On Sunday, Thailand and China signed a mutual visa-waiver agreement aimed at boosting tourism between the two nations, set to take effect in March.
The agreement was signed by Thailand’s Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok.
Scheduled to begin on March 1, the deal is formally titled “Agreement between the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand and the Government of the People’s Republic of China on Mutual Visa Exemption for Holders of Ordinary Passports and Passports for Public Affairs.”
During his official visit to Thailand from Friday to Monday, Mr. Wang participated in the signing ceremony.
The agreement allows citizens with standard Thai passports and Chinese citizens with public affairs and standard passports to travel between the countries without a visa for up to 30 days at a time.
The total stay cannot exceed 90 days within any 180-day period, except for purposes of residence, work, study, media tasks, or other approved activities.
“This agreement symbolizes our long-lasting friendship, trust, and confidence, evident at every level,” Mr. Parnpree said.
“I am confident that travel between our peoples, whether for tourism or business, will become more convenient, stimulating the tourism industry in both countries.”
Mr. Wang expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “From March 1, our two countries will officially enter a visa-free era. This will undoubtedly elevate our people-to-people exchanges to new heights and significantly increase the number of Chinese tourists visiting Thailand.”
The Ministry of Tourism and Sports expects the visa exemption arrangement to attract around 8 million Chinese visitors this year, generating approximately 320 billion baht in revenue from their spending.
Before the pandemic, Chinese tourists were the largest group visiting Thailand, playing a key role in the ongoing recovery of the tourism sector, a vital driver of economic growth.
In 2019, tourists from mainland China made up about 27% of Thailand’s 40 million international visitors, but this number fell to only 3.5 million of the 28 million tourists last year, with Malaysia being the largest source of visitors at 4.4 million.
The Thai government is targeting 35 million international tourist arrivals this year.
