Proposal to waive visa fees for foreign tourists to Thailand

[Millcx]

7 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Sounds like the start of desperation due to no bookings - and only 'online searches' -  to me

Cut the red tape and the financial restrictions and just maybe people will visit more

[Bangkocker]

11 minutes ago, orchidfan said:

I don't think its changed. 

The odd thing is the 180 days are for certain countries only.

My then Thai gf (now wife) used to get 30days, and Philippinas got 14 days. 

I once asked the Immigration officer why I got 180 days (Oz pp) and she only 30.

Answer was that they considered 30days enough time to "see" and experience HK.

So my reply to her was "so we westerners are slower lookers needing 180 days?"

No reply.

She also told me that they didn't have a gf Visa and if I wanted her to stay (gf having come numerous times during the year on 30day stamps ) then I needed to marry her.

So I did !

 

Well the thing is: Does anyone want to travel to Hong Kong and face arbitrary detention by the CCP. Glad I went to HK and China a few years ago. NO MORE until the insanity there ceases. Not holding my breath.

[SpanishExpat]

look at Malaysia. 90 day visa exempt and enjoy the country. If authorities in Thailand were smart, they would have changed it to that long time ago for more than just a few countries! 

 

No tourist staying less than 90 days in Thailand should deal with any visa sh** and dinosaur bureaucracy. 

 

 

[Fairynuff]

7 hours ago, milesinnz said:

They should just try 3 months tourist visa free entry, allowing two times a year and see what happens.. absolutely nothing to lose by giving this a go...

Except cash in the pockets of the “important people”

[Fairynuff]

5 hours ago, CharlieH said:

The visa cost is not going to be a deciding factor

When it used to cost around 70USD for a Vietnam visa I’d go once a year. When they started the visa exemption I changed to visiting 3 or 4 times a year. For me, visa fees made a difference. It was not to do with affordability.

[ikke1959]

1 hour ago, Orinoco said:

What, Western people do work.

Nah.

The Thais know full well,  we get all are vast wealth.

for free and can holiday as long as we like.

We don't do hard work. 

 

 

 

 

Thais don't need a visa and compare the number of holidays of Thailand with the western countries........ Know what you are talking about ....

[Fairynuff]

4 hours ago, Mike Teavee said:

foreigners shouldn't get a discount & there is everything wrong with sending that message out if you're trying to encourage tourism... If I didn't live here I wouldn't visit on principal if that becomes standard practice.  

Given that the “published rate” or “rack rate” or whatever they choose to call it, is the highest possible rate which almost nobody pays, how would they determine what a discounted rate is? 10 different booking sites will display 10 different rates potentially. Will Agoda have to ask your nationality before you can get a rate. Like you it’s about principal for me and living here I’d choose to stop traveling within Thailand.

[daejung]

Only for visa on arrival and tourists visa ? About Non-O and yearly extensions ?

[SunsetT]

8 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

less paperwork by extensions by  not using paper files anymore and that kind of things.

My goodness no! All those immigration officers shuffling wads of paperwork over and over again would have nothing to do to justify those jobs-for-life that they have bought? And for the higher-ups there would be far fewer of those lucrative (for them) jobs-for-life to sell! We cant have that can we! No no no no no!

Edited July 11, 2022 by SunsetT

[Harveyboy]

7 hours ago, jacko45k said:

You are mixing up Visas, obtained outside of Thailand, and Extensions, made domestically at Immigration offices.  They want to make it easier for tourists...... and the topic is Visas.

 

I don't see what the issue is to waive the Tourist Visa charge, which gives people the opportunity to visit for 60days....

normally 30 days is enough for most tourists..why don't they try making it easier for us who live there permanently and help support the economy..

[Mike Teavee]

6 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I never went on holiday to any country where the advance paperwork was more than paying for the ticket. I can't be the only one to choose holiday destinations like that. 

But you've been to Vietnam, where you have to get something in advance (even if it's only a letter of invitation). 

