TBM Staff - Mumbai Thailand Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has proposed a plan to boost tourism revenue to nearly USD 100 billion next year. This involves easing visa regulations for travellers from China and India, and extending the duration of stay for tourists from all nations.
Chinese travellers, who accounted for the most significant proportion of visitors pre-Covid-19, have been subjected to a taxing visa application procedure. This adversely impacted the tourist count this year, per the prime minister’s statement.
Indian visitors are required to pay THB 2,000 (USD57) for a 15-day visa on arrival. Srettha is pushing for an extended list of visa-exempt nations and longer stay limits for most foreign tourists.
The government aims to raise revenue from foreign tourists to 3.3 trillion baht next year. Thavisin emphasised the travel industry’s potential as the best short-term economic stimulus. The tourism sector contributes to approximately 12% of Thailand’s GDP and nearly a fifth of its employment, per data from the Bank of Thailand (BoT).
