Facebook page exposes ‘VIP fast-track' entry services for Chinese tourists

The page “Lui Chin” (Shoot to China) said in a post on Tuesday that multiple “VIP” fast-track entry services at Thai airports were sold on China’s Taobao e-commerce platform.

The post on the FB page was apparently in response to an announcement by the TAT earlier on Tuesday that its offices in China could not find the ad offering such fast-track entry services to Chinese tourists.

The TAT had issued the statement after three Thai policemen were “advertised” in a viral clip of a Chinese female influencer that she had bought a fast-track police VIP service to take her through Immigration with a police motorcycle escort from Suvarnabhumi Airport to her hotel in Pattaya.

The “Lui Chin” page said Chinese tourists could conveniently buy the VIP services on the Taobao platform.

The page said the ads of such services on the platform during the past 30 days were similar. They advertised that Chinese tourists, who buy the services, would be escorted via fast-track services at Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Chiang Mai and Phuket airports.

The ads said the tourists would not have to wait in line and would not have to fill entry forms and display their bank statements, according to the “Lui Chin” page.

The page added that the ads also boasted customers could buy the visa-on-arrival option.

Earlier, when the Chinese influencer had posted her “fast-track” entry clip, a spokesman for the Royal Thai Police claimed she has applied for e-Visa that allowed all the documents to already be checked online so she could by-pass checking at the Immigration counter.

The Lui Chin page said Taobao was not the only platform that provided such fast-track services.

#ThailandFastPass in Chinese, using Google translation, would reveal a lot of such ads elsewhere.

Nation TV reported on Wednesday that it had used the trick of “Lui Chin" and found many ads of VIP services at Suvarnabhumi Airport, costing about 265 yuan (1,325 baht).

The ads said that once their planes land at Suvarnabhumi, a staff would hold a sign to welcome the tourists who had bought the fast-track services, and they would be assisted in getting through the Immigration check in 20 minutes without having to wait in the line.

Suvarnabhumi Airport displays a sign offering fast-track entry services to diplomats, senior government officials, first-class and business-class passengers and Thailand’s Elite Card holders or E-visa applicants.

BOI investors, attendants of special seminar, flight crew and the handicapped are also eligible for fast-track entry services, but not general tourists.

Meanwhile, Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn, president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, said tourism operators found that the reported fast-track service by Thai police for Chinese tourists had severely dented Thailand’s image among foreign tourists.