Okinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau (OCVB) is now taking steps to strengthen its ability to welcome more tourists from Thailand, as their numbers are expected to increase with new direct flights between Bangkok and Naha, scheduled to start mid-February.

Thai language services will be available from Feb. 1st at the Multilingual Contact Center, and the bureau has also prepared 30,000 copies of free guidebooks written in Thai with information about sightseeing and transportation within Okinawa.

According to OCVB, most of the people coming to Okinawa from Thailand via Hong Kong or Taipei have been in tour groups. However, more individual visitors are expected to arrive when Peach Aviation starts the direct service in February.

Since the Japanese Government introduced relaxed visa regulations for visitors from Thailand in July 2013, the number of Thai tourists has been increasing steadily. In 2016, 7,200 tourists from Thailand came to Okinawa that was 24.1% more than the previous year.

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