Thailand to permanently waive visa requirements for Chinese tourists

“This will upgrade the relationship between the two countries,” Srettha told reporters.

In 2023, Thailand welcomed 28 million foreign tourists, slightly above its target, generating 1.2 trillion baht (US$34.93 billion) of revenue, government data showed.

That compared with a pre-Covid record of 39 million arrivals, who spent 1.91 trillion baht, with 11 million of those originating in China.

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Thailand’s government had initially aimed to attract 5 million Chinese tourists in 2023.

“China’s slowing economy makes people worry about spending on tourism,” Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s deputy governor for international marketing in Asia and South Pacific, told a briefing in September.

When asked at a regular news conference on Thailand’s tourist estimate that same month, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said: “We, like Thailand, look forward to more mutual visits of tourists to each other’s countries.”

“The Chinese side has always encouraged China and Thailand to strengthen tourism cooperation,” she said.