(Bangkok) Chinese tourists made their big return to Thailand on Monday after a three-year absence, welcomed by the authorities who distributed flowers and welcome gifts to them.
The kingdom’s tourism sector was heavily dependent on China before the pandemic, with travelers from that country accounting for around one in four tourists.
The 269 Chinese arrivals from the southeastern city of Xiamen were greeted with flowers and goody bags – containing hand sanitizer and protective masks – while a banner in Chinese proclaimed “China and Thailand are one family.”
“I’m very happy and I can’t believe it,” said university professor Jiang Shanna, among the first arrivals.
The 36-year-old woman, on a month-long visit to Thailand to dive, booked her flight two weeks ago but was scared until the end of a last-minute change.
“We were concerned that the policies were different from what we expected and that we would be prevented from leaving,” said the Thailand traveler, adding that no ground staff had been able to inform them correctly. .
China has recently seen an explosion in COVID-19 cases, with a provincial official admitting on Monday that nearly 90% of people in his region are infected.
Unlike many other countries – including the United States, Canada, Japan and France – Thailand has decided not to require pre-departure testing.
However, confusion reigned over the weekend after conflicting messages from the Ministry of Health and Thailand’s Civil Aviation Authority appeared to indicate that tourists from around the world would be required to show proof of vaccination.
Finally on Monday, the Minister of Health, Anutin Charnvