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By Peter Alagos/Business Reporter
Last month’s bombing incident in Thailand's Erwan Shrine will not affect the influx of tourists from Qatar, especially this coming Eid al-Adha, ambassador Piroon Laismit expressed confidence.
“In the beginning, many people were stunned by the incident but they should not worry anymore because the police are on top of the situation and the necessary investigations are ongoing,” he told Gulf Times.
Similar to conditions after the May 2014 protest actions, Laismit said tourism activity in Bangkok had normalised just a few days after a bomb blast killed 22 persons and injured 120 others at the popular Hindu shrine.
Records from the Thai embassy showed 31,534 tourists from Qatar visited Thailand in 2014. Out of last year’s total figures, 23,052 were Qataris while 8,482 were Qatar-based expatriates, who applied for visas from Doha.
"From January to July this year, the embassy processed 5,000 visa applications for expatriates. For the same period, 17,429 Qataris had already visited Thailand.
“We are expecting an additional 10,000 tourists from Qatar to visit Thailand from September until the end of the year,” Laismit noted.
He stressed that the embassy cannot provide the exact number of tourists from Qatar since some expatriates like the British, Americans, Japanese, and other tourists from Southeast Asian countries are not required to present visas in Thailand.
According to Laismit, Thailand is attractive to most Qataris for its medical tourism industry. “Many Qataris see Thailand as a medical hub and they have a high regard for the services of our medical practitioners, who were trained and schooled abroad. Their services are efficient,” he explained.
“Because of our medical tourism industry, Qataris go to Thailand all year round. But the peak season for both Qataris and Qatar expats is during summer and the Eid holidays.”
Aside from medical tourism, Laismit said Qataris also visit Thailand’s many tourist destinations. “We have an abundance tropical fruits and Arabic food, as well as a range of international cuisine. The cost of living is low and transportation services are convenient making it conducive for tourists to travel to our shrines and cultural sites,” the ambassador said.
According to Laismit, Thailand received a total of 26mn tourists in 2014. “We are targeting to get 28mn visitors this year. Currently, 24.5mn tourists have already arrived in Thailand. Hopefully, by year’s end we could meet our target,” he said.
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