Longer Stay Seen as Key to Wedding and Celebration Travel
Thailand's approved 30-day visa exemption for Indian tourists is essential to attracting wedding and celebration groups, Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul said this week, as the country targets 2.7 million arrivals from India in 2027. Surasak said he had pushed for a 30-day entitlement after an earlier proposal would have limited visa-free stays for Indian visitors to just 15 days, a window he said would have been too restrictive for higher-spending travellers who come to Thailand for destination weddings and celebrations requiring weeks of preparation and events.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand expects Indian arrivals to reach 2.55 million in 2026 before climbing 5.8% to a record 2.7 million in 2027. India was Thailand's third-largest source market as of July 18, with roughly 1.3 million arrivals recorded since the start of 2026. Thailand welcomed 2.48 million Indian tourists in 2025, up 16.82% from the previous year, generating 90.4 billion baht in tourism revenue.
Revised Visa Framework Follows Industry Concerns
Concern had emerged among tourism operators after the Cabinet approved the withdrawal of a temporary 60-day visa-exemption programme covering 93 countries and territories, with some fearing Indian passport holders would be pushed back onto Visa on Arrival processing. Under the revised framework approved by the Cabinet on July 14, India is instead included among 59 countries and territories entitled to visa-free tourism stays of up to 30 days, placed in the standard visa-exemption category rather than Visa on Arrival.
Indian visitors remain in Thailand for about 7.17 days per trip on average and spend roughly 6,203 baht per person per day, with Thai food, beaches and wellness experiences among their leading draws. Air connectivity remains central to the strategy, with direct flights connecting nine Indian cities to Bangkok, Krabi and Phuket, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand planning to expand promotion into Tier 2 and Tier 3 Indian cities including Lucknow, Chandigarh and Pune.
