Is Special Thai Tourist Visa Worth the Hype It Has Achieved Among Travellers?
When first released in the beginning of October, the special Thai tourist visa came across as a ray of hope for all travellers who have been waiting to begin some travel adventure soon. Having shut borders for all travellers since March, Thailand’s tourism industry was struggling to find ways to salvage its badly hit economy.
This Thai tourist visa will allow tourists from ‘low-risk’ countries to enjoy a long stay in Thailand up to 270 days. As per the tourism board, the visas that will be offered till September 2021 are likely to welcome nearly 1,200 travellers every month.
The offer, ever since its release, has excited European retirees who are waiting to soak in the sun at stunning Thailand beaches. While general tourists are still not allowed to enter the country, the new Thai tourist visa is specially issued for medical, study, work and business only. What seems to be an appealing offer is quite an expensive affair when we consider the intricacies.
To apply for the visa, a person has to stay in the country for a minimum of 90 days, which requires hefty sums of money to be spent on hotel stays. Several tourists are disappointed with the need to arrange a quarantine hotel, which will cost at least half a million baht ($16,000) in savings.
Paying for hotel quarantine, stay and the Thai travel insurance will be a major setback for business travellers. Moreover, the process of visa application, along with the compulsory certificate of entry is a really time consuming process. In addition to having the basic documentation necessary for travelling to Thailand, the board claims that the tourists must not have a criminal record in either country.
While Chinese travellers are the most eager to visit Thailand, they are forced to book flights from a limited number of trips. For instance: China Southern Airlines is offering only 200 seats per trip between Guangzhou and Bangkok.
Despite challenges, some businessmen are happy with the benefits of Thai tourist visa. An early applicant for the special visa — ‘Wu’, who is an e-commerce businessman from eastern Zhejiang province said, “Thailand is my business focus for the second half of the year. I wanted to go back as soon as possible or else I am losing half a million yuan in revenue this year”.
Others who are not willing to pick on huge expenses for quarantining in both Thailand and China are considering to wait till the quarantine policy is scrapped. Issues like these will soon be solved as the Thailand-China travel corridor is likely to be started by January 2021.
In addition to the above challenges, Thailand’s tourism industry is likely to witness a significant backlash due to the ongoing protests. In case you are planning to visit the country anytime soon, make sure you read about the protests beforehand and plan your trip accordingly. The protests have not only affecting the country’s economic status but have also discouraged business travellers to make further investments. In case the ongoing protests are not controlled soon, Thailand’s tourism industry will have a hard time balancing its finances.
