"Thailand cancels visa-on-arrival fee for tourists" – Check if your country’s listed

Thailand says it will grant a visa-on-arrival fee waiver to tourists from 21 countries and regions.

Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of Tourism Authority of Thailand, said on Tuesday that the visa fee exemption was made to boost falling tourist numbers over the peak New Year holiday season, especially for visitors from China, the kingdom’s largest tourism market.

Tourism takes up about 20 per cent of the country’s economic growth.

Chinese tourists contribute about one-third of the country’s total foreign arrivals.

Thailand has seen a nine per cent drop in the number of Chinese tourists in the third quarter after a 25 per cent increase in the first two quarters year-on-year.