Thailand and China agree on permanent visa-free travel from March

Thailand Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin today announced a new permanent visa-free agreement between Thailand and China during a Cabinet meeting. This arrangement, set to start on March 1, will allow citizens from both nations to travel to each other’s countries without prior visa applications.

This move marks an enhancement to Thailand’s existing visa-free policy for Chinese visitors, initially slated to run until February 29. The 61 year old prime minister, who is also the finance minister, stated that ongoing discussions about a permanent and reciprocal visa-free initiative were the primary reason Thailand was omitted from China’s list of visa-free scheme countries a month ago. That scheme, he clarified, was temporary.

In the realm of tourism, China has been a significant contributor to Thailand’s visitor numbers. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) disclosed that Chinese tourists were the second-largest visitor group to Thailand last year, with approximately 3.42 million visitors. The largest group was comprised of Malaysian visitors, who totalled around 4.4 million during the same period, reported Bangkok Post.

Countries worldwide are recognising the importance of travel freedom in bolstering their economies and accelerating the recovery post-pandemic. As tourism and trade flourish without border restrictions, governments are implementing strategies to enhance their tourism competitiveness, such as visa-free travel policies and the digitalisation of pre-travel processes.

Prominent countries like China and India, with their vast populations, are primary targets for countries seeking to increase their visitor numbers. Last year, Kazakhstan introduced a visa-free scheme for Chinese, Indian and Iranian visitors, and China reciprocated for Kazakh visitors.

Likewise, a mutual agreement was signed allowing Maldivian and Chinese tourists visa-free travel from this year. Additionally, Sri Lanka granted temporary visa-free travel to seven countries, including China and India.

Thailand’s government also offers a temporary visa exemption for visitors from China, India, Kazakhstan, and Taiwan, with a 30-day stay per entry. The visa-free travel policy resulted in a 26% increase in searches for Thailand among Indian and Taiwanese travellers, according to online travel agent Agoda. The country currently allows 61 countries and territories to visit without a visa. To read more click HERE.