Sri Lanka, May 19 -- Thailand is drastically cutting the length of visa-free stays for tourists from more than 90 countries in an effort to curb crime involving foreign nationals, officials said on Tuesday (May 19).

Tourism is vital to the Southeast Asian nation's economy, but foreign arrivals are yet to return to their pre-COVID-19 highs.

A recent series of high-profile arrests of foreigners has included cases linked to drug offences, sex trafficking and foreigners operating businesses such as hotels and schools without proper permits.

Under Thailand's current tourism scheme, travellers from more than 90 countries - including Europe's 29-nation Schengen area, the United States, Israel and several South American countries - are eligibl...