Thailand to permanently waive visa requirements for Chinese tourists

by
Thailand to permanently waive visa requirements for Chinese tourists

Thailand and China will permanently waive visa requirements for each other’s citizens from March, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on Tuesday.
Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy, which relies heavily on tourism, in September waived entry requirements for Chinese tourists until February this year.

“This will upgrade the relationship between the two countries,” Srettha told reporters.

Chinese tourists dressed in rented Thai costumes pose for photographs at the Temple of Dawn in Bangkok last month. Photo: EPA-EFE

In 2023, Thailand welcomed 28 million foreign tourists, slightly above its target, generating 1.2 trillion baht (US$34.93 billion) of revenue, government data showed.

Of that, the top source market was neighbouring Malaysia with 4.5 million visitors, followed by 3.5 million arrivals from China.

That compared with a pre-Covid record of 39 million arrivals, who spent 1.91 trillion baht, with 11 million of those originating in China.

Thai police threaten to deport and ban Chinese influencer for offensive remarks

Thailand’s government had initially aimed to attract 5 million Chinese tourists in 2023.

“China’s slowing economy makes people worry about spending on tourism,” Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s deputy governor for international marketing in Asia and South Pacific, told a briefing in September.

When asked at a regular news conference on Thailand’s tourist estimate that same month, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said: “We, like Thailand, look forward to more mutual visits of tourists to each other’s countries.”

“The Chinese side has always encouraged China and Thailand to strengthen tourism cooperation,” she said.

FOLLOW US ON GOOGLE NEWS

Read original article here

Denial of responsibility! Chronicles Live is an automatic aggregator of the all world’s media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, all materials to their authors. If you are the owner of the content and do not want us to publish your materials, please contact us by email – chronicleslive.com. The content will be deleted within 24 hours.

Leave a Comment