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PropertyGuru’s real estate news roundup also includes Thailand withdrawing proposed tourism fee for tourists. Other updates include Hong Kong Tourism Board’s hospitality campaign encouraging frontline staff and members of the public to “Smile More” and Ho Chi Minh City River Festival 2024 attracting nearly 4.5 million visitors.
Thailand withdraws tourism tax proposal
Thailand has backed away from plans to impose a 300 baht ($8.20) tourism fee on tourists arriving in the country by air.
Thai Prime Minister Surendra Tavishin announced the government’s decision to cancel the plan during a visit to Chiang Mai on June 8.
“The fee has been abolished as it will encourage more tourist spending in other areas, providing a greater stimulus to the economy,” the Thai Government Information Office said on its website on Monday.
Thailand’s previous government approved the controversial fee in February 2023, and a spokesman for the Prime Minister’s Office said at the time that the fee collected would be “used for the management and development of the tourism industry.” However, the Government Information Office said, as reported by CNA, that the fee faced opposition from the private sector.
‘Smile more’: Hong Kong launches hospitality campaign to encourage courtesy among visitors
The Hong Kong Tourism Board’s (HKTB) “Let’s Go the Extra Mile” hospitality campaign encourages frontline staff and members of the public to go the extra mile for visitors.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board said the new TV promotion, starring actors Louis Koo and Ng Siu-hing, highlights Hong Kong’s professional, high-quality service while showing how “we can all demonstrate better hospitable attitudes and make a good impression on customers by going the extra mile with small touches”.
Last month, Pong Yiu-kai, chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, said poor telecommunications and Wi-Fi service, as well as rude behavior from retailers, waiters and taxi drivers, were among the most common complaints from tourists planning to visit Hong Kong in 2023. Hong Kong Post said the board’s chairman had urged customer service staff to smile more.
Ho Chi Minh City River Festival 2024 to attract nearly 4.5 million visitors
According to a report by the city’s Tourism Department, the second Ho Chi Minh City River Festival 2024 attracted around 4.5 million visitors.
The southern metropolis welcomed around 1.3 million visitors, including 121,000 foreign tourists and 1.18 million domestic tourists, between May 31 and June 9. According to Vietnam Plus, the event brought in VND4.2 trillion (US$165 million) in tourism and service revenue for the city.
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