Visa Waiver Sparks Travel Interest in Thailand for Indian Travelers

Destinations worldwide have increasingly moved to lift visa requirements as part of their strategy to increase visitor numbers — visa processing delays are a major obstacle to the industry’s full recovery.

When people think of Thailand, they often think of relaxing on a pristine beach with a refreshing cold drink in their hand.

For anyone who has traveled abroad recently, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that traveling outside the country can sometimes be cheaper than traveling within the States. One of the places that’s true is in Thailand. Currently, $1 is worth roughly 35 Thai baht. Back here in the States, that wouldn’t even get me a pack of gum, but in Chiang Mai, that can get you a motorcycle taxi ride. If you’re traveling to Chiang Mai, Thailand, here is what you could spend a day in Chiang Mai.

The outbound travel recovery in China is stuck at just over half of 2019 levels, but there’s at least one promising sign of future demand: Domestic tourism is 90% above 2019 levels.

The Indian tour and travel sector anticipates 12-14% growth in the current and upcoming fiscal years, according to a report by Crisil. 

ICONSIAM, the Thailand landmark destination located on the Chao Phraya riverside in Bangkok, has been chosen as one of the seven highlight locations for the “The Vijit Chao Phraya 2023” event, a part of ‘Thailand Winter Festival’ of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), which is being organised throughout December 2023 as a joint public-private sector collaboration. Mr. Supoj Chaiwatsirikul, Managing Director of ICONSIAM Company Limited, said, “We will proudly contribute with amazing events that will help light up the river during this season of joy and invite everyone to join us and share in the festive holiday spirit at ICONSIAM.”

In a move aimed at boosting tourism and the economy, Indonesia is exploring the possibility of offering visa-free entry to Indians along with 19 other countries, including the U.S., China, Australia, South Korea, Germany, Britain, and France.

The global aviation industry is expected to experience a significant increase in passenger traffic in 2024, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). This is good news for the airlines, though passengers may find that flights are even more full than they were this year.

The escalation of extreme weather events and environmental emergencies, coupled with the alarming decline in global biodiversity, will pose unparalleled challenges to multiple industries. This pressing landscape necessitates that organizations in the travel and hospitality sector move beyond mere regulatory compliance to adopt proactive, sustainable practices.

The second London SELECT Marketplace at the Rosewood Hotel – brought over 80 of the top-producing advisors from across the relevant UK business units to meet with key partners and suppliers.

Even before Sri Lanka included India in the list of nations that will get free visas, it was among the most preferred destinations for Indian families, along with Sharjah in United Arab Emirates. A report from online travel agency Cleartrip chronicles what, how and which destinations were trending between July and September 2023. Domestically, Goa, Gurugram, and Chandigarh were the preferred non-metro destinations. 

Five Republican senators led by Marco Rubio on Friday asked President Joe Biden’s administration to ban travel between the United States and China after a spike in Chinese respiratory illness cases.