Traveling to Thailand has become a lot easier with the new instructions issued by the Tourism branch of the Thailand government. As per the new rule, Indian passport holders can stay upto 60 days without the need for a special visa. In fact, this new rule allows citizens from 93 countries across the globe visa free access to Thailand for touring the country for a period of 60 days.
Earlier in May, the Cabinet had approved a temporary visa extension for Taiwanese and Indian “not extending 30 days.” Starting this month, Thailand will permit remote workers, graduate students, and retirees from 93 nations to stay for up to 60 days. This move aims to enhance tourism and stimulate the economy. For remote workers, the visa validity extends to five years, allowing stays of up to 180 days at a time.
Thailand’s Tourism Industry on the revival trajectory
Post pandemic, nations across the globe were struggling to recover their declining economy. Thailand was one of such countries. The new global technological trends and social changes had forced these countries to adapt to changing times post pandemic. The Thai authorities resorted to adjusting their tourism strategy to reduce their over-dependence on a few source markets and to diversify their target customer groups in the years ahead.
A year later after the restrictions were eased, tourists began pouring into the country. However, to reach the annual 30 million arrivals was going to take time. The recovery in 2022 was driven by arrivals from Association of South‑East Asian Nations states (37% of the total) and European countries (24%).
Typically, it aimed to make it easier for high-spending visitors to stay longer in the country. The government introduced a new version of long-term resident visa to attract highly skilled, wealthy individuals and retirees to stay in the kingdom for up to ten years.
After consistently ranking among the top travel destinations pre-pandemic, Thailand suffered a sudden setback in the economy. Revenue from tourism, which used to account for 11% of GDP in 2019, when it reached US$59.8bn, dropped to a dismal US$5bn or 1% of GDP in 2021.
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But the prolonged attempt, catering to innovation and diversification, to recover from the setback has borne fruits for the country. In the first quarter of 2024, Thailand witnessed a record-breaking influx of 9.4 million foreign tourists, a promising revival for the decaying tourism industry and contributing an estimated 454.6 billion baht (£9.7 billion) to the economy. China led the influx of foreign tourists to Thailand, accounting for 1.75 million arrivals surpassing all previous records and standing testament to Thailand’s allure as a top tourist destination in Southeast Asia.
