Thailand plans to waive visas for Chinese and Indian visitors

September 2, 2023 05:39

New Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has just proposed a visa exemption plan for Chinese and Indian tourists, raising hopes of economic recovery.

Source: Bangkok Post

Thailand expects to welcome 30 million international tourists this year, nearly triple last year's figure but still below the 40 million before Covid-2019.

Tourism operators and analysts believe the visa exemption will speed up the industry's recovery and help Thailand meet its tourist arrivals target.

The lengthy visa application process is currently one of the bottlenecks in Thailand’s tourism industry. According to market analysts, in the first half of this year, the average waiting time for a Chinese tourist to get a tourist visa to Thailand was nearly 15 days. Chinese and Indian tourists can apply for a visa on arrival, which costs 2,000 baht ($57) and allows them to stay for 15 days, but there are some requirements that must be met.

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/thai-lan-du-kien-mien-visa-cho-khach-trung-quoc-an-do-post704010.html