BANGKOK: Tourism Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul says 30-day visa-free stays are vital for Indian wedding groups as Thailand targets 2.7m arrivals in 2027.
Thailand’s approved 30-day visa exemption for Indian tourists is essential to attracting wedding and celebration groups, Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul has said, as the country targets 2.7 million arrivals from India in 2027.
Surasak said he had pushed for a 30-day entitlement after an earlier proposal would have limited visa-free stays for Indian visitors to 15 days. Many higher-spending Indian tourists travel to Thailand for destination weddings and other celebrations that can require several weeks of preparation and events.
A 15-day stay would therefore have been too restrictive, he said. Allowing Indian visitors to stay for 30 days would also give them the same entitlement as travellers from other markets in the category, strengthen confidence and encourage greater spending in Thailand.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) expects Indian arrivals to reach 2.55 million in 2026 before increasing by 5.8% to a record 2.7 million in 2027. India was Thailand’s third-largest source market by July 18, with approximately 1.3 million arrivals recorded since the beginning of 2026.
Thailand welcomed 2.48 million Indian tourists in 2025, an increase of 16.82% from the previous year. The market generated 90.425 billion baht in tourism revenue, while arrivals continued to grow by 3.06% during the first six months of 2026.
Visa access remains central to India strategy
Visa-free access remains a major factor in Indian travellers’ destination choices and has helped sustain growth in one of Thailand’s most important tourism markets.
Concern emerged among tourism operators after the Cabinet approved the withdrawal of the temporary 60-day visa-exemption programme covering 93 countries and territories. Operators feared Indian passport holders might have to return to Visa on Arrival, creating another stage in the journey and making Thailand less competitive.
Under the revised framework approved by the Cabinet on July 14, India is instead included among 59 countries and territories whose citizens will be entitled to visa-free tourism stays of up to 30 days. India will be assigned to the standard visa-exemption category rather than the Visa on Arrival category under the government’s principle of “one country or territory, one entry category”.
The government said the revised system was designed to balance tourism and economic interests with stronger immigration screening, while reducing overlapping categories and preventing entry privileges from being used for unauthorised purposes.
Indian visitors remain in Thailand for about 7.17 days per trip on average. Officials concluded that a 30-day entitlement would accommodate normal travel patterns and longer itineraries while allowing the authorities to improve screening.
All non-Thai nationals, including Indian visitors, must submit a Thailand Digital Arrival Card. The form may be completed within the three days before arrival, including the scheduled arrival date.
Thailand is the third-most popular overseas destination among Indian travellers, behind the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. It remains among their leading choices for leisure holidays.
Competition is increasing, however. Vietnam is using competitive prices and incentives to attract Indian visitors, Malaysia is promoting visa-free access, and Singapore has positioned itself strongly in the family market.
Indian visitors spend more than 6,200 baht a day
Free independent travellers account for 68.63% of Indian visitors to Thailand, while 31.37% travel through organised tour groups.
First-time visitors represent 59.68% of the market, compared with 40.32% who have travelled to Thailand before.
Average expenditure stands at 6,203 baht per person per day, or approximately 36,354 baht per person for each trip. Thai food is their leading attraction, followed by beaches and spa and wellness experiences.
The spending profile makes India particularly important to Thailand’s shift towards higher-value tourism. Recent TAT market analysis has also identified strong demand from Indian families and larger groups, with many visitors staying for seven to 15 days.
Flights and secondary cities widen Thailand’s reach
Air connectivity will remain central to efforts to bring more Indian visitors to Thailand.
In the market covered by the TAT’s New Delhi office, direct services connect nine Indian cities with Bangkok, Krabi and Phuket. The routes provide 144 flights a week and more than 32,000 seats.
Markets overseen by the TAT’s Mumbai office have approximately 160 flights a week, offering about 33,000 seats. Some airlines temporarily suspended services because of conflict in the Middle East and higher fuel prices, although the TAT expects capacity to recover during the high season.
Total seat capacity on Thailand–India routes stands at approximately 66,000 a week. Indian carriers are adding services from smaller cities, while airlines that suspended flights are preparing to restore capacity.
The TAT will continue promoting Thailand in major economic centres including New Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai, while extending its campaigns into fast-growing Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
Target markets include Lucknow, Chandigarh, Guwahati, Ahmedabad, Surat and Pune. Surat’s diamond industry gives the city a relatively affluent customer base, while Pune’s automotive and industrial sectors provide access to higher-income travellers.
The strategy also covers neighbouring markets including Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh. Thailand will promote food, culture, local lifestyles, wellness and community tourism as points of difference from competing destinations.
Younger Indians seek experience-led travel
The Indian market is moving beyond conventional sightseeing and photography towards deeper, experience-led travel involving food, culture, local communities and everyday lifestyles.
The TAT has identified four prominent changes in traveller behaviour:
Solo travellers and groups of friends: These visitors increasingly make travel decisions in less than one month, particularly after finding promotions through online travel agencies or social media.
Value-conscious premium travellers: They are prepared to pay more for better quality and stronger value rather than automatically choosing the least expensive product.
Digital and AI-first travellers: They favour cashless payments through India’s Unified Payments Interface and increasingly use artificial intelligence to research destinations and plan itineraries.
Socially influenced travellers: Word of mouth, recommendations and social-media content play a major role in destination and purchasing decisions.
Millennials and Generation Z will be central to the TAT’s strategy, with the authority estimating that the two generations account for about 90% of Indians travelling overseas. These groups are also particularly likely to share their travel experiences online.
Wedding and celebration travel will remain a priority, especially during India’s main wedding season from November to March. Thailand’s range of hotels, locations and flexible services has helped the country remain a popular destination for Indian weddings.
Health and wellness tourism will be promoted through the “Healing is the New Luxury” campaign, targeting visitors seeking rest, recovery and relief from demanding working lives. Families, wellness travellers, wedding groups and older visitors are among the priority segments for the Indian market.
Meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions, or MICE, are another target. Indian companies regard Thailand as offering good value compared with holding events in India’s major cities, while the country provides a broad choice of venues and facilities for team-building activities.
The TAT will also pursue India’s older-traveller market. India has more than 153 million senior citizens, with some travelling to Thailand for medical services, wellness programmes and longer stays.
In 2027, the authority plans to participate in major tourism trade shows including the South Asia Travel and Tourism Exchange and Outbound Travel Mart. It will also develop routes intended to encourage Indian visitors to travel beyond Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya.
India has around one billion internet users out of a population of approximately 1.4 billion. YouTube, Instagram and WhatsApp will remain the main digital channels for reaching younger travellers and promoting Thailand’s destinations and experiences.
- The Nation/ANN
