China and Thailand have officially entered the "visa free era", experts say it will further strengthen friendship and mutual trust between the two countries

On March 1st, China and Thailand entered the era of visa exemption. On March 1st, the Agreement between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand on Mutual Exemption of Visa Holders of Ordinary Passports officially came into effect. Chinese nationals holding official ordinary passports, ordinary passport holders, and Thai nationals holding ordinary passports are eligible to enter the other country without a visa for a single stay of no more than 30 days (with a cumulative stay of no more than 90 days per 180 days).
On the early morning of March 1st, 108 Thai passengers flew from Bangkok to Kunming Airport in China and entered without a visa, becoming the first batch of Thai passengers to enter the port without a visa on the first day of visa exemption between China and Thailand. A Thai tourist happily stated on social media, "Successfully cleared customs! I tried flying to China from the first day of visa free travel. Everything went smoothly without any problems. For someone like me who loves Chinese stories, this is simply a dream come true." Malaysian National News Agency quoted Thai tourist Kavaisala as saying on March 1 that since the visa free policy was announced, there has been a significant increase in travel orders to China. His travel agency organized a charter flight to the picturesque tourist attraction of Zhangjiajie on March 1st.

Chinese tourists to Thailand have also seen a significant increase. According to Ctrip data, on March 1st, when China and Thailand officially started visa free travel, Chinese tourists traveling to Thailand increased by over 30% year-on-year, an increase of over 160% compared to 2019. Recently, Thai Prime Minister's Office spokesperson Cha Wachalong stated that after the visa free agreement between Thailand and China takes effect on March 1st, more Chinese tourists will choose Thailand as their tourist destination. This will further promote the growth of Thailand's tourism industry and bring more vitality to economic development. Thai tourism industry practitioners have stated that although the overall number of Chinese group tours to Thailand is not as high as before, with more Chinese tourists choosing to travel freely and in small customized groups, a new stable "ecosystem" can still be formed in Thailand.

According to the website of Singapore's Asia News Channel, Thailand only received 3.5 million Chinese tourists last year, which is lower than its expected 4.4 million. Mutual visa exemption is expected to increase the number of tourists from China to 8.2 million this year. On February 27, the data disclosed by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand showed that as of February 25, Thailand had received nearly 6 million international tourists, more than 1 million of whom were from Chinese Mainland. With the implementation of visa exemption and the increasing number of flights provided by several airlines to Thailand, it is expected that this number will continue to rise.
Jiang Yiyi, Vice Dean and Professor of the School of Sports, Leisure and Tourism at Beijing Sport University, told Global Times on March 1 that visa waiver is a very good opportunity to promote tourism between the two sides, allowing more destination countries and regions to share the dividends of China's tourism development. On the other hand, further promoting inbound tourism to drive the development of various aspects of China's social and economic development also reflects China's footsteps and efforts in strengthening its opening-up to the outside world.
The Malaysian National News Agency quoted Surasi Tanatang, director of the Thailand China Strategic Research Center, as saying that the "visa free era" will bring Thailand and China closer together. "This will promote personnel mobility between the two countries and elevate cultural exchanges to a new level. It will also further strengthen friendship and mutual trust between Thailand and China, thereby contributing to peace in the region."