One reason to learn muay thai? You can stay in Thailand longer

BANGKOK – Muay thai training is traditionally held at open-air grounds or by the beach in Thailand. But on a recent muggy Monday, Ms Pam Lin was taking a 90-minute lesson in the comfort of an air-conditioned gym in Bangkok.

The steady pop-pop of gloved fists and bare feet striking leather echoed from a boxing ring as her instructor continually urged her on while she hit the pads he was holding up with his fists and elbows.

Ms Lin, 48, said she was not looking to turn professional.

“Muay thai is more for fun,” she said. “It’s not like sparring or anything like that.”

The pursuit of the combat art has allowed Ms Lin, a California native, to move to Bangkok by applying for the so-called Destination Thailand Visa, or DTV.

It is a five-year, multiple-entry visa available to foreigners who sign up for “Thai soft power” activities like muay thai or Thai cooking classes, or those seeking specialised or long-term medical care. Digital nomads and remote workers are also eligible.

Ms Lin, who works remotely for a real estate firm, is among thousands of people who have received the visa since it was introduced in 2024.

“When the DTV came out, I just jumped right on it,” said Ms Lin, who has long been fascinated with Thai culture.

“I wanted to get fit at the same time and go” to Thailand.

For many visitors, the visa offers a chance to stay longer in Thailand, where the cost of living is cheaper than home. For Thailand, it is yet another way to attract tourists.

Among the conditions of the DTV: Applicants must pay a fee of about 13,000 baht (S$509) and have at least 500,000 baht in savings, while those on the soft-power track must prove that they will take lessons for at least six months.

Ms Lin takes lessons twice a week at Fitfac Ekamai, which is part of a chain of 11 muay thai gyms. Fitfac charges up to 4,000 baht a month for daily 90-minute sessions, seven days a week if desired. There were only a handful of trainees present on a weekday afternoon.

Three muay thai gym chains surveyed by The New York Times said that their DTV trainees were primarily male, from Western countries like the United States and Britain, and beginners to the sport.

“Before the DTV, the process of applying for a long-term visa was incredibly complex, very hard to understand and very hard to get,” said Fitfac owner Aekkasit Tachasirinugune.

“You don’t have to visit the embassy any more. You can do everything online, and the requirement on paper is not that much.”

While the exact number of DTV holders is unclear, the visa has been good for business for many muay thai gyms in Bangkok, many of which offer assistance in visa applications as well as training camps. Fitfac said it currently has about 700 DTV trainees.

Drawing a parallel with regular gym-goers, Mr Aekkasit, 39, estimated that there was an 80-20 divide between those “going to look good” and those training for competitions.

“We are the gym that is catering for those 80 per cent,” he said. Sparring is forbidden to prevent injuries.

Down the road, at Elite Fight Club, France native Bastian Porta has been in intensive training for the past year as he strives to make a living as a muay thai fighter.

He has won three of his four professional fights so far – new fighters are typically paid several thousand baht per fight. He also has broken his nose and twice fractured his ribs.

“It’s fun to punch people and also to get punched,” said Mr Porta, 27, who discovered the sport three years ago, and pays 30,000 baht in training fees every six months.

“It’s a really good sport to make you push yourself and learn a lot about being humble.”

Elite currently has three branches across Thailand, with plans to open a fourth in Paris.

It has had more than 200 DTV trainees, with revenue increasing by about a third, according to Mr Victor Pinto, 33, who manages the three branches.

He stressed that the business, which offers boxing and other fitness classes, is not based on DTV visas.

“We don’t really know how long it’s going to last,” Mr Pinto said. “And frankly, the laws are always changing.”

At another gym, Khongsittha Muay Thai, Mr Michael Nintzel, 24, of New York, who is on his second training stint in Thailand, is looking to turn professional.

Mr Nintzel, who is dyslexic, said he picked up the sport at the age of 18 after being badly bullied in high school for his learning disabilities, and had previously trained in Phuket for 10 months.

“My goal here so far is to gain as much knowledge as I can here, (go) back to the States, teach muay thai and fight on the side,” said Mr Nintzel, who added that he was on a different visa but would most likely apply for the DTV. NYTIMES