Following prime minister Srettha Thavisin’s announcements to boost foreign tourism to Thailand, 80 percent of holiday arrivals no longer require a prior visa or a visa on arrival. They have become visa exempt, or visa free, travellers as far as Thailand is concerned. Although the nationals of half the countries in the world still do need visas for any visit, they by and large provide miniscule numbers compared with the privileged giants.
Traditionally, visa exempt tourists were mainly from established markets including the US, Australia, the UK and much of mainland Europe. In 2016, then prime minister general Prayut extended their 30 visa exempt days to 60 days by allowing them to extend a further month on payment of 1,900 baht (US$55) at local immigration offices. Thailand also has…
