After Sri Lanka, Indians can now enter Thailand with no visa compulsion from November 1 till May 2024. According to a Thailand official, the visa-free entry will be valid for both India and Taiwan for a period of six months, starting from tomorrow.
The latest move is crucial for the Southeast Asian nation amid the fact the travel industry was among those affected adversely by the Coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent lockdown imposed by the countries to curb the spread of the deadly virus.
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.
The government proposed the measure due to concerns that the number of Chinese tourists this year might not reach the initial target of 5 million due to strict visa requirements. The Tourism Authority of Thailand reported that around 1.4 million Chinese tourists came in the first six months of this year.
Sri Lanka approves visa-free entry for visitors from India
Earlier last week, Sri Lanka approved issuing free visas to India, China, Russia, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia and Thailand with immediate effect as a pilot project till 31 March. As per the Sri Lankan media reports, the latest decision has been taken in order to give a boost to the tourism industry. " We are expecting to increase tourist arrivals to five million over the coming years,” the ministry said as quoted by the Sri Lankan media.
