More ETAs mean fewer spontaneous trips, said industry experts.
Tourists dressed in traditional Thai costumes visit Wat Arun temple in Bangkok on Jan 18, 2023. SINGAPORE: Thailand has announced it will implement a mandatory electronic travel authorisation system for visa-exempt travellers starting December this year.
“Unlike traditional visas, which typically involve interviews, lengthy forms, and in-person visits to consulates, ETAs are typically applied for online and granted within a shorter timeframe,” he said.ETAs are also electronically linked to a traveller's passport, to be used for short tourist or business trips, while visas are for longer stays with a specific purpose such as employment or studies, said Mr Wong.
“For countries that have tourism fees like the United States and New Zealand, the ETA is a simple way of collecting it,” he said.New Zealand's ETA fee is NZ$17 but it also imposes a tourism levy of NZ$35, which is increasing to NZ$100 from October.Aside from collecting more revenue, having an ETA also simplifies the entry process at immigration checkpoints, said Mr Joni Herison, managing director of travel agency Druk Asia.
Mr Herison said that Singapore’s current SG Arrival Card, which was implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic to screen incoming travellers’ health status, “closely resembles an ETA” in how it collects information for immigration clearance. Other than security concerns, countries are becoming more selective with the kind of visitors they want to attract, Mr Wong said.
“Countries that have decided to introduce the ETA would have determined that the benefits for erecting a more stringent e-border outweigh the opportunity costs,” said Dr Zhang.What this means for travellers is fewer spontaneous trips, said the industry experts.
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