Thailand set to extend free visa offer in bid to lure more foreign tourists

[SicTransit]

In any event, the burden of doing a visa run is significant ... my trip to KL last week cost about 40,000 baht and 4 days time. I'd gladly pay that amount directly to Thailand in return for a 5-year tourist visa with 6-month stay periods. 

No offence but I'm really curious how is it possible to spend 10K baht per day in KL. Five star hotels are 3500 baht per night, dining is not much more expensive than in Bangkok. How?

[jerojero]

Not aware of any such burden on Canada's end ... in the past two years i helped both a Thai and a Russian get a 5-year tourist visas for Canada and didn't encounter any problem trying to prove either person was not going to work there. Perhaps there was a problem specific to your case? In any event, the burden of doing a visa run is significant ... my trip to KL last week cost about 40,000 baht and 4 days time. I'd gladly pay that amount directly to Thailand in return for a 5-year tourist visa with 6-month stay periods. 

Sic T is correct. Many Thai get rejected routinely applying for Temp Resident Visa to Canada (Tourist Visa). Tried to get my wife one before we married, no way. Immigration lawyer i hired in Vancouver said 50-50 chance, even if application was prepared by him.

[JackThompson]

On 1/21/2017 at 5:11 PM, eskatonia said:

 

Yes, but on the other end they also dropped the price on thailand elite.  100,000 THB a year ($2800 USD) is really pretty reasonable considering all the hassles it solves if you don't qualify for any other way of staying.  It works out at $7.60 a day, less than many people spend on cigarettes or booze in the west.

 

It's not 100K / year.  It's 500K up-front for the cheapest option.  Neighboring countries offer investment and/or costs around 10K / year which really are paid annually.

 

If you can afford 500K for a visa, you should easily have 10M Baht you can stick in Thai banks earning-interest, get annual extensions based on investment, and keep your money.

[JackThompson]

33 minutes ago, jerojero said:

Sic T is correct. Many Thai get rejected routinely applying for Temp Resident Visa to Canada (Tourist Visa). Tried to get my wife one before we married, no way. Immigration lawyer i hired in Vancouver said 50-50 chance, even if application was prepared by him.

 

Makes sense.  Compare wages for comparable jobs in Canada and Thailand.  This is one reason it is outright silly to assume people from G7 and similar nations are coming here "to work." 

 

A few backpackers who want to teach English or windsurfing is being used as the excuse to forfeit billions of baht, and some actually believe the behavior of this little group is the real reason for the "crackdown." 

[goferman]

15 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

 

Makes sense.  Compare wages for comparable jobs in Canada and Thailand.  This is one reason it is outright silly to assume people from G7 and similar nations are coming here "to work." 

 

A few backpackers who want to teach English or windsurfing is being used as the excuse to forfeit billions of baht, and some actually believe the behavior of this little group is the real reason for the "crackdown." 

Exactly ... that's why the Minister needs to know about this and hopefully the situation will actually improve with changes to the visa system in Thailand. And as far as Canada only approving about half of the visa applications it receives, that's a good number considering Jack's comment and the fact the visa is good for 5 years and 6-months at a time.

[ChakaKhan]

On 1/21/2017 at 3:05 AM, dutchweller said:

Better they should be offering to pay people to come if they keep up the absolute shambles that was immigration recently 

4.5 hours to clear at swampy on the 20th at 8am.

It was almost getting to a state of riot people were so pissed off 

Agreed   i hit the line on wed the 18 at 5ish and it was worst ive seen..:(

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Cabinet to weigh to extending free tourist visa program
By Asaree Thaitrakulpanich, Staff Reporter

 

Airport staff dress in traditional Chinese outfits and give Red Packets to arriving Chinese tourists to mark Chinese New Year on Feb 9, 2016, at Chiang Mai International Airport.

 

BANGKOK — The interim cabinet Tuesday afternoon will consider a request from a top tourism official to extend free tourist visas and discounted visas on arrival for another three months.

 

Since December, tourists from more than a dozen countries have been able to obtain visas from abroad without paying a 1,000 baht fee and visas on arrival for 1,000 baht instead of 2,000 baht. The three-month policy is set to expire at the end of February.

 

The extension through May was requested by Tourism Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul in response to sagging tourist arrivals which threaten to further weaken the already lackluster economy.

