Shipping council eyes new opportunities in Saudi Arabia, targets 66 billion baht in export
In a bid to make the most of improving bilateral ties, the Thai National Shippers’ Council (TNSC) is planning to devise an action plan to penetrate the Saudi Arabia market.
“The key points in the action plan are ensuring that Saudi Arabia grants visas to Thai nationals and agrees to reduce the visa application fee, which is currently 20,000 baht per person,” TNSC chairman Chaichan Charoensuk said on Thursday. “Other proposals include adjusting conditions to ensure more companies have access to Thai government subsidies and having Thai businesses added to key trade exhibitions in Saudi Arabia well ahead of time to ensure we do not miss any major events.
“On March 3, the TNSC will also hold a seminar for Thai businesses that are interested in exporting to Saudi Arabia,” Chaichan added. “After the seminar, TNSC will send trade representatives to three major Saudi cities namely Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam to attend trade fairs and meet with Saudi businesspeople/importers to discuss trade deals with Thai businesses.”
TNSC is confident the action plan will help expand exports to Saudi Arabia from $1.63 billion currently to $2 billion or 66 billion baht this year.
