Bahrainis can now get 90-day visas on arrival in Thailand as part of efforts to promote medical tourism, said a Thai government spokeswoman.

It has tripled the length of stay allowed to citizens of all Gulf countries, who can take advantage of the new rule as long as they show medical reports and proof of an appointment in one of the country's hospitals.

"Thailand wants to be Asia's medical hub and in the past the length of stay was inconveniently short so the government decided to extend it to not more than 90 days from 30 days currently," said the spokeswoman.

The announcement comes only months after Thailand Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra visited Bahrain along with a delegation of 60 businessmen to promote medical tourism.

During the trip, which coincided with the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Thailand and Bahrain, she revealed Thailand was expected to welcome 21 million visitors this year, up from 19 million last year, which itself was a 20 per cent rise from 2010.

The Asian country receives around 650,000 tourists from the Middle East each year, most of who go there on holiday or for medical treatment.

More than 20,000 of these come from Bahrain. – TradeArabia News Service