A tourist holds a sign that reads "Thailand loves Shanghai people" at a Shanghai airport on February 6, 2023. A tour group departed from the airport and flew to Thailand's Phuket, one of the first Chinese tour groups to head abroad following China's resumption of outbound group tours. Photo: Chen Xia/GT

Searches for flights and hotels in Thailand surged on Chinese travel platforms on Wednesday after the country announced a five-month visa-free policy for China. 

Instant searches for flight tickets increased by 70 percent on Wednesday week-on-week on Chinese online travel agency platform Qunar and searches for local hotels doubled, the company told the Global Times on Wednesday. 

Data from Qunar showed that searches for China's upcoming National Day Holiday are expected to further pick up as Thailand is already ranked second on the popularity list for overseas hotel bookings for the holiday on the platform. 

Instant searches for Thailand-related content on Ctrip jumped 800 percent, according to media reports. The company said that it plans to invest 100 million yuan ($13.73 million) in subsidies for hotel bookings.  

Chinese and Kazakh tourists can enter Thailand without a visa between September 25 and February 29, 2024, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin told reporters after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Bloomberg reported. The temporary waiver is expected to attract 5 million additional visitors, according to the report, citing Tourism Minister Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol.

Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Thursday that tourists from China and Kazakhstan can stay in Thailand no longer than 30 days during the implementation period of the visa-free policy, Chinanews.com reported. The move aims to offer more convenient traveling experience for Chinese and Kazakh tourists in a bid to attract more travelers and boost the nation's economic development.

As of August 27, a total of 17.60 million foreign travelers visited Thailand with 2.18 million from China, ranking second after Malaysia, according to Thai official data.

Thailand was among the countries on the destination list for China's resumption of outbound tours, which started from February 6 after nearly three years of suspension. Thailand expects to see more than 5.3 million Chinese visitors, and the figure might even reach 7 million if supported by other tourism incentives, the Bangkok Post reported in May, citing the Tourism Authority of Thailand. 

In the first 12 days of September, 1,611 passenger flights operated on the China-Thailand route, with a daily average of 134 flights, according to data sent to the Global Times by VariFlight.

The outbound travel for the Chinese market is expected to further pick up for the upcoming eight-day National Day Holiday, which will combine with the Mid-Autumn Festival and fall from September 29 to October 6. 

Global Times