Visa waiver extended for Indians, Taiwanese
published : 8 May 2024 at 08:39
writer: Gary Boyle
ORIGINAL SOURCE/WRITER: Bloomberg News
The cabinet has approved a plan to extend visa exemptions for tourists from India and Taiwan for six more months, as the country seeks to boost the number of foreign arrivals.
Tourists from India and Taiwan will be able to enter Thailand without a visa until Nov 11 after an existing waiver ends on Friday, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on Tuesday. Travellers can stay for a maximum of 30 days at a time.
The temporary extension follows the success of the initial waiver in November last year. Indian and Taiwanese tourists are normally eligible to stay in Thailand for 15 days under a visa-on-arrival scheme.
The country has been relaxing visa rules for travellers from some of its main markets including China and Russia. In the first four months of 2024, Thailand welcomed more than 12 million foreign tourists, representing a 39% increase from the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
The largest groups of visitors — those from China, Malaysia, Russia, South Korea and India — accounted for half of the total arrivals this year.
Vocabulary
- account for: to be a particular amount or part of something -
- eligible: allowed by rules or laws to do something or to receive something - มีสิทธิ
- exemption: permission to not have to do something, such as making a payment, following a rule, etc. - ข้อยกเว้น
- extension: making a period of time longer - การขยายออกไป
- initial: early; first - เบื้องต้น
- market (noun): business or trade, or the amount of trade in a particular type of goods - ตลาด, กลุ่มผู้ซื้อ, ความต้องการสินค้า
- scheme: a plan that is developed by a government or large organisation in order to provide a particular service for people - แผนการ โครงการ
- visa: an official document or mark in your passport that allows you to enter or leave a country for a specific purpose or period of time - วีซ่า, เอกสารอนุมัติที่ประทับตราบนหนังสือเดินทาง
- waiver: an official statement or document that says a right, claim, or law can be officially ignored or given up - เอกสารสละสิทธิ