 

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/business/2017/01/24/cabinet-weigh-extending-free-tourist-visa-program/

 

 

-- © Copyright Khaosod English 2017-01-24

[goferman]

On 1/23/2017 at 4:09 AM, SicTransit said:

 

No offence but I'm really curious how is it possible to spend 10K baht per day in KL. Five star hotels are 3500 baht per night, dining is not much more expensive than in Bangkok. How?

 

Who said it was all spent in KL? It was the total cost of the visa run. That included air travel (24000 baht), ferries and taxis in addition to the costs you identified.

[edwarda909]

Maybe a little off topic, but  I think I have been noting conflicting info re how many days one can get entering overland from Laos,  15 or 30?  I came visa on arrival and extended my 30 days already. Thanks

[bkkcanuck8]

One of the reasons for the crackdown on zero-dollar tours/tourists was that they provided very little or no economic benefit to Thailand.  If that is the case, why do they have to make up anything?

[Briggsy]

17 minutes ago, edwarda909 said:

Maybe a little off topic, but  I think I have been noting conflicting info re how many days one can get entering overland from Laos,  15 or 30?  I came visa on arrival and extended my 30 days already. Thanks

30 days for a visa exempt entry from Laos by land (for nations that qualify for a visa exempt) from Jan 1 2017.

[ubonjoe]

20 minutes ago, edwarda909 said:

Maybe a little off topic, but  I think I have been noting conflicting info re how many days one can get entering overland from Laos,  15 or 30?  I came visa on arrival and extended my 30 days already. Thanks

The 15 day entry rule was rescinded on December 31st. All visa exempt entries (not a visa on arrival) are now 30 days.

It was done on the same day that the rule limiting entries at land border crossings to 2 per calendar year went into effect.

[BigBadGeordie]

2 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

 

The extension through May was requested by Tourism Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul in response to sagging tourist arrivals which threaten to further weaken the already lackluster economy

Now this is indeed a first, the minister giving a negative statement on tourist numbers!

[boatguy]

On 1/21/2017 at 2:39 PM, philliphn said:

For me this is a problem. I am a British and American citizen. I am 61 years old, retired, and live in a cold State. With long winters. In this State their is no Thai Consulate. I ideally would like to spend 3 to 4 months in Thailand each year. Likely, soon I will retire in Thailand. But, to get the proper Visa, at the Thai Embassy, in the United State of America. Is a confusing problem for me. If they could make it simpler and less confusing for me. I would be more than grateful and appreciative. I more than meet the financial requirements for retirement.

Somewhat similar problem, and I finally got tried of the process and just come on a tourist visa. I'll just spent my retirement money in the USA

[finy]

Any updates?

[sambum]

On 1/24/2017 at 2:58 PM, BigBadGeordie said:

Now this is indeed a first, the minister giving a negative statement on tourist numbers!

Yes, it seems "the lady is for turning"!

[pumpjack]

uk - ireland - usa - canada  and other countries   get free 30 days on arrival anyway,  

so who exactly are they trying to  "lure" in ? its a stupid strategy.

 

give the people more freedom to extend, stop corruption & double pricing & put a stop to the drunken filth attacking elderly foreign tourists in bars !

Edited February 22, 2017 by pumpjack

[alocacoc]

20 minutes ago, pumpjack said:

uk - ireland - usa - canada  and other countries   get free 30 days on arrival anyway,  

so who exactly are they trying to  "lure" in ? its a stupid strategy.

 

give the people more freedom to extend, stop corruption & double pricing & put a stop to the drunken filth attacking elderly foreign tourists in bars !

Oh, you are asking too much.

[JackThompson]

On 2/22/2017 at 1:27 PM, pumpjack said:

uk - ireland - usa - canada  and other countries   get free 30 days on arrival anyway,  

so who exactly are they trying to  "lure" in ? its a stupid strategy. ...

 

Clearly, it is not people from the countries you list.  I can only guess they are trying to bring in the people who formerly entered on "zero dollar" tours from China, but cannot do that now, because those outfits were shut down.  This should be a good policy for low-budget guesthouses and 7-11.

Most "quality tourist" types would gladly shell out some cash at an immigration-checkpoint for a "Visa on Arrival" (see Cambodia's system) if would save the trouble of going through the trouble of getting a Thai Visa in advance.  Unfortunately, most visitors come from countries which do not qualify for a Visa on Arrival, so frequent visitors face either the random-rejection policy of Visa Exempts, or the hassle of getting Tourist Visas each time.

[bangkok101]

"Thailand set to extend free visa offer in bid to lure (SCAM) more foreign tourists"

Just a typo perhaps.