Starting March 1, Thailand and China will implement a mutual agreement, thus excluding the visa requirements for the citizens of each other.
Thailand has taken a significant step to attract more Chinese tourists by establishing a permanent visa-free policy. After initially offering a temporary visa waiver for Chinese visitors in September last year, which was set to expire on February 29, 2024, the country has decided to make this policy permanent, VisaGuide.World reports.
The visa waiver policy has already shown effectiveness, with more than 22,000 Chinese individuals entering Thailand within the first two days of the waiver, as reported by local media.
Thailand, recognizing tourism’s key role in its economy, witnessed 28 million foreign tourists in 2023, with the most significant contributions from Malaysia (4.4 million visitors) and China (3.4 million visitors). To boost tourism revenue, Thailand aims to generate 3.5 trillion baht ($100 billion) in 2024.
In addition to the visa policy changes, Thailand has unveiled plans to simplify the process for foreign tourists to claim value-added tax refunds on purchases made in the country. As a result, tourists purchasing goods up to 20,000 baht ($585) will no longer be required to present them to customs officials during the refund process, a significant increase from the previous limit of 5,000 baht ($146).
In November 2023, Thailand also lifted visa requirements for visitors from India and Taiwan, which came into force in December 2023 and will be effective until May 2024.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) anticipates this strategic initiative to lift visas will attract about 700,000 new arrivals. During the same month, the Thai government said it would extend the visa-free stay period to 90 days for European tourists.
This proposed extension aims to attract a greater flow of tourists, being part of broader efforts to revitalise the country’s economy.
Moreover, China has also recently established a visa-free travel policy for citizens from five EU countries – France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain – along with Malaysia.
The policy, officially in effect from December 1, 2023, to November 30, 2024, allows ordinary passport holders from these countries to enjoy a visa-free stay in China for a period of up to 15 days. Implementing this policy has already yielded significant results, with approximately 214,000 individuals from the aforementioned European countries and Malaysia entering China in December 2023, 118,000 of which have entered visa-free.