Thailand saw the biggest variety of Chinese tourists in Southeast Asia in the primary quarter of this yr, reaching 1.75 million, helped by visa policies and tourism promotions. Vietnam got here second, followed by Singapore and Malaysia, based on data from their tourism ministries.
Overall, Thailand recorded significant growth in the primary quarter of 2024, with 9.37 million foreign tourists, up 44% year-on-year, and is targeting 35 million tourists this yr. The visa-free policy, including an agreement with China from March 1, has supported the expansion of tourist arrivals and strengthened bilateral trust.
The country also goals to attain tourism revenues of three.5 trillion baht ($95.45 billion) by specializing in tourism experiences that attract greater spending.
Southeast Asian countries are actively attracting tourists from China, the world’s largest outbound tourism market, with visa-free policies. For example, Malaysia and Singapore have introduced 30-day visa-free policies for Chinese tourists.
Indonesia can be considering an analogous policy for 20 countries, including China. Meanwhile, Vietnam is considering abolishing visas for tourists from China and India.
