Compulsory travel insurance for foreign visitors is expected to debut this year, according to the Office of the Insurance Commission (OIC).

Foreign travellers will be required to pay 20 baht each for the compulsory insurance at immigration offices in airports, which will be directed to Thailand's Tourism Promotion Fund for coverage of payments in the event of claims, said its secretary-general.

The compulsory travel insurance will offer up to 1 million baht of coverage in cases of death, with a maximum duration of 30 days.

The insurance will have to seek approval from the Tourism and Sports Ministry before being forwarded to the cabinet later.

The travel insurance coverage is intended to increase the confidence of foreign tourists when visiting Thailand.

Compulsory travel insurance for tourists was raised after a string of foreign tourist tragedies, including last year's boat catastrophe off Phuket that claimed 47 Chinese lives.

The China market is the biggest for Thai tourism, making up nearly 10 million visitors out of the overall 38 million international arrivals last year.