Thailand Visa Exemption Push for Mexico and Colombia

A new Thailand visa exemption request for Mexican and Colombian visitors staying under 30 days has been approved by the National Tourism Policy Committee, which also endorsed a national tourism plan aiming for 4 trillion baht in revenue by 2032, the Bangkok Post reported.

The committee met on October 30, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Suphajee Suthumpun. The visa proposal, put forward by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), has been submitted to the Foreign Ministry, so it is not yet in force.

Why Mexico and Colombia

According to figures cited in the report, Mexican and Colombian visitors made 77,445 arrivals and generated about 4 billion baht in tourism revenue, with average spending of 50,932 baht per person. That makes them relatively high-spending travellers for Thailand.

Visitors from Uzbekistan and Belarus had already received the committee's approval for similar exemptions. The Tourism Minister also urged the Foreign Minister to speed up e-visa processing.

The 4 trillion baht tourism plan

The committee approved the draft fourth National Tourism Development Plan for 2028 to 2032, themed "Driving Thai Tourism Towards Global Excellence". Besides the revenue target, it aims to lift Thailand into the top 30 of the global Travel and Tourism Development Index, up from 38th this year. The plan rests on five pillars:

• higher-quality tourism products and services that reflect Thai identity, plus better infrastructure;
• sustainable and low-carbon destinations;
• competitiveness through AI-driven investment and skills for tourism operators;
• resilience through better safety, security and crisis management;
• data-driven collaboration among stakeholders.

Airport queues easing

The committee also heard that congestion at Suvarnabhumi Airport has eased since automated arrival gates were expanded from two countries to 33 countries and territories, which together accounted for 57% of all arrivals last year.

What it means for Phuket

Phuket relies heavily on long-haul and high-spending visitors, so easier entry for new Latin American markets could add demand over time, although the numbers are still small compared with major source markets. Businesses should wait for the Foreign Ministry's final decision before marketing visa-free travel.

Hotels, tour operators and travel agents on the island may still want to watch the decision closely, as any new visa-free market usually takes time to build flight links and demand.

Read more in our reports on the dip in foreign tourist arrivals, airport fast lanes for families and the Bank of Thailand's new financial rules.

Photo: Arrivals immigration at Suvarnabhumi Airport, by Exec8 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.