Thailand leads push for six-nation visa to lure moneyed tourists

News Snapshot:

BANGKOK – Thailand is steering an initiative for a joint visa programme with five other countries that together hosted about 70 million tourists in 2023, as Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin ramps up initiatives to attract more long-haul and high-spending travellers. Mr Srettha – who has pledged to elevate Thailand’s status as a tourism hotspot into an aviation and logistics hub – has discussed the Schengen-type visa idea with his counterparts in Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar and Vietnam in recent months. The facility is meant to ensure seamless mobility for travellers among the six neighbouring countries. The Schengen visa allows free...