Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, Minister of Tourism and Sports of Thailand, Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, and Lei Haisu, chairman of CTG Travel Service Co at the signing ceremony in Beijing on February 22, 2023 Photo: Courtesy of the Tourism Authority of Thailand

Amid the restoration of international travel in the post-epidemic era, closer cooperation in tourism can be expected between China and Thailand, Thai government officials said on Wednesday, predicting that the number of Chinese tourists to Thailand may reach 500-700 million in 2023, a recovery to around 64 percent of the pre-epidemic level in 2019 amid China's optimized epidemic response and pent-up demand for international travel.

Speaking at a signing ceremony in Beijing on Wednesday between the Tourism Authority of Thailand and China Tourism Group (CTG) Travel Services Co, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, Thailand's minister of tourism and sports, said he was expecting to see more Chinese tourists in Thailand.

Tourism has been like a bridge connecting the people of the two countries and an important mechanism for boosting the further development of bilateral relations, the minister said, noting that the signing of a letter of intent with CTG Travel Services will play an important role in promoting the development of China-Thailand tourism.

China has begun orderly reopening of outbound group business and Lei Haisu, chairman of CTG Travel Service Co, said that his company will work together with the Thai tourism authorities to promote China-Thailand tourism, so that more Chinese tourists can fully enjoy the natural scenery and travel experience of Thailand.

Thailand has long been one of the most popular destinations among Chinese tourists, making China the top source of international tourists and an economic pillar for the Southeast Asian country.

In 2019, the income from foreign tourists accounted for 12 percent of Thailand's GDP. Among the 39.8 million foreign tourists who entered Thailand that year, nearly 11 million or 27 percent were Chinese tourists, according to media reports. This number was greatly reduced during the past three years. 

International travel has been badly hit by the COVID epidemic, but now the ability of countries worldwide to stop the epidemic spreading has been greatly improved, which provides opportunities for the resumption of international travel among countries, including Thailand and China, the Thai minister said.

A first batch of Chinese tourists was warmly welcomed by the Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and other senior officials upon arrival at Suvarnabhumi Airport on January 9, showing the importance that the Thai government attaches to Chinese tourists.

With China's resumption of pilot outbound group tours to a total of 20 countries including Thailand starting from February 6, after nearly three years of suspension, there is potential for outbound travel to be further unleashed while injecting new impetus into the world tourism recovery.

In order to draw more Chinese tourists, the Thai government is ramping up measures including simplifying visa applications and expanding flight capacity in preparation for more Chinese tourists, the Global Times learned.

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand is working closely with other Thai departments in facilitating visa-related services, the minister said on Wednesday.

Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, told the Global Times at the event on Wednesday that the daily visa applications that the Thai Embassy in China receives on average is 8,000, which is still low compared with 20,000 before the epidemic.

To make it easier for international tourists, the Thai government has upgraded the visa application system from paper applications to electronic ones.

"The Chinese market is very important to us and we will offer a good experience for Chinese tourists, and easier visa application is one of our tasks," the governor said.

Other things that the Thai government is working on for international tourism facilitation include the resumption of flight capacity, which is still a hurdle for a rebound in tourism. 

"The resumption of flights needs to be gradually restored… we expect to resume 80 percent of flights this year," he said.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand once estimated that the number of foreign tourists this year will reach 20 million. With the resumption of Chinese travelers to Thailand, they believe that an additional 5-7 million people can be added.