After Sri Lanka and Thailand, Vietnam is likely to become the third country since last month to provide visa-free entry for Indian travellers. Vietnamese Tourism Minister Nguyn Van Jung has proposed short-term visa waivers for travellers from China and India to boost the recovery of the country's economic sector, as per local reports.
Currently, visitors from Germany, France, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Finland and Denmark are allowed to enter Vietnam without the need for a visa. Vietnam welcomed around 10 million international visitors in 2023 till October, a major rise from last year.
Visa-free travel to Sri Lanka and Thailand
Last month, Sri Lanka approved issuing free visas to India, China, Russia, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia and Thailand with immediate effect as a pilot project till March 31, 2024. "We are expecting to increase tourist arrivals to five million over the coming years,” the ministry said as quoted by the Sri Lankan media.
Notably, Sri Lanka, an island nation, is majorly dependent on the tourism sector. The industry is considered a significant contributor to the country's GDP. However, it has been ruined by back-to-back tragedies that occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the bad implementation of agricultural reforms. In fact, this led the country to plunge into crisis.
Soon after, Thailand also allowed visa-free travel for Indians from November 1 till May next year. According to a Thailand official, the visa-free entry will be valid for both India and Taiwan for a period of six months.
Notably, Thailand is among the most travelled destinations among Indians, especially the younger generation. In fact, India has been Bangkok's fourth largest source market for tourism in the first ten months of this year. According to official estimates, about 1.2 million tourists arrive after Malaysia, China, and South Korea.
Earlier last month, Thailand had also waived off visas for Chinese tourists. China more than a decade ago became a major source of tourists to Thailand, with almost 11 million visitors in 2019, accounting for 27.6% of all arrivals the year before the coronavirus pandemic devastated the tourist market.
