From Thai spas to Thai cuisines, Indians have a marked preference for Thailand, so much so that the figures have started speaking for themselves. 1.5 million Indians explored Thailand in 2018 and this astounding figure ties back to various factors, including low cost carriers and easy visa applications.
Indians are now ditching Goa for Thailand – simply because in the same effort and cost you are exploring a new cuisine and culture. In 2018, Indian tourists in Thailand increased by 13% (year-on-year growth) and an upward trend of 20% is expected in 2019. This increase isn’t without reason – Tourism Authority of Thailand wants to host the globe trotters. The visa fee waiver was the first step towards boosting tourism. Over 900,000 Indians availed the Visa on Arrival facility in Thailand forming the second largest nationality using Visa on Arrival in 2018.
Seeing the increasing number of tourists and to facilitate more inbound tourism, Immigration Bureau of Thailand along with VFS Global has now introduced e-visa on arrival. The introduction of e-visa replaces long queues with document-free ‘Smart Travel’. India along with 20 other countries will have e-visa on arrival in Thailand starting from February 14, 2019 and this comes in right when travellers have just begun charting out their holiday plans for summer 2019.
Here are the key benefits that e-visa on arrival brings to the travellers:
No physical copies of documents, photographs or local cash needed during immigration process at airports
No submission of Passport needed
Travel authorisation within 24 to 72 hours of the application submission
A new ‘Express eVisa On Arrival’ service for approval within 24 hours
Online application submission and payment options
Online application support available at VFS Global visa application centre across the globe
Round-the-clock email support assistance
eVOA holders save time and get a faster immigration service at dedicated Immigration counters at major airports in Thailand