The Indian government should grant Thai tourists a visa exemption if it wants to draw more of them, says the vice-president of Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA).
“The Indian government should consider granting visa exemptions to Thai tourists because this will be a key factor in promoting tourism between the countries,” Wachira Wichaiwatana told the opening of a one-day event titled “Incredible India: Tourism Meet” on Friday.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, 120,000 Thai tourists travelled to India each year. Most went under Buddhist pilgrimage tours to holy sites. “After the pandemic, in the year 2022, the number of Thai tourists visiting India fell to 52,000. We expect that around 100,000 Thai tourists will visit this year,” she said.
Japan and Taiwan have been successful in increasing the number of Thai tourists visiting their countries by granting them visa exemptions, she said.
The Indian ambassador to Thailand, Nagesh Singh, said Thailand and India celebrated the 75th anniversary of bilateral relations last year.
“With the Indian government’s Act East policy and Thailand’s Act West policy, both countries have been able to evolve a comprehensive relationship. Tourism is helps enhance understanding and contributes to the economy,” Mr Singh said.
India is launching the ‘Visit India Year’ this year which includes many activities to promote tourism. More than 400 flights travel between Thailand and India a week, he said. During pre-Covid times, around two million Indian tourists came to Thailand a year, and last year after international travel started to regain some momentum, almost one million Indians visited Thailand. It will bounce back to two million this year, he said.
“But only 52,000 Thais are travelling to India, which is a shame. So, I think we have to work together, and I hope this is small step towards increasing the traffic of tourism between the two countries,” he added.
The Indian government’s tourism campaign titled “Incredible India”, he said, aims to portray the best sides of India that the country can provide, with unique and well rounded experiences that display how the country is culturally, geographically and environmentally diverse.