Thailand announces ambitious visa reforms to attract tourists

BANGKOK – In a move to revive its tourism industry, the Thai government has introduced sweeping visa reforms aimed at attracting more visitors to the country with relaxed regulations.

Under the newly announced measures, tourists, postgraduate students, remote workers, and retirees will benefit from extended visa stay periods, in a major deviation from the existing policies.

These changes revealed on Tuesday are expected to reignite Thailand’s vital tourism sector which plays a key role in its economy besides being a major source of employment.

Effective from June onwards, travelers from 93 nations will now be eligible to stay in Thailand for up to 60 days, up from the previous count of 57 countries enjoying such privileges.

In a bid to attract a diverse range of tourists, the government is introducing initiatives to streamline visa processes, making it easier for visitors to explore the diverse landscapes and cultural treasures of the South-Asian paradise.

Moreover, foreign postgraduate students will now have the opportunity to extend their residency in Thailand following graduation, while retirees will encounter relaxed insurance requirements.

As part of the reforms, on-arrival visa stay limits will be extended from 30 to 60 days, and for digital nomads, self-employed individuals, and remote workers, visa validity will be extended to five years, with each stay capped at 180 days— a substantial increase from the current 60-day limit.

The efforts of the Thai government and especially Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin to bolster the tourism sector are already yielding promising results, with 14.3 million tourists recorded from January to May 26 this year. Authorities have set an ambitious target of welcoming a record 40 million foreign arrivals by year-end.

Thailand, which welcomed 39.9 million tourists in 2019 before the start of the pandemic, appears to be on track to achieve its goal through a combination of a relaxed visa regime and comprehensive reforms.

The country is also trying to get exemption for Schengen visa and efforts are underway in this regard though no substantial progress has been made.