National—
On February 1st, 2024, Mr. Srettha Thavisin, the Thai Prime Minister, publicly promoted Thailand’s tourism services and Thai local products through Live Streaming on the Ctrip platform.
Ctrip is China’s largest online travel agency that provides services such as booking domestic and international flights, hotels, and package tours, notes TPN.
Srettha invited Chinese tourists to visit and experience Thailand’s tourism, emphasizing Thailand’s transition into a premier tourist destination. The Thai government committed to enhancing safety measures for foreign tourists in all aspects, said Srettha.
During this occasion, the Thai and Chinese governments signed the bilateral agreement on reciprocally permanently waiving visas for Thai and Chinese tourists effective on March 1st, 2024, aiming to boost travel for Chinese visitors to Thailand.
The government affirmed its dedication to quality tourism, restoring confidence in travel within the country, and elevating safety standards in all aspects, remarked Srettha.
As a result of the announcement of the permanent free visa policy, aligning with the Chinese New Year and Songkran festivals, there was a significant positive response from Chinese people. According to Thai national media, within an hour, there was a substantial increase of over 90% in searches for Thailand travel on the Ctrip platform.