 

On my 1st attempt to go there (2008) I got to the check-in desk at Changi & the girl asked me where my visa/letter of invitation was, I had no idea I needed either (typical British passport holder ignorance) so we got knocked back, fortunately my mate was PPS with SIA & I was Diamond with SPG Hotels so flights re-arranged (cost us $10),  hotels cancelled/rebooked & we're on the next flight to Phuket ????. 

 

 

Edited July 11, 2022 by Mike Teavee

[BritManToo]

5 minutes ago, Mike Teavee said:

But you've been to Vietnam, where you have to get something in advance (even if it's only a letter of invitation). 

Not required for Brits since 2018(?), 14 days visa waiver on arrival allowed every month. 1,000bht air fare each way, direct flight from Chiang Mai to Hanoi, Da Nang or Saigon. 

I went loads of times before COVID. 

Edited July 11, 2022 by BritManToo

[Mike Teavee]

1 minute ago, BritManToo said:

Not required for Brits, 14 days visa waiver on arrival allowed every month. 1,000bht air fare each way, direct flight from Chiang Mai to Hanoi, Da Nang or Saigon. 

I went loads of times before COVID. 

Ahh, it's been a while since I've been (probably 10 years) & back then you had to get a Letter of Invitation (from an Agency who didn't know you from Adam) to be able to travel, as I said we were knocked back at the Singapore Airlines check-in desk.  

 

[Mike Teavee]

3 hours ago, thonglorjimmy said:

So Schengen countries will soon be off your list then?

I doubt it will ever come to it but If I needed to apply for a Visa to visit any Schengen country then yes it would most definitely be off my list.

 

 

[Mike Teavee]

58 minutes ago, Fairynuff said:

Given that the “published rate” or “rack rate” or whatever they choose to call it, is the highest possible rate which almost nobody pays, how would they determine what a discounted rate is? 10 different booking sites will display 10 different rates potentially. Will Agoda have to ask your nationality before you can get a rate. Like you it’s about principal for me and living here I’d choose to stop traveling within Thailand.

Just as an aside, the Published/Rack Rate is not the highest that a hotel can/will charge, I was in London on the day of the 7/7 bombings & couldn't get back up North so had to pay 5x the published rate for a room (Britannia at Canary Wharf, <deleted> hole) & 3 times as much when I had to be in Moscow for work during the week of the Man U / Chelsea Champions League Final (At least that was at the Savoy ???? ) 

 

 

Hotels (& Airlines) will charge what the market will pay, the Published/Rack rates are just a guideline. 

 

[freedomnow]

The best proposal these dancing ponies can come up with is -

well thought out stable, simple rules that are not chopped and changed every few months...it's the spectre of ever shifting sand rules that adds a bit of background stress to being an expat here...always staying up to speed on the latest changes to rules to stay.

 

 

In the world, is there any other country that dials their tourism and immigration rules so much as this one...?

[starky]

6 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I'm not a tourist, I live here. 

Me too. So what?

[Nicknoodle]

Waive the visa fees but have dual pricing that will increase hotel tariffs for tourists. Makes complete sense. TIT.

[Fairynuff]

30 minutes ago, Mike Teavee said:

Just as an aside, the Published/Rack Rate is not the highest that a hotel can/will charge, I was in London on the day of the 7/7 bombings & couldn't get back up North so had to pay 5x the published rate for a room (Britannia at Canary Wharf, <deleted> hole) & 3 times as much when I had to be in Moscow for work during the week of the Man U / Chelsea Champions League Final (At least that was at the Savoy ???? ) 

 

 

Hotels (& Airlines) will charge what the market will pay, the Published/Rack rates are just a guideline. 

 

Extraordinary circumstances or special events, yes of course but that wasn’t my point. My point was how will they determine what a discounted price is and what would they like foreigners to pay. Whatever the answer is, it won’t affect me because I’ll just travel elsewhere.

