gaybutton]

This probably won't affect many of you, perhaps none of you, but this seems to be a hell of time to come up with this one when Thailand is already going through a major loss of tourist numbers, especially in the wake of the recent bombings.

Welcome to the latest addition to my "I Don't Get It" list.
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Visa-on arrival fee doubles

by Prangthong Jitcharoenkul

20 Aug 2016

Foreign visitors from 19 countries and territories will be required to pay an increased fee for visas on arrival from next month onward.

The fee is raised to 2,000 baht, up from 1,000 baht.

The new requirement will come to effect on Sept 27, the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Department of Consular Affairs announced yesterday.

The 19 countries and territories are Andorra, Bulgaria, Bhutan, China, Cyprus, Ethiopia, India, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

The cabinet approved the increase in the visa-on-arrival fee in January.

Foreigners from the 19 countries and territories are allowed to stay in Thailand for up to 15 days.

The hike in the fee is aimed at reducing the long queues at immigration checkpoints.

There are 42 immigration checkpoints including Suvarnabhumi airport and Don Muang international airport where foreigners can apply for visas on arrival.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general ... ee-doubles

[Alex]

Are you sure that tourist numbers are down? Everything I've read so far indicates an increase. Unless bombings become a more frequent occurrence, I don't think the Mother's Day bombing spree will have a huge effect either.

[Gaybutton]

Are you sure that tourist numbers are down? Everything I've read so far indicates an increase.

I can only be sure of what I see for myself and what I read. If Pattaya is any indicator, tourist numbers are not only down, but WAY down - with, of course, the exception of 226 quadrillion Chinese tourists on their tour buses.

[Alex]

I guess that's the point, the increase in Chinese tourists more than compensates the decrease in other visitors. The total number of tourist arrivals is up, but that number by itself is, of course, quite meaningless.

That said, I really liked my latest stay in Pattaya due to the fact that the visitors seemed more diverse than ever. Seeing more youngish Chinese and also many Thai tourists (okay, no surprise there, it was the Mother's Day weekend) is definitely a plus in my book.

[Gaybutton]

I guess that's the point, the increase in Chinese tourists more than compensates the decrease in other visitors.

Yes and no. First they've caused enough problems that pamphlets had to be given out to them to inform them about inappropriate behavior - ranging from climbing onto Buddhist religious images and statues to have their photos taken to cleaning their shoes in the sinks of public restrooms.

Second, they may be coming to Thailand in droves, but spend very little. They come on prepaid package tours. They stay in hotels that have deals with the tour bus companies. They eat in designated restaurants. They rarely venture out on their own to do any serious shopping or go anywhere that isn't on their tour itinerary. What ends up happening is relatively few Thai businesses are making much money from their presence.

There is a large Chinese restaurant on Pattaya Tai (I can't think of the name at the moment). About a year and a half ago a friend and I wanted to try it. We were turned away at the door. We were informed that the restaurant only caters to Chinese tour groups. It's not for the public. Those are the kinds of places where the Chinese tourists eat - all prepaid by their tour group.

How do I know? Because one of my Thai friends is a tour guide for the Chinese tour groups. He also told me he can't stand them and he might as well forget about ever receiving a decent tip - on the rare occasions when they tip him at all.

Chinese tourist numbers are up. Russian tourist numbers are down. Last year a common complaint was the difficulty of getting a baht bus because they were always fully loaded with Russian tourists. Anyone seen those same baht buses fully loaded lately?

Why on earth Thailand would pick now to double visa fees for 19 countries goes beyond me.

[mahjongguy]

Why on earth Thailand would pick now to double visa fees for 19 countries goes beyond me.

Because China is one of those countries. The number of tourists from the other 18 countries are only a handful in comparison.

The airports and certain border crossings are swamped with Chinese tourists who must go to the special VOA counter to purchase a visa, and Immigration has had to spend tons of money to accommodate them. The price will now be the same as if they had purchased a Tourist Visa from within China, as they were once required to do.

[Undaunted]

Check out this actual video of Chinese tourists in Chiangmai :

[Gaybutton]

Check out this actual video of Chinese tourists in Chiangmai

I'm surprised they don't bring containers with them so they can take what they don't eat back to their rooms.

I know one way to solve that problem. A new sushi buffet, Tsunami Sushi Buffet, opened on Chaiyapruek - near Sukhumvit, next door to the Mimosa Italian restaurant. RichLB and I checked it out, but haven't eaten there yet. It was too crowded - no tables available, but it looked very good.

They make it quite clear - you have 90 minutes to eat all you want, but they charge an additional 100 baht per 100 grams of food you took, but didn't eat.

Note: They're closed on Tuesdays.

[Alex]

That's not a new concept. Many "moo kratha" (หมูกระทะ) Korean-style BBQ places in Bangkok that cater almost exclusively to Thais (!) have the same policy, they charge you extra for whatever you took from the buffet but failed to eat up.

[Gaybutton]

places in Bangkok that cater almost exclusively to Thais (!) have the same policy

They better start doing the same thing at buffets catering to the Chinese tourists. If the video Undaunted posted truly typifies the kind of behavior to expect from Chinese tour groups, those buffets would be better off serving them sit-down dinners instead.

If those buffets are open to the public rather then exclusively the Chinese tour groups, I certainly would not be eating where I'm going to be shoved out of the way while these people are grabbing all the food they can carry and then leaving piles of it uneaten.