Thailand has extended the Special Tourist Visa to every country in the world after a total of only 825 people from 29 different countries, and six luxury yachts took up the scheme in about two months, the Bangkok Post reported.

This means tourists from all over the world can apply for the STV, regardless of their country's own Covid-19 situation.

Visitors must still be subjected to a 14-day quarantine

The Nation Thailand further reported that travellers under the amended STV will still be subjected to a 14-day quarantine however, and must show evidence of their accommodation for their stay in Thailand.

The STV had been first launched on Sep. 30, 2020, and was initially only available to people from countries deemed as low-risk.

This condition for availability has since been blamed as the reason for the low number of people taking up the visa.

Reuters reported that Thailand saw a total of 1,201 foreign visitors in Oct. 2020, as a result of entry restrictions being eased, compared to 3.07 million in the same month in 2019.

As such, the lack of tourists is expected to hamper the country's economic recovery.

Special Tourist Visa requirements have been changed for Singaporeans

In the meantime, the STV requirements for Singaporeans have been changed.

Previously, Singaporeans were required, among other things, to have at least 500,000 baht (S$22,200) in their bank account for six consecutive months before the date of the visa application.

This requirement has since been changed to a requirement for the spouse of the visa applicant, according to the website of the Royal Thai Embassy.

The visa also required Singaporeans to stay in Thailand for at least 90 days — this has also been changed to a period of up to 90 days.

Eligibility for the visa will still be subjected to a revision every 15 days by Thailand's Ministry of Public Health, however.

The applicant is also banned from any kind of employment.

They must also produce two copies of health insurance covering all expenditures of medical treatment, including Covid-19 for the entire period of stay Thailand amounting to at least US$100,000 (S$133,500).

The visa itself costs S$100.

More information can be found here.

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Top image collage from Suvarnabhumi Airport Facebook