Thailand welcomed Chinese tourists with a red carpet reception on Monday, as the country launched a visa waiver program to boost its tourism industry. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin personally greeted the first group of Chinese tourists at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. The tourists were treated to traditional dance performances and puppet shows.
Thailand’s tourism industry has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The visa waiver program is seen as an effort to attract more Chinese tourists, who were once the country’s largest source of visitors.The visa waiver program will be in effect from September 25th until February of next year. The Thai government expects to welcome 2.88 million Chinese visitors during this period.
Before the pandemic, China was Thailand’s largest source of tourists, with over 11 million visitors in 2019. Chinese tourists also contributed significantly to the Thai economy, spending 1.91 trillion baht ($53.11 billion). Thailand has welcomed a total of 19 million visitors this year.