After opposing a similar decision in cabinet in August 2019 for both India and China, which was later overturned and replaced with visa price waivers, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is expected to investigate the plan to make all visas free. The admissions process should include immunization and health status verification, according to the industry, and the visa-on-arrival program should be expanded to include all countries. On Friday, Yuthasak Supasorn, the Governor of Thailand’s Tourism Authority (TAT), appeared to support a number of proposals, including extending the visa-on-arrival concession to all countries, waiving all visa fees for six months starting July 1st, and increasing the length of stay on incoming tourist visas from 30 to 45 days. At a meeting hosted by Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Yuthasak Supasorn on Friday, Thai tourism industry representatives agreed on a set of proposals that will be presented to up to four…
Posts published in “Tourism”
Despite the abolition of quarantine laws, Thailand received approximately 40 million visitors in 2019, down from 1% the year before. COVID-19 has killed over 30,000 people in Thailand, although the illness has been effectively managed thanks to a vaccination rate of over 80%. Thailand is a popular tourist destination, but the country’s need that international visitors present a variety of documentation, including vaccination and swab test certifications, as well as medical insurance and hotel reservations, has delayed the industry’s recovery. Thailand announced on Friday that it will end its much-criticized pre-registration process for overseas travelers, and that face masks will no longer be required to be worn in public, in reaction to a slower COVID-19 spread. Despite recent advances, the industry is in a state of decline, with considerable job and business losses in a sector that accounts for roughly 12% of Thailand’s GDP.
Unvaccinated visitors must instead have proof of a negative RT-PCR or Professional ATK result acquired within 72 hours of arrival. The Thailand Pass, “zones,” entertainment venue closing times, mask-wearing, and temperature checks will be discussed during a meeting of Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, or CCSA. The CCSA is expected to allow entertainment establishments to stay open until 2 a.m. in some areas, and maybe everywhere. The CCSA is unlikely to make a broad statement about whether Thai citizens can remove their face masks or not. Thailand’s “requirement” for indoor and outdoor masks, according to Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, is more of a “social suggestion” than a law. In other words, despite the government’s frequent warnings that failure to wear a mask could result in a penalty, failure to do so has never been a legal infraction. As far as we know, no one in Thailand has ever been…
Six projects in environmental and tourism development will be funded with a total expenditure of 338.8 million baht. Thailand’s cabinet approved a 9 billion baht budget for comparable development initiatives in the Andaman last year. The initiative focused on reviving the region’s tourism industry, which had been devastated by Covid-19 limitations. It was primarily concerned with promoting economic development and social programs. At Lipe Island in Satun, a budget of 80.8 million baht will be allocated to health services and environmental system projects. The conservation and rehabilitation of dugong and other wildlife centers in Trang will be funded with a budget of 68.8 million baht. The Phuket Health Sandbox, which aims to unite health services across the region under one system, would get a budget of 25.3 million baht. The sandbox is envisioned as a key component of the region’s health tourism. Thailand’s government has designated the Andaman provinces of…
As a result of the immigration reporting restrictions that have prompted indignation and mounting resentment, the prime minister’s office’s Kobsak Pootrakool (inset) has pledged that a smartphone has been ordered and that ‘life would be better’ for foreigners in the country in two to three months. He predicted that the app would be available in two to three months and would address the current issues. The announcement comes as the President of the European Association of Business and Commerce has cautioned Thailand’s government that the debate over the TM28 and TM30 forms is impeding the country’s efforts to attract foreign investment. After a high-level conference last Friday, the Thai government agreed to delete the TM6 immigration reporting form, which a senior immigration officer at Suvarnabhumi Airport displayed on Wednesday. Even as the Thai government released an easy-to-use software that will consolidate the reports with the 90-day address reporting requirement, the…
The same legislation applied to landlords and property owners, who were obligated to report foreigners sleeping in their premises within 24 hours. Along the way, there were gaps in the enforcement, with all kinds of variations and conundrums being addressed at planned panel sessions and online, with little of it settled with any certainty by Thai immigration officials. “We made our decision last Friday. In two to three months, things will be considerably better for international tourists and expats. Foreigners would be able to notify immigration officials of their movements with just four clicks on their smartphone, allowing them to meet the 90-day reporting deadline.” Thai immigration is not only getting rid of the TM6 forms, but they’re also planning to introduce a new mobile phone app to make TM30 reporting even easier, according to khaosodenglish.com. Nattapon Sawaengkit, the Deputy Immigration Commander, approved the decision to move TM30 reporting online,…
Foreign visitors entering Thailand by land or sea would still be need to fill out the form, according to Deputy Government Spokeswoman Traisuree Taisaranakul. To relieve passenger congestion at international airports, the government would temporarily suspend the requirement for international travelers to fill out TM 6 immigration forms. Ms Traisuree stated that immigration officers may still collect data on arrivals using biometric systems at airports, and that additional travel data can be obtained from airlines. Following a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Prime Minister and Defense Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha stated that this will streamline the procedure for international tourists, who are already required to fill out numerous documents upon arrival. It will also help relieve congestion, he noted, as the number of international arrivals has increased. Since 2017, Thais have not been required to fill out a TM 6. General Prayut stated that authorities will assess the result of the announcement…
The Thaiger has been approached by a number of dissatisfied UK citizens whose stay in the Kingdom is being jeopardized due to delays, misplaced documents, and outright blunders. Minor hiccups are now becoming a major issue in the processing of British passports in the United Kingdom. It’s been in the headlines a lot recently in the UK, and it’s now affecting a lot of British expats in Thailand. Authorities in the United Kingdom are blaming a rush to travel for the summer season, as well as new Brexit-related issues for British visitors to EU countries. More than 20 additional British citizens are either on their way back to the UK or in the UK, attempting to sort out their passports after being unable to do so through emails or the British embassy in Thailand. One of the expats claims that they attempted to renew their daughter’s British passport and were…
Apart from traffic and lighting difficulties, Narit wants the government to close the street to autos to protect tourist safety. Business owners on Pattaya Walking Street have accused the authorities of creating a public nuisance and sullying the city’s reputation due to an unfinished road reconstruction project. If the Pattaya Walking Street Business Association wants to maintain its public image, the road must be completed faster than the current schedule and more street lights installed. On Wednesday, Narit Petcharat, president of the Pattaya Walking Street Business Association, met with a group of business owners to discuss the unfinished road work. In January, Pattaya officials announced that 80 percent of the rehabilitation of Pattaya Walking Street, overseen by former city mayor Sontaya Klunpluem, had been completed. The project’s suspension, according to Narit, is due to a local election issue. A mayoral election was held in Pattaya on May 22, however the…
Thailand’s tourism is evolving, with visitors arriving in small groups rather than large groups. All of this is down to the government’s decision to relax travel restrictions during the country’s peak season, which runs from March to May. The Thai government is praising itself for easing entry restrictions, which authorities claim has increased tourism in regions like Phuket and Koh Samui. The prime minister also urged Thais to maintain a positive tourism image in order to boost the country’s economy and create income. According to Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, a government spokeswoman, up to 10,000 foreign passengers enter the nation each day, albeit the days of large tour groups are past — at least for the time being. He predicts that occupancy rates would rise to 60 to 80 percent, especially in popular areas like Patong Beach and Phuket Old Town. Meanwhile, many tourists flocked to Koh Samui and Koh Phang Ngan…