China-Thailand, Mutual Visa Exemption Leads to Surge in Travel Demand

China and Thailand have agreed to mutually waive visas starting this March, leading to a surge in demand for travel to Thailand from China. Thailand expects to attract 8 million Chinese tourists this year.

According to China's Pengpai News on the 2nd, after the announcement of the mutual visa exemption between China and Thailand, the number of inquiries and searches for Thailand travel products on the local travel agency Zhongxin Tourism's website surged. Searches for Bangkok, Thailand increased by 200% compared to one hour before the announcement, and inquiry calls rose by 15%. Keywords such as Thai islands and independent travel in Thailand also increased by 166% and 137%, respectively.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

On China's largest online travel agency Ctrip, searches for the keyword Thailand instantly rose by more than 90%, and searches for flights from Shanghai to Bangkok and Beijing to Bangkok increased by 40%. Another online travel agency, Tongcheng Yilong, also saw a 158% increase in Thailand-related searches compared to the previous day.

In Thailand, interest in travel to China is also growing. On Trip.com’s Thailand site, the global version of Ctrip, searches for the keyword China increased by 80%. The cities most frequently searched included Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing, and Kunming.

Earlier, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin of Thailand announced that Thailand and China would soon implement visa-free entry for each other's citizens. After a cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Srettha stated, "From March 1, Chinese nationals will be allowed permanent visa-free entry." Chinese visitors have been allowed visa-free entry since September last year, but this was scheduled to end on February 29.

Thailand’s visa exemption policy aims to revitalize the Thai tourism industry, which was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to data from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the number of visitors to Thailand in 2019 was about 40 million, and they spent 1.9 trillion baht (72.732 trillion KRW) in Thailand. However, in 2021, the number dropped by more than 99%. China is a major source of tourists for Thailand, with nearly 11 million visitors in 2019, accounting for 27.6% of all visitors.

Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also stated at a regular briefing on the same day, "Strengthening cultural exchanges and implementing mutual visa exemptions between China and Thailand align with the fundamental interests of the peoples of both countries." Wang added, "The relevant departments of China and Thailand are currently in close communication regarding the specific details, and we hope the related agreement will come into effect soon." China’s state-run CCTV also quoted the Thai Prime Minister’s remarks, reporting that permanent visa exemption measures between China and Thailand will be implemented starting in March.

Meanwhile, Thailand announced plans to fully restore its tourism industry to pre-COVID-19 levels this year and attract 35 million foreign tourists annually. Among them, the number of Chinese tourists is expected to reach 8 million. Last year, the number of foreign tourists in Thailand was about 27 million, with Chinese tourists numbering 3.419 million, ranking second after Malaysia (4.439 million).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.