The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is optimistic that Chinese arrivals in Thailand will increase to the pre-COVID-19 level, thanks to the current visa-free arrangement between Thailand and China.
Chinese arrivals in the first two months of this year exceeded one million and are expected to increase to the target set by the TAT by the end of the year.
Meanwhile, the number of Thai tourists visiting China this year is expected to double, compared to last year, according to projections by the People’s Daily Online and Trip.com tourism websites.
TAT Governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said she has instructed the TAT’s branch offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Kunming, Chengdu and Guangzhou to monitor Chinese response to the visa-free arrangement.
She said that she is optimistic that arrivals from China for the whole year will increase three fold, compared to last year, as she stressed the importance of ensuring safety and quality of service for the visitors.
She said that the response is much better this year than last, especially regarding the Thai immigration process, which is taking less time and is more convenient for arriving tourists.