TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has thanked Thailand for including visitors from Taiwan in its new visa waiver beginning Monday (July 15).

To boost tourism, the Thai government decided in May to extend visa waivers to visitors from 93 countries, up from 57 before, the Bangkok Post reported. The travelers will also be allowed to stay in Thailand for 60 days, an increase from 30 days.

The Southeast Asian country will also change its visa on arrival program and introduce a new “Destination Thailand” visa to benefit digital nomads and visitors taking courses related to Thai culture.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Thailand welcomed up to 39 million visitors per year. In 2023, it recorded 28 million tourists, with the largest groups coming from Malaysia, China, South Korea, India, and Russia.

MOFA welcomed the decision to include Taiwan in the new measure, making an earlier temporary visa waiver for Taiwanese visitors permanent. The ministry emphasized Thailand’s role as one of 18 New Southbound Policy countries targeted for closer relations since 2016.