Thailand pushes EU Schengen-style visa for mainland Southeast Asia
==========
Thailand is proposing a joint-visa programme for mainland Southeast Asia, covering Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. The single-visa concept aims to ensure seamless mobility for travellers among the six neighbouring countries. The initiative is being led by Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, who aims to attract more long-haul and high-spending travellers to boost tourism revenue. The six Southeast Asian nations reported a combined 70 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2023, with Thailand and Malaysia accounting for more than half of the tally and generating about US$48 billion in tourism revenue. The single-visa proposal is part of Srettha's broader tourism initiatives, as his administration aims to attract 80 million tourists by 2027. However, implementing a Schengen-type visa may face challenges due to the poor track record of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in expediting multilateral policy frameworks and its reputation as a talking shop. The absence of standard immigration criteria among participating nations and the lack of political clout of the Thai Prime Minister may also pose challenges to the proposal.
#Thailand #SoutheastAsia #Tourism #VisaPolicy #SchengenstyleVisa