Thailand receives over 100,000 Chinese tourists first week after visa-free policy implemented

(ECNS) -- According to data from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand on Wednesday, during the first week after the country implemented its visa-free policy for Chinese tourists, the number of visitors from China entering its border surpassed 100,000, showing a week-on-week growth of 72.49 percent.

Chinese travelers to Thailand no longer need to get a visa starting from Sept. 25. The visa-free policy, which will be implemented until the end of February, aims to boost Thailand's tourism sector and the country's economy.

The Thailand ministry stated that during the first week, the country received a total of 552,419 foreign tourists, marking an increase of 71,015 compared to the previous week, with a growth rate of 14.75 percent. The top five countries in terms of the number of incoming tourists were China, Malaysia, South Korea, India, and Laos.

The authority anticipates that the number of Chinese tourists would continue increasing, supported by the visa-free entry measures and the 8-day National Day holiday.

According to statistics, in September, the daily average number of tourists from China ranged between 7,000 and 9,000. Since the implementation of the visa-free policy, there has been a noticeable increase in the daily number of Chinese tourists entering the country.