In an effort to attract more visitors as the peak travel season draws near, a government official announced on Tuesday that Thailand will remove visa requirements for arrivals from Taiwan and India starting next month and continuing until May 2024.
China was Thailand’s main pre-pandemic tourism market, accounting for 11 million of the country’s record 39 million arrivals in 2019. In September, the country eliminated its visa requirements for Chinese visitors.
The most recent government statistics shows that from January to October 29, 22 million tourists visited Thailand, spending 927.5 billion baht ($25.67 billion).
According to spokeswoman Chai Wacharonke, “travelers from Taiwan and India may stay in Thailand for 30 days.”
With over 1.2 million visitors thus far this year, India has ranked as Thailand’s fourth-largest source market for tourists, behind only Malaysia, China, and South Korea.
India’s inbound travel industry appeared to be expanding as more airlines and lodging companies focused on that sector.
Thailand is targeting about 28 million arrivals this year, with the new government hoping the travel sector can offset continued weak exports that have constrained economic growth.
Thailand is the second country to announce visa waivers for Indian globetrotters. Sri Lanka also recently announced visa-free entry for visitors from seven countries including India and China as part of a pilot project to shore up the island nation’s tourism till March 31, 2024.
