Thailand expanded the number of visa-exempt countries for Travel to this Southeast Asian nation from 57 to 93, including several Latin American countries such as Mexico, Colombia, Cuba, Panama and Uruguayamong others.
The new measure, announced several months ago by Thai authorities, also extends the period of time that visitors can stay in the country from 30 to 60 days, seeking to encourage tourism following the Covid-19 pandemic (2020-2023).
Tourists arriving from Tuesday 16 July will already benefit from the new extension.
Countries like Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Peru did not need a visa before the new measure, while the expansion will benefit more Latin American nations such as Ecuador, Dominican Republic and Guatemalaaccording to the new rule published last Monday night, July 15, in the Royal Gazette, the Thai official bulletin.
On the other hand, travelers from 31 countries, including Bolivia, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Venezuelacan apply for a visa upon arrival in Thailand for a maximum validity of 15 days.
Thai authorities have also introduced a special visa for digital nomads or remote workers, as well as those who want to Travel to Thailand to attend Thai boxing courses, cooking classes, seminars, among other events, for a maximum period of 180 days with a multi-entry validity of 5 years.
Thailand is one of the main tourist destinations in Asia, known for its tropical beaches, natural parks with elephants, temples and nightlife, among other attractions.
In the past year, Thailand has reached agreements on visa waivers or extensions of stay permits with countries such as China, India and Russia in an attempt to revive tourism, which once accounted for 12 to 20 percent of its gross domestic product before the pandemic.
In 2023, around 28 million foreign tourists visited Thailand, mainly from Malaysia (4.6 million), China (3.5 million), South Korea (1.66 million), India (1.62 million) and Russia (1.4 million), according to official data.
For this year, the Ministry of Tourism expects a more robust recovery of the sector with the arrival of some 35 million international tourists.
In 2019, before the pandemic, Thailand had almost 40 million tourists, of which Chinese travelers accounted for more than 27 percent of the total with more than 11 million visitors from the Asian giant, according to EFE.
