In a positive development for travelers, Thailand has announced that it will grant visa-free entry to tourists from both India and Taiwan for a six-month period starting from November 10th and lasting until May 10th, 2024. This decision is part of an effort to attract a higher number of tourists as the upcoming tourism season approaches, as stated by an official from the Thai government in communication with Reuters news agency.
Those arriving from India and Taiwan can enter Thailand for 30 days, according to Thai government spokesperson Chai Wacharonke. He added the authorities hoped that the scheme would attract 1.4 million extra tourists, generating additional 55 billion baht or $1.5 billion in revenue.
Visa-Free Entry Initiatives: Thailand and Sri Lanka
“We will provide visa-free entry to India and Taiwan because a lot of their people like to travel to Thailand,” Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin was quoted as saying by news agency AFP. As of now, Indian and Taiwanese tourists have to apply for a 15-day visa-on-arrival at immigration checkpoints, present bank statements and proof of accommodation.
In September this year, Thailand had waived tourist visa requirements for Chinese nationals. China was Thailand’s top pre-pandemic tourism market with 11 million of the record 39 million arrivals in 2019.
Thailand is the second country to announce visa waivers for Indian globetrotters. Sri Lanka also recently announced visa-free entry for visitors from seven countries including India and China as part of a pilot project to shore up the island nation’s tourism till March 31, 2024.
Thailand’s Tourism Industry and Economic Prospects
From January-October 29, there were 22 million visitors to Thailand who generated revenue worth 927.5 billion baht or $25.67 billion, as per the government data. Of this, nearly one million Russian tourists have arrived in Thailand since the beginning of 2023.
This year, Thailand is eyeing roughly 28 million tourist arrivals as the government hopes that the travel sector can offset weak exports that have adversely impacted the country’s economic growth.
Thailand’s tourism industry accounts for nearly 20 percent of the country’s total GDP. However, it has faced significant challenges in recovering since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to data from the tourism ministry, approximately 1.2 million Indian tourists visited Thailand between January and September 2023, making India the fourth most significant source of visitors after Malaysia, China, and South Korea.