India has extended its visa-fee waiver for Thai nationals until December 31, 2027, giving tour operators, DMCs, and hotels a longer planning horizon to tap a Southeast Asian market where Buddhist pilgrimage remains the primary driver. The measure, announced by the Embassy of India in Bangkok, allows Thai passport holders to obtain a 30-day, double-entry e-Tourist visa without paying the visa fee, though travellers must still apply before departure.
For India's inbound trade, the extended policy window enables wholesalers and DMCs to contract programmes further ahead, while hotels across the Buddhist pilgrimage belt can lock in group business from one of the region's most established religious travel markets. Thailand ranked among India's top 15 source markets in 2024, with Ministry of Tourism figures showing 140,489 arrivals from Thailand, up from 116,060 in 2023 and 54,367 in 2022. Although the market has yet to fully regain its pre-pandemic scale—India recorded 169,956 Thai arrivals in 2019—the recovery is substantial. A further 57,056 Thai visitors arrived between January and April 2025, according to government data.
Air connectivity expands, supporting longer itineraries
Air access between India and Thailand has broadened, with carriers such as Thai Airways, IndiGo, and Air India operating on multiple city pairs, including Bangkok–Delhi, Bangkok–Mumbai, and Bangkok–Kolkata. This gives operators more flexibility to package shorter pilgrimage journeys as well as programmes that combine religious sites with mainstream leisure destinations. The double-entry provision is particularly useful for India–Nepal itineraries, allowing groups to include Lumbini, Buddha's birthplace in Nepal, before returning to India—a route that DMCs can now design with greater confidence.
For the Thai market, India's Buddhist heritage remains the core product. Bodh Gaya, where Buddha attained enlightenment, anchors most pilgrimage programmes. Sarnath, where he delivered his first sermon, and Kushinagar, associated with his Mahaparinirvana, are natural additions. Rajgir, Nalanda, Vaishali, and Shravasti allow specialist operators to build longer circuits rather than sell Bodh Gaya as a stand-alone destination. The commercial opportunity increasingly lies in what can be added around that journey. Varanasi is well placed to capture extra nights from groups travelling to nearby Sarnath, while Delhi and Agra can extend a pilgrimage itinerary into a broader first-time India programme. Rajgir and Nalanda give Bihar operators scope to keep travellers within the state for longer.
Infrastructure has gradually caught up with that ambition. Improved air, rail, and road connectivity now serves Kushinagar, Bodh Gaya, Rajgir, Nalanda, Vaishali, Sarnath, and Shravasti. Kushinagar International Airport, developed in part to improve access to the Buddhist Circuit, has been a key enabler. As spiritual travel demand rises across Asia, the extended visa waiver positions India to capture a larger share of this growing segment.
Hotels can capture more of the pilgrimage spend
For hotels in Bodh Gaya, Varanasi, Kushinagar, and other pilgrimage centres, the opportunity goes beyond room nights. Thai-speaking assistance, vegetarian and familiar Asian food choices, early breakfasts, flexible meal schedules, and arrangements for monks and religious groups can influence purchasing decisions. Hotels that work closely with Thai wholesalers and Indian ground handlers on these requirements are better positioned to compete for repeat series business. There is also scope to widen the itinerary—wellness, yoga, heritage, shopping, and culinary experiences can be built around pilgrimage programmes, particularly for repeat visitors and accompanying family members.
Buddhist pilgrimage remains an important component of Thai travel to India, reflecting cultural and religious links that have long supported tourism between the two countries. For the trade, the runway now extends through 2027. Buddhist Circuit operators have an opportunity to package more complete journeys, hotels can tailor their group proposition to Thai travellers, and DMCs can use pilgrimage as the anchor for longer itineraries that add destinations, room nights, and spend. As India continues to enhance its tourism infrastructure, the extended visa waiver is a clear signal of intent to grow this valuable market.
