Thailand's virus task force approves special tourism visa, to be effective 1 October

Although Thailand has extended its state of emergency by another month to 31 October, it is relaxing border restrictions somewhat - similar to Japan here last week.

 

The country's virus task force has approved a special tourism visa for long-stay foreigners, with the government targeting as many as 1,200 tourist arrivals per month.

 

The visa will be applicable for those who intend to stay in Thailand for a period of between 90 days to 280 days, with the stipulation effective until 30 September 2021. The previous condition for long-stays in Thailand was for a period of 15 days to 90 days.

 

It is another slight step aimed at helping the tourism industry - which Thailand heavily relies upon - but when a few countries start setting a precedent for these things, you can expect many other countries to pick up similar steps as well moving forward.