its an electronic travel authorization, so instead of being turned back at immig or airline check in desk you will denied access before you even leave home - for 99% of us that’s a non issue it has nowt to do with a visa or visa exemption
visa free travel won’t change this is merely an on line arrival card you fill out before you travel it will eventually eliminate the need for standing in line at immig for many arrivals , and the end of annoying stamps filling up passports love traveling to countries where this is in place like SIn, Malaysia and Australia Thailand is joining the digital age and not before time
I don’t need a visa for Sin or Malaysia but I do ETA and whistle through the border, in SIN you don’t even see an immigration officer and you passport doesn’t get cluttered with stamps
it’s not a visa is a pre travel authorization, and currently only proposed for countries on the Visa Exempt list it will speed up immig process and reduce queues lots of countries do it already
Singapore do it, and it makes arrivals seamless you don’t even see an immig officer, prints photo and away, ETA takes 5 mins to complete on line - if it reduces queue‘s at immig it will be great don’t understand what the fuss is about