Thailand is gearing up to facilitate the entry of Indian and Chinese tourists, while also extending the length of stays for all travellers, as part of its ambitious plan to invigorate the tourism sector. With the objective of reaching a tourism revenue of nearly $100 billion next year, Thailand is contemplating easing visa regulations for Indian and Chinese visitors and enhancing the duration of visits for people from all corners of the globe. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin engaged in discussions with executives from Thailand Pcl and several airline representatives to explore various possibilities.

In a recent announcement on X (formerly known as Twitter), PM Srettha Thavisin stated, “The airport operator has committed to reducing bottlenecks, increasing flight capacity by 20%, and streamlining immigration procedures.”

According to data from Nomura Holdings Inc., foreign tourist arrivals are anticipated to reach around 30 million in 2023, nearly tripling the 11.2 million figure from the previous year.

The resurgence of Chinese tourists has been slower than anticipated, despite China being the largest source of travellers last month, with nearly 420,000 arrivals. In 2019, prior to the pandemic, about 28% of the record-breaking 40 million foreign arrivals in Thailand hailed from China, contributing approximately 1.9 trillion baht in revenue.

China, which was the largest group of tourists before the COVID-19 pandemic, has faced a costly and cumbersome visa application process, hampering visitor numbers this year, according to the Prime Minister.

Concurrently, Indian travellers are currently required to pay 2,000 baht ($57) for a 15-day visa on arrival. PM Srettha expressed his desire to expand the list of visa-exempt countries and extend the length of stays for most international visitors, proposing limits of 15 or 30 days for various nationalities, as highlighted by Bloomberg.

The government's primary aim is to propel tourism revenue to 3.3 trillion baht next year, with the travel industry being perceived as "the most effective short-term economic stimulus," as mentioned by Srettha, as reported by Bloomberg News.

Tourism accounts for approximately 12% of Thailand's gross domestic product and is a source of nearly one-fifth of the nation's employment, according to data from the Bank of Thailand.