The tides of visitors at the Bukit Kayu Hitam border crossing on Sept 18. Credit FB Kedah Immigration.
PETALING JAYA: Malaysians are expected to continue enjoying fuss-free visits to Thailand once the country's Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) comes into force in December.
To be fully operational by June 2025, the ETA is mandatory for citizens of 93 countries that currently enjoy visa-free travel to Thailand for stay of up to 60 days.
However, Malaysia, Laos and Cambodia are expected to be exempted from the ETA requirement, according to reports on various websites including Traveldailynews.asia, travelobiz, and Business Standard.
The process of obtaining the ETA, which will start with a pilot phase in December, will be fully digital.
The ETA is expected to be free.
Thailand, particularly the southern part of the country, is especially popular with Malaysians.
Bernama reported on Sept 16 that close to 100,000 Malaysian tourists took advantage of the long weekend in conjunction with Malaysia Day and Prophet Mohamad's birthday to visit Southern Thailand, contributing more than 1 billion baht (about RM130mil) to the local economy.
It was reported that many were aiming for tourist spots such as Hatyai and Songkhla, as well as neighbouring provinces like Phatthalung, Trang, and Krabi.
According to Kedah Immigration director Mohd Ridzzuan Mohd Zain, over 51,000 travellers passed through the Bukit Kayu Hitam Immigration, Customs, Quarantine, and Security Complex (ICQS) border checkpoint into Thailand during that stretch of holidays.
Dozens of Malaysian holiday-goers wishing to go to Thailand over the long weekend had their dreams dashed at the border due to issues relating to passport, income tax arrears, Customs and unresolved old criminal cases.
With the impending ETA, Thailand will join other countries with such future plans, such as United Kingdom, Japan and Europe.
Other countries that have similar systems already in place are United States, Canada and South Korea.
