China and Thailand Travel to Enter an Era of Mutual Visa Exemption
According to Chinese media, on the 28th of January, the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who was visiting Thailand, and Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara, signed a permanent agreement to mutually exempt ordinary passport holders from visa requirements. The agreement will take effect from March 1, 2024.
After the agreement was signed, the search volume for Thailand on Chinese travel platforms increased by 7 times, and the number of orders for Chinese tourists traveling to Thailand during the Spring Festival period increased by 13 times compared to the previous year.
To promote the recovery of the tourism industry after the epidemic, Thailand has allowed Chinese citizens holding passports and travel documents to enter Thailand without a visa from September 25, 2023 to February 29, 2024. During the 5-month period of implementation, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Thailand has accumulated to 1.3078 million, with an average of more than 10,000 people per day.
According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the number of Chinese tourists has slightly increased since Thailand implemented a visa-free policy for Chinese citizens for about 5 months starting from September 25, 2023. Before the implementation of the policy, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Thailand was basically 8,000-9,000 per day. During the implementation period from September to December, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Thailand has accumulated to 1.3078 million, with an average of more than 10,000 people per day. Overall, the number of Chinese tourists is far less than Thailand’s expectations.
The tourism industry has always been one of Thailand’s main sources of income. However, in recent years, in addition to safety issues when entering Thailand, the shortage of low-cost flights after the COVID-19 pandemic, and the slowdown of the Chinese economy are also important reasons why Thailand is no longer as popular with Chinese tourists as it used to be.
The Thai government aims to receive 35 million foreign tourists in 2024. The Tourism Authority of Thailand predicts that the top 5 foreign tourists visiting Thailand in 2024 will be China, Malaysia, India, Russia, and South Korea, with an expected number of 8 million visitors from China.
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