A new visa requirement which affects visitors from Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei has hit the busy border town of Songkhla.
Visitors from the three Asean countries, and 46 other nations, now need to apply for a tourist visa if they make more than two trips to Thailand via land transport. However, tourists who arrive by air or boat can still enjoy the visa-free trips for up to 30 days at a time.
“This is a worrying inconvenience,” the Songkhla Tourism Industry Council chairman said yesterday.
“In the past, these visitors could come whenever they liked, without having to worry about a visa. But now Thailand has restricted their visa-free trips to just two a year if they come by land.”
The Interior Ministry’s new visa regulations took effect on December 31.
More than 90 per cent of tourists from Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei travel by car and bus.
There is just one daily flight between Songkhla’s Hat Yai and Singapore. There are no direct flights from Indonesia and Brunei to Songkhla.
It will be interesting to see how this one pans out.
(Source: The Nation, Thailand)