For a country that welcomed more than 33 million visitors from well over 150 countries last year, it is shocking to find out that Thai passport holders can go to just 73 countries without visas. That is pathetic and unacceptable and well below Singapore and Malaysia whose citizens can visit 176 and 166 countries visa-free respectively.
More than the government would like to admit, the Thai passport is considered a third-rate travel document, with visa-free access to only one-third of United Nations members, most of which are developing countries.
According to the latest Henley Passport Index, the current Asean chair, Singapore, ranks No.2 as the world's most powerful passport after Germany. That is a remarkable indicator of the Lion City's economic and political clout. Its GDP per capita is over US$56,700 (about 1.8 million baht), the third highest in the world. Next year, Singapore could be No.1 surpassing Germany.
Kavi Chongkittavorn is a veteran journalist on regional affairs.
What can be done to boost the power of Thai passports?
At this juncture, Thai authorities dealing with immigration, diplomacy and tourism need a new mindset that will focus on ease of access for Thais travelling aboard. It is a fundamental right. One reason is that outbound Thais traveller numbers have increased steadily over the past few years. Last year, nearly 8.5 million Thais ventured to various parts of the world and by 2020, that number could surpass 10 million. Most of them visited countries that did not require visas. Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Asean countries are popular destinations. More Thais would go to Europe, America and Canada if they could enjoy a visa waiver.
Since 1977, Thailand's top priority has been to attract tourists to the country to help boost the economy, a policy that has been maintained because it works. Undoubtedly, in the past four decades, no other country in the world has changed its visa regulations as frequently as Thailand. Every time a major political crisis happens, visa incentives are offered to increase inbound tourists.
So, the main obsession has always been to maintain or increase the number of foreign tourists. Although visa privileges are normally negotiated and concluded on the basis of reciprocity, in the case of Thailand, they are given voluntarily to countries whose citizens have pocketfuls of cash to spend while visiting the country.
Last year, the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) said that around 61% of the world's people still need visas before travelling internationally, 6% can apply for electronic visas (pre-travel approval completed online) and 15% can apply for visas-on-arrival. Only 18% of the world's population enjoy visa-free trips.
At the moment, citizens of 48 countries are allowed to enter Thailand without visas, mainly from Asean, North America, Europe and the Middle East, and another 20 passports can obtain visas-on-arrival.
Meanwhile, Scandinavian countries, Australia, New Zealand and all highly industrialised countries in the Group of Seven, except Japan, require visas from Thai travellers. Some of these countries used to give visa-waivers to Thai passport holders but terminated that privilege, fearing abuse by those who want to stay in the country.
No other country is as generous as Japan. After the visa-free waivers granted in July 2013, a few thousand Thai visa overstayers were reported. Japan's Immigration Bureau and the Thai embassy cooperated to urge visitors with expired visas to report to their offices for assistance returning home. Japan does not want to terminate the visa-free programme, but it has to respond if the number of overstayers keeps increasing. Last year, over one million Thais flocked to major cities in Japan.
In the case of Singapore, the government has obtained visa-free privileges from many countries because it is adamant about reciprocity and takes good care for its citizens. Brazil also refuses to grant visa-free entry to countries that do not offer mutual privileges.
Oddly enough, Thais are the only citizens of an Asean country who enjoy visa-free visits to Russia, where they can stay for 30 days, while Brunei's citizens can remain there only 14 days. Last year, more than one million Russian tourists came to Thailand, but only 5,500 Thais visited Russia.
The Ministry of Tourism and Sport should not be afraid that if Thailand cuts back on visa-free travel it will dramatically reduce the number of tourists. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs must work harder and be more assertive in negotiating visa-free schemes with non-reciprocal countries and others.
At the same time, Thailand should promote tourism more vigorously from within Asean, which is a big source of tourists and revenue.
Last year, visitors from other members of the group hit nearly 10 million as the Asean Community continues to go from strength to strength. As more and more Asean citizens cross borders, the country's 48 entry points must keep up with this trend. Somehow, Suvarnabhumi Airport has become ignorant and has terminated three of the "Asean lanes" implemented five years ago, downgrading Asean travellers while other members continue to practice the scheme as mandated in the Asean Charter.
All things considered, the Thai government must get visa-free agreements from all key trading partners − the US, China, EU, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Of course, conditions and restrictions will be imposed on Thai passports. The government needs to press on. If necessary, Thailand should remove from its visa-waiver list those countries that have not provided the same privilege to Thai passports.