Under the measure, visa fees will be waived at all Thai embassies and consulates until August, though visas on arrival will still cost Bt1,000.

On Tuesday, Government Spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said that waiving visa fees from December to February 28 had resulted in a 12-per-cent increase in foreign arrivals.

The move to waive visa fees was first introduced on December 1 after arrivals from China plummeted by 30 per cent due to last year’s crackdown on zero-dollar tours.

The government hopes that extending the visa-fee waiver for all nationalities will give Thailand’s tourism industry a boost as it heads into what is traditionally a low season.