[webfact]

Free visa and $10,000 riot insurance for tourists extended by one year

BANGKOK: -- Less than one month after Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed Thaivisa.com that the free tourist visa scheme would end on March 5, 2010, the Thailand Government has announced the tourism stimulus package will continue for another year, including $US10,000 in free riot insurance for tourists.

The extension of the tourism industry stimulus package was approved by the cabinet today, March 2, 2010 in response to a request from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.

The extension will be effective from April 1, 2010 and go through to March 31, 2011 and appears to leave a three and a half week window in which tourist visas for Thailand will be charged for.

The tourism industry stimulus package includes: free-of-charge riot protection insurance worth US$10,000 for each foreign tourist; reduced aircraft landing and parking fees; help for state agencies to hold seminars and field trips in the country to boost domestic spending; and allows business operators who organise domestic seminars, training courses and tourist destination trips for employees to deduct the cost for tax purposes.

The extension of the tourism industry stimulus package came on the back of a report to cabinet that inbound foreign tourism arrivals for 2009 dropped 3 percent over those in 2008, resulting in an 8 percent drop in revenue to Bt527 billion (about $US16 billion).

The Tourism and Sports Ministry told cabinet that it expected inbound tourism arrivals for 2010 to increase by about 10 percent, to between 15.3 and 15.5 million, provided there was no major political disruptions throughout the year.

The $10,000 free riot insurance coverage was introduced last year and initiated by the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) in response to international insurance firms’ refusal to sell insurance coverage to visitors to Thailand following the 2008 closure of Thailand airports by members of the Peoples Alliance for Democracy (PAD).

When the insurance coverage was first introduced last year, Kongkrit Hiranyakit, president of TCT, said the government had set aside Bt190.75 million ($US5.820 million) for the initial six month period covering May to October, 2009, with the Ministry of Tourism and Sports responsible for paying the insurance premium of $1 per visitor.

The insurance policy provides for payments of up to $10,000 in the event of death, injury, and/or trip inconvenience, and appears to only cover people in possession of a 60-day tourist visa. Resident expatriates living and working in Thailand on non-immigrant visas do not appear to be covered for death, injury or inconvenience caused by riots.


-- thaivisa.com 2010-03-02

[mca]

I can just see the TOT blurb

" Thailand-Land of Smiles. Enjoy the tranquility and harmony of a place where people have co-existed peacefully for centuries. ( Free riot insurance included. Offer ends Jan 2011) "

[Colabamumbai]

Please bring your own condoms they are not included.

[lucky2103]

mca, on 2010-03-02 19:06:00, said:

I can just see the TOT blurb

" Thailand-Land of Smiles. Enjoy the tranquility and harmony of a place where people have co-existed peacefully for centuries. ( Free riot insurance included. Offer ends Jan 2011) "

I just can see that theres no clear direction within the government.
I question the logic behind the idea of issuing free tourist visas as well. Face it, most tourists arrive and get a visa exemption stamp upon entry in the kingdom. Some other countries qualify for a VoA. And face it: How long does the average tourist stay ? No more than 4 weeks, I bet.

[mythBuster]

How I would love to meet the head of the marketing department. I want to see for myself how this works. Do they sit in a meeting room while they show pictures of the airport occupation and the Songkran riots and one guy stands up and proposes a free funeral insurance, after which the next guy says that it makes more sense to pay for the repatriation of the body only? After figuring out the price they go for 10,000 baht and than they decide to widely publicize it especially in those countries where they already cancel if the weather becomes unstable like in the US?

This is completely ridiculous, it harms the name and fame of Thailand. Come to visit us. We offer you a free riot insurance... Or is it only valid on the paintball course?

[JayF]

I'm not sure if that's good or bad publicity. I can't see free visa's making a huge impact on the number of tourists. People wanting to holiday in Thailand will, whether they have to pay for visas or not (most come from visa waiver countries anyway). What it will do is inject some extra cash into the tourism industry in the form of extra spending money (£28 (or whatever it is) multiplied by several million).

Free riot insurance is hardly something you can highlight in a travel brochure.

[mythBuster]

lucky2103, on 2010-03-02 19:15:03, said:

mca, on 2010-03-02 19:06:00, said:

I can just see the TOT blurb

" Thailand-Land of Smiles. Enjoy the tranquility and harmony of a place where people have co-existed peacefully for centuries. ( Free riot insurance included. Offer ends Jan 2011) "

I just can see that theres no clear direction within the government.
I question the logic behind the idea of issuing free tourist visas as well. Face it, most tourists arrive and get a visa exemption stamp upon entry in the kingdom. Some other countries qualify for a VoA. And face it: How long does the average tourist stay ? No more than 4 weeks, I bet.

The free riot insurance will be replaced for a coupon.... You may either go to the hairdresser or the hospital will shave you....

[globalhopkinations]

Lately I've been thinking it's funny, I work in afghanistan (terrorist war zone) and holiday in Thailand (rioting LOS) wonder if some insurance would be a good idea for non working hours. And today the light at the end of the tunnel turns on Riot insurance, now all I have to do is find a way to cover the other half my life war zone insurance.

