Vanuatu seeks closer ties to Bangkok, visa-free access for its citizens

The Vanuatu delegation, appointed for this mission by Vanuatu’s Prime Minister Charlot Salwai will visit Thailand during the 25th-29th September.
A focal point of the visit was to support the launch of a global network of government approved offices under the “Vanuatu Information Centre” (VIC) brand.
Though VIC headquarters is in Port Vila, Vanuatu, Bangkok has been selected as the centre for VIC’s global operations, given its location and convenience as an international air-travel hub.
From Bangkok, Vanuatu’s capital of Port Vila is easily reachable via Brisbane, Sydney or Auckland, but plans are being made to operate direct flights from Bangkok to Vanuatu in order to develop trade and tourism links in the Asia Pacific area.
A key service of the VIC network is to act as a marketing channel for Vanuatu’s “citizenship by investment” programme (CIP). The program offers individuals the opportunity to obtain an “honourary second citizenship” in the tax-free British Commonwealth member state, in exchange for a contribution to Vanuatu government development funds.
Termed the Vanuatu “development support programme” (DSP), this citizenship programme is a vital source of development funds for the country. Vanuatu passport-holders enjoy significant benefits, such as visa-free travel to 125 countries – including the UK, Schengen Europe and Russia – with more countries added each year.
In addition to promoting trade and tourism, the Vanuatu delegation sought to open discussions about potential visa-free access for Vanuatu passport-holders to Thailand, as Thai nationals already enjoy 30-day visa-free access to Vanuatu. Vanuatu believes the move would significantly enhance the attractiveness of Thailand as both a transit point for travellers to and from Vanuatu, but also promote faster development of trade and tourism between the two countries.
With five offices already up and running in Asia and a rapidly evolving network of agents, VIC is targeting to be in China and the UK within the next six months, and to expand into additional areas during 2018.
The VIC Network currently spans Port Vila, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi, Phnom Penh, and Hong Kong.