China, Thailand to sign pact on visa-free travel starting March
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A Chinese tourist taking a selfie with Thailand's Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin at Bangkok’s international airport in September 2023.
PHOTO: REUTERS
BANGKOK – China and Thailand are set to sign an agreement to waive visa requirements for travellers between the two countries from March 1, as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is due to visit the South-east Asian nation this week.
Mr Wang will sign the deal for China, a major source of foreign visitors for Thailand, during his visit from Jan 26 to 29, the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Jan 25.
The agreement will come weeks after Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin revealed that the bilateral deal was being discussed ahead of the expiration on Feb 29 of a temporary visa exemption for Chinese visitors.
Mr Wang’s visit to Thailand, the first since July 2022, is aimed at enhancing cooperation between the two countries on trade, investment, security and tourism, and in exchanging views on regional and international issues, the Thai Foreign Ministry said.
Chinese tourists were Thailand’s largest group of visitors before the Covid-19 pandemic and are seen as key to a sustained recovery of the country’s tourism industry, which is a main driver of its economic growth.
Travellers from the Chinese mainland accounted for more than 25 per cent of the 40 million foreign visitors in 2019 but made up only about 3.5 million out of the 28 million tourists in 2023.
Thailand is targeting 35 million foreign arrivals in 2024, including eight million from China. The return of Chinese tourists is expected to accelerate when the new visa privilege starts, said Mr Bill Heinecke, chairman of the Bangkok-based hospitality giant Minor International earlier this week.
Thai government spokesman Chai Wacharonke earlier in January said that under the new arrangement to be signed, Chinese tourists will be allowed to stay in Thailand for a maximum of 30 days per entry, and vice versa for Thai tourists in China. A total of 90 days’ stay is allowed in case of multiple entries within 180 days, Mr Chai had said.
In 2023, Thailand also issued temporary visa waivers for travellers from Russia, Kazakhstan, India and Taiwan, and it has also been planning to allow longer stays for tourists from specific countries to spur spending. Bloomberg