Thailand’s government has announced that it is significantly relaxing its visa program, approving longer stays for tourists, students and remote workers.
The changes—which have been in effect since June 1st of 2024—allow for visa holders to extend for at least five years—a significant jump from 60 days—with each stay limited to 180 days.
Foreign postgraduate students will be able to stay an additional year after graduation.
Thailand is hoping this move will help juice its stuttering economy. The finance ministry previously reduced its 2024 economic growth forecast to 2.4% from 2.8%. The country hoped for a record 40 million foreign tourism arrivals in 2024, which was an anticipated revenue of 3.5 trillion baht ($95.3 billion in USD).
Around the world, there’s a marked trend toward fewer countries requiring traditional paper visas affixed in a passport, according to UN Tourism’s latest Tourism Visa Openness Report, which revealed that just 47% of travelers in 2023 required a traditional visa.
Read the full story here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/suzannerowankelleher/2024/05/30/thailand-relax-visa-program-longer-stays-tourists-digital-nomads/
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