TAT Proposes Extended Visa-Free Stays to Boost Tourism

[newnative]

Good idea.  But, as others have said, it should include Canada, NZ, and OZ.

[ikke1959]

4 minutes ago, alex8912 said:

They are not going for " most people " for this plan. The Thai baht is also very weak. Thousands of snow birds and long term tourist travelers would spend huge amounts of baht ( especially by not HAVING to go to another country after 30 or 60 days here) do the math. It's a ton of money lost. Vaping and politics don't discourage " most " tourists either.  You've been here too long and tink to mutt wrong! The alcohol hours also don't make people not come.  Every single thing you list is something virtually no tourist knows or cares much about. 

Compare the number of tourists when the THB was 40/45 for a euro, If a tourist want to have a beer at 15.00 as that is not abnormal, it is not allowed. In other countries they can order a beer whenever they want...Holiday is meant for relaxing, and if I want to vape I should not be fined.. Apparently you never went abroad and saw how relaxed your holiday is.. Go to Spain, France, Greece Turkey Vietnam or Singapore.. They don't have these laws. People look what fits best in what they want in their holiday and being bound several restrictions...And not so many tourists are going on holiday for 60 or 90 days... People have to work too

[ikke1959]

2 hours ago, Sig said:

Air pollution, political unrest, strange selectively enforced laws, double pricing, alcohol limitations, and being targets of opportunity for theft and robbery have all been problems for DECADES in Thailand. No change with any of that at all.
It may or may not have much of an impact on tourism, but not for any of those reasons, at least not any more than in the past. I can imagine that it may have some sort of an impact on lower budget, younger people's extended travels, but I doubt on much more than that.

I agree, but it was never so bad as the last years...and the tourism going back already for years and first they had the Chinese coming in, but now they don't come anymore in big numbers, and there is no is/was no investment in the tourism industry Thailand has lost a lot of its charm.

[steven100]

2 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

I miss that General. 

yes, we all do

[Kerryd]

And just to confuse matters:
"Thailand, at present, extends tourist visas on arrival to nationals of over 60 countries".

What they are actually referring to are the 30 day "Visa Exemption" stamps - not "tourist visas".

However, many places (like the UAE) give people (from some countries) 90 days "visa free" on arrival. If your economy is heavlily dependent on tourism, you usually want to make things easier for them - and more attractive for them to come to your country.

Thailand has used it's  "business school" system of making things harder for tourists and then when the numbers drop - increase the price of everything to make up the difference.

Maybe they've actually started to take notice that bringing in half of China and India wasn't making up for the revenue they were losing by deliberately shunning tourists from "white" countries (Scandinavia, Europe/UK, America/Canada/Australia/NZ/etc).

Was in Big C (Central Pattaya) yesterday visiting a friend. Rode down Soi Buakhao after and had coffee with another friend. Rode home just after it got dark.

95% of the "foreigners" I saw in the mall, on the streets and in the bars had one thing in common. Take a guess what that was.

Take a guess at who, on an average basis, spends more money on their holidays in Thailand.

Granting that "demographic" the ability to stay longer would no doubt add a huge boost to tourist revenues while making life easier for the beg-packer/fake "I'm a tourist - that's been here on short-term visas and border runs for 5+ years" crowd.

Which don't really make up that large of the "long term" stayer population anyways. Might cut into the revenues of the Visa agents a bit though.

My buddy has the hassle each year of trying to get a double-entry tourist visa, then and extension, then a border run and maybe one more extension to get him through the coldest months of winter "back home". He generally stays 5 or 5 1/2 months per year. A 90 day "visa exemption" stamp would be perfect as it would only require one border run each trip.

 

[paulikens]

Yet again mentioning this but never actually saying when or IF it will implemented.   Just decide what you're going to do and crack on ffs!     And anyway its the tourism board saying this and its the government we need to be talking about it or finally deciding if they going to do it. 

[StayinThailand2much]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Previously, most visitors were eligible for a 30-day stay before requiring a visa application.

