Thailand’s cabinet on Tuesday approved a measure to waive for two months fees paid by visitors for visas on arrival, in a bid to boost a lucrative industry hit by a drop in visitors from China, its biggest market. The fee of 2,000 baht (54 EUR) will be waived between 1 December and 31 January for travelers from 21 countries.

In September, overall tourist arrivals rose just 2.1% from a year earlier, but arrivals from China fell almost 15% following a boat accident in July, which killed 47 Chinese tourists, making it Thailand’s worst tourist-related disaster in years.

Last year, Chinese visitors made up nearly a third of the record 35.38 million arrivals in Thailand.

The duration of stay, however, will remain unchanged at 15 days.

The 21 countries are Andorra, Bulgaria, Bhutan, China, Cyprus, Ethiopia, Fiji, India, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Papua New Guinea, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan can take advantage of the waiver.

Tourism receipts account for about 12 percent of Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy, making it one of the most important drivers of its growth. The tourism ministry has forecast 37.5 million foreign tourists this year, up about 6 percent.