Thailand visa application centre opened in Hyd
Visa processing firm VFS Global, a subsidiary of the 104-year-old Swiss multinational Kuoni group, today opened a Thailand visa application centre here.
The centre would be responsible from accepting applications to processing visas from Andhra Pradesh, Chanchai Charanvatnakit, Consul General of Thailand in Chennai, said.
There was an increase in the number of Indians visiting Thailand each year, especially from southern India, for both business and tourism. Around 45,000 travelers flew to Bangkok from Hyderabad in 2010, he said.
Four times a week flight by Thai Airways to and from Bangkok and direct air connectivity from Hyderabad to all major cities in Thailand have contributed to the increase in passenger traffic over the past few years.
The Thailand consulate has partnered with VFS Global for the centre, which would be operational from June 6. “We expect a lot of tourists from the pharmaceutical and IT background,” he added.
Applicants and travel agents from the state need not send their documents to Chennai for visas now. The centre would be owned and operated by us, said Vishal Jairath, head (operations-South Asia), VFS Global.
VFS Global has around 100 visa centres in India catering to 25 sovereign governments. Globally, it has 430 visa application centres.