 

Wrong. Like many long-distance travellers to SE Asia, they could just visit other places in the region as Thailand is only one interesting destination. Then flying back to Thailand; easy. Ahem, well, never mind...

[StayinThailand2much]

9 minutes ago, paulikens said:

And anyway its the tourism board saying this and its the government we need to be talking about it or finally deciding if they going to do it. 

 

Tourism board, government, Immigration, Immigration at (certain) borders... They couldn't agree on 'when is lunchtime', not to mention a long-term tourism strategy.

Edited February 1 by StayinThailand2much

[Gottfrid]

They just don´t get it. In reality, there is no problem for almost anyone to be able to stay in Thailand for 90 days. The thing they do not get, is that people will not travel for 90 days. The average tourist will stay 1-2 weeks. Some will have a 4 week trip. Almost no one will use up all 90 days.

[maddox41]

You think they include Australia as we are in the top 3 country's that visit Thailand 

Russia, UK,   Aus, US, China, 

But nope TAT is clueless...  They

always want the bottom of the barrel tourists.  

Edited February 1 by maddox41

[kinyara]

30 minutes ago, maddox41 said:

You think they include Australia as we are in the top 3 country's that visit Thailand 

Russia, UK,   Aus, US, China, 

But nope TAT is clueless...  They

always want the bottom of the barrel tourists.  

 

Australia was 16th in visitor numbers last year, and you're accusing TAT of being clueless. 

[kinyara]

1 hour ago, Gottfrid said:

They just don´t get it. In reality, there is no problem for almost anyone to be able to stay in Thailand for 90 days. The thing they do not get, is that people will not travel for 90 days. The average tourist will stay 1-2 weeks. Some will have a 4 week trip. Almost no one will use up all 90 days.

 

I'm not saying it's potentially millions but it's a reasonable market. I know many 50+ retired/semi retired/self-employed people who used to come for the Nov-April period when the visa situation allowed it. Now they restrict themselves to at most 90 days with the allowed 1 local visa extension. If longer was available they would take advantage of it, and this is a group who I would say have decent spending power in general. 60 days extra from just 1 person is equivalent to the average length of stay of 10 tourists from the near Asian markets regardless of comparative spending rates.

Edited February 1 by kinyara
edit

[Clarkey611]

5 hours ago, Mbolo said:

I thought TAT had already sewn up the million of quality tourists from the  Arab world, India and China. Didn’t come ? Better ask why . 

I have just looked out the window and can see why people do not want to visit.

[Caldera]

They had proposed this already last year, just before high season kicked off. But they implemented it only for Russians, for whatever reason.

 

How difficult can it be?

[Hanuman2547]

I think a 90 day visa free program would be very good for a lot of people whether they stay 45, 60, or the full 90 days.  If they can easily extend for an additional 30 days that might be even more attractive.  A lot of older people want to escape the northern hemisphere winter and this might suit them well.  It's definitely better than what they are currently doing.

[biggles45]

"many places (like the UAE) give people (from some countries) 90 days "visa free" on arrival. "

 

You don't have to go that far tho. Malaysia also gives 90 days visa free. 

[Mywayboy]

Does this apply to a person whom lives in Australia, but has only a British passport??

[Mickboy]

It's a no brainer but that's why they haven't done it.

[visarunner]

21 hours ago, brianthainess said:

Oh so now TAT can change visa rules. Does that mean the Ruskys can just do a boarder run? 3 more months.

Yes, that is what they do.

 

[visarunner]

5 hours ago, Kerryd said:

My buddy has the hassle each year of trying to get a double-entry tourist visa, then and extension, then a border run and maybe one more extension to get him through the coldest months of winter "back home". He generally stays 5 or 5 1/2 months per year. A 90 day "visa exemption" stamp would be perfect as it would only require one border run each trip.

 

Of course your buddy has problem getting a double entry tourist visa, because it doesn't exist anymore. Years ago it has been replaced by the very difficult to obtain multiple entry tourist visa.

