Thailand recorded 16.7 million foreign tourist arrivals between Jan. 1 and July 11, down 3.09% from the same period last year, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing the country's Tourism and Sports Ministry.

The decline comes as the cabinet approved changes to its visa-free entry policy, reducing the visa-free stay to 30 days for visitors from 59 countries while extending visa-free privileges to six additional nations, including India, and aligning benefits across all 27 European Union member states, the report said.

The government is seeking to revive tourism, targeting 2.76 trillion to 2.9 trillion baht ($84.8 billion-$89.1 billion) in tourism revenue from international and domestic travel in 2027, the news agency said.

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