120 replies to this topic
Posted 2010-03-04 11:08:50
 featography, on 2010-03-02 20:03:53, said:
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.
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Posted 2010-03-04 13:26:23
alrat, on 2010-03-02 19:44:25, said: If they want more tourist they should devalue the baht.
This is the key. Not too bad for the Americans, but totally off putting for anyone with GBP or Euros to spend either as tourists or long stays. I've been in Thailand 6 months and have spent a great deal here. When I arrived here 10,000 baht cost me 182GBP, now it's about 202GBP. I was planning to take several holiday trips to different parts of Thailand during the next 2 or 3 months but have cancelled due to the poor and uncertain exchange rate. I know the fault is with the European economy, not the Thai, but even so if they want to significantly increase the tourists from Europe, and sustain it, this is what they will have to do. Free riot insurance will not change anyone's plans, nor will on/off visa charges, although a radical simplification of the tiresome visa regulations would be very welcome.
Posted 2010-03-05 06:47:41
I talked to a friend in Thailand on the phone and he said the TAT was clever to exclude March from the insurance cover. The demonstration announced for 14 March will likely cause disruption for tourists. It wouldn’t be the first time that Bangkok airport gets blockaded and shut down because of political unrest, would it? That’s when this insurance would be useful, not in July/August when I will be in Thailand.
Posted 2010-03-07 01:34:57
If the insurance is free, then why not accept it?
So can someone please answer this question that was posted?: JimmyChoons, on 2010-03-02 20:16:40, said: how does one apply for/receive this riot insurance?
Posted 2010-03-07 10:47:36
JezQ, on 2010-03-04 13:26:23, said: alrat, on 2010-03-02 19:44:25, said: If they want more tourist they should devalue the baht.
This is the key. Not too bad for the Americans, but totally off putting for anyone with GBP or Euros to spend either as tourists or long stays. I've been in Thailand 6 months and have spent a great deal here. When I arrived here 10,000 baht cost me 182GBP, now it's about 202GBP. I was planning to take several holiday trips to different parts of Thailand during the next 2 or 3 months but have cancelled due to the poor and uncertain exchange rate. I know the fault is with the European economy, not the Thai, but even so if they want to significantly increase the tourists from Europe, and sustain it, this is what they will have to do. Free riot insurance will not change anyone's plans, nor will on/off visa charges, although a radical simplification of the tiresome visa regulations would be very welcome.
They cannot selectively devalue the baht against the GBP. It is merely a function of sterling's weakness against the dollar. The baht is a very small player in the forex markets. Moreover, the value of a currency is generally dictated by demand for that currency, i.e. trade deficits / excesses. Take a look at the figures and you will realise that any attempt to devalue the baht would not be sustainable in the long term.
Edited by inthepink, 2010-03-07 10:48:52.
Posted 2010-03-09 18:30:21
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.
Between 64 and 72B to the pound when Taksin was in power so I'm sure Thai exports were booming. I know I was happy with 30% more cash and the tourists must have been happier with everything 30% cheaper. Was Taksin really that evil?
Posted 2010-03-14 15:13:06
JayF, on 2010-03-02 20:16:27, said: Free riot insurance is hardly something you can highlight in a travel brochure.
Agree, this is not something we want to see when we are looking for a relaxing holiday or exploration of new places to see. ;-)
Posted 2010-03-19 14:45:06
For UK nationals who are applying via the Hull consulate there is still a £15 admin charge and £8 fee to return your passport via registered post.
The normal single trip tourist visa fee is £28, so you're saving £13 with the "free" offer.
Their service and turnaround speed is excellent as always ...
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Posted 2010-03-22 12:22:21
My relatives applied for Thai Tourist Visas last week in Dhaka/Bangladesh. They had to pay usual visa fees. They got the visa and receipt of payments from the embassy.
Does it imply that the extension of free-visa privilege this time is only valid for selected nationalities? Anybody else got similar experience elsewhere - assuming that there are people from such less-important countries in this forum!
Good day
Posted 2010-03-22 12:54:33
Jirapa, on 2010-03-09 18:30:21, said: 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.
Between 64 and 72B to the pound when Taksin was in power so I'm sure Thai exports were booming. I know I was happy with 30% more cash and the tourists must have been happier with everything 30% cheaper. Was Taksin really that evil?
Good question, perhaps you could start by asking the relatives of the 1400 people who were murdered in the Drug war who were proven to have no connection to the drug trade.
Posted 2010-03-22 13:00:56
Posted 2010-03-22 13:13:09
It looks like the Thai Government would have to extend the incentive for another 10 years as long as there is no end to the turmoil in sight.
