Authorities in Thailand are planning to facilitate visa rules for visitors from India and China.
Such a decision comes after the new Prime Minister, Srettha Thavisin, aims to boost its tourism industry to about USD 100 billion (INR 8,26,955 crore) in the following year, VisaGuide.World reports.
Thavisin stressed that he wants to expand the list of visa-exempt states and also increase the stay limits for foreign travelers.
Up to this point, tourists from India are obliged to pay 2,000 baht ($57) for a 15-day visa upon their arrival. Thailand’s PM plans to further enlarge the list of visa-exempt countries and also extend the permissible length of stay for a larger number of foreign visitors.
Besides, he proposed implementing caps of either 15 or 30 days for travelers from various countries.
President of the Phuket Tourism Association, Thaneth Tantipiriyakij, indicated that abolishing application fees for passengers from India and China would bring more benefits than granting visa extensions.
“Visa fee exemptions are a ‘quick win’ for tourism,” Tantipiriyakij pointed out, noting that while international passengers to Phuket through last month had reached nearly 70 percent of pre-pandemic levels, Chinese arrivals recovery rate is only 30 percent, according to Bloomberg report.
Last month, the PM talked about some options with executives of Airports of Thailand PCL and several airlines, which were aimed towards bringing a larger number of foreign passengers in the fourth quarter, during which period Thailand welcomes a large number of passengers.
In spite of the fact that China contributed the most significant number of tourists in July, the return of passengers to the country is still slower than was expected at first. Last month, the country received nearly 420,000 travelers from China.
In 2019, before the spread of COVID-19, nearly 28 percent of the registered passengers reaching Thailand were Chinese citizens, thus generating nearly 1.9 trillion baht in revenue in the process.
According to the report, this can be attributed to the strict e-visa requirements introduced in May, particularly for group travelers.
“If China’s economic outlook, for instance, deteriorates further and consumer sentiment weakens, the risk is these supply-side responses to attract tourists will be less effective,” Euben Paracuelles, Chief ASEAN Economist at Nomura, pointed out in this regard.
The spread of the Coronavirus and its new variants caused significant damage to many industries, with the travel and tourism sector among the most affected ones. The country’s authorities are continuously attempting to find new and effective ways in order to help the tourism sector recover from the COVID-19 situation.