FOLLOWING the cancellation of 60-day visa-free scheme for 93 countries yesterday (May 19) a Mae Hong Son association is confident this step will not affect tourism in Pai district while urging the government to find new strategies to attract high-quality visitors, PPTVHD36 said today (May 20).
Tourists from 93 countries have been able to come to Thailand without the necessity of a visa for 60 days since July 2024, as part of an effort to boost the economy following the Covid pandemic. These countries will now revert to the previous 30-day visa exemption scheme.
Mr. Phanudet Chaiyasakul, president of Mae Hong Son Tourism Business Association, said while this key step will not affect the flow of regular tourists to Pai there is an impact on long-stay visitors, with some of them staying for 30 to 60 days or even a year.
These long-stay tourists will need to plan for extensions, and normally visas are extended for 30 days. This group comprises approximately 15 percent of tourists to Pai who reside there.
Normally, during the high season, there are 30,000-40,000 tourists visiting Pai but currently there are only about 7,000 tourists per day with 15 percent of them now having to extend their visa or plan their trips according to government regulations.
“I would like to urge the government, when reducing visa (exemption), there should be new strategies to attract foreign tourists to Thailand. In Pai district, there are still many tourists enjoying activities like tubing and zip-ling,” he said.
In making this announcement Tourism and Sports Minister Mr. Surasak Pancharoenworakul said the cabinet, in revoking the 60-day visa-free stay, also revoked special arrangements for countries enjoying more than one type of visa exemption with the old criteria to be reinstated.
The Visa Policy Committee will now review each country individually to determine which visa type is most suitable, taking into account security and economic considerations, he said, adding all countries whose 60-day visa was revoked will revert to the old visa type, which is usually around 30 days.
CAPTION:
Top, second insert and Front Page – Tourists enjoying themselves in Pai.
First insert – Mae Hong Son Tourism Business Association President Phanudet Chaiyasaku. All photos – PPTVHD36
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