The government is considering lifting the requirement for visitors coming by land from Malaysia to fill out arrival and departure cards at all major crossings, to further encourage tourism and business, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on Tuesday.
Visitors of all nationalities arriving by land through the Sadao checkpoint in Songkhla have been exempt from filling out and carrying the cards, known as Tor Mor 6, for the six months ending on April 30.
Mr Srettha said this exemption may be extended to the other main entry points along the Malaysian border.
He was speaking during a meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Melbourne on Tuesday, on the sidelines of the Australia-Asean special summit.
The Sadao exemption speeds up the entry process and was intended to attract more travellers and business from Malaysia. The number of Malaysians visiting Songkhla via Sadao has since tripled, from 10,000 to 30,000 on weekends, according to the prime minister.
Visitors through other checkpoints are still required to fill out and carry the card and present it on departure. The other major border crossings between Thailand and Malaysia are in Betong district of Yala and Sungai Kolok district of Narathiwat.
Visitors from Malaysia topped all foreign travellers to Thailand last year.
The prime minister also proposed a "Six Countries, One Destination" scheme in separate, bilateral talks with Mr Anwar and Lao leader Sonexay Siphandone, saying it could attract more travellers to the Southeast Asia region.
The Malaysian and Lao prime ministers said they needed to explore the idea in detail, according to Government House.
The Six countries under the proposal are Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar.
Mr Srettha also pitched the idea during a summit with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet last month in Bangkok.