Thailand to launch new medical treatment visa on Jan 1

#Thailand will introduce a new medical treatment visa on Jan 1 in a bid to help establish itself as a global leader for healthcare tourism.

Deputy government spokeswoman Tipanan Sirichana said the new multiple entry medical visas will be valid for a period of one year and will allow the holder to stay in Thailand for 90 days.

Up to three family members can also be included on the visa, Ms Tipanan added.

Applicants will need to prove they have funds of at least 800,000 baht to cover expenses in Thailand and they must also have accident and COVID-19 insurance which provide a minimum coverage of 3 million baht or US$100,000.

Ms Tipanan said the medical visa will be restricted to people who require continuous treatment for a medical condition for more than 90 days. Partner hospitals will also be required to outline a concrete treatment plan and detail the expenses for the patient.

The visas will be aimed at people looking for treatment in Thailand for such conditions as cancer, cardiovascular disease, organ transplants, and dental care, while those seeking anti-aging and cosmetic surgery would also qualify, she said.

Currently, foreigners visiting Thailand for the purpose of medical treatment apply for a tourist or non-immigrant visa, which allows only a single entry into the country.

However, there is an exemption in place for visitors from eleven countries, including those in the Gulf Cooperation Council (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates), as well as Cambodia, China, Loas, Myanmar and Vietnam.

The fee for the new new medical treatment visas will be 5,000 baht, Ms Tipanan confirmed.

Source - Hua Hin Today

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Lush lotus flowers in Northern Thai province draw tourists

Lush pink lotus flowers in one northern Thai province are drawing tourists. Bueng Boraphet, a lake and swamp in Nakhon Sawan province, currently has lotuses covering an area of over 100 rai.

A staffer at the Bueng Boraphet Wildlife Sanctuary Office said the lotuses have been blooming since early this month. The staffer said the lotuses are expected to bloom throughout swamps in early December. Bueng Boraphet is the largest freshwater swamp and lake in Thailand.

Flower lovers can hire a private boat operator to see the lotuses up close. Prices start from 600 baht per hour for a 12-seater boat.

Those interested in getting a view of the stunning lotuses can call the Bueng Boraphet Wildlife Sanctuary Office via at 056-009-717.

Nakhon Sawan isn’t the only northern Thai province where flowers are blooming. Seasonal golden flowers in Mae Hong Son province also have tourists flocking. The provincial tourism office chief said that hotels and resorts are reporting up to 75% occupancy. This, he said, is a much higher occupancy rate than the rates seen during other times of the year.

Tourists are flocking to the Khun Yuam district to gaze at the scenic Dok Bua Tong flowers, also known as Mexican sunflowers.

With cool winter weather, this is a good time to camp and go outside in Mae Hong Son and other northern Thai provinces. Last week, the glorious view of one mountain in Thailand’s iconic northern province of Chiang Mai drew hundreds of tourists.

If you’re thinking of visiting northern Thailand, Nakhon Sawan’s lotuses, Mae Hong Son’s golden flowers, and views in Chiang Mai are beautiful sites to see.

Source - The Thaiger

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Travelers Warned Not to Bring Fresh Fruits into Thailand

With the resumption of international travel, many Thais have been heading abroad and returning with fresh fruits or vegetables in their possession.
The Department of Agriculture is now warning travelers not to bring fresh produce into Thailand without acquiring import permits.

Thai travelers who return from Korea and Japan frequently bring with them fresh fruits that were purchased abroad. Persimmons and grapes are some of the fruits that customs officials frequently find in the possession of Thais returning from those countries.

The Department of Agriculture indicated that bringing in fresh fruits without declaring them and without permits is illegal under the 1964 Plant Quarantine Act. If found on travelers or among their belongings, officials will seize the goods and may issue penalties that can include fines or prison terms.

The Department of Agriculture has said that it will ask Airports of Thailand to raise more awareness on this matter.

The plant quarantine station at Suvarnabhumi Airport regularly seizes fresh fruits from travelers returning to Thailand and generally issues a verbal warning before releasing the travelers responsible.

Nevertheless, under the law, failure to comply with these requirements can incur a fine of up to 20,000 baht and/or up to 1 year in prison.

Source - Bangkok Jack

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TAT promotes Thailand on London bus

Tourism officials launched a new campaign promoting sunny Thailand in cloudy London as winter approaches. A London double-decker bus now has the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)’s “amazing THAILAND” logo written across it in pink.

