Vietnamese tourists will be allowed to extend their stay in Thailand from 30 days to 45. The new initiative taking effect in October is expected to help boost tourist spending, revive the country’s economy and reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Taweesilp Visanuyothin, the spokesman for Thailand’s Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), said travelers from Vietnam and more than 50 places that currently get 30 days would be able to stay for up to 45 days. In addition, foreigners from 18 territories under the visa on arrival category will be allowed to double their length of stay for up to 30 days.
The spokesman added Thailand would extend the duration of its visa-on-arrival, which applies to nationals of India, China, and Saudi Arabia, from 15 days to 30 days starting in October.
Following the lifting of tourism restrictions, the CCSA said Thailand would downgrade COVID-19 from a “dangerous” communicable disease to one that “needs monitoring” starting from September, a month earlier than scheduled.
Since the reopening of Thailand earlier this year, they have seen 3.78 million tourists arrive. Conversely, Vietnam reopened its borders in mid-March and resumed its visa exemption policy for 24 countries with maximum stays of 15-30 days. As of the H1 data, there were 602,000 recorded foreign visits recorded, but the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) initially targeted to welcome 5 million foreign tourists this year.