The Thai government approved on Tuesday a plan for issuing long-stay visas for tourists starting in October, allowing them to stay in the country for up to 270 days, government spokeswoman Trisulee Trisoranakul said
BANGKOK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th September, 2020) The Thai government approved on Tuesday a plan for issuing long-stay visas for tourists starting in October, allowing them to stay in the country for up to 270 days, government spokeswoman Trisulee Trisoranakul said.
Visitors will be issued a Special Tourist Visa (STV) for 90 days, which can then be renewed twice, adding up to a total of 270 days. It will cost 2,000 Baht ($64). The new program will be in effect until September 30 of the next year from the moment the government issues a relevant decree.
"Tourists who qualify for the STV must intend to stay in Thailand for a long period of time, comply with Thai Public Health measures of undergoing state quarantine or alternative state quarantine for 14 days, and show evidence of the hotels that they will be staying in," Trisoranakul told reporters, as cited by the Thai Enquirer newspaper, without specifying the exact date in October that the program will be launched.
According to the government official, the new type of tourist visa will help revive the tourism industry, which has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trisoranakul added that Thailand was expecting 100 tourists per week and 1,200 tourists per month once the STV comes into force. The estimated income is expected to be 1.2 billion baht per month.
