The mutual visa exemption, expected to take effect from March 1, will allow Thai and Chinese citizens to travel freely between the two countries, thereby boosting tourism and related industries in both countries, according to The Nation .
“This measure will upgrade the Thai passport to a higher level,” said Srettha, who is also finance minister. He was speaking at “Thailand 2024 – The Grand Challenge,” held on Wednesday (24.1) at the Pullman King Power Hotel in Bangkok.
Thai Prime Minister welcomes Chinese tourists at Suvarnabhumi Airport last year
Srettha added that on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, last week, he asked European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo to consider waiving the Schengen visa requirement for Thai visitors.
The Schengen visa allows stays of up to 90 days in 27 countries in the Schengen area, namely Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
“We know all too well that getting visas to Italy, France, Spain and Germany is a huge task. Talking to European leaders is the first step to overcome this weakness of Thai tourists,” Srettha said.
Thailand was the first country to waive visas for visitors from China and Kazakhstan in September last year, followed by Indian and Taiwanese citizens in November. The visa exemption for Chinese and Kazakh citizens is set to expire on February 29.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) hopes that the visa exemption between Thailand and China will boost tourism in both countries, with visitors benefiting from more flights and cheaper airfares.
TAT Governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said on Wednesday that the agency thanked the government for reaching an agreement with Chinese authorities to waive permanent visa requirements for both Thai and Chinese nationals from March 1.
“This policy will significantly improve the convenience of tourists and benefit the tourism industries of both Thailand and China. We are likely to see more direct flights on both new and existing routes, while airfares will fall after the surges following the Covid-19 pandemic,” she said.
Until now, foreign tourists from more than 60 countries and territories can enter Thailand without a visa and stay in the country for up to 30 days.
China has one of the most difficult visa policies in the world and the number of countries that China exempts from visas is also very limited. Currently, China only exempts visas for citizens of 22 countries.
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