Corona: Thailand suspends visa on arrival facility

Indians will not be able to avail the visa-on-arrival facility when visiting Thailand, for the time being. Thailand on Wednesday canceled the grant of visa-on-arrival for 18 countries including India and visa exemption for three others to contain the spread of the corona virus, the country’s interior minister said.

Previously, nationals of 18 countries or territories could use their passports or travel documents to apply for Visa on Arrival (VoA) at Thai immigration checkpoints.

The 18 places include Bulgaria, Bhutan, China (including Taiwan), Cyprus, Ethiopia, Fiji, Georgia, India, Kazakhstan, Malta, Mexico, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Vanuatu.

Visa exemption will be canceled for South Korea, Italy and Hong Kong, the minister said.

Thailand with its beautiful beaches, cheap hotels and great nightlife is a popular destination for Indians. The number of Indian tourists heading to Thailand has doubled over the past five years. The Tourism Authority of Thailand, reckons nearly 2 million Indians visited the country in 2019 and that was a 24.85 per cent rise over the year before that.