Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin personally welcomed Chinese tourists at Suvarnabhumi airport on Monday, the first day of the government’s visa-free promotion for visitors from China and Kazakhstan.
Dancers in traditional costume and puppeteers also performed for the surprised arrivals.
At the country’s biggest airport, in Samut Prakan province on the edge of Bangkok, the prime minister said the visa-free project had increased tour bookings ten-fold and more.
Mr Srettha mingled with passengers from Thai AirAsia X flight XJ761 from Shanghai. The flight brought 341 visitors from China, the first tour groups under the visa-free scheme. The tourism stimulus will continue for five months, until Feb 29.
“Tour reservations have surged by multiples of ten… We must encourage Chinese tourists to come to Thailand and visit not only major cities like Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket but also secondary cities, so that they stay longer in Thailand and spend more,” the prime minister said.
At Suvarnabhumi airport, Mr Srettha said he witnessed quick immigration and baggage claim processes and that was a good sign for the stimulation of tourism, which the government expected to be an important engine of the national economy.
The government also organised events on Monday to welcome visitors from China and Kazakhstan at Don Mueang, Chiang Mai and Phuket airports.
From Jan 1 to Sept 17 there have been about 19 million tourist arrivals, and 2.34 million were Chinese, the second biggest tourism market for Thailand after Malaysia. This was about 37% of the number of visitors in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic, according to officials.
Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said she expected 2.88 million visitors from China during the five-month visa-free scheme. This should result in 140.31 billion baht in tourism-related revenue, 62% of pre-Covid-19 tourism revenue for the same period in 2019.
TAT expected about 150,000 visitors from Kazakhstan this year and 129,485 during the five-month visa-free scheme, about 50% up on arrivals from there in the same period last year. This was expected to bring in 7.93 billion baht in tourism-related national revenue, Ms Thapanee said.
Present at the airport welcome ceremony were Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health, H.E. Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, Minister of Transport, H.E. Mr. Saksayam Chidchob, and Minister of Tourism and Sports, H.E. Mr. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn. They were joined by officials and figures from public and private organisations.
Source : Bangkok Post
Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal has criticised Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing for apologising to China tourists.
At a press conference in Parliament today, the Bersatu lawmaker questioned Tiong’s motives and reasoning, describing the move as unwarranted and trivial.
Sorry for any unpleasant stay in Malaysia, Tourism Minister Tiong tells tourists from China
Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing reportedly apologised to tourists from China over the country’s shortcomings.
Speaking at the China International Travel Mart (CITM) in Shanghai, Tiong said several Chinese tourists have complained of “unpleasantness” while travelling in Malaysia.
“For our shortcomings, I deeply apologise and extend Malaysia’s sincere apologies to Chinese tourists,” he was quoted saying by Malaysiakini.
“We will continue to maintain close communication with relevant parties to enhance the tourism service platforms further and improve the visitor experience.
“At the same time, we also pledge to prioritise the safety of tourists and provide each traveller with a safer and more comfortable travel experience through comprehensive measures,” he added.
It is uncertain what he was referring to, as he reportedly did not elaborate on this.
Tiong also said that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is very concerned with the matter, and relevant authorities have been directed to improve safety measures, and ensure a pleasant and memorable experience for tourists.
The number of Chinese tourists in Malaysia has surged with Malaysia’s relaxed visa regulations, as it is now easier for Chinese visitors to enter the country without additional paperwork.
Tourism Malaysia has set an ambitious target of 5 million Chinese visitors for 2025.
China is crazy about Malaysia’s durians, with the export value expected to rise to a record RM1.8 billion by 2030.
The state of Melaka has also tapped popular actress Fan Bingbing as a tourism ambassador, resulting in tourist arrivals exceeding its initial target at nearly 10 million as of September.
Tiong hits out at Dr M for criticising Chinese signboards
Tourism, arts and culture minister Tiong King Sing has hit out at former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad for his criticism of signboards in Chinese.
He said such criticism could affect the country’s diversity and tourism industry.
Earlier this week, Mahathir claimed that Malaysia was unlike other Southeast Asian nations as it allowed shops to display Chinese characters prominently, acknowledging that this could be due to the numerous tourists from China.
Tiong said Mahathir’s statement did little to foster unity nor contribute to the economy’s development. He added that it also negatively impacts the country’s multicultural social fabric.
“As a (senior) statesman, Mahathir should support and work with the new generation to ensure stable national development instead of clinging to outdated views,” Tiong said on Facebook.
“But in recent years, all we’ve heard from Mahathir are statements (that) are not constructive and do not contribute to economic growth or social harmony.
“Raising such issues threatens the very foundation of our cultural diversity.”
On Nov 18, Mahathir questioned why shops were allowed to install signboards which did not use the Malay language after visiting one of the newer shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur.
He maintained that using Chinese characters on signboards was fine, but said this should be limited to translations in smaller characters.
“Is this Malaysia or have we become part of China?” he said in a post on X.
Meanwhile, Tiong also disagreed with Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s (DBKL) recent enforcement against shop owners who did not prioritise the national language on signboards.
Last month, DBKL said it had issued 20 fault notices and 10 enforcement notices to shop owners for “using languages other than the national language in an excessive manner” from January till Oct 16 this year.
In his Facebook post, Tiong said the enforcement has resulted in “emotional reactions” and crossed “unnecessary boundaries”.
He added that a negative perception of Malaysia would impact the country’s reputation among tourists, especially in view of Visit Malaysia Year 2026.
Tiong claimed that tourists have questioned Malaysia’s openness and inclusiveness as a result of DBKL’s actions.
“I suggest DBKL work closely with (Tourism Malaysia) for the Visit Malaysia Year (2026) campaign by improving the city’s basic infrastructure and creating more new and exciting tourist attractions.”
Last month, DBKL reiterated its call for shop owners to prioritise the use of the national language on their signboards, warning of consequences for non-compliance.
DBKL clarified that while registered brands do not need to be translated, other signboard texts must be presented in the national language with a larger font size.
The Advertisement (Federal Territory) By-laws 1982, which mandates that all advertisements be primarily in Malay, allows the inclusion of other languages.
The Coverage Malaysia
