ATTA reports strong travel trends

BANGKOK, 15 December 2016: Despite a crackdown on zero-dollar tours, the Association of Thai Travel Agents reported a 5.7% increase in clients handled by members, January to November.

In the short-term the crackdown cut into the number of clients handled by travel agencies in the inbound Chinese market, but overall Thailand’s travel firms have improved their business over the first 11 months of the year.

Member companies handled 5,040,622 travellers, January to November, at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports, representing a 5.73% increase from 4,767,509 during the same period last year. Read more

What a week that was: Trophies and dollars

BANGKOK, 5 October 2016: When Mastercard confirmed Bangkok as the world’s leading tourist destination, who was surprised?

It outshone London by close to 2 million visits clocking up 21.47 million tourist arrivals. But does last week’s revelation tell the whole story of Thailand’s journey to tourism success? Probably not.

Achieving the number one spot was simple arithmetic courtesy of the Immigration Bureau’s head count at the city’s two international airport. Read more

Crackdown cuts Chinese travel

BANGKOK, 3 October 2016: Association of Thai Travel Agents says Thailand’s clampdown on Chinese zero-dollar tourism will have a short-term impact on tourist arrivals, but if successful it could stabilise prices in the China market.

Speaking at the association’s monthly meeting, last Thursday, ATTA president, Charoen Wangananont, said the China market was being undermined by fierce competition even though over the last three years the market grew by around 25% annually.

The latest crackdown on zero-dollar tours, initiated by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, focused on complaints that Chinese tourists were being forced to visit gem and handicraft stores and that itineraries were not delivering the content as advertised. Read more

Zero-dollar tourism under fire

BANGKOK, 14 September 2016: Ministry of Tourism and Sports will partner with tourism related organisations to crack down on so-called zero-dollar tours.

Tourism and Sports Minister, Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, said the tourism ministry will team up with China National Tourism Administration to clamp down on a zero-dollar tours especially those that use Thai nominees to skirt foreign-ownership laws and also avoid tax in Thailand.

The Ministry’s Department of Tourism is working with the Ministry of Finance’s Revenue Department, Ministry of Commerce’s Department of Business Development, Economic Crime Suppression Division, Tourist Police Division, Consumer Protection Police Division and Anti-Money Laundering Office. Read more