A government spokesperson announced on Thursday that the cabinet had officially endorsed the permanent exemption of visas for tourists from Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan stands out as one of the rapidly growing markets for Thailand’s tourism industry, playing a pivotal role in the nation’s economic advancement.
According to data from the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the number of Kazakh visitors to Thailand surged to 172,000 last year from 60,000 the previous year. Most Kazakh tourists in Thailand are families and couples.
Their average stay duration is around 14 days, primarily in beach resorts, with an estimated expenditure of about 75,000 baht per person. The TAT projects that Thailand will receive over 220,000 Kazakh tourists this year.
In response to the heightened travel demand, the Kazakh airline, Air Astana, has been increasing its flights to Thailand.
Last September, the government initiated a visa exemption for Kazakh passport holders as a trial run, and in February, it extended this policy until August 31.
Since 2019, Thai passport holders have enjoyed visa exemption privileges in Kazakhstan, permitting them to stay for up to 30 days.
On March 1, a permanent visa waiver for Chinese visitors was implemented, reciprocated by China for Thai visitors under a bilateral agreement.
