The Tourism Authority (TAT) has played down concerns about monopolised foreign tourism businesses and zero-dollar tours, as long as strict law enforcement and collaboration with Beijing continues, while Thailand is targeting high-value tourists over volume.
TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn said his office in China would continue to monitor these issues, ensuring only Chinese tour companies certified by the Chinese government are allowed to send tour groups to Thailand.
Moreover, the increased overall tour package prices, due to high airfares, have helped prevent these issues. Additionally, most Chinese are preferring to become independent tourists, he said.
"The foreign tourism business network has started coming back, as Thai tourism has been recovering, making some income flow out of Thailand. Therefore, we need to continue to closely monitor this issue to prevent an impact on Thai operators," said Mr Yuthasak. "However, if foreign tourism business operators abide by Thai law, it would be hard to restrict them competing in the market."
According to the TAT, flight numbers in the summer slot nationwide until October tallied more than 97,000, an increase from 53,000 in the previous winter slot, with Chinese flights alone gaining more than 16,000.
This year, the TAT is promoting Thailand as an all-year-round destination to maintain occupancy rates at a desirable level.
For 2024-2027, the TAT aims to prioritise value over volume, targeting high-value and sustainable tourism.
As of March 29, foreign tourists tallied more than 6.2 million. Top markets included Malaysia at 890,473, Russia at 556,408, China at 497,842, South Korea at 435,263 and India at 313,422.
Suksit Suvunditkul, president of the southern chapter of the Thai Hotels Association (THA), said Phuket has not yet seen zero-dollar tours, although Chinese tourists are gradually increasing and now stand among the top 10 sources of tourists in Phuket since the beginning of the year. However, the THA has not yet seen restaurants or accommodation that focuses solely on the Chinese market back in operation.
Nevertheless, he said the issue should be monitored closely over the next 3-4 months when Chinese tour groups are expected to surge. He suggested Thailand focus on attracting quality tourists and position itself accordingly.
He expects Chinese would be the top foreign tourists in Phuket in April, with India following closely behind, while long-haul markets such as Russia remain in a slowdown.
Meanwhile, Mr Suksit said he hoped the government would help maintain electricity fees at a low level as the rate, which rose by 20-30% since last year, has taken a heavy toll on hotels, most of which just started to recover in the latest winter high season.
