In the picturesque landscapes of Thailand, there’s a daily cavalcade of tourists, primarily from China. The Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Thapanee Kiatphaibool, disclosed recently that the daily figures of incoming Chinese tourists have been averaging around 8,000 to 10,000, notwithstanding the government’s initiative to waive visas for Chinese passport holders from September 25 to February 29, 2024.
This visa exemption period, however, doesn’t seem to have resulted in any drastic increase in Chinese tourist influx. After China’s Golden Week holiday, which commences on October 1, the flow of Chinese visitors to Thailand remained largely unchanged, oscillating slightly above or under the 10,000 mark. Compare these numbers to the daily tourist influx from Malaysia, and the figures look almost identical.
Given this observation, Kiatphaibool announced that TAT intends to keep a close watch on the situation through the end of the year, exploring the potential for concerted measures to increase the daily tally of Chinese tourist arrivals to approximately 15,000. TAT’s decision on this matter, she added, would be guided by feedback they receive from the tourism industry. The possibility of asking the government to extend the visa waiver till 2024’s end will be contemplated if there’s considerable demand from business operators.
Keeping the imperativeness of convenience in luring tourists at the fore, TAT is mulling upon extending the visa waiver for four other markets as well, namely Kazakhstan, Russia, India, and Taiwan. Yet, an extension for China appears most probable.
In the span from January 1 to November 5, Chinese tourists totaled around 2.83 million, trailing just behind Malaysian tourists number, who topped the list with a figure of approximately 3.69 million. Despite TAT’s ambitious aim of enticing 4.4 million Chinese tourists to Thailand this year, the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) anticipates the number will hover around 3.5 million, considerably smaller than the target.
Regarding the intriguing trending hashtag #banKoreatravel on X (previously known as Twitter), Kiatphaibool played down any possible repercussions on the travel sector. She reiterated the robust bilateral relations between Thailand and South Korea, alluding to the need for avoiding any acrimonious vernacular on the internet concerning this issue. This hashtag trend ignited after numerous netizens bemoaned the rigid regulations put forth by South Korean immigration.
Yet, in spite of the aforementioned controversy, Thailand has opened its arms to over 1.3 million South Korean tourist arrivals in the year’s initial 10 months. Surprising as it may sound, the number of South Koreans coming to Thailand places them third on the list, following China and Malaysia.
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