BANGKOK, 4 March 2024: Thailand enjoyed a 30% year-on-year increase in Chinese visitors on 1 March, according to Trip.com data, the first day of the visa-free bilateral agreement between Thailand and China.
Under the mutual visa-free travel concession signed between Thailand and China, tourists from both countries are eligible for a visa-free stay of up to 30 days.
Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool released preliminary data on arrivals to the country just for 1 March that showed 18,242 Chinese entered the country, a daily tally that the governor said hints of a “bright future”. Since the beginning of the year, TAT data estimates China is once more the top source market (1 January to 1 March), with 1,201,363 Chinese entering the country. Malaysia drops to second place with 850,690 visits to Thailand over the same two-month period.
But on 1 March, the top daily score went to the Malaysians. They clocked 27,866 arrivals, mostly overland tourists, visiting on trains and buses and heading for the popular tourist towns of Hat Yai and the beaches of Songkhla province.
The total arrivals to Thailand for 1 March (immigration count) stood at 122,368, while for the two months ( 1 January to 1 March), the country welcomed 6,509,966 visitors.
Meanwhile, Trip.com reports travel bookings from Thai tourists heading for China tripled year-on-year, an increase of over 160% compared to 2019. The Chinese cities most popular with Thai tourists include Shanghai, Guangzhou, Kunming, Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Lijiang, and Shenzhen.
Trip.com Thailand has launched a special page showcasing the many attractions and activities visitors to China can explore with supporting deals for accommodations and flights.
“Interest has been strong, with data showing that on the Trip.com Thailand site, the search popularity of China-related keywords increased more than three times year-on-year and by more than 10% month-on-month.”
Photo credit: Pattaya’s kite festival.
(Source: Trip.com and TAT)
