Thai tour companies concerned over minimum tour price proposal
Saturday, 28 Jun, 2016
0
Thai tour operators have voiced concerns over new rules proposed to set a minimum price for tours in the country.
The amendment to the Tourism Business and Guide Registration Act would set a minimum price for all tours to combat the notorious ‘zero dollar’ tours.
Zero dollar tours are mostly marketed to Chinese visitors and are often priced below cost where tourists are pressured to spend money in certain shops which pay guides big commissions.
Some tour guides have used heavy handed sales tactics including threats of violence to ‘persuade’ tourists to spend more.
Setting a minimum tariff for tours is impractical and would be difficult to enforce, said Charoen Wangananont, president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA).
Charoen said no other country in the world has set a mandatory minimum cost for group tours.
"Pricing is a sensitive issue and ATTA expects the pricing control will affect our business partners, especially from China" ATTA vice-president Surawat Akaraworamat added.
Tourism Department director-general Wannasiri Morakul said standard minimum tour fees will be set based on various criteria such as which region it is being conducted in.
ATTA also believes the low entry price is only a small part of the problem of zero dollar tour packages.
More important is stamping out the use of illegal guides and tour company nominees. ATTA said.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Clearing CSS/JS assets' cache... Please wait until this notice disappears...
Updating... Please wait...
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season
Major rail disruptions around and in Berlin until early 2026