Why fewer tourists are going to Thailand - Asia Specific podcast, BBC World Service

Tourism is one of the lifebloods of Thailand’s economy, but tourist numbers have fallen and have never gone back to the same level since before the pandemic. Click here to subscribe to our channel 👉🏽 https://bbc.in/3VyyriM The government has been trying to shore up tourist numbers. But, in May, Thailand cut visa-free stay period for tourists from 60 to 30 days. It sounds counterintuitive, cutting the visa-free stay period when it’s trying to shore up tourist numbers, but that’s actually a solution to a different problem, according to the BBC’s South East Asia correspondent Jonathan Head. He joins our host Mariko Oi on this episode of Asia Specific to unpack the reason behind Thailand’s latest move. Read more about Thailand’s decision to cut visa-free stay period here 👉🏽https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c78... Watch a short explainer video on how the cut will impact the way you travel here 👉🏽https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/c142r... CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Introduction 01:35 - A brief history of Thailand’s tourism economy 03:13 - Why Thailand decided to shorten visa-free stay for some tourists 05:30 - What businesses are foreigners setting up in Thailand 07:50 - Who are the “high-value tourists” Thailand wants to attract 10:35 - Would Thailand’s new visa rules affect regular holidaymakers? 12:10 - Why there is a dip in Chinese tourists going to Thailand 12:58 - Can Thailand’s economy rely less on tourism dollars? 14:14 - Should Thailand shift its focus away from mass tourism? Watch more episodes of Asia Specific here 👉🏽    • Asia Specific   Instagram: @bbcworldservice Email: asiaspecific@bbc.co.uk Presenter: Mariko Oi Producers: Derek Cai, Rachel Lee Camera: Muhammad Firdaus Bin Mohd Ansary, Rosalehin Bin Rosli, Fahmi Jamal Editor: Bill Birtles ---------------- This is the official BBC World Service YouTube channel. If you like what we do, you can also find us here: Instagram 👉🏽   / bbcworldservice   Twitter 👉🏽   / bbcworldservice   Facebook 👉🏽   / bbcworldservice   BBC World Service website 👉🏽 https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldserviceradio Thanks for watching and subscribing! #BBCWorldService #WorldService #asiaspecific #asiaspecificpodcast #Thailand #Tourism #Visa