New Delhi:
Thailand has indefinitely extended visa-free entry for Indian nationals, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) confirmed.
The policy allows visitors from India to stay in the country for up to 60 days, with the option of extending the stay by an additional 30 days after permission from the local immigration office.
Indian tourists can travel to Thailand without the hassle of a visa application.
The visa-free entry policy, introduced on November 10 last year, was to end on May 10. Later, the Thai government extended the temporary tourist visa exemption scheme from May 11 to November 11.
What does visa-free travel mean?
The visa-free travel allows an individual to enter the country without a visa before or upon arrival. With such a scheme, tourists can simply travel to the country with a valid passport, which they have to show at the immigration counter upon arrival.
For Indian tourists, Thailand is among the top visa-free destinations.
In the first three months of 2024, Thailand recorded 9.4 million foreign tourists, who contributed an estimated 454.6 billion baht ($12.4 billion) to its economy in spending, Thailand’s tourism ministry earlier said.
Further, the country aims for a record 40 million tourists this year, nearing its pre-pandemic high in 2019.
Thailand welcomed nearly 1.64 million Indian tourists until October this year, making India its third-largest source of international visitors after Malaysia and China.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand expects the number of Indian visitors to cross the 2 million mark by the end of this year.
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