BANGKOK — Tourists from China and 18 other countries will pay discounted visa fees upon arrival for three months starting in December.
Fees for these 19 countries will be halved to 1,000 baht during the December-February period to stimulate arrivals and create jobs, a government spokesman said Tuesday.
The government believes that cutting the visa fee will draw 350,000 additional tourists to Thailand to the tune of about 28 billion baht in revenues, spokesman Athisit Chainuwat said, as the time period coincides with international winter break, Christmas, New Year’s and Chinese New Year.
By its calculations, the government expects to generate more than 62,000 jobs.
The 19 countries to be exempt from a visa fee for this period are: Andorra, Bulgaria, Bhutan, China, Cyprus, Ethiopia, India, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
Additional reporting: Teeranai Charuvastra, Chayanit Itthipongmaetee
