Killing tourism softly

With the current economic situation and warnings of terrorist attacks, you would think the government would be trying to promote tourism and the income it produces.

But from Dec 13, a new and vigorous regime has been introduced at Thai consulates in the UK making anything but the 60day tourist visa almost impossible to obtain.

For 11 years, I was able to walk into my local consulate and apply for a 12-month, 90-day stay visa, as a mere formality. A simple form, two photographs and I was done in about 10 minutes. Then about three years ago, the “O” visa was changed, so you had to be 65 years old to qualify for one. Inconvenient, but they offered me two or three tourist visas instead, meaning I had to travel out of the kingdom every 60 days, and spend my money in Singapore or Hong Kong.

From Dec 13, multiple tourist visas are no longer available and a new six-month visa with a maximum 60-day stay was introduced. The requirements are quite difficult to comply with; you must have a copy of your air ticket in and out of the kingdom, bank statements going back six months showing a cleared balance of at least £20,000 (1.1 million baht) and confirmation of accommodation for the first night in the kingdom. No longer can you apply by post, and no longer can you pay by cheque.

I can’t understand why immigration are making it so difficult. It seems to me that they are operating diametrically opposed to the Tourism Authority, or doesn’t the new government want long-staying visitors coming here to spend money? Instead of encouraging tourism, they are making it as difficult as they can. In fact, in the two weeks of the new visa being introduced, I was the first person the Birmingham consulate had issued one to, as no one else had managed to meet the new criteria.

ROBERT HITCHCOCK