[lensta]

mythBuster, on 2010-03-02 19:15:32, said:

How I would love to meet the head of the marketing department. I want to see for myself how this works. Do they sit in a meeting room while they show pictures of the airport occupation and the Songkran riots and one guy stands up and proposes a free funeral insurance, after which the next guy says that it makes more sense to pay for the repatriation of the body only? After figuring out the price they go for 10,000 baht and than they decide to widely publicize it especially in those countries where they already cancel if the weather becomes unstable like in the US?

This is completely ridiculous, it harms the name and fame of Thailand. Come to visit us. We offer you a free riot insurance... Or is it only valid on the paintball course?

Ummm I think that if you read the OP it says 10,000 USD

[mca]

It'd be like the Lebanese Tourist Board doing a promotion back in the '80's

Visit Stunning Beirut- Free Taxi From The Airport*

with the small print


*Handcuffed and blindfolded in the boot. Please note when accepting this offer we reserve the right to change the extremist group we deliver you to for ransom without prior notice. All photos in this brochure of hooded nutters waving Ak-47s in the air shouting "Allah Akbar!" are for illustrative purposes only and may not represent the final martyr.

[lensta]

I hope the goverment do an about face on land transfer fees also, but I guess that is just wishful thinking.

[moetownblues]

I am confused 2 months ago they wanted to do away with the normal tourists for the more Paris Hilton style. The rich tourists, what happened to this ploy. Now they are offering insurance for the normal tourists. Who do they want???????

[apteraplayer]

Good news !

[alrat]

If they want more tourist they should devalue the baht. I live here and its getting too bloody expensive. They just dont have a clue.

[Colabamumbai]

And I thought Thailand was a riot 24/7.

[mca]

I always thought the concept of the April Fool's joke was it had to be played on April 1st.

But maybe that's just my opinion.


And that of millions of other people.

[gtm2k]

Colabamumbai, on 2010-03-02 19:13:49, said:

Please bring your own condoms they are not included.

Yes they better do ! I had friends land early morning today and able to get out only 1.30pm becoz of unltd ppl waiting for their on-arrival TR Visas !

[samesamebutdifferent]

Is there any guide lines into how you would claim the riot money? Would a bloody wound be regarded as proof?

[747man]

alrat, on 2010-03-02 19:44:25, said:

If they want more tourist they should devalue the baht. I live here and its getting too bloody expensive. They just dont have a clue.

With You 100% on That one !!!!!

[747man]

mca, on 2010-03-02 19:48:47, said:

I always thought the concept of the April Fool's joke was it had to be played on April 1st.

But maybe that's just my opinion.


And that of millions of other people.

Yeah But TIT................

[Thaihog]

Now if they really wanted to boost arrivals, TOT should offer free tourist visas plus one full body massage..... that would help

[featography]

alrat, on 2010-03-02 19:44:25, said:

If they want more tourist they should devalue the baht. I live here and its getting too bloody expensive. They just dont have a clue.

You got that right. Wife and I just came back from our first trip to Vietnam; 10 days for Tet. Everything was cheaper, except clothes shopping than Thailand. There are more international food restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City than Bangkok, they pride themselves in having strict laws against harming foreigners,easier immigration/ work permit laws, and even my Thai wife was amazed and wondered, "what the hel_l we doing staying in Thailand?!?!?!?

[elcent]

please tell me someone that this is a joke, please please please.

What do you read between the lines?

We want the tourists to come, we need that money and at the same time we're working out and on riots.

International insurance are surely not backing up this kind, beware!

In 1992 a friend of mine, jogging on the road, got shot in the back by the army, they tried to block doctors and first aid and told them to let him die, three weeks in coma, he will never ever be hundred percent fit and got a whooping 10,000 B-A-H-T.

This post has been edited by elcent: 2010-03-02 20:06

[mobiryder]

mca, on 2010-03-02 19:27:49, said:

It'd be like the Lebanese Tourist Board doing a promotion back in the '80's

Visit Stunning Beirut- Free Taxi From The Airport*

with the small print


*Handcuffed and blindfolded in the boot. Please note when accepting this offer we reserve the right to change the extremist group we deliver you to for ransom without prior notice. All photos in this brochure of hooded nutters waving Ak-47s in the air shouting "Allah Akbar!" are for illustrative purposes only and may not represent the final martyr.

ROFL

[Roachiebkk]

mca, on 2010-03-02 19:27:49, said:

It'd be like the Lebanese Tourist Board doing a promotion back in the '80's

Visit Stunning Beirut- Free Taxi From The Airport*

with the small print


*Handcuffed and blindfolded in the boot. Please note when accepting this offer we reserve the right to change the extremist group we deliver you to for ransom without prior notice. All photos in this brochure of hooded nutters waving Ak-47s in the air shouting "Allah Akbar!" are for illustrative purposes only and may not represent the final martyr.

Similar...I was driving in the notorious Bekaa Valley a few years ago in Lebanon and there was a banner strung across the road tied between the barrels of two AA guns that read "The Hezbollah welcome tourists to the Bekaa Valley" Had to laugh.