Posted 2010-03-22 13:25:23
Jirapa, on 2010-03-09 18:30:21, said: 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.
Between 64 and 72B to the pound when Taksin was in power so I'm sure Thai exports were booming. I know I was happy with 30% more cash and the tourists must have been happier with everything 30% cheaper. Was Taksin really that evil?
Using supply/demand theory, perhaps it was because Thaksin was selling off billions of ฿ so he could move his ill-gotten gains off-shore.
More likely, it was before US & UK banks started disappearing down the gurgler.
Posted 2010-04-01 16:59:35
mmhasan, on 2010-03-22 12:22:21, said: My relatives applied for Thai Tourist Visas last week in Dhaka/Bangladesh. They had to pay usual visa fees. They got the visa and receipt of payments from the embassy.
Does it imply that the extension of free-visa privilege this time is only valid for selected nationalities? Anybody else got similar experience elsewhere - assuming that there are people from such less-important countries in this forum!
Good day
The free tourist visas are supposed to start from today April 1st 2010 or April 1st 2553 B.E.
Posted 2010-04-01 17:26:34
Sadly, people are reporting on another T/V sub-forum that next to none of the thai embassies which people went to today were aware the 'free tourist visa deal' had re-upped. 
Long on talk and promotion, but a little short on communication with their embassies I think. 
Edited by tod-daniels, 2010-04-01 17:26:55.
Posted 2010-04-01 20:54:39
tod-daniels, on 2010-04-01 17:26:34, said: Sadly, people are reporting on another T/V sub-forum that next to none of the thai embassies which people went to today were aware the 'free tourist visa deal' had re-upped.
Long on talk and promotion, but a little short on communication with their embassies I think.
Sad indeed, but true. The other topic can be found here:
http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Tourist-Visa...45#entry3463945
Posted 2010-04-20 09:15:33
Can we have an ORIGINAL link for this information as it is not being implemented? Unreferenced information is just about useless when talking to embassy staff. I can picture it now: "Oh, but I read it on thaivisa.com" to which they reply "5555555".
Posted 2010-05-03 17:35:42
Sorry if I missed the answers above.... But...
1. -- Did anyone ever confirm that the supposed medical and riot insurance coverage talked about by the Thai Govt. ONLY covers those with tourist visas -- thus excluding those who arrival visa exempt or visa on arrival?
2. -- Does anyone know, or seen, an official government web site or other source referencing just what this supposed policy does or does not cover?
3. -- And, if one is a potentially covered tourist, what or where is one supposed to go to obtain or request coverage under the terms of the policy?
Posted 2010-05-03 18:04:51
Curiously, I could find nothing about this subject (waiver of tourist visa fees or travel/riot insurance) on the Tourism Authority of Thailand website...
Thus far, on the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs web site, I found the following scroll info on their Visas page...
Quote All foreigners who apply for Tourist Visa at the Royal Thai Embassies and the Royal Thai Consulates-General worldwide, including eligible foreigners who apply for Visa on Arrival at designated checkpoints, will be exempted from Tourist Visa fee from 25 June B.E. 2552 (2009) to 4 March B.E. 2553 (2010). Such arrangement is for Tourist Visa only.
No mention of the extension from 2010 to 2001 that I can see there...
Makes one wonder....
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Posted 2010-05-05 01:11:25
I do not feel like reading all your blabla-comments on free Thai tourist visa, written cosily in an a/c room somewhere in Thailand, so please read my following experience:
concerning thaivisa´s free tourist visas period starting on April 1, 2010, it must have been an Aprilś fool´s joke to everybody interested in visiting Thailand longer than 30 days.
I applied for a free visa on April 20 in New Delhi, but was told to pay 1700++INR. My decision: I prefer to stay in Thailand for 30 days [free on arrival] only & spend the rest of my money in Cambodia.
Coincidently a friend of mine told me today that he went for a tourist visa run to Vientiane [after April 1!!!] & did not get a free tourist visa either.
I wonder whether it is an international Thai Immigration problem or Thaivisa.com malinformation???
Posted 2010-05-05 04:28:41
I think if someone were actually to read the posts above in this thread, they'd get the pretty clear picture that 1) there is indeed a Thai govt policy on this, but 2) it's already pretty well established that different consulates around the world don't always do what the folks back home in LOS dictate on such things....
With all that's been going on back here, it may well be that watching out for farang tourists hasn't ended up being the thing uppermost on the mind of Thai bureaucrats lately...
And then, there's always the differences between how things get publicly reported and how policies are actually implemented. For the first year of the supposed fee free visas last year, I think I recall people seeking multi entry tourist visa being forced to pay, and then folks being told the fee waiver only applied to single entry tourist visas... Can anyone confirm my recollection on that???
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