Thailand will waive visa requirements for travelers from China and Kazakhstan in the busy holiday season as the tourism-reliant nation turns to the travel industry to prop up Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy.
Chinese and Kazakh tourists can enter Thailand without a visa between Sept. 25 and Feb. 29, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin told reporters after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday. The temporary waiver is expected to attract 5 million additional visitors, according to tourism minister Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol.
The measure is part of Thailand’s goal to raise tourism revenue to its pre-Covid levels, with a target of 3.1 trillion baht ($87 billion) in 2024. Thailand has welcomed 18.5 million foreign tourists so far this year with as many as 28 million expected by year-end. Revenue from foreign travelers totaled 775 billion baht as of Sept. 11, according to the tourism ministry.
