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Continuing its efforts to expedite the revival of the Thai travel and tourism industry, the Royal Thai Government has agreed to extend the exemption of the visa fee for tourist visa applications until 4 March 2010. The exemption will apply to all applicants for visa on arrival at all international airports in Thailand as well as those applying at Thai embassies and consulates abroad for stays longer than the period for which they are normally eligible.
Thailand presently gives a Visa on Arrival for citizens of 20 countries for a stay not exceeding 15 days. Citizens of another 42 countries are allowed a visa-free stay in Thailand not over 30 days. Those who wish to stay longer than those periods have to apply for visas at the Thai embassies or diplomatic missions abroad before their arrival in Thailand.
The extension is one of several measures taken by the Thai tourism industry to revive itself in the wake of a number of global and local events that have led to a temporary decline in visitor arrivals.
According to TAT Chairman, Mr. Weerasak Kowsurat, as a result of the global economic downturn, the worldwide travel and tourism sector has declined as people have become more cautious about spending on leisure and business travel. Hence, the government has implemented many measures to enhance Thailand’s competitive advantage and strengthen our country’s unique qualities.
Other recent measures include a reduction of landing charges for aircraft and reduced entry fees for national parks. On 1 June, the Package Tour for Transfer Passengers; initiative was introduced. Transfer passengers making a stopover of 6 to 12 hours at Suvarnabhumi International Airport can take short tours of Bangkok and the surrounding area.
In order to tap the weekend break for short-haul countries, TAT has also introduced 72-hours travel programme guide book to several provinces including Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Pattaya. The most recent programme guide book in the series is 72 hours in Hua Hin.
In 2008, Thailand welcomed around 14.59 million international visitors, a growth of only 0.88 per cent. In January – April 2009, visitor arrivals to Thailand totalled 4.7 million, down 14.7 per cent compared to the same period last year. While most markets showed varying rates of decline, arrivals from the Middle East grew by almost 11.5% and arrivals from South Asia were up 3.6 per cent.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
