Holiday Rentals News - Thailand and the Philippines back single visa for south-east Asia

Thailand and the Philippines back single visa for south-east Asia

Travelling to south-east Asia could involve less red tape in future if plans to adopt a common visa go ahead. Intellasia.com reports that two members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) are pushing for such an initiative.

The Philippines and Thailand are both in favour of a single visa to make travelling between the ten member states of ASEAN easier. President of the Philippines, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, recently met with Samak Sundaravej, the prime minister of Thailand, when they discussed the promotion of tourism in the ASEAN region.

"Thailand is the acknowledged leader in tourism in our region. I am glad that...the prime minister, thinks it is a wise idea to share Thailand's market with the rest of ASEAN," Arroya said. She added that both the Philippines and Thailand would jointly push for the adoption of a common visa when Thailand assumes the ASEAN chairmanship next month.

The introduction of a single visa would allow foreign tourists to travel freely throughout the ASEAN region without the need for multiple permits. According to David Stanley Redfern, almost 30 million non-ASEAN tourists visited the region last year.

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