Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Friday pledged to move ahead with a crackdown on zero-dollar tour operations while assuring efforts were under way to help cushion any impact on the tourism industry.
His remarks were made when asked about a drop in tourist arrivals during his visit to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports ahead of the upcoming tourist season.
Gen Prayut said the crackdown on tourist scams was giving tourism and related businesses a hard time, but stressed that the government was working to address the repercussions.
Thai authorities launched a campaign to tackle the zero-dollar tour scams in late September in the wake of complaints that it tarnished the country's reputation.
Chinese tour scams involve offering cheap package tours to customers who are then pressured into buying goods and services at inflated prices so that the operators can recoup their losses.
But the crackdown has resulted in a slowdown in tourist arrivals and economic losses, with some critics arguing such an approach was not the best option to address the problem.
This month Nok Air said it was decelerating its expansion into China, apparently due to the impact of the crackdown on zero-dollar inbound tours.
Gen Prayut said overall tourist arrivals did not take a hit, but arrivals from some countries did decrease. He pointed out that the slowdown was caused by several factors, including stricter law enforcement.
The prime minister called on parties concerned to come together and solve the problem. He said the state cannot solve the problem alone.
"We hope to increase tourism revenue in the last quarter by more than 6%. The performance in the third quarter has met the target. We believe the final quarter will also meet the target but we want to do better.
"However, we have to consider internal factors. We have to tackle illegal operations. We have to enforce the law and strengthen the industry. I'm asking every sector to cooperate," he said.
Gen Prayut said China was providing cooperation to the government in tackling the problem and urged the media to step in and help build confidence among tourists.
He said he was also giving moral support to Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul to help solve the problem.
According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Chinese tourists represent about 30% of total foreign tourist arrivals. Last year, Thailand welcomed nearly 30 million foreign tourists and the figure was expected to increase to 33.8 million this year.
The prime minister also lashed out at the media for failing to promote a better understanding among the public about the government's legal action against the tour scams.
He said media outlets took the government to task when zero-dollar scams emerged and were critical of the government's measures against illegal tour operations.
He also called on the media to refrain from bringing up issues that could drive tourists away.
"Who wants to come visit our country? Sometimes they come up with security issues. All these are factors," he said.
Meanwhile, Phet Chancharoen, Don Mueang airport general manager, said tourist arrivals at the airport in October dropped to 80,000 passengers per day, from 90,000-100,000 before officials launched the crackdown.
"The drop in numbers was largely due to a fall in passengers from China. Chartered flights were cancelled. Before that there were tens of thousands of tourists from China daily. That number went down by half after the crackdown," he added.
However, he said tourist arrivals from China started to pick up in late October to early November along with an increasing number of chartered flights from China.
Mr Phet said tourist arrivals during the peak season and New Year holidays are likely to match those in the same period last year, which was approximately 100,000-120,000 passengers a day.
He said the third phase of development of Don Mueang airport is divided into two periods: 2017-2022 and 2023-2025. This aims to accommodate growing passenger numbers, which is expected to reach 40 million a year. Its current capacity is 30 million people per year.
Don Mueang airport can currently accommodate 40 flights per hour. After the third-phase upgrade, Don Mueang is expected to serve 50 flights per hour.
According to Mr Phet, the third phase of development comprises 15 projects which includes the expansion of car park areas.
An old building north of the airport will be demolished and turned into a car park, he said, adding that bids for the project will be taken next month and construction will last about a year.