The surge in outbound tourism among Chinese travellers can be attributed to strategic visa policies and artificial intelligence-powered travel assistants, according to China’s largest online travel platform Trip.com Group.
Boon Sian Chai, the group’s managing director and vice-president of international markets, said the visa waivers introduced in September have been a vital catalyst for the revival of travel to Thailand.
“When the announcement was made, searches for Thailand immediately spiked 800% on our platform,” he said. “If the visa waiver becomes permanent, it will certainly boost travel to Thailand as it reduces the friction faced by travellers.”
Despite the short window between the announcement and the start of the Golden Week holiday in China, outbound travel volume to Thailand during that period skyrocketed to 1,121%, more than 11 times the…
