Thai authorities have eased visa requirements for a range of arrivals to the country in an ongoing bid to attract more tourists and remote workers.
Brought in at the start of June 2024, the changes include the addition of 36 countries to Thailand’s visa-free entry list as well as a relaxation of health insurance rules for retirees, slashing the mandatory insurance cover by 85% from 3 million baht (€75,600) to just 440,000 baht (€11,090). What’s more, at the other end of the age spectrum, foreign students too will benefit, with graduates now allowed to stay an additional year in the Kingdom after finishing their studies.
Countries being added to the visa-free scheme include include Albania, Cambodia, China, India, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Laos, Mexico, Morocco, Panama, Romania, Sri Lanka, the UK, the USA and Uzbekistan. China and India are among key markets for Thailand (and globally) and the latest changes seek to tap into that. Indian visa privileges were set to end in May this year but the new moves see them extended, after a huge surge in inbound Indian tourists, making India the fastest-growing and fourth-largest source market for the country in 2023. 1.6 million Indian tourists spent more than 63 billion baht (€1.6billion) in Thailand in 2023.
Now, giving them even more time to splash their cash, visitors from the new list of visa-free countries will see the length of their permitted stays double from 30 days to 60. Digital nomads too will see a huge increase in the length of time they will be permitted to live and work there, with 180-day stays now possible, renewable with a fee for up to 5 years, instead of just 60 days. That includes people who want to stay in Thailand to learn Muay Thai boxing or study Thai cuisine.
As many countries around the world grapple to reduce overtourism, Thailand is going the other way, leaning into the sector and leading the way for the sort of transformation others are seeking, to boost income instead of tourist volume. Government spokesperson Chai Wacharonke has highlighted the importance of tourism to the Thai economy and employment figures. The strategy to bring in tourists and revenue seems to be working. Data for this year show that tourist arrivals are set to beat 2019’s pre-Covid figures by 100,00 to reach a record 40 million for the year. But, more importantly perhaps, the revenue from those arrivals is expected to go up by 84% compared to 2019.
