More time in Thailand for SA travellers

THAILAND’S Immigration Bureau
has announced that citizens in 48
countries, including South Africa,
will now be able to get a 30-day
extension of their stay in Thailand on
their normal period of stay.
While South Africans applying
for visa exemption as tourists
were previously eligible for 30-day
stay permits, they can now stay in
Thailand for 60 days should they opt
to apply for the 30-day extension.
The application process will cost
1 900 Baht (R635). Should the
application be denied, visitors will
have to leave Thailand within seven
days after the expiry of the normal
period.
Lesley Simpson, Tourism Authority
of Thailand’s representative in SA,
says: “Allowing visitors to stay on
beyond their normal period will be
a boost for the increasing number
of global travellers who have
already covered much of the world
and now want to focus on specific
destinations. It will also be a boost
for those coming for niche-market
activities, such as voluntourism,
health and wellness, or sports.”