Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin on October 16 announced that Thailand will extend the visa-free stay for Russian tourists from 30 to 90 days from November 1, 2023 to April 30, 2024.

Russian tourist visit Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Speaking after a cabinet meeting, Srettha the visa extension for Russian tourists will help boost the country’s tourism.

He said that the time for the policy implementation is suitable for Russian tourists to escape the cold winter in their country that usually begins in December and lasts until March.

According to government data, Thailand welcomed more than 20 million foreign tourists in the first nine months of 2023, of which Russian tourists ranked fifth with nearly 995,000 visitors. Malaysia had the biggest number of tourists to Thailand with 3.2 million arrivals, followed by China (2.5 million), the Republic of Korea (1.19 million) and India (1.16 million).

Previously, Thailand granted visa exemptions to tourists from China and Kazakhstan from September 25,2023 to February 29, 2024.

Source: VNA