More destinations offer visa-free travel

Chiangmai, in the mountains of northern Thailand, has become a new favorite destination for Chinese travelers.

Vann Zhang is planning a big family trip to Thailand early next year, and once that would have meant a big headache preparing visa applications for all 15 family members.

Now, however, China and Thailand have agreed on mutual visa-free entry and she hopes the new policy will be put in place soon.

"The amount of application materials would be huge, and the whole visa fee would also be a considerable expense," said Zhang, a 29-year-old white-collar worker. "Now, I'm hopeful we will save both trouble and money."

Zhang said the family may postpone their travel until the visa-free policy is put into place.

Although not confirmed yet for a specific date, travel service insiders say the announcement will be made soon, and the mutual visa-free policy is expected to be adopted starting as early as next year.

"Once the visa-free entry is valid, Chinese tourists can just pack and go to Phuket Island, just like going to Sanya," said He Yong, deputy general manager of the travel business department of Ctrip.com, China's major online travel service.

Tour groups from China now can get visas on arrival to Thailand, while individual travelers need to apply before going. The visa costs 230 yuan (US$37) and takes three to five days to obtain after handing in the application.

The terms of visa-free travel is now being negotiated by the Chinese and Thai governments. When Premier Li Keqiang visited Thailand in October, the two governments reached an agreement on opening mutual visa-free entry for people with ordinary passports.

"As one of the earliest countries that opened to Chinese tourists, Thailand remains one of the most popular overseas travel destinations for Chinese travelers, as it has been for the past two decades," said He. "The visa-free policy no doubt will strongly stimulate an already-heated market."