Return to 30-day exemption approved but details and effective date to be determined
Tourists with lotus flowers in their hands pose as a tuk-tuk driver and passengers parked at Pak Klong Talat flower market in Bangkok on March 30. (Photo: Apichart Jinakul)
The cabinet on Tuesday decided to end the 60-day visa-free programme for foreign visitors to Thailand, but the timeline for enforcement has not yet been disclosed.The decision meant that the rules for all countries covered by the scheme would revert to the immigration regulations used before the 60-day programme took effect, Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul said.
Thai authorities for months have been signalling that 60-day stays, introduced to help spur the post-Covid tourism recovery, had brought unintended consequences. Chief among them was the rise in foreigners putting down roots to run businesses or engage in criminal activity.
Mr Surasak did not give an effective date for the change, saying only that the cabinet decision would be relayed to all agencies responsible for the issue.
