Each morning, people in Thailand wake up to the latest viral videos on social media of drunken punch-ups, thefts, scams or acts of public indecency committed by some foreign tourists.

After months of warnings, Thailand on May 19 announced the cancellation of its 60-day visa-free entry rules for 93 countries and territories in a bid to curb crime, antisocial behaviour and abuse of the visa privilege by a portion of the tens of millions of tourists who have visited the kingdom annually.

Visitors from 54 countries and territories will get a 30-day visa exemption. A new 15-day visa exemption scheme will apply to visitors from three countries and territories.

The 60-day visa waiver was introduced in 2024 to boost Thailand’s crucial tourism sector, which was battered by Covid-19. Before the pandemic, 39 million people flocked to Thailand’s attractions, ranging from its ancient palaces to beach resorts, in 2019, compared with 33 million last year.

According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the kingdom welcomed 8.24 million short-haul visitors between January and mid-May, with China the biggest contributor at 2.15 million arrivals.

The visa revision came after Thai tourism authorities assessed that the longer visa stay had done little to boost tourism receipts, as most travellers normally spent under 30 days in the kingdom.