Tourism Group Backs Reduced 30-Day Visa, Urges PM to Act
Thailand's tourism industry body supports cutting tourist visas from 60 to 30 days, citing concerns that longer stays attract criminal activity and illegal foreign business operations that undermine local workers and Thailand's internationa
The Association of Thai Tourism Businesses, led by Sitsadivat Chivaratana, has endorsed the government's reduction of tourist visa stays from 60 days to 30 days, arguing it is appropriate since most genuine tourists stay only 7–20 days. Longer visa allowances, he warned, invite economic and social risks from criminal elements and gray-market operators who exploit extended stays to conduct unlicensed business, directly competing with Thai workers and entrepreneurs. Sitsadivat called on the government to crack down on foreign nationals engaged in illegal commerce and to urgently restore Thailand's safety image, which he said is critical to tourism but has been damaged by negative international news coverage of traffic accidents, fires, and crimes—notably the case of two Russian brothers that spread rapidly through foreign media and social platforms, diverting tourists to safer-perceived competitors like Vietnam. He urged the Prime Minister to personally take charge in coordinating security and relevant agencies to fix security problems and demonstrate Thailand's safety to the world.
