Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak has instructed tourism agencies to come up with more efficient measures to attract high-end arrivals from China and India to boost the economy during the government's transition period.
Speaking after meeting officials of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Mr Somkid said the government will seek the cabinet's approval on Tuesday for extending the waiver of the 2,000-baht visa-on-arrival fee for visitors from 21 nations, including China and India, for another six months through the end of October. The previous schedule called for expiry on April 30.
Multiple-entry visas will be proposed for some nations, such as China, Thailand's largest market.
The six-month extension aims to maintain strong momentum from the China market and capitalise on the huge number of Chinese travelling abroad during the country's Golden Week, which begins Oct 1.
Last year about 10.5 million Chinese travelled to Thailand, and the volume is expected to range from 11.6 million to 12 million this year.
Amid a tepid global economy and political unease in Thailand, Mr Somkid said the Tourism and Sports Ministry and the TAT should work on introducing efficient and stimulative plans to lure arrivals. The plans should be ready by next month.
To attract quality middle-class Chinese tourists, Mr Somkid said the TAT should continue working with Chinese carriers such as Spring Airlines to bring in more tourists from the mainland.
Partnering with fintech firms such as Ant Financial, formerly known as Alipay, will enable the TAT to connect and lure young Chinese travellers who have strong spending power and regularly use this online payment solution.
To boost domestic tourism, particularly to second-tier provinces, TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn plans to hold talks with the Finance Ministry next week on the possibility of extending the tax break scheme by another year for tourism spending in 55 second-tier provinces.
The tax rebate run last year allows travellers who spend on accommodation and food, as well as corporations that organise seminars and meetings at these secondary locations, to claim a tax deduction of 15,000 baht.
This year, the tax deduction will double to 30,000 baht in order to boost domestic travel, Mr Yuthasak said.
The tax scheme last year helped increase visitors to these provinces to 90 million, up from 79 million in 2016.
Tourism Minister Weerasak Kowsurat said tourism is growing on track with several special events over the next few months. After the Songkran holiday, it is anticipated that a number of international arrivals will visit Thailand to observe the royal coronation during May 4-6, while more Indian visitors will arrive in June to escape the hottest months of India.