Thailand’s visa exemption policy for Chinese unaffected despite low flight demand

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin yesterday announced that the government’s visa exemption policy for Chinese citizens remains unaffected amidst the cancellation of flight slots by several Chinese airlines due to low passenger demand. These airlines had previously secured slots for flights to Thailand, inclusive of ground handling services for their aircraft, only to relinquish their landing and take-off rights due to under-subscribed flights.

PM Srettha attributed the sluggish demand to China’s slower-than-expected economic recovery and its government’s ongoing promotion of domestic travel. The 61 year old prime minister stood by the visa exemption policy for Chinese and Kazakh tourists, stating that the absence of the policy would only worsen the current state of Thailand’s tourism industry.

Starting from September 25 and lasting until February 29 of next year, this policy allows Chinese and Kazakh tourists to visit Thailand without requiring a visa. As tourists are spending less since the pandemic, the government intends to intensify tourism promotions in other markets and extend the visa waiver to other countries, such as Taiwan and India, according to PM Srettha, reported Bangkok Post.

The Bangkok-born Thai prime minister dismissed fears that the scheme might result in a surge of criminals from China entering Thailand, despite a recent incident involving Chinese citizens begging in Bangkok. Prachachart Turakij newspaper reported on Tuesday that the government’s visa exemption scheme has not led to a significant increase in tourist arrivals as initially expected, leading to several airlines cancelling their flight slots at Suvarnabhumi airport.

The report stated that the launch of the scheme, coinciding with China’s Golden Week holidays, led to a brief spike in the number of Chinese tourists visiting Thailand, with daily arrivals reaching between 17,000 and 18,000. However, post-holiday figures saw a sharp decline to around 8,000 to 9,000 per day, with a modest increase to 10,000 to 11,000 per day recorded in November.

Flights from China are currently operating at 60% of pre-Covid levels, according to Kirati Kitmanawat, director-general of Airports of Thailand Plc. He added that other countries are witnessing a similar trend, with most reporting approximately half of pre-2019 arrival numbers.