Thailand bats for a Schengen-like visa for South East Asia to lure rich tourists
economictimes.indiatimes.comThailand 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 travelers.
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 traveler 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.
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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
