Dubai’s Emirates offers free visas to Thai travellers for a month

Dubai airlines Emirates is offering free UAE visas to Thai passengers for a limited time this summer.

Thai travellers who book return tickets via Emirates from Bangkok or Phuket to Dubai between July 14 to August 14 for travel until the end of November can receive the free visa worth 3,000 THB ($90), the airline said.

Fares for the flights start from 16,730 THB (almost $500) in economy class and 48,180 THB ($1,432) in business class.

Emirates currently offers 42 weekly flights between Dubai and Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport with a direct flight time of 6.25 hours, and operates two daily flights to Phuket International Airport with a flight time of around six hours.

The airline also runs an exclusive lounge at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport, which has been now been renovated. The lounge is open to business and first class passengers as well as Platinum and Gold Skywards members.

Dubai is looking to boost inbound travel as it seeks to achieve its Tourism 2020 agenda of attracting 20 million annual visitors by 2020.

The UAE has been working on easing visas regulations in recent years to further grow visitor numbers.

Dubai noted a significant increase in Chinese and Russian arrivals in the first two months of the year after passport holders from both countries were granted visas on arrival last year.

Read more: Chinese, Russian arrivals push up Dubai tourism numbers in Jan, Feb

Earlier this year, the UAE also started granting visas on arrival to Indians who are US green card holders or those who have valid US visas on their passports.

Read more: UAE begins granting visas on arrival to Indians with US visas