BANGKOK – The government of Thailand has allowed Russian tourists who enter the country without a visa to stay for a maximum of two months.
Thailand is currently trying to attract tourists from across the world and has eased visa restrictions in recent months to the economy.
Under the fresh approval granted by the cabinet, Russian passport holders who arrive in Thailand between May and July can stay up to 60 days per trip. The current agreement between the two countries is expiring in April.
The deputy government spokesperson Rudklao Suwankiri confirmed the development and the fresh directives would replace the current policy, which allows Russian citizens to enter Thailand for stays up to 90 days.
Tourists from Russia have been landing in Thailand in large numbers. The Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports announced that about 9.4 million foreign tourists visited Thailand between January and March 2024.
Russians emerged third among international tourists, with 622,813 people visiting Thailand during the first quarter of the ongoing year despite concerns raised by the locals in the backdrop of a few criminal activities.
In terms of statistics, the Chinese topped the list in terms of the highest number of tourists to the country followed by Malaysia, Russia, South Korea, and India.
The Thai government aims to attract 35 to 40 million international visitors this year and generate 1.8 trillion baht ($49 billion) in revenue as the social distancing protocols have been lifted.
It has also been reported that Thailand has introduced a 30-day visa-free scheme for Bangladeshi officials. The government has also signed a visa-free agreement with China on a permanent basis from March this year and is also trying to get a Schengen Visa waiver for its citizens – a move for which it has also tried to enlist the support of Germany and France.
