With restrictions on international flights starting to ease in many countries, including India where regular international flights will resume on March 27, VFS Global says it expects a sharp jump in the demand for visas for Thailand as the south-east Asian nation reopens to tourists, including Indians.

As India lifts restrictions on international flights, after a gap of just over two years, many international airlines are preparing to be part of the boom in travel that is expected to take place. Amongst the carriers aiming to significantly ramp up their flights to India is Thai Airways, the national carrier of Thailand.

With rising airline seat capacity, travel from India is also expected to surge, says to VFS Global, a visa processing firm. VFS says that Thailand which is a popular destination for Indian travellers is expected to have a surge in demand for its e-visa on arrival services. The firm says that keeping the potential boom in mind, Thailand has provided for customers to apply for their e-visas on arrival on a website or at their nearest VFS Global Visa Application Centre.

Director of Tourism Authority of Thailand, Mumbai, Cholada Siddhivarn, is optimistic about spike in travel from India. “India remains an important source market for Thailand, and we are excited about the resumption of Thailand eVOA services through VFS Global. Thailand looks forward to welcoming many more Indian travellers in 2022,” says Siddhivarn.

“VFS Global has been a strong partner for Thailand as a destination, and we are pleased to share news of the restart of Thailand Immigration’s eVOA services through them. We hope 2022 will be the year we truly begin travel again,” adds Vachirachai Sirisumpan, director, Tourism Authority of Thailand, New Delhi.

“VFS Global appreciates the constant support and faith of the Thailand Immigration Authority, even during the challenges faced in the last two years. We have seen an uptick in demand for our Thailand eVOA since we resumed the service in January 2022, and we expect a further increase in these numbers once the Thai Airways flights resume at the end of the month,” says Noel Swain, Business Head – Passport Services, eVisa & Tourism services, VFS Global.

The Thai flag carrier says it is adding capacity rapidly in India to benefit from the boom. “Starting of Thailand eVOA services through VFS Global will provide great convenience to customers travelling to Thailand. Thai Airways will be operating 35 flights a week between India and Thailand during summer of 2022. We sincerely hope that 2022 offers tremendous travel opportunities for customers,” says Sunil Kumar, sales manager – North India, Thai Airways.

Amongst the nine countries whose nationals are eligible for Thailand eVOA services, India is one of them. The others are Bhutan, Bulgaria, China, Cyprus, Malta, Romania, Saudi Arabia and Taiwan.

VFS Global had commenced Thai eVOA services in February 2019 for providing travellers from 21 countries online pre-departure travel authorisation within 72 hours of their application being submitted. However, these were suspended due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Also, an ‘Express eVisa On Arrival’ service was also introduced, enabling approval within 24 hours.  This has led to customers availing of the EVOA service to enjoy a faster immigration process at the dedicated Immigration counters at major airports in Thailand, says VFS in a press release.