Thailand is reportedly considering promoting the formation of a Schengen-like region in Southeast Asia in an effort to draw in more wealthy travelers there.
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has officially proposed the” Pan- South Asian Zone” strategy to officials in Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Vietnam. Over the past few decades, these countries have had fruitful discussions about the program.
The plan calls for the creation of a region that resembles the unrestrained travel zone of the European Union. As Thavisin predicted, this would enable tourists to travel without a visa across the six neighboring nations, increasing their potential profit per visitor. Although the statement does not explain the latest stage of the discussions, the majority of leaders have endorsed this theory.
There has been continued discussion for years about establishing a corridor in the area that is comparable to Schengen. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN ) announced its intentions to create a unified visa system for seamless travel in 2011. Yet, significant differences in the member-state visa restrictions hampered progress.
Implementing a solitary visa program today might prove to be a difficult task because it would require coordinating approvals between various nations with varying immigration standards. It might be more appropriate to slowly create a visa-free scheme on a country-by-country basis, in contrast to the European Union, where defined criteria are in place.
If properly implemented, the system has the potential to benefit both business travel and business.
The six nations ‘ full tourist arrivals in 2023 were reported to be 70 million, according to official statistics. It is important to point out that more than 50 % of these visitors were made by Thailand and Malaysia up.
ourism plays a significant role in Thailand’s economy, contributing approximately 12 % to the nation’s GDP of nearly$ 500 billion. In 2023, the country experienced a 20 % increase in foreign tourists visitors, reaching over 27 million, the highest write-up- COVID- 19 crisis. However, Bangkok aims to raise this number to 80 million by 2027 in order to increase revenue generated from the tourism sector. SOURCE: Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam Want Eastern’ Schengen Zone ‘ BY: eTurboNews | eTN
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