Tourists looking to pick up Muay Thai and train extensively in Thailand, here's some good news.

The Thai government is rolling out a special visa that allows tourists to train in Muay Thai in Thailand for up to 90 days, Bangkok Post, Khaosod, Thai PBS World, and Thaiger reported.

Muay Thai and soft power

Thailand's Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said in a Jan. 14, 2024, X (formerly Twitter) post that the Thai government is ready to issue the special Muay Thai visa.

Prior to the special 90-day visa, tourists training Muay Thai in Thailand can only stay up to 60 days.

Prime Minister Srettha's announcement comes two days after Thai authorities decided to promote the national sport as one of its "soft powers" on Jan. 12, 2024.

The Thai government aims to promote the country through its culture — dubbed "soft power policies" — and lift its economy out of "crisis".

Prime Minister Srettha said on X: "The Thai government and I are ready to support the 'soft power' of Thailand."

"Giving a special 90-day visa (from the normal 60-day visa) to people interested in learning Muay Thai is just a small beginning of the government's desired policy to stimulate the Thai economy by using Thai cultural heritage as an export to the whole world."

"Soft power"

"Soft power" is broadly defined as using attraction rather than coercion to influence others. According to the 2022 Global Soft Power Index, Thailand ranks second in ASEAN, sixth in Asia, and 35th out of the 120 countries evaluated.

The phrase has become one of the country's buzzwords. In fact, a local National Soft Power Strategy Committee (NSPSC) was even established recently in September 2023.

From the national sport muay thai, local delicacies like mango sticky rice and mu kratha (or mookata), to the yearly Songkran festival, the NSPSC has proposed to set aside 5.1 billion baht (S$193 million) to fund 11 initiatives spotlighting Thai cultural elements.

Prime Minister Srettha added on X that a similar 90-day tourist visa may be extended to Thai classical dance, music, or Thai cooking.

Yet to reveal when visa will be implemented

Tourists interested in the Non-immigrant Education Visa (ED) (Non-Ed Visas) can apply at their nearest Thai embassy.

They have to train at and stay with the gyms certified by the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) during the 90-day duration.

Tourists can browse and book Muay Thai classes and gyms in Thailand through the government-supported Now Muay Thai website.

That said, details on when the new special visa will be rolled out have yet to be revealed.

Muay Thai tourism

The market value of sports-related tourism in Thailand in 2018 was estimated to be around 120 billion baht (S$4.55 billion), according to Thailand's Ministry of Tourism and Sports.

More recently, Prime Minister Srettha's advisor, Pimol Srivikorn, said in November 2023 that Muay Thai contributes more than 40 billion baht (S$1.5 billion) to the Thai economy annually, of which 18 billion comes from tourists taking Muay Thai classes.

Top image from Canva