Thursday, May 23, 2024 A Thailand -initiated single visa programme for six ASEAN countries is expected to help Vietnam attract more long-haul and high-spending travellers, according to insiders. The proposal would allow visitors to Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, and Myanmar to enter on just a single visa. Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has discussed the Schengen-type visa with his counterparts in Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar and Vietnam in recent months, aiming to ensure seamless mobility for travellers in all six countries.
Hailing Thailand’s initiative, Chairman of the UNESCO Ha Noi Travel Club Truong Quoc Hung said the single visa will facilitate rich tourists’ travel. Thus it will be increasing tourism revenue, while creating favourable conditions for travel firms to form inter-regional road trips. Meanwhile, VietSense Travel CEO Nguyen Van Tai highlighted the success story of the Schengen Area, where the application of a single visa has been benefitting its member states.
A single visa policy will help Vietnam promote tourism linkages with its neighbours and particularly address the issue of losing international visitors due to current visa barriers. Therefore, travel firms have high expectations for the establishment of a joint visa region. Similarly, AZA Travel CEO Nguyen Tien Dat believes that with the single visa policy, the six countries will be able to improve their competitive edge over other ASEAN destinations and tourism powers in As.
