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The Malaysian government has decided to extend visa exemption to tourists from China until Dec 31, 2017 and broaden the scope to cover tourists from India as well, Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz said.

During the oral question and answer session today at Dewan Rakyat, Mohd Nazri revealed that tourists from China constitute the third largest foreign arrival to Malaysia. According to statistics from January to August this year, Malaysia welcomed 1.41 million China tourists, equivalent to an increase of 26.3% compared to 1.11 million in the same period last year.

“For 2016, the ministry fixed a target of two million Chinese tourists arrival after we implemented the visa exemption policy. Based on the positive growth, the government has agreed to extend the visa exemption period to Chinese tourists, to Dec 31, 2017,” he said.

“The government has [also] decided to broaden visa exemption to countries that provide rich source of tourists to Malaysia, like China. Hence, we agreed to give visa exemption to India tourists as well; it was introduced in February [this year]. I was told there were increases in India tourist arrival,” he added, but did not provide further statistics.

Moving forward, Mohd Nazri also said his ministry is confident of achieving the four million China tourist arrival target by 2020.

Source:theedgemarkets.com

Above: A government official said later nine types of events and venues would operate as normal, including nightclubs, pubs and bars.

Thailand’s party scene may get back into gear in a fortnight after a shutdown to mourn the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the junta suggested Tuesday.

The death of 88-year-old Bhumibol Adulyadej on October 13 thrust a country renowned for its colorful nightlife into profound mourning.

Thais have donned black, soap operas have been pulled from television schedules, festivals canceled and the music even turned down at Bangkok’s seedier bars – with go-go dancers swapping the usual garish bikinis for somber black outfits.

Above: The death of 88-year-old Bhumibol Adulyadej on October 13 thrust a country renowned for its colorful nightlife into profound mourning.

But the junta leader signaled that nightlife may soon be allowed to creep back – along with cultural celebrations, concerts and the beloved soap operas – when a 30-day initial mourning period ends on November 14.

“Television will return to normal,” Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-Cha told reporters, albeit warning actors to dress demurely on screen and remain “polite” befitting the national mood.

In a nod to a relaxation on restrictions on nightlife he said “Thailand is a country of tourism,” adding discussions were continuing over the loosening of controls on indoor and outdoor venues.

A government official said later nine types of events and venues would operate as normal, including nightclubs, pubs and bars.

Above: Cultural celebrations, fairs, sporting events and concerts can also be restored to the calendar after a month-long suspension, according to an offical citing the prime minister’s office.

Cultural celebrations, fairs, sporting events and concerts can also be restored to the calendar after a month-long suspension, according to an offical citing the prime minister’s office.

It was not immediately clear how that will play out with each local police force likely to enforce their own rules as the national mood lightens.

Neither is the return of the famed “Full Moon” beach party confirmed.

The junta has sought to balance respect for the venerated late king, who was the world’s longest-reigning monarch, with keeping the country open for business.

The main tourist season is about to get into full swing and analysts have warned that any protracted clampdown on the party scene could drive visitors away.

Above: The main tourist season is about to get into full swing and analysts have warned that any protracted clampdown on the party scene could drive visitors away.

Source: KHMER TIMES

ALIBABA’S financial affiliate Ant Financial Services said yesterday that it has made a strategic investment in Thailand’s payment service provider Ascend Money as the Chinese company continues to expand its overseas footprint.

The investment follows a similar one Ant Financial made in India’s mobile payment service PayTM last year, as the Chinese company hopes to leverage its technology capability to boost the development of financial technology, or fintech, not only in China but overseas too.

“We’re seeking to cooperate with local partners such as Ascend and PayTM and to increase Alipay merchant acceptance worldwide, and eventually aims to serve 2 billion consumers globally in 10 years,” said Eric Jing, CEO of Ant Financial.

The tie-up between Ascend Money, a subsidiary of Thailand’s Charoen Pokphand Group Co, and Ant Financial includes cross-sharing of payment network so that the two partners can collaborate on payment and cloud-computing capability.

