From November 10, travellers from India and Taiwan will be able to enter Thailand without a visa and stay for up to 30 days (plus an extension for 1900 baht for an additional 30 days). Cabinet has given the go-ahead to the measure, in a bid to boost the tourism sector and the country’s economy.
It is one of a number of stimulus measures introduced by PM Srettha Thavisin’s administration, following the recently implemented visa-free entry for Chinese and Kazakh tourists and the proposed extension to nightlife hours.
Addressing the media after yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, Srettha said the police will be in effect until May 10, to reflect the fact that the kingdom remains a popular destination with tourists from India and Taiwan.
“We will provide visa exemption for Indian and Taiwanese visitors because a lot of their people like to visit Thailand.”
There are now 59 countries whose citizens can enter Thailand without a visa, according to government spokesman Chai Wacharonke. India is the fourth largest tourism market for Thailand, after Malaysia, China, and South Korea. Between January and September this year, Thailand welcomed an estimated 1.2 million Indian tourists.
The Bangkok Post reports that the average Indian traveller spends around 41,000 baht per trip, staying in the country for roughly a week, according to government data. This year, tourism officials expect to see around 1.55 million Indian travellers in the kingdom.
Another significant market is Taiwan, with the Taipei office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand saying around 700,000 Taiwanese tourists are expected to travel to Thailand this year. This nearly matches the 780,000 arrivals recorded in 2019, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Taiwanese travellers spend an estimated 42,900 baht per trip, or an average of 5,200 baht per day.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
