Thailand, Apr 10:
Thailand is steering an initiative for a joint-visa program with countries that together hosted about 70
million tourists last year as Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin ramps up initiatives to attract more long-haul
and high-spending travellers.
Srettha — who’s pledged to elevate Thailand’s status as a tourism hotspot into an aviation and logistics
hub — has discussed the Schengen-type visa idea with his counterparts in Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia,
Myanmar and Vietnam in recent months. The facility is meant to ensure seamless mobility for travelers
among the six neighboring countries.
With most leaders positively responding to the single-visa concept, tourism-reliant Thailand aims to
generate more revenue per traveller and cushion its economy from headwinds such as sluggish exports
and weak global demand that’s hurt its manufacturing industry.
The six Southeast Asian nations reported a combined 70 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2023, according
to official data. Thailand and Malaysia accounted for more than half of the tally, generating about $48
billion in tourism revenue.
The single-visa is the most-ambitious among Srettha’s lineup of tourism initiatives but targeted for the
long-term. The industry has served the country well, accounting for about 20% of total jobs and making
up about 12% to the nation’s $500 billion economy. Barring the pandemic years, tourism has flourished
and provided a cushion against a slump in manufacturing and exports, the traditional bulwarks of the
economy.
