THAILAND AIMS TO BOOST ECONOMY WITH NEW TOURIST VISA RULE

BANGKOK, July 15 (Bernama) -- Thailand's 60-day visa exemption for 93 countries, including Malaysia, aims to boost tourism, make travel easier and stimulate the country's economy.

However, the effective date of the new measure will only be announced upon completion of final legal procedures.

Government spokesperson Chai Wacharonke said Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin is confident that the measure will facilitate tourists travelling to Thailand.

He added that the government's tourist-friendly policies have been successful, as evidenced by the significant rise in tourist arrivals and revenue generated by the tourism industry.

"The prime minister believes that this visa measure will have a ripple effect, making Thailand a major tourist destination, creating jobs and boosting livelihoods, and driving the economy to develop the lives of the Thai people," he said.

Chai also said that United States News and a user account on X named World of Statistics, which provides information on statistics, surveys and rankings in various fields, has ranked Thailand as the fourth most beautiful country out of over 87 countries worldwide, behind New Zealand, Greece and Italy.

He added that this ranking is based on global survey responses highlighting the countries with the most beautiful sceneries and one of the reasons given is that Thailand is one of the most-visited countries in the world, even though tourism accounts for only seven per cent of its gross domestic product.

Last May, Thailand announced plans to grant a 60-day visa exemption for nationals from 93 countries and territories, as well as visa-on-arrival for nationals from 31 countries and territories.

To complement the recent ranking by World of Statistics as the fourth most beautiful country in the world, Srettha wrote on X, “We will soon be granting a 60-day visa exemption for nationals from 93 countries and territories and visa-on-arrival for nationals from 31 countries and territories.”

“Apart from that, under the Ignite Thailand vision, we are granting a 180-day visa for digital nomads and those travelling to Thailand to take courses in Muay Thai and Thai cuisine, as well as for seminars, organising music festivals and art exhibitions, and medical treatment purposes," he wrote on X Monday.

Earlier this month, statistics from the Tourism and Sports Ministry showed that Thailand has welcomed 17.5 million foreign tourists and generated approximately 825.541 billion baht (RM106.22 billion) in revenue for the first half of 2024.

Chinese arrivals topped the list of tourist arrivals with 3.43 million, followed by Malaysia (2.43 million) and India (1.04 million) during the same period. 

-- BERNAMA