Thailand to exempt Chinese tourists from visa fees

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BANGKOK -- Thai military junta has agreed to a proposal to exempt Chinese tourists, including those from Taiwan, from visa fees for three months, local media reported Thursday.

In a bid to boost tourism, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) agreed to waive visa fees for Chinese tourists from Aug 1 to Oct 31, Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, secretary-general of the National Economic and Social Development Board, was quoted by Bangkok Post as saying.

The exemption policy is expected to lure more Chinese tourists to Thailand, head of the Thailand-China Tourism Association Li Liangchen told Xinhua.

So far this year, the number of inbound Chinese tourists has dropped by around 25 percent year-on-year, with those traveling to the capital Bangkok slumping by almost 40 percent, Li said, attributing the decrease to protracted political tumult that lasted from late last year to mid-2014.

This month, tourism departments of the Thai government will invite Chinese tourism officials to a series of promotion activities in Thailand so as to restore the confidence of Chinese visitors, he said.

The visa fee exemption is among the five proposals approved by the NCPO to stimulate the economy, Arkhom said.

Other proposals aim at promoting the development of trade, investment, industry and infrastructure, and amending laws and regulations to remove obstacles to businesses.