Tourism Ministry makes moves to improve tourism for Chinese visitors

The Minister of Tourism and Sports is seeking discussions with the National Tourism Administration of China (CNTA) on quelling illegal tours, expressing belief that the situation has significantly improved.

Minister of Tourism and Sports Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul has let on her office will meet with CNTA in June to follow up on cooperation to enhance safety for tourists as well as to elevate the quality of tours. Discussions will also extend to prevention of illegal tours and zero baht tours, which the minister said Thailand has made significant progress in suppressing but now wants cooperation from China in dealing with the source of such tours.

The Tourism Ministry previously held unofficial talks with the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) and the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) where it urged them to monitor tour companies. The call was in response to a growing number of complaints from foreign visitors over lackluster service while in the Kingdom. Nonetheless, the ministry is confident it has been able to rid the nation of 95-98 percent of illegal tour groups.

ATTA Secretary-General Adit Chairattananont has suggested members of the tour industry employ the use of instant messaging application WeChat to disseminate pertinent information to travelers once they arrive in Thailand.

He suggested visitors be immediately notified of their rights and regulations for tourism once they set foot in the Kingdom. WeChat is used by over 700 million Chinese nationals and provides one of the most direct lines to a major segment of visitors to the nation.

NNT

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