Thailand has announced that it will extend the visa-free stay for Russian tourists from 30 days to 90 days, starting in November. This is an effort to boost tourism during the peak travel season.
The Tourism and Sports Ministry says that over 923,000 Russian tourists have visited Thailand so far this year, making them the fifth largest group of visitors. In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 1.5 million Russian tourists visited Thailand and spent around $3.3 billion.
Thailand is hoping that the increase in tourist arrivals will drive economic growth. However, a recent shooting incident in a Bangkok shopping mall may have impacted the country’s appeal to Chinese visitors, who are also eligible for visa-free entry.
Despite this, the government says that there are still around 590,000 Chinese tourists with confirmed flight and hotel bookings to Thailand.
Overall, Thailand is expected to welcome up to 30 million tourists this year, more than double the total for 2022.
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