Thailand, China to permanently waive visas for each other’s citizens from March: PM

By Reuters and published by Yahoo!News

THAILAND and China will permanently waive visa requirements for each other’s citizens from March,  Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said today (Jan. 2).

Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy, which relies heavily on tourism, in September waived entry requirements for Chinese tourists until February this year.

“This will upgrade the relationship between the two countries,” Srettha told reporters.

In 2023, Thailand welcomed 28 million foreign tourists, slightly above its target, generating 1.2 trillion baht ($34.93 billion) of revenue, government data showed.

Of that, the top source market was Malaysia with 4.5 million visitors, followed by 3.5 million arrivals from China.

That compared with a pre-Covid record of 39 million arrivals with 11 million from China.

CAPTION:

Top: Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin gives souvenirs to Chinese tourists during a welcome ceremony of the first batch of Chinese tourists under a five-month visa-free entry scheme at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Sep. 25, 2023. Photo: Reuters/Athit Perawongmetha and published by CNA

Front Page: The Chinese are the second largest group of foreign visitors to Thailand, after the Malaysians. Photo: Getty Images and published by BBC

($1 = 34.3500 baht)

(Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat and Chayut Setboonsarng, Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor)

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