Thailand to China travel surges after visa waiver

The visa exemption between Thailand and China has led to an increase in travel bookings to China.

With the permanent visa waiver between Thailand and China , airlines and tour operators have seen an increase in bookings from Thai travelers during the Songkran holiday until May.

Songkran or Thai New Year is usually celebrated from April 13th to 15th in Thailand, but this year there will be cultural events throughout the month of April.

See: There will be no water fights throughout April in Thailand

The increase in travel to China is a boon for tour operators, as it allows for a better balance of flights that, before the agreement, primarily relied on Chinese travelers.

Some routes even have more Thai passengers than Chinese passengers.

Chotechuang Soorangura, vice president of the Thai Travel Agents Association, said tour operators sold more packages to China during Songkran, although there were not many charter flights available.

Most foreign tourists are those with high purchasing power and can afford expensive airfares, while budget travelers opt for domestic trips or affordable foreign destinations, such as Vietnam, Chotechuang said.

"Unlike in South Korea, there are no negative comments about the interrogation of Thais by Chinese immigration services upon arrival, nor about deportations.

This means that the flow of tourists should not be interrupted,” he added.

Many Thais travel to South Korea on tourist visas and then try to find work there, hence the increased controls, but China is not affected by this problem.

See: South Korean police use Thai singer to arrest illegal Thai workers

Mr. Chotechuang said popular destinations for Thais include Shanghai, Beijing, Kunming, Nanning and Guilin.

Great Wall of China. Photo: Johannes Plenio

He said a four-day trip to a popular city like Kunming costs around 30,000 baht (770 euros), 15 to 20 percent more than in 2019.

Many tour operators have pivoted to Chinese airlines, which offer lower fares than Thai carriers.

Wutthiphum Jurangkool, Nok Air's chief executive, said some Chinese routes had more Thai passengers than Chinese after the mutual visa waiver came into effect on March 1.

Nok Air operates two routes in China: Nanning and Zhengzhou, from Bangkok.

These areas have attractions well known to Thai tourists, such as the Shaolin Temple.

Meanwhile, the airline's Phuket-Chengdu route operates four flights a week and serves mainly passengers from China, he said.

The average occupancy rate for connections with China is between 80 and 85%.

With six Boeing 737-800NGs expected to join its 14-aircraft fleet this year, Nok Air plans to serve four additional Chinese cities as well as Indian cities other than Hyderabad.

Regarding routes to China, Mr. Wutthiphum said Thai airlines were under pressure from Chinese airlines, which can offer lower fares thanks to financial support from the government.

Arrivals from mainland China remain robust and have been holding steady since Chinese New Year , said Chuwit Sirivejkul, regional marketing director for East Asia at the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

Chuwit said that about 18,000 to 20,000 Chinese tourists arrive every day, while for the upcoming "summer" season, from late March to October, 6.2 million airline seats will be ready to serve the market, about 70 percent of the seat capacity compared to the same period in 2019.

TAT remains optimistic about attracting 8 million Chinese tourists this year, as the 2024 projection for total Chinese outbound travel is 130 million, a jump from 87 million trips recorded last year.

See: How Thailand will attract 40 million foreign tourists in 2024?

As of March 3, there were 1.2 million Chinese arrivals in Thailand and 6.7 million foreign tourists in total.

Once the fiscal year 2024 budget is approved, Chuwit said TAT will subsidize more charter flights between China and Thailand, especially during peak periods such as Labor Day in May and Golden Week in October.

See also:

China-Thailand visa waiver revives fears of 'zero dollar' tourism

Beijing wants to speed up construction of China-Thailand railway

Departure of the 1st train Thailand – China

Source: Bangkok Post