Thailand pushes EU Schengen-style visa for mainland Southeast Asia

The single-visa concept would cover Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, ensuring seamless mobility for travellers

But a Schengen-type visa may be an uphill task, observers say, given the Thai PM’s political inexperience and Asean’s standing as a talking shop

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Tourists take photos at the Sanctuary of Truth Museum in Pattaya, Thailand. Tourism-reliant Thailand has set a goal of attracting 80 million foreign visitors by 2027. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 9:05am, 7 Apr 2024

Thailand is steering an initiative for a joint-visa programme with countries that together hosted about 70 million tourists last year as Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin ramps up initiatives to attract more long-haul and high-spending travellers.

Srettha – who’s 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.

With most leaders positively responding to the single-visa concept, tourism-reliant Thailand aims to generate more revenue per traveller and cushion its economy from headwinds such as sluggish exports and weak global demand that’s hurt its manufacturing industry.

The six Southeast Asian nations reported a combined 70 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2023, according to official data. Thailand and Malaysia accounted for more than half of the tally, generating about US$48 billion in tourism revenue.

The single-visa is the most-ambitious among Srettha’s line-up of tourism initiatives but targeted for the long-term. The industry has served the country well, accounting for about 20 per cent of total jobs and making up about 12 per cent of the nation’s US$500 billion economy. Barring the pandemic years, tourism has flourished and provided a cushion against a slump in manufacturing and exports, the traditional bulwarks of the economy.

The tourism industry is upbeat, with Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, a former president of the Thai Hotels Association, saying “a common visa could entice long-haul travellers to make an easier decision”. The visa validity will need to be extended to 90 days from the usual 30-day period to make it attractive, she said.

Tourists take pictures at a mosque Kuala Lumpur during the International Day to Combat Islamophobia last month. Malaysia and Thailand together generated about US$48 billion in tourism revenue last year. Photo: EPA-EFE

Srettha’s administration has set a goal of attracting 80 million tourists by 2027. And since taking power about seven months ago, his government has signed a reciprocal visa waiver deal with China – Thailand’s largest market for tourists – and offered temporary visa waivers for travellers from India, Taiwan and Kazakhstan. It’s also mulling a plan to open casinos inside large entertainment complexes and event-based tourism will help the country generate more revenue.