Thailand to waive visas for India and Taiwan to boost tourism
Chinese, Kazakh tourists already granted temporary visa waiver, Visa exemption meant to boost tourist arrivals, premier says
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand will waive visa requirements for arrivals from India and Taiwan from next month to May 2024, a government official said on Tuesday, in a bid to draw in more tourists as high season approaches.
Thailand in September scrapped visa requirements for Chinese tourists, the country’s top pre-pandemic tourism market with 11 million of the record 39 million arrivals in 2019.
From January to October 29, there were 22 million visitors to Thailand, generating 927.5 billion baht ($25.67 billion), according to the latest government data.
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“Arrivals from India and Taiwan can enter Thailand for 30 days,” spokesperson Chai Wacharonke said.
India has been Thailand’s fourth largest source market for tourism so far this year with about 1.2 million arrivals after Malaysia, China and South Korea.
Inbound tourism from India showed signs of growth as more airlines and hospitality chains targeted that market.
Thailand is targeting about 28 million arrivals this year, with the new government hoping the travel sector can offset continued weak exports that have constrained economic growth.
September scrapped visa requirements for Chinese tourists, the country’s top pre-coronavirus-pandemic tourism market with 11 million of the record 39 million arrivals in 2019.
“Arrivals from India and Taiwan can enter Thailand for 30 days,” government spokesman Chai Wacharonke said.
India has been Thailand’s fourth largest source market for tourism so far this year with about 1.2 million arrivals after Malaysia, China and South Korea.
Travellers from Malaysia has topped the list of tourists this year at more than 3 million, followed by Chinese — the largest group of visitors to Thailand before the Covid-19 pandemic — at 2.65 million, according to the latest figures from the TAT.