Tuesday's cabinet decided to encourage the flagging economy to be boosted by international visitors who commit to 14-day quarantine and remain for at least 90 days.
After the cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said the government would grant unique long-stay visas for tourists. The most notable requirement will be a quarantine lasting 14 days.
"tourism or health care tourists can arrive and remain at alternate state quarantine facilities, specific locations or hospitals that act as quarantine facilities," he said.
"Our universal health care system is among the best in the world, and people can trust it."
The prime minister said the Covid-19 Condition Administration Center would reflect on the matter later on.
Speaker of the Deputy Government Traisulee Traisaranakul said long-term tourists would need to provide proof of payment for their extended stay in the region. It may be a hotel booking bill or a condominium room fee.
"The aim is to accept 100-300 tourists a week, or as much as 1,200 people a month, and produce a monthly revenue of about 1 billion baht," she said.
The unique 90-day visitor visa may be expanded twice, each time for 90 days. Long-stay visitors could start coming in next month, Ms. Traisulee said.
Prasong Poontaneat, Permanent Secretary of Finance, said the country needed to generate revenue from tourists, especially those from countries where coronavirus disease has not spread in recent months-including China, Taiwan, and some European countries.
Twenty provinces in China were excluded from Covid-19 and had a total population of about 800 million people. If just one percent of them, nearly 8 million citizens, visited Thailand, he said they might help the tourism industry.
Source bangkok Post
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