BANGKOK – As many as 6 countries located in Asia are mulling to introduce a unified visa on the pattern of Schengen Visa to allow tourists to explore multiple countries with ease and comfort.
The proposal is being pushed under which Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Laos would offer a single unified visa for tourists eager to explore the countries.
The joint visa program is being pushed by Thailand and would allow tourists to have a single visa for countries that collectively welcomed 70 million tourists last year.
Thai Premier, Sretta Thavisin is actively trying to attract tourists to his country besides pursuing this joint visa initiative in conversation with the leaders of these countries.
Thavisin has been ambitiously pursuing his pro-tourism policy and has also allowed temporary visa waivers for travelers from India, Taiwan and Kazakhstan. Moreover, the government has also signed a visa-free agreement with China permanently from March this year.
It is to be highlighted that unified visas are becoming popular across the world with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries also finalizing the arrangements in this regard for the countries of the bloc.
Though the six countries are reportedly responding positively to the proposal of a unified visa, there has been no official word from the leaders of these countries. Nonetheless, Thailand’s recent visa waivers and relaxations imply that the country might be able to devise a framework under which the unified visa dream might become a reality.
Thailand is also discussing the possibility of visa-free access to Europe for which it has also tried to garner the support of top European players like France and Germany. If the unified visa for Asian countries is introduced, it would open up new opportunities of the Asian globetrotter who ould be able to avoid the hassle of getting visas separately for each country.
