In response to recent media reports that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had objected to proposals to offer a visa waiver to Chinese and Indian tourists, H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Minister of Foreign Affairs, provided the following clarifications.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs said that there was no reason for Thailand to single out any countries in particular; however, when it comes to countries with a population of over one billion, one must admit that every sector of the Thai society needed to improve in terms of quality for dealing with such a large influx of tourists. If the requirement for visa application were waived, recipient countries would have no information about the visitors. On the other hand, if visa applications were required, a review of the applications would at least yield preliminary information about the visitors, derived from the submitted documentation.

In response to the notion that Thailand is now perceived by some as viewing Chinese and Indian tourists to be problematic, the Minister of Foreign Affairs said that nothing could be further from the truth. Visa applications and screening of foreign visitors are all part of universal practice. When Thai nationals travel to other countries, they are also subjected to screening, which is a normal procedure. This is not a discriminatory act but is a practice that is generally applied. It enables Thailand to receive foreign tourists in a more efficient manner. Screening and tending to visitors from other countries not only is beneficial to Thailand but it also contributes to the safety of such visitors.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs stated that Thailand is an internationally popular tourist destination and the country must maintain this solid foundation. The main issue is that Thailand must strive to improve its quality in many tourism-related aspects, be it management of foreign visitors, development of infrastructure or improvement of the country’s preparedness in a large number of areas. If there is a large influx of foreign tourists, the country must be ready to look after them efficiently and effectively. The tourists must be able to enjoy a quality experience as visitors to the Kingdom and not be adversely impacted in any way. This would ensure that they leave the country with a favourable impression and wish to visit Thailand again in the future.

“Thailand is most appreciative to all tourists who visit our country,” the Minister of Foreign Affairs stated, “but we are not in a position to open the floodgates as long as we not yet fully prepared to accommodate such a large volume.”  “In any case, Thailand would try its best to improve the country’s capacity to receive a substantially increased inflow of visitors in the future.” He added.  “The major thing for Thailand to do, therefore, is to better manage all the internal aspects related to tourism so that they are in order and more efficient. If we have a good, well-functioning system, no matter how many tourists visit our country, we can be confident that they will leave the Kingdom with a positive impression and will be repeat visitors in the years to come,” the Minister of Foreign Affairs said.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs added that any increase or decline in the volume of international visitors can be attributed to several reasons. “We must be able to determine what the causes are and what can be done about them.” He said that at present, there were many external factors impacting upon international tourism.  Thailand must therefore be able to examine the issue in a comprehensive, 360-degree angle. The Thai authorities must not focus simply on any single dimension but must have a holistic viewpoint and approach since all dimensions of the tourist industry are interrelated. Consequently, Thailand cannot stimulate tourism merely by emphasising increased quantity but the country must also strive to improve quality in taking care of the tourists at the same time.

“We have to pay great attention as well to the dimension of regional security in order to prevent any easy infiltration of undesirable elements to use Thai territory for carrying out activities that may create difficulties for us, our friends and neighbours, whether politically, economically, socially or security-wise. Even with the requirement of visas, a number of problems have arisen in the past,”  the Minister of Foreign Affairs concluded.