The Thai government approved an extension of 30 additional days of stay in the country, on its visa permit for visiting Israelis. Holiday-makers in the favored destination would be allowed to remain in Thailand for a period of 60 days.
The move is intended to help the country’s tourism sector, which is a central component of its economy. Israel is among the 93 countries whose nationals receive an automatic tourism visa upon arrival in Thailand.
The country’s digital nomad visa will be extended to five years of multiple entry, up from the current 60 days, with each stay limited to 180 days.
The move also includes allowing foreign students to stay in the country for an additional year after completing their studies and reducing requirements for foreigners seeking to retire in Thailand.
Since the beginning of 2024, 14.3 million tourists have visited Thailand, and the country aims to reach an annual number of 40 million tourists, generating $95.7 billion in revenue.
The Thai embassy in Israel said in December that there had a record 209,320 Israeli tourists visited Thailand in 2023 – This represents a 61% increase compared to the same period in 2022 when 124,246 Israelis entered Thailand.
This breaks the previous record set in 2019 when 194,081 Israelis visited the country. Another notable statistic from the year’s summary is that the average Israeli tourist spends approximately 9,750 shekels per person on a trip to Thailand.