Is a multi-country Tourist Visa for Southeast Asia on the cards?
STAFF WRITER


Featured image by Jon Rawlinson and used under a Creative Commons licence

BANGKOK: -- For the tourists and backpackers who like to explore multiple countries in Southeast Asia while on their holidays, travelling could be about to get significantly easier.

The former secretary general of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), Dr Surin Pitsuwan, spoke about the possibility of implementing one super tourist visa that would allow entry to multiple countries in the region,according to Travel Pulse.

He was speaking at the recent Thailand Travel Mart event in Chiang Mai.

At the moment, tourists who want to travel throughout the region are tasked with juggling different entry requirements and length of stays, as well as lots of separate visa payments and pages taken up in their passports.

A streamlined approach to visas both allows ASEAN countries to share in tourism revenue and marketing, while simultaneously giving tourists more freedom and less bureaucracy to travel the region.

Dr Surin said of potential tourists: “they will come to Malaysia, but they will want to come to Phuket too. They come to Bali, but they would want to come to Chiang Mai too.”

“The pattern of consumption of tourism here, on the landscape of ASEAN, is going to change.”

Full story: http://whatsonsukhumvit.com/is-a-multi-country-tourist-visa-for-southeast-asia-on-the-cards/


-- (c) What's on Sukhumvit 2016-06-23

"A streamlined approach to visas both allows ASEAN countries to share in tourism revenue"

So that's a non-starter, poor old Popcorn will be apoplectic, veto card at the ready.

It would be great though.

one visa for ASEAN; except Thailand because 'we are special'! Basically get a Thai visa and you can get to 'less popular countries' too. Not the other way round of course.

"While countries like Thailand have no problem attracting tourists, emerging destinations like Laos, Myanmar and Brunei are likely to benefit from such a visa package."

"Dr Surin suggested an initial move could be to allow foreign tourists visiting Thailand an additional one-week ‘connecting’ visa to neighbours Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar."

Edited June 23, 201610 yr by taichiplanet

So we all know how this goes....... rest of SE Asia will do it as it makes good sense and reduces administrative load... good ole Siam however will procrastinate about it claiming security and administration implications.... then after a year or so and probably after some credible source ( not from Thailand) publishes a report saying that this pan ASEAN visa is increasing tourist revenue for those participating countries ,Thailand will almost magically seem to solve the considerable issues it had and then join the scheme.....

Edited June 23, 201610 yr by monty1412

Thailand is more restrictive because they are protecting their sovereignty unlike many home countries of the negative posters who are asleep.

Someone in the Western Press quoted the other day ASEAN was rudderless , disorganized , dysfunctional and lacked leadership, so yes the multi country Visa is on the cards , depends on how old you are now whether you will benefit.......................................... on another subject , Aussies now get 90 days on arrival card in Honkers and you can use their resident boom gate immigration exit and entry.

The dateline on this story could just as easily be 1998 as such a visa been mooted for about that long. And the same story will likely run in 2036 with nothing having happened in the interim.

Shengen visa didn't work in Europe, and it will not work in ASEAN

seems like a great idea. however like everything else i have seen proposed over the last 10 years it will either be implemented in such a complicated way no one will use it or it will just be put on the back burner until it is forgotten. i did have my hopes up for the METV but i should have know better. i have been trying to find what this whole ASEAN thing has achieved. dosent seem to have changed anything. maybe someone can correct me if i am wrong.

Shengen visa didn't work in Europe, and it will not work in ASEAN

Schengen visa does not work?

It works very well, just like the idea behind it.

And that is the problem........

Most of SEA is easy to get into. There are a few just starting to open up. Vietnam is not a problem even when I applied for a work visa it only took 4 days from start to finish. Also they are less restrictive in employing foreigners if they have a local wife. I know that because a few guys I know who worked with me in Vietnam had Vietnamese wives. Before the job they asked around and received the response "No problem you have local wife so we will hire you and we are looking after your wife". The closeted attitude of Thailand will change but it will be a very painful process and during the period of change the country will I am sure lose a lot of money that it doesn't need to lose. But it is their prerogative to change as they feel fit, I don't believe though that the approach is beneficial to the country.

