(TAN): Thailand is set to start issuing special visas to foreign tourists starting October, following more than a five-month ban on visitors owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, Bloomberg reported, citing a government spokesperson.
The Thailand government has approved a proposal to issue visas to tourists planning to stay between 90 and 280 days in the country. The tourists will undergo a mandatory 14-day state quarantine on arrival at partner hotels or hospitals and follow health and safety regulations, it said.
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The government expects about 1,200 visitors to avail themselves of these visas each month, generating about THB 1.2 billion (USD 38.5 million) in revenue.
Thailand’s tourism and hospitality sectors have been counting on the return of international visitors, who contributed to two-thirds of tourism income before the pandemic, to reverse the slump in businesses and save millions of jobs.
“There will not be a huge economic impact from this as it still can’t compensate for the revenue lost, but it will help,” Somprawin Manprasert, chief economist at Bank of Ayudhya Pcl said, according to the report. “This plan still targets a higher-spending group of foreign visitors which will not benefit tourism industry operators that have lower to mid-price points, who will still suffer.”
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The move to relax curbs on foreign tourists also follows Thailand’s relative success in containing the coronavirus outbreak. The nation went without a local transmission for 100 days before the virus-free run ended early this month. Though Thailand was the first country outside China to report the deadly virus, its cumulative cases stand at 3,480 with most patients already discharged from hospitals.