An earlier filing to China’s Ministry of Commerce envisaged Ant Financial acquiring 20 percent of Ascend Money, with options that would raise its stake to 30 percent.

Source:shanghaidaily.com

New residential supply in Greater Bangkok this year is expected to drop by 10% from a year before to lower than 100,000 units, the lowest level since the severe flooding in 2011, as many developers have been putting off new launches in the fourth quarter to next year.

Samma Kitsin, director-general of the Real Estate Information Center, said this year will be the first year since 2011 that the total number of new residential supply launched in Greater Bangkok is lower than 100,000 units.

“The property market in the final quarter is being softened. We expect launches of many projects to be postponed until next year,” he said.

In 2011, the total number of newly launched residential supply dropped by 31% to 82,600 units from 120,200 units in 2010. During 2012-15, the figures rose to higher than 100,000 units per year with 102,600 in 2012, 130,200 in 2013, 118,280 in 2014 and 104,870 units the following year.

During the first nine months of 2016, the number of new residential units launched in Greater Bangkok totalled 70,200 units from 313 projects, down 8.7% from 76,900 units from 318 projects in the same period last year.

Of the amount, 37,200 units were condos, a 17% decline from 44,900 units, while 33,000 units were low-rise houses, a slight increase of 3%.

“Many large developers had planned to launch a lot of new projects, particularly condos in the fourth quarter after they held off new launches in the first four months to focus on ready-to-transfer units to boost sales during the period of property tax incentives which ended in April,” he said.

“Due to unfavourable sentiment, however, many of them are likely to postpone their launches to next year.”

According to Mr Samma, this year the number of new low-rise houses launched will total 42,000-43,000 units against the usual 45,000 for the segment. Condo launches will be between 50,000 and 52,000 units, the lowest since 2011.

Prasert Taedullayasatit, president of the Thai Condominium Association, disclosed a few weeks ago that the value of new residential supply by large listed developers planned for the fourth quarter alone was estimated at 150 billion baht.

Surachet Kongcheep, associate director of research at property consultant Colliers International Thailand, said the number of new condo supply launched in Bangkok in the third quarter was the highest in the past four quarters as the economy showed signs of improvement.

“The key factor that boosted sentiment in the third quarter was government spending. It will also play a major role in stimulating sentiment in the fourth quarter and next year,” he said.

As of the end of the third quarter, Bangkok’s condo take-up rate remained solid at 75%.

The highest rate was for units price 100,001-150,000 baht per square metre with a take-up rate of 82%, followed by lower than 50,000 baht per sq m and 150,001-200,000 baht per sq m with 81% each.

Source: Bangkok Post

A long-discussed plan to offer five-year visas for foreigners was floated again Tuesday by the nation’s top tourism official.Visas to facilitate those staying for extended periods would make Thailand more competitive with neighbors such as Malaysia, where 10-year visas are available, according to Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, who said the issue would be raised with the relevant immigration and security agencies.

“If Thailand had a clear strategy and marketing plan, I believe we could attract long-stayers as much as Malaysia does,” she said.Visas such as those offered in Malaysia are not valid for employment but hold appeal for retirees and students.

Kobkarn also singled out complaints about delays at the Chiang Mai immigration office, saying it needed to increase staff because it takes more than six times longer for expats to extend their visas there compared to offices in other provinces.

As the northern province is home to about 12,000 long-stay foreigners and a destination the government wants to promote as a medical hub, Kobkarn said her ministry would push the Immigration Bureau to loosen measures, such as dropping 90-day check-ins in favor of an annual system.The population of long-staying residents is expected to grow 5 percent to 10 percent annually, she said.Various efforts and calls for long-term visas have been brought up many times but none has yet been pushed toward implementation.

In March, an umbrella organization of trade groups called on the military government to issue a new type of five-year visa to attract highly skilled professionals. No progress was ever reported.

Source:Khaosod English