Tourists from Taiwan are now eligible for visa-free entry to Thailand, Bangkok announced yesterday, as it seeks to rebuild the key tourism sector after it was battered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Starting today, Taiwanese and Indian visitors can stay up to 30 days under a six-month trial program.
Thailand’s tourism sector accounts for almost 20 percent of GDP, but it has struggled to get back on its feet since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Photo: Reuters
“We will provide visa-free entry to India and Taiwan, because a lot of their people like to travel to Thailand,” Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin told reporters after a weekly Cabinet meeting.
Before the relaxation, tourists from Taiwan and India had to apply for a 15-day visa-on-arrival at immigration checkpoints, presenting a bank statement and proof of accommodation.
The move comes after Thailand opened a similar visa-free scheme for Chinese tourists in September.
Thai government spokesman Chai Watcharong said authorities hoped the scheme would attract 1.4 million more tourists, generating an additional 55 billion baht (US$1.5 billion) in income.
Srettha, who took power in August following months of political wrangling after a May election, has said that boosting the tourism sector and stimulating the economy are among his top priorities.
In other news, the Chinese General Administration of Customs said that starting today, a health status declaration is no longer required for people to enter or leave Chinese borders, ending a practice that was instituted following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020.
However, those who have symptoms such as a fever, cough, difficulty breathing, vomiting, nausea, skin rashes or subdermal bleeding from unknown causes or other symptoms of transmissible disease are still required to declare their status, it said.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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