“Amazing Thailand Grand Sale Passport Privileges” from November 15 until January 15, 2019. The Tourism Authority of Thailand will join the Finance Ministry to set additional special areas at tourism areas or department stores for tourists to facilitate convenient and quick refund of value added tax.

Nattaporn Jatusripitak, adviser to the Prime Minister’s Office, said that the Cabinet agreed in principle to review and offer relaxation to three types of visas with a two-month pilot period. The starting period will be determined by the Tourism and Sports Ministry after its study of the proper period and details.

Firstly, a single-entry visa will be allowed to be changed into a double-entry visa with travel required within six months at the same fee of Bt1,000 per person. The Cabinet also approved a re-entry permit to facilitate foreign tourists who visit Thailand’s neighbouring countries to return to Thailand without making another request.

armchairlawyer wrote: ↑Wed Nov 14, 2018 3:10 pm Interesting. I noticed when I was in the UK recently that Thailand has become passe as a tourist destination. After years of being in favour, the pendulum has swung against Thailand. Travel pages are hyping up Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam. Maybe the Thai tourist people realise this and are trying to keep these tourists for a least part of their trip. Many of them would be transiting through BKK in any case.

Thailand welcomed visitor arrivals of 22,657,730 in January-July 2018, up by 11% over the same period of 2017, according to preliminary figures tabulated by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
Some key performance indicators of international arrivals in January-July 2018 were as follows:

East Asian generated 15.45 million visitors, or 68% of the total. China topped the list with 6,860,924 million arrivals. ASEAN countries generated over 5.62 million arrivals, with growth from the Philippines (+9.93%), Lao PDR. (+9.31%), Cambodia (+8.43%), Vietnam (+7.83%), Indonesia (+7.67%), Malaysia (+6.80%), Singapore (+2.97%), except Myanmar (-0.36%) and Brunei (-11.04%).

Arrivals from Europe were up 6.37% to 4.05 million. Russia is the largest source market out of Europe, with arrivals of 900,712, up by 16.24%.

Arrivals from the Americas were up 2.99% to 948,872. The main market, USA, was up by 5.82% to 656,327.

Arrivals from South Asia grew by 12.11% to 1,133,057. India topped the list with arrivals of 919,130, up 13.24%.

Arrivals from Oceania declined by 1.49% to 532,296 visitors, largely due to lower arrivals from both Australia (-1.82%) and New Zealand (+0.54%).

Arrivals from the Middle East declined by 4.56% to 432,054.

Kammekor wrote: ↑Wed Nov 14, 2018 4:05 pm Is it really hot news? I've been to Thailand at least fifty times and I've never applied for a visa. 28 days exemptions are sufficient for me.

A change in the number of yearly land crossings might be a change for the foreigners living close to the Thai border in Cambodia, but my idea is most foreigners in Cambodia (apart from the backpackers) will fly in and out Thailand anyway, with the travel over land crossings being so inconvenient and return tickets by air costing just over a 100 USD.

phuketrichard wrote: ↑Wed Nov 14, 2018 5:14 pm

Kammekor wrote: ↑Wed Nov 14, 2018 4:05 pm Is it really hot news? I've been to Thailand at least fifty times and I've never applied for a visa. 28 days exemptions are sufficient for me.

A change in the number of yearly land crossings might be a change for the foreigners living close to the Thai border in Cambodia, but my idea is most foreigners in Cambodia (apart from the backpackers) will fly in and out Thailand anyway, with the travel over land crossings being so inconvenient and return tickets by air costing just over a 100 USD.

1st ; its 30 days visa exempt
2nd; ur only allowed 2 of those/calendar year overland before this update, ( no set restrictions on flying in)