Srettha says waiver of Schengen visa for Thais ‘no longer a dream’

Speaking at the “Ignite Thailand’s Tourism” event on Friday, the PM said that “the year 2024 would be historic for the Thai tourism sector”.

He said that the government was prioritising the country’s tourism industry, as evidenced by the free-visa policy introduced very early in the term of the new government.

Thanks to a mutual agreement between Thailand and China secured in January this year, the citizens of both nations can visit each other’s country without visa requirements. The Tourism Authority of Thailand expected the arrivals from China to be three times the pre-pandemic 2019 number.

The premier said that he had held talks with the EU and had received a good response on the likelihood of waiver of the Schengen visa for Thais. He reiterated that “it is not a dream”.

In preparation for the arrival of more travellers, Srettha said that infrastructure, like immigration services, would be upgraded so as to offer an impressive experiences to visitors.

Srettha, a former real-estate tycoon before entering politics, returned from a trip to Europe last week, where he met several business leaders.

Srettha said that he was attempting to entice the organisers of the renowned Formula One and Formula E to hold the competitions in Thailand. He had also talked with executives of the LVMH Group to discuss possibilities of opening more stores in Thailand.

During his visit to France last week, Srettha met with executives of over 20 French companies in the fields of automobiles, aviation, clean energy, fashion, sports, hospitality, and tourism.

He was accompanied on the trip by Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the leader of the ruling Pheu Thai Party. The premier was often seen having a "pha khao ma", the Thai traditional waistcloth, on his neck as a scarf.