Edited June 23, 201610 yr by gandalf12

Shengen visa didn't work in Europe, and it will not work in ASEAN

What do you mean with "Did not work"? If you mean that is hard to get for certain nationalities I agree, but the visa itself works just fine and it is also very cheap, 60 euros for 90 days.

An hypothetical ASEAN area visa is not that useful though, most of westerners are allow to enter in several of SEA countries with no visa at all or with the possibility to do it on arrival, the only exceptions with less friendly entry are actually Myanmar and Brunei, but who's really interested in the second one?

The citizens of those countries which do not benefit of visa waiver or similar, will anyway get an hard time to get this phantasmal visa.

Furthermore if the price and the requirements are going to be similar to the ones for the 6 months Multiple Entry Thai Tourist Visa just forget about it!

Of course this is my personal opinion. Cheers

I don't think Visa Run companies would be too happy about this idea, neither would many of their customers.

I just love it how Thai immigration deliberately stamp your passport pages with spaces wasting pages. They are the worst in the world. They do everything they can to leave a bad taste in your mouth. Even Cambodia don't miss pages in your legal document. They wonder why tourism down. Please there disgraceful.As for the VISA who knows but first they should learn customer service skills and kind manner.

I just love it how Thai immigration deliberately stamp your passport pages with spaces wasting pages. They are the worst in the world. They do everything they can to leave a bad taste in your mouth. Even Cambodia don't miss pages in your legal document. They wonder why tourism down. Please there disgraceful.As for the VISA who knows but first they should learn customer service skills and kind manner.

Thailand is protecting nothing but there egos. Which in fact has cost them billions of lost revenue. The falang tgat posted they are protecting the heritage please I can't laugh more. Koreans and China invasion. The most least like tourists useless. Theyou are merely ego maniacs at the wheel. Of would should be the sail the Oceans maiden voyage. There still in the harbour it's been 2 years. Protecting there country they should correct the mafia police system. That should have been week 1. Talk rubbish to me please.

I just love it how Thai immigration deliberately stamp your passport pages with spaces wasting pages. They are the worst in the world. They do everything they can to leave a bad taste in your mouth. Even Cambodia don't miss pages in your legal document. They wonder why tourism down. Please there disgraceful.As for the VISA who knows but first they should learn customer service skills and kind manner.

If you want wasted passport pages try Saudi they are far more efficient at wasting pages than Thailand

555555 In your dreams

Thailand wants you to come, spend your money, and leave.

They tolerate retirees because of the pension money. But now they have backpackers with laptops (digital nomads) not leaving. I expect them to start getting tougher on everyone here because of this. They will limit visas!

With all the fraud caused by the education visas, I expect them to be eliminated.

Thailand wants you to come, spend your money, and leave.

They tolerate retirees because of the pension money. But now they have backpackers with laptops (digital nomads) not leaving. I expect them to start getting tougher on everyone here because of this. They will limit visas!

With all the fraud caused by the education visas, I expect them to be eliminated.

And well they should.For years people have forgotten what visa means,It is a temporary visit people. Come,spend and go.Do it again next year if you want but not back to back in order to live here.

Thailand wants you to come, spend your money, and leave.

They tolerate retirees because of the pension money. But now they have backpackers with laptops (digital nomads) not leaving. I expect them to start getting tougher on everyone here because of this. They will limit visas!

With all the fraud caused by the education visas, I expect them to be eliminated.

Tourist visas were abused, they changed the rules.

Education Visas were abused, they tightened up the system.

If you are retired with the means to support yourself, are married to a Thai and have children, and/ or have a job doing something the Thais want, in other words fit the criteria they set for living in their country, then there is no problem getting a visa. They just don't want the cheaters, that's all.

Don't hold your breath, just a bunch of talk about a great idea that will never happen.

Thailand is more restrictive because they are protecting their sovereignty unlike many home countries of the negative posters who are asleep.

LOL. From what? The greatest threat to their sovereignty extant is the Big Red one, and they don't seem terribly worried about that! No. This is simply about the usual thing. Money. And so far, there's not enough of a percentage in it.

Way to much is being made of the ASEAN thing, at least from the Thai perspective.

Shengen visa didn't work in Europe, and it will not work in ASEAN

Dream on;People come over green Border.....with or without any Visa.

One World no visas no Borders thats ?my spproach

Who will get the money from issuing visas,