Thailand's golden beaches, shopping districts and ornate temples are filling with tourists once again and Chinese vacationers are getting an especially VIP welcome under a new visa-free scheme.
Vowing to revive the country's economy, newly appointed Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin announced a visa-free policy for Chinese and Kazakh tourists that would run from September 25 to February 29 next year, signalling that the recovery of Thailand's tourism industry is a top priority.
He noted that the Thai government hopes to see travellers visit smaller towns, to lengthen their stay and increase spending. Southeast Asian countries had set high hopes for a rebound of international travel to boost their tourism sectors following the pandemic shutdowns, their positive forecasts bolstered by China's easing of travel restrictions in early 2023.
He added that the Chinese outbound travel industry is going through a "transitory period," as travel trends and sentiments have changed since the pandemic, while more Chinese consumers are also looking for different experiences – often on smaller budgets.Last year, China wasn't letting citizens travel outside the country for leisure because of its COVID restrictions. That sparked a domestic tourism boom.
Outbound international travel bookings are nearly 20 times higher compared to the same holiday period last year, according to Trip.com, which also operates China's largest travel booking platform, Ctrip. China Railway estimates around 190 million railway trips will be made during the 12-day travel rush from September 27 to October 8, according to rail booking platform 12306.
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