Thailand has officially invited Singapore to join its ambitious “Six Countries, One Destination” initiative, a regional tourism campaign aimed at boosting cross-border travel across six ASEAN nations. The program is expected to launch by the end of 2025.

On April 22, Thai Foreign Minister advisors Dusit Manapan and Chayika Wongnapachant visited Singapore to introduce the initiative. Singapore’s Foreign Minister, Vivian Balakrishnan, reportedly expressed strong interest in participating.

Thailand has already held discussions with Cambodia, Malaysia, and Vietnam, and is working to confirm the sixth partner country. The “Six Countries, One Destination” concept envisions seamless travel and shared tourism experiences across Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and another ASEAN nation to be announced soon.

A joint working group will be established to coordinate logistics and oversee the initiative’s rollout.

Focus on Premium Tourism Experiences

The initiative emphasizes premium tourism offerings, including cruise routes linking Singapore, Penang, Phuket, and Ho Chi Minh City; heritage land tours showcasing Peranakan culture in southern Thailand and Malaysia; culinary journeys across southern Thailand and Johor Bahru; self-drive holidays; and seasonal tours around regional festivals.

Promotions will also feature attractive hotel and dining packages, including partnerships with Michelin-rated restaurants and luxury hotels across the participating countries.

Towards a Schengen-style Single Visa

One of the initiative’s key ambitions is to introduce a Schengen-style single visa system, allowing tourists to travel seamlessly across all six countries with just one visa. If realized, this would significantly enhance the ease of travel within the region.

Travel and Tour World reports that Thailand and Malaysia stand to benefit the most from the initiative, given that the two countries currently account for over half of ASEAN’s annual tourism revenue, exceeding USD 90 billion.

Projections suggest that streamlined cross-border travel could help raise tourist arrivals in the region to 70 million annually.

Thailand has also moved to support this vision by expanding visa-free entry to citizens from 93 countries, further positioning itself as a gateway to ASEAN for global travelers.