Thailand Tourism: Thailand to require individual visas for every member of group tours
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Tighter visa rules for Chinese travelers to Thailand may impact the country's tourism recovery, as Chinese visitors begin arriving for the extended May Day holiday. CGTN's Martin Lowe reports from Phuket. 

MARTIN LOWE Phuket "Sun, sand and sea … it may be a bit of a cliche, but for many a holiday isn't a holiday without a good beach. With China just a relatively short flight from Thailand, more and more Chinese visitors are returning here, with the ending of COVID travel rules. And those numbers have been swelled during the five-day Chinese Labor Day holiday.

This is Patong – probably the most popular of all the beaches in Phuket. There's lots to do, from parasailing to zooming around on jet skis, to simply topping up a tan. Tourism chiefs say around a quarter-of-a-million Chinese traveled to Thailand in April alone with a target of five to seven million throughout 2023. To get those big numbers, Thailand needs to attract group tours as well as individual visitors. However, there may be a fly in the ointment. Under new regulations, every member of a group tour will in future require an individual visa, previously one visa covered the whole group. Thai travel agents are concerned the move could see many potential visitors go elsewhere where the rules are less strict. Martin Lowe, CGTN, Phuket."

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