[Pdavies99]

It's actually a good idea! T

 

That's why it will not happen!

[newbee2022]

Not really to compare: however, decades ago Spain made Majorca to have extremely cheap booked holidays. 199 pounds including flight from Manchester for 1 week including breakfast.

After a few years Majorca looked like a garbage bin. Many newly built hotels for backpackers or lowest income people.

It took a decade to knock down some of those to protect the environment and reduce pollution and build sewage plants to have clean sea.

I can't help but I see Thailand is going the same way now. 🙏

[Phil1964]

At last some nod to parity and 'fairness' in relation to visitor visas and duration of stay for other tourists from some of Thailand's traditional visitor / customer base, (UK, North America, Western Europe).

 

However, while flights from Europe and the UK are still expensive to SE Asia, unless you fancy the Chinese airline routes with layovers, I see the market being limited to well off, free spirited early retirees in good health. Yes there's lots of these around, but also they do have plenty of choice in where to overwinter and cheaper flight costs for how to get there!

But overwintering away from UK winters, politics and the high cost of basic living these days, somewhere sunny and cheaper than here, (ie: UK), does appeal to me. 😊

 

 

 

 

Edited February 1 by Phil1964

[StayinThailand2much]

16 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

How many tourists will they be happy with ?

 

40 million? 50 million ? 100 milliom?

 

They've removed all barriers from China, and relaxed Indian barriers. It's going to be carnage. 

 

2019 they had 11 million tourists from China, which is less than 0.8% of China's population, meaning 99.2% of all Chinese, asked what they think of Thailand as a travel destination, would answer: "Meh..." - Same for India.

Edited February 1 by StayinThailand2much

[In Full Agreement]

 

As long as facilities can handle the increase in tourists, I see no reason why anyone should oppose the new visa rules.

 

[Cabradelmar]

Why not. Give everyone no-strings-attached 90 days visa exempt. Thailand has already lost control (if it ever really had it) of immigration. More overstays. More sketchy characters staying longer (under these extended VERs/extensions), or people buying in on golden visas (or gaming EDs). And none of this has anything to do with tourist. Tourist stay/need maybe 30 days (at most). Thing is Thailand can't/doesn't distinguish tourist from the undesirables (shiftless opportunists with no purpose) that make Pattaya and Phuket the chit-holes they've become.

[Irish star]

9 hours ago, Spock said:

Thailand doesn't let morality get in the way of maximizing tourist numbers, hence the Thai PM's visit to Russia when just about every other world leader was avoiding having anything to do with the country and its inhabitants. I am just glad Russians chose the place I least like in Thailand, Phuket, as their destination of choice. 

They shouldn’t let a nation take over the southern part of the Country 

[charmonman]

17 hours ago, Spock said:

It would be nice if Australians were included too. 

And Canadians

[jacko45k]

21 hours ago, Toby1947 said:

It will never happen, think of all the money lost to immigration outrageous that they even keep the application money when refusing a visa. And as for the fiddling b*st*rds at immigration offices well that's another story 

I suspect that is what holds them back on what should be an easy decision. 

[Sig]

23 hours ago, ukrules said:

 

Interesting, do you own a holiday home here and come from Northern Norway by any chance?

 

Likely not because there is a reason they start coming in October and it's still pretty cold in Jan / Feb.

Not sure if I understand your response. The months you mention fit right in with what I said. I said about Nov - Feb, "about" giving leeway to spill into Oct & March, and as I mentioned that year to year it varies as well, depending on seasonal weather changes that never come with the exact same timing and patterns. I'm not sure what difference you are thinking we have in our ideas.
As for Northern Norway, no, I'm not from there. I don't think the demographic of tourists from that part of the world are particularly large as to affect the tourism of Thailand to any noticeable degree in this context, so I'm not sure to what effect it would matter. I was only speaking as a generalization. So, of course, there will always be differences on the fringe areas of a generalization.