Thailand plans to boost tourism by legalizing casinos to revive tourism sector

BANGKOK: Thailand is planning to legalize casinos in a bid to revive the tourism sector. Tourism is one of the important sources of income for the country. Thailand is now planning to legalize casinos to boost the tourism sector. The Council of State has introduced a draft bill in this regard. The bill will seek public comments until August 18. The bill seeks to integrate casinos into larger entertainment complexes.

Moves were also made to legalize casinos in the UAE. Thailand’s move is following this. The present draft bill needs the approval of the cabinet. It will later be debated in the Parliament. Necessary amendments will be made later. As per the draft bill, the casinos would be integrated into elaborate resorts. Casinos shall not exceed five percent of the project area. The rest of the land will be set aside for hotels and other amenities.

Similar to Singapore, Thai nationals will be relaxed from fees to enter casinos. According to the latest report, the casino levy collected S$147 million. Casino licenses would be issued for 30 years. The license must be renewed every ten years. Only private companies with a minimum capital of at least 10 million are permitted to operate casinos.

Meantime, India also made several moves for the growth of the tourism sector. Earlier this week, visa-on-arrival was announced for citizens of Japan, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates for tourism, business, conferences and medical purposes. This facility is presently available in six airports namely Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai.

However, only citizens of Japan, South Korea and UAE who have previously obtained an e-Visa or a regular visa to India are eligible to get a visa on arrival. It will be valid for 60 days and during that period travellers can visit India twice.