BANGKOK, 28 September 2012: A single visa for Thailand and Cambodia
will be the test phase of a wider project that will offer a single visa for
five of the ASEAN nations located in the lower Mekong River basin.
Suggestions that Thailand has
ducked out of the five country single visa project are incorrect. Reliable
industry sources confirmed Thailand and Cambodia were selected to test the
system and generate feedback that will
be evaluated and lead to a wider application including other Mekong Region
neighbours, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.
Tourism Council of Thailand vice
president, Thanate Vorasaran, told TTR Weekly, Thursday, that a single visa for
travel between Thailand and Cambodia was part of an agreement signed in 2007
and was specifically identified as a pilot project.
According to the plan, a tourist
obtains a visa at either the embassy of Thailand or Cambodia (first port of
call) and the visa is then valid for visits to both countries.
The scheme is irrelevant to
nationalities that already have visa-free entry for either Thailand or
Cambodia, but it will assist those who would normally need to apply for visas
at both embassies before starting their trip to Southeast Asia.
“Once the project is launched, it
will make it more convenient for tourists to travel between two countries if
they need to apply for visas for both countries.… however tourists have to pay
a fee that covers entry into both countries.,” Mr Thanate explained.
No decision has been made on the
mechanics or processing for the much wider single visa covering all five
countries of the lower Mekong River basin.
There has been talk of a visa
covering four countries known as CLMV (Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam).
But the wider project that remains on the table also involves Thailand.
For the CLMV single visa, Mr
Thanate said everyone would have to wait to see the outcome of the
Thai-Cambodia project first.
“Although Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar
and Vietnam tourism ministries made a statement to launch CLMV single visa
earlier this month, it was just a declaration in terms of words and not based
on the actual realities that exist.”
“Therefore, it was decided that
the bilateral agreement on a single visa between Thailand and Cambodia was the
first step and that would be the test case for further study.”
CLMV tourism ministers made the
statement during a report on the outcome of their First Meeting of CLMV Tourism
Ministers, 14 September, on the sidelines of the 8th International Travel Expo
in Ho Chi Minh City.
One of the decisions was to
invite Thailand to rejoin the group with the Minister of Tourism and Sports
attending the next round of ministerial meetings in Ho Chi Minh City next year.
Ministers of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam
had their first joint meeting in 2011 and last month, in Ho Chi Minh City, Myanmar’s
minister joined to extend the group to CLMV
“Those four countries will have
to see how the single visa between Thailand and Cambodia goes and will assess
the results for the first two countries before proceeding to the next level.
“The Thai-Cambodia single visa is
only waiting for the governments to give the green light. It should be
implemented by the end of this year,” he added.
Under the umbrella of ACMECS, the
five countries — Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar have already
agreed in principle on a single visa. It was initiated in 2005, under the
concept known as “Five Countries, One Destination” and continues to be in a
preparatory stage.
Comments that Thailand would lose
valuable visa revenue if it joined the scheme are meaningless as most tourists
already enjoy visa free entry to Thailand. Visa fee revenue hardly covers the
administration costs involved.
However, as a founding member of
the Five Countries, One Destination accord, if visitors were making Thailand
the first port of call, Thai embassies could be used to process a visa covering
the other four countries even if the traveller did not require a visa for
Thailand. The single visa fee would be split between the countries that require
a visa, while the issuing country would get an administration fee.
Revenue earned from visas is
nominal and declining as countries add more nationalities to their visa-free
list. What the single visa achieves is the convenience of a one-stop shop that
saves the Mekong Region traveller time and expense linked to visiting more than
one embassy.
Security rather than visa revenue
is the main concern that is slowing the process at government level. Each
country has its own priorities, watch lists and nationalities that are subject
to a higher level of scrutiny.
The five countries allow
visa-free entry for certain nationalities, but the lists differ by country and
this complicates the single visa process.
Thailand allows as many as 45
nationalities visa-free entry. Vietnam is adding nations to its visa-free entry
list, while Myanmar has the strictest policy requiring visas by all
nationalities. Laos and Cambodia are both freeing up their visa requirements.
But all the five nations are
worried about terrorism . Security issues have heightened in recent years and
this gives Immigration Bureaus ammunition to call for stricter visa rules or
voice objections to schemes that make entry easier.
Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign
Affairs confirmed that Thai-Cambodia single visa has been processed, but needs the
green light from both governments before it can be implemented even in a test
phase. That green light has not blinked.
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