Thailand’s decision to extend the duration of visa-free visits for Hong Kong residents will strengthen business ties and attract more people from the financial hub to the country, despite a murder-suicide involving six people in Bangkok, industry leaders have said.
They insisted on Wednesday that the deaths would not deter people from visiting the country.
Anthony Lam Sai-ho, the executive deputy chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Industries, welcomed the move and said the extended visa arrangement would benefit Hong Kong businesses that operated in the southeast Asian nation.
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He was speaking after Thailand on Monday announced visa-free entry for 93 countries and regions, including Hong Kong, had been extended from up to 30 days to 60 days.
The change was made in a bid to boost the country’s tourism industry.
“Many of our members operate factories in Thailand and have to meet clients, ensure machinery is operating properly or stay long-term to conduct training in the factories,” Lam said.
The businessman, also the CEO of food production company Golden Resources Development International, said that Thailand was a well-developed manufacturing centre with strong ties to Hong Kong.
“Many Hong Kong businesses in industries such as automobiles, textile and food production work closely with Thai businesses,” Lam added.
Tiffie Cheung Hoi-tung, a digital marketing professional in her thirties, said the visa extension would make it easier for her to work and travel in Thailand.
Cheung has had two two-month-long stints working remotely from Thailand since she embarked on her nomadic lifestyle two years ago.
She said she paid 1,900 baht (US$53) to extend her visa on her first trip and did a visa run to a neighbouring country on her second.
“The extension to 60 days makes it a lot more convenient for me to travel and work as it gives me more time to settle down, and rent for accommodation over a longer period of time is also more value for money,” Cheung added.
She was drawn to the northern Thai city because of the low cost of living, which she said was a quarter of that in Hong Kong.
“As I work Mondays to Fridays and can only travel on the weekends, a longer stay is better for me,” Cheung said.
Roger Hu Wai-chung, a Hongkonger who has lived in Thailand for 20 years, said the new measure would benefit people with relatives in the country or retirees who enjoyed spending time in Thailand.
“With more than 70 provinces, the longer stay can allow tourists to travel the country more extensively,” Hu, a travel writer, said.
“A longer stay would ultimately mean more tourist dollars for the country.”
The Hong Kong Immigration Department said the measure would strengthen the tourism, cultural and economic ties between Thailand and Hong Kong.
Thai figures show that almost 15 million tourists visited Thailand in the first five months of 2024 and generated 700 billion baht in revenue.
The 2.91 million tourists from mainland China topped the list of arrivals and Hong Kong ranked 16th at 317,954.
Hu added that Hongkongers should not be concerned about safety in Thailand after six foreigners were found dead in a Bangkok hotel.
They were discovered in a room at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok on Tuesday night, with suspect Sherine Chong believed to have killed five others with cyanide, before taking her own life with the same poison.
Bangkok police said the incident, which involved people of Vietnamese origin, had been driven by a dispute over debt related to an investment.
Four of the dead were Vietnamese nationals and two were US citizens.
Hu said the hotel was reputable and popular with Hongkongers as it was near the Four Face Buddha at the Erawan Shrine, a major tourist attraction, and that the deaths were an “isolated incident”.
Steve Huen Kwok-chuen, the executive director of travel agency EGL Tours, told the Post the company currently had four tour groups in Bangkok, but their holidays had not been affected by the news.
“Our customers understood that it was a stand-alone incident,” he said.
More from South China Morning Post:
- How Hong Kong permanent residents can apply for new mainland China multi-entry visas
- US ‘taking steps’ to impose visa restrictions on Hong Kong, mainland Chinese officials over national security law implementation
- Mainland China move allowing visa-free cruises can benefit Hong Kong as well
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