We are talking about groups such as digital nomads and event organizers
Thailand will continue to make changes to the visa system in order to simplify the rules of entry into the country for the further development of the tourism industry. This statement was made by Thai Prime Minister Phetkhong Than Shinawatra, who presented the government’s program in Parliament. This is reported by TASS. “The government will accelerate the pace of tourism development by continuing the successful restructuring of the visa system to facilitate the process of visa applicants,” she said on a parliamentary TV channel, noting that these are groups such as digital nomads and organizers of concerts, festivals and sporting events. The Prime Minister noted that the revenue of the Thai tourism industry in 2023, after the country received more than 28 million foreign guests, amounted to about 1.9 trillion baht ($56 billion). Shinawatra stressed that tourism in Thailand will also develop by increasing the number of theme parks, shopping malls and entertainment complexes. According to the decree of the Thai government, published earlier in The Royal Gazette, the new rules of visa-free travel for Russians for up to 60 days began to take effect on July 15. A representative of the Thai Foreign Ministry said that unlike previous practices of introducing visa exemptions, the approved visa-free period will be valid without time limit until further notice. If desired, tourists can extend the period of visa-free stay for an additional period of no more than 30 days. According to the current procedure, the extension is carried out at the Immigration police department upon payment of a fee of 1,9 thousand baht ($56) before the expiration of the visa-free stamp. More than 23 million tourists have visited Thailand since the beginning of this year, more than 1.1 million of them are Russians. Russia is Thailand’s largest European tourist market and is in fifth place in terms of the number of visits among all national tourist groups. By the end of the year, the Thai authorities expect that the volume of tourist traffic from Russia will reach 1.9 million and exceed the record figure of 2013, when 1.7 million Russians visited the kingdom.
