1-2-2024 (BANGKOK) The president of state-owned Airports of Thailand (AOT) announced on Thursday (Feb 1) that the country anticipates welcoming 8 million Chinese tourists in 2024, driven by the implementation of a visa waiver programme.
This announcement follows the mutual agreement between Thailand and China to waive visa entry requirements for their citizens, which will take effect in March. Thailand had already removed visa requirements for Chinese nationals late last year.
As Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy, Thailand is banking on the revival of tourism, especially from its once-primary source market of China.
Despite the relaxation of rules for Chinese visitors, Thailand recorded only 3.5 million Chinese arrivals out of a total of 28 million foreign tourists last year. Tourism revenue in 2023 amounted to 1.2 trillion baht (US$33.86 billion).
This figure pales in comparison to the pre-pandemic peak in 2019 when Thailand welcomed nearly 40 million arrivals who spent 1.91 trillion baht (US$53.89 billion). Out of those, 11 million visitors were from China.
AOT, which manages six airports in Thailand including the primary Suvarnabhumi gateway, stated that it is fully prepared for the anticipated surge in flights and passengers, according to AOT President Kerati Kijmanawat.
Kijmanawat also mentioned that for the Lunar New Year holidays, a 200 per cent increase in flights is expected, with assurances that entry processes will run smoothly.
For the entire year, the government forecasts 34 million foreign arrivals.
