BANGKOK, Oct 15 – China’s revised law on tourism, which took effect October 1, could reduce the number of Chinese visitors to Thailand, a senior Thai official in Kunming said Monday.
Chamaiporn Chuecharoen, director of the Thai Trade Center in Kunming, said the new regulations on outbound tourism prohibit tour operators from arranging unfair cheap packages such as zero-dollar tours or extra stops for shopping.
The new law will possibly compel tour operators to increase the prices of their packages and deter some tourists from travelling overseas, she said.
However, a survey by a Chinese tourism agency found that 70 per cent of mainland visitors prefer to travel independently and less than 30 per cent choose tour packages.
Some tour operators in China have changed their strategy by offering individually-arranged trips and providing service on air tickets, land transport and accommodation, she said.
Ms Chamaiporn quoted a report from the Tourism Authority of Thailand as saying that China remained the biggest tourism market for Thailand with 3.22 million mainland visitors to the kingdom in the first eight months of this year – an 88.42 per cent increase year-on-year.
A move to revoke visa requirements for travellers of both countries would attract more visitors, she said.
