Staff members welcome Chinese tourists at Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok, Thailand, Sept. 25, 2023. Photo: Xinhua

Searches for travel to Bangkok, capital of Thailand, surged by 200 percent on Tuesday after media reports said that China and the Southeast Asian country will permanently waive visas for each other's residents from March 2024.

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin announced that Thailand and China will implement a permanent visa exemption policy starting from March, noting that this move is expected to enhance the relationship between the two countries, Reuters reported on Tuesday.

According to data the domestic travel platform Mafengwo.com sent to the Global Times on Tuesday, searches for the keyword "Bangkok" has surged by 200 percent by Tuesday noon.

Searches for round-trip tickets between China and Thailand jumped 3.6-fold day-on-day by 2pm Tuesday, according to data from third-party travel app Flight Master.

According to Trip.com, during the New Year's Day holidays, Thailand ranked among the top three most popular destinations for Chinese outbound tourists. Bookings by Chinese tourists for Thailand from now until the Chinese New Year have increased by more than 10 times compared with 2023.

In September 2023, Thailand announced five-month visa-free entry for Chinese tourists, which will continue until February 29 this year.