The Thai government has decided to do away with visa fees for tourists initially, for a period of three months, said Chonasut Wudthiwongse, the First Secretary (Consular) of the Thai Embassy in Sri Lanka.

The date of implementation of this decision will be decided by the Interior Ministry, in due course, he said.

"Cabinet approval has been already granted for this purpose and the Interior Ministry is in the process of amending the visa regulations," he said.

However, Wudthiwongse said this facility will not apply to business travellers.

Asked what made the Thai authorities relax visa fees, he said the objective is to boost tourist arrivals, as the country has experienced a drop in visitors after the recent political upheaval in Bangkok.

The protestors against the previous government laid siege on the country’s main airport Swarnabhumi International, resulting in suspension of flights for a week last December.

Wudthiwongse said the situation is under control and tourist arrivals are picking up.

The tourist visa fee to Thailand for Sri Lankans is Rs 4,000. In 2008, the Thai Embassy in Colombo had issued 36,000 visas and in 2007 the figure was 40,000. The visa fee was increased in April 2008 from Rs 3,800 to Rs 4,000. In 2006 the number rose to 41,000 and that was highest for the last eight years, he pointed out.

A tourist visa is valid for 60 days and has to be used within three months of the date of issue. When queried about multiple tourist visas Wudthiwongse said "No multiple visas would be issued to tourists but they could request for re-entry to the country up to a maximum of three visits," he said.