Beneath the logo are images of boats in the sea, with the hashtags #AmazingThailand and #AlwaysWarm, as seen in photos by Pattaya Mail. TAT’s new advertisement promotes Thailand’s eastern province of Rayong, as well as Pak Meng Island in Trang province.

TAT is in the midst of launching several new campaigns to draw tourists to the Land of Smiles. Earlier this month, TAT revealed a deal to bring more tourists to the kingdom from the United States and boost the nation’s ailing economy.

TAT is also planning several campaigns focused on Chiang Mai, hoping to draw visitors to the world-renowned province during the High Season from November to March. The campaigns promote Chiang Mai’s craftsmanship, eateries, temples, and the historic Lanna Kingdom.

TAT is now set to surpass its target of 10 million tourists by the end of the year thanks to an influx of Malaysian and Indian visitors. Thailand has welcomed over 1 million tourists from Malaysia and almost 600,000 tourists from India so far in 2022. Last week, nearly 50,000 foreign tourists arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport in one day.

TAT is estimating 18 million international arrivals next year.

We’ll have to wait and see if TAT’s bus campaign in London pays off and if TAT manages to draw more British tourists.

Source - The Thaiger

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Thailand - Online visa extensions for ex-pats coming soon

The Immigration Bureau (IB) unveiled its Electronic Extension of Temporary Stay (e-Extension) service on Tuesday to make it easier for expats to apply for visa extensions.
Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas, the national police chief, said the e-Extension would enhance visa services as the system lets them lodge the extension request online.

The service covers the whole process including the payment of fees via a dedicated website, Thaiextension.vfsevisa.com.

It will reduce the time to process the application from one hour to three minutes, Pol Gen Damrongsak said.

According to the IB, over 200,000 expats seek to extend their visas each year for about a dozen reasons including taking holidays, teaching jobs, studying, working at a state agency or due to family ties.

The growing number of applicants spurred concern about the time-consuming and inconvenient nature of the process.

The e-Extension service will be piloted first for expats living or working in Bangkok.

They can file an application online at the cited website.

However, they must show up in person to verify their identity and get a visa sticker at the IB office on Chaeng Wattana Road.

The IB plans to make the service available at all IB offices nationwide in the future.

Source - Bangkok Jack

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More than 57,000 passengers arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport yesterday

 Thailand - More than 57,000 international passengers arrived at the Suvarnabhumi Airport yesterday, confirmed by Immigration Officers.
Immigration Bureau Spokeman Major Geneneral Choengron Rimphadee confirmed yesterday (November 10th) that there were about 25 international flights arriving at the Suvarnabhumi Airport with about 57,000 passengers. Of those 49,000 were foreigners.

This is approaching the same average numbers before Covid-19 which was approximately 60,000 people a day. During this time there are up to 3,000 passengers arriving at the airport per hour. Immigration Officers can check their passports at 3,500 people in half an hour. Immigration stated that they can still manage with no passengers needing to wait outside the main Immigration area.

TPN notes, however, that many complaints have surfaced online from tourists arriving stating that they personally found the arrival process hectic and crowded, depending on the time of day of arrival.

Immigration, however, has blamed most of the issues on airlines or language and communication issues with tourists from some countries and not their own staffing or processing.

Source - Pattaya News

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Russians the biggest tourist group in Phuket in November so far

Russians have made up Phuket’s biggest group of tourists so far in November. From November 1-10, Phuket saw 18,370 Russian tourists.

The total number of foreign tourists was 75,247, The Phuket Express reported. The next top four countries for tourism in Phuket were: India with 8,939 tourists, Australia with 5,275 tourists, the UK with 4,511 tourists, and Germany with  4,152 tourists.

In September, the TAT said that Malaysians made up Thailand’s biggest tourist group this year. The next three countries with the most tourists were India, Laos, and Cambodia.

But the number of Russian tourists appears to be growing in some areas of the kingdom. Last month, the first direct flights from Moscow to Phuket International Airport resumed.

Also last month, the island of Koh Samui expected to see a surge in Russian tourism, especially in December. Russian tourism has been a big revenue-producing staple of Koh Samui but was stymied by the Covid-19 pandemic and then the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The return of Russians is expected to bring a big boost to tourism on Koh Samui and the surrounding islands, Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Tao. Residents of Russia and other European countries that experience freezing cold winters are plotting their escape to the warm tropical weather in Thailand.

As of October 26, Thailand witnessed 7,349,843 international tourists arriving, surpassing the 7 million mark. It’s put the country within its goal range set by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) of 7 to 10 million visitors for 2022.

Source - The Thaiger 

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