Southeast Asia’s second largest economy receives 19.7 million foreign tourists

Starting from July 22, Thailand offered 60-day visa-free stays for citizens from 93 countries and territories, an increase from the previous 57, for tourism or short-term business purposes.

In addition, Thailand also introduced its Destination Thailand Visa, allowing digital nomads, freelancers, and visitors interested in learning skills such as cooking and martial arts to stay for up to 180 days, and the visa will be valid for five years.

The Thai government is targeting 40 million foreign arrivals for the whole of this year.

In 2019, the year before the onset of the Covid pandemic, Thailand, whose economy heavily relies on tourism, welcomed a record 39.9 million foreign arrivals, generating 1.91 trillion baht (US$51.9 billion) in revenue.