Bangkok, Jan 8 (EFE).- Thailand hopes to double the number of Chinese tourists visiting the southeast Asian country this year to 8 million, officials said Monday.
Last week Thailand announced that visa requirements would be lifted for Chinese tourists, who will now be able to visit the country for 30 days and be able to extend their stay for up to six months. These measures will also apply to Thai tourists visiting China.
In September, Thailand had temporarily exempted Chinese tourists from visa requirements in a bid to kickstart its tourism sector, one of its main economic engines that has struggled to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.
That temporary exemption had been due to expire at the end of February.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) confirmed to EFE on Monday that, in addition to the permanent removal of visa requirements, other measures would be applied in a bid to boost Chinese visitors, including promoting tourism among younger generations on social media.
Despite the initial boost provided by the temporary exemption, only 3.4 million Chinese tourists arrived in Thailand last year, below the official target and far short of the nearly 11 million visitors from China in 2019.
The Thai government has also applied visa exemptions for travelers from Kazakhstan, India and Taiwan as part of its efforts to attract more tourists.
By 2024, the Ministry of Tourism expects a more robust recovery in the sector with the arrival of some 35 million international visitors.
In 2019, before the pandemic, Thailand had close to 40 million tourists, with Chinese nationals ing for more than 25 percent of the total.
Tourism ed for between 12% and 20% of gross domestic product before Covid. EFE
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