Following the announcement of pre-travel visa exemptions for Chinese and Thai tourists starting March 1^st, searches using Thailand-related keywords surged by 90% within an hour.

Senior Director of Trip.com for Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines, Jessadaphan Chantakhan, says that searches for flights from Shanghai and Beijing to Bangkok jumped by more than 40%, while China-related searches on Trip.com’s Thai platform soared by over 80%.

The Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Thapanee Kiatphaibool, said the bilateral visa exemption agreement between Thailand and China will help to revitalise the tourism industry, adding that airfares are likely to reduce because this policy will encourage an increase in flights between the two countries.

The TAT has set a goal of 8 million Chinese tourists visiting Thailand in 2024. Roughly 3.51 million Chinese came in 2023. To reach this target, the Minister of Tourism and Sports, Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol, suggested that the TAT should do more marketing in China, especially in secondary cities. Most Chinese people living in such places have never travelled to Thailand. Attracting them to Thailand will require budgets for marketing and public relations. 

By Franc Han Shih, Thai PBS World