Thailand’s free visa initiative to boost Chinese tourist influx by 700,000

Photo by Renato Marques on Unsplash

Thailand‘s government’s initiative to issue free visas to visitors from China is expected to boost visitor figures by 700,000 during the high season, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). TAT governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool noted that Thailand typically receives between 350,000 and 400,000 Chinese visitors monthly, totalling 2.1 million in the first eight months of this year.

Thailand accounted for approximately 3% of all outbound tourists from mainland China, the highest proportion for any overseas destination. This data does not include travellers from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. The average spend for Chinese tourists per trip was reported to be 40,000 baht.

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