With free visas, Thailand tells Chinese tourists 'please come back soon'

BANGKOK (Reuters) - To make vacationing in a country still under martial law a little more attractive, Thailand’s military junta is offering tourists from China free visas.

Chinese are the biggest visitors to Thailand, accounting for 18 percent of total arrivals in July, but they also proved among the most nervous, with numbers slumping more than other nationalities after May's military coup. Tourism accounts for about 10 percent of the Thai economy, and the imposition of martial law in May after the coup hit the industry hard. Winning back the Chinese visitors is imperative - spending by mainland tourists jumped 80 percent to $6 billion in 2013 from 2012.