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Southeast Asia’s tourism powerhouse to introduce new tiered visa system.

Thailand’s cupboard has authorized a drastic discount to its visa-free entry scheme for vacationers from greater than 90 international locations.

The choice, issued on Tuesday, shifts the nation away from a sweeping 60-day visa exemption launched in July 2024 to stimulate its post-pandemic restoration. That exemption was for areas that included america, Israel, components of South America and Europe’s 29-nation Schengen zone.

Beneath the brand new framework, the federal government will revert to a tiered system, capping visa-free stays at 30 days whereas shortening permission for residents of some international locations to only 15 days.

“The present scheme has allowed some folks to use it,” authorities spokesperson Rachada Dhanadirek instructed reporters in Bangkok, noting that whereas tourism stays an indispensable pillar of the Thai economic system, safety issues have taken precedence.

Thai officers acknowledged the beneficiant 60-day window had inadvertently opened loopholes, paving the way in which for a surge in illicit grey-market enterprises, unauthorised overseas employees and on-line rip-off operations. Policymakers now view a 30-day ceiling as an ample timeframe to accommodate real, high-value travellers.

The coverage reversal follows a collection of high-profile arrests involving overseas nationals engaged in drug trafficking, human smuggling and operating unauthorised native companies, similar to accommodations and language faculties.

International Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow stated the measure doesn’t goal any particular nationality however moderately people abusing the visa system to evade legislation enforcement.

To stop systemic abuse, the Ministry of International Affairs stated it’s going to additionally implement a strict cap of two visa-free entries per calendar 12 months by way of land borders for the usual 30-day tier, mirroring protocols used earlier than the 2024 enlargement.

The federal government has not but introduced when the modifications will take impact, however they had been determined at a delicate time for Southeast Asia’s second-largest economic system, the place tourism accounts for greater than 10 % of its gross home product. Authorities information revealed a 3.4 % year-on-year drop in overseas arrivals throughout the first quarter, pushed largely by an almost 30 % plunge in Center Jap travellers.

Regardless of the downturn, officers maintained their annual goal of attracting 33.5 million overseas vacationers this 12 months.