Recently, Thailand and China have reached a significant agreement to enhance tourism by allowing their citizens to travel between the two countries without a visa. This new policy will start in March.
The Thai Prime Minister, Srettha Thavisin, announced this important decision, focusing on the benefits it will bring to both countries. This decision follows Thailand’s earlier step in September to encourage tourism, where they allowed Chinese visitors to enter without a visa.
This initial step showed great success, especially when Thailand was seeing fewer Chinese tourists. Right after this visa-free policy started, over 22,000 Chinese tourists visited Thailand in just two days. This showed the policy’s positive effect. Prime Minister Srettha is excited to welcome more tourists and promises to take good care of them.
He described this new visa-free policy as a big improvement in Thailand and China’s relationship. He also mentioned how this policy makes Thai passports more valuable. Right now, Chinese tourists are the second-largest group visiting Thailand, after Malaysians.
Even with this positive news, Thailand’s tourism still faces challenges like fewer cheap flights after COVID-19 and a slower Chinese economy. There are also safety worries, with stories about tourists being kidnapped.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand hoped to attract 3.5 million Chinese tourists in 2023, which was less than their 4 million goal. However, this number is much better than the 270,000 Chinese tourists they had in 2022. They are now aiming for 8.2 million Chinese tourists in 2024.
China is also making it easier for tourists to visit. In November, they started a visa-free trial for people from some European countries and Malaysia. This trial, which began in December, will last until November this year.
The visa-free travel between Thailand and China is part of a larger trend where countries use these policies to boost tourism and strengthen relationships. However, this might affect tourism in other places, like India. Indian authorities may need to find new ways to attract tourists.
Since India is close to both China and Thailand, this visa-free policy could increase tourism and economic growth in the region. But, India might also face challenges in keeping or growing its number of international tourists.
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