[John Drake]

Make extensions for free, too!

[NoshowJones]

10 hours ago, Bangkocker said:

Visa fees (everywhere) are legalised theft. Creeps are financing their losses due to the pandemic on the backs of tourists.

People in businesses all over the world are attempting to finance their losses and make huge profits out of the pandemic, and also the Russian invasion, and it is the ordinary people who are suffering. Just my opinion, and I hope these business people all rot in hell.

[geisha]

10 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Many already get 30 days free on arrival..... 

If people choose to obtain Visas to get a  longer stay, I don't think a reasonable charge is a problem.  It may subsidize the Embassy and help them provide other services.

Anyhow,  this is dumb, talk about free visas and on the other hand charging an arrival fee at the airport....a nonsense!

Maybe, but the real problem is getting the visa , not paying for it ! The paperwork, and even the online application is absolutely ridiculous. I travel a lot, why is it so easy to get visas to other countries, even neighboring countries of Thailand ? ? Because the Thai systems, lack of technology and mistrust makes it very difficult. 

[Senior Player]

Wasn't there talk of extending the Visa exemption from 30-days to 60-days, or am I just imagining that? Seems to be the best solution to entice long-staying tourists back to the country. Waiving visa fees on arrival won't do much to boost their numbers.

[WHansen]

8 hours ago, Nicholas Paul KNIGHT said:

No minimum 30 days free maybe 60 days, after that fees to be paid, who the hell goes on holidaY FOR 90 DAYS 

Myself and pretty much everyone i know that are not on retirement visas come on a 60 day visa and extend by 30 days.

IF it saves me 2,000 Baht for the SETV, i get a free meal and a night out ????

[Senior Player]

Just found out it pays to click on the link and read the article in full. 

 

The proposal is for the 1,000 baht visa fee and the 2,000 baht fee for Visa on Arrival to be waived until Dec 31. Not long then.

 

TAT will also request the period of stay for tourist visas be extended from 30 days to 45 days, and from 15 days to 45 days for Visa on Arrival.

 

I still think 30-days to 60-days would be better, and it also needs to go well into 2023, not just end on New Year's Day. After all, this is still a proposal and has to be implemented first. By that time, it could well be September or October before this is up and running.

Edited July 11, 2022 by Senior Player

[NoshowJones]

7 hours ago, Andrew65 said:

One problem being I think, in the UK anyway, is that people have been turning on the TV to see scenes of people queueing out of the doors of airports for several hours, mass-flight cancellations, and thought they would leave flying abroad on holiday until next year.

Another thing being that airfares have risen considerably. I just looked at the Eva Air flight from LHR to BKK rtn, you're now looking at £850, pre-pandemic it was £550.

It cost me £1.350 for a single from GLA to BKK with Emirates.

[Adumbration]

These morons still honestly believe that Thailand is a desirable and marketable desitination.

[ozimoron]

4 minutes ago, Adumbration said:

These morons still honestly believe that Thailand is a desirable and marketable desitination.

It is. Before covid, Bangkok was the world's most visited city. Nothing will change. Pattaya is getting busy already. But don't let me change your mind. I'd prefer the gratuitous Thai bashers never come here.

[Daithi85]

16 minutes ago, Adumbration said:

These morons still honestly believe that Thailand is a desirable and marketable desitination.

Thailand is most definitely a desirable destination,people love the place,even the old goats on here who do nothing but complain can't even bring themselves to leave the place..Theres nowhere else like Thailand.

[BangkokReady]

15 hours ago, webfact said:

Mr Yuthasak said that waiving the visa fees would offer a further boost in tourism revenue following the suspension of the Thailand Pass registration system on July 1.

But wouldn't that make it cost less to come to Thailand?  That's not the look that TAT is after.

 

Perhaps they should increase the fees for visas!  That way people will think that Thailand is an in demand, upmarket place and rich people will want to visit more.