Tourists can now stay longer in Thailand with new extended visa
In a recent bid to increase tourism, visitors to beautiful Thailand will now be able to stay in the country for longer than 30 days.
Thailand to welcome longer stays
Tourists will be allowed to stay in the gorgeous country of Thailand for even longer periods now, after authorities announced a visa extension recently.
According to visaguide.news, this extended visa will aslo apply to remote workers, postgraduate students and retirees.
As per government spokesperson Chai Wacharonke, as of June 2024, travellers from 93 countries, including South Africa, will be permitted to stay in Thailand for up to 60 days.
Travel News also reported that Thailand’s single-entry tourist visa allows for stays of up to 90 days, and although South Africans previously had to apply for visa extensions after their initial 30 visa-free days, they can now apply for an extension after 60 days.
Bali implements new tourism tax
In other popular tourist destination news, the beautiful island paradise of Bali recently began charging tourists a tourism tax to visit the island.
According to reports, the Bali Provincial government finalised the International Tourism Levy, a tax on inbound tourists, of US$10 (R188) per passenger, per trip and implemented it on 14 February 2024.
The new entry fee will be used to to fund Bali’s cultural heritage as well as be put towards sustainability efforts including coral reef conservation, mangrove rehabilitation and other projects.
In order to pay this tax, tourists will have to make the application payment through the Love Bali website or the app before arrival. A tourism levy voucher will then be emailed, and travellers will need to keep this voucher on their smartphones for scanning at checkpoints at Bali Airport.