Thailand and Sri Lanka have extended the visa-free entry facilities for visitors from India and other select countries.

Thailand has announced the extension of visa-free entry till November 11,
2024. The facility, implemented on November 10, 2023, was initially till May 10, 2024.

The Sri Lanka government has announced the extension of the facility till May 31, 2024. The country started visa-free entry as a pilot project in October last year. In both countries, the facility is valid for 30 days for visitors from India.

Tourism Authority of Thailand officials said there had been a sharp increase in the number of tourists from India since the facility was implemented.

The number of visitors to Thailand from India between November 2022 and April 2023 was 7,55,066, the official said. This number went up to 9,68,000 between November 2023 and April 2024.

“There has been a 28.2 per cent increase in the number of visitors from India between November 2023 and April 2024 compared with the previous year. This helped the Thailand government decide to extend the visa-free facility,” said Sirges-a-nong Trirattanasongpol, director, Tourism Authority of Thailand, New Delhi Office. “India is a very important market for us.”

In Calcutta, tour operators said the extension would boost travel to these places, especially during the summer and Puja vacations.

City-based businessman Mukesh Hathiramani was planning to go to Singapore with his wife to visit his daughter at the end of the month. “But my travel agent informed me on Tuesday that the visa-free entry facility in Thailand has been extended. So, we changed the plan and will go to Thailand on May 19 for an eight-day trip. Our daughter will join us there,” he said.

One of his friends, who had also planned a vacation elsewhere, has decided to go to Thailand on May 26.

“The facility has boosted group travel and destination weddings to both Thailand and Sri Lanka. We expect the number of tourists to these countries to exceed even the pre-Covid period,” said Anil Punjabi, national committee member of the Travel Agents Federation of India, representing the eastern region.

At other times, an Indian has to spend Rs 3,000 for a Thai visa and needs a balance of Rs 70,000 in his or her bank account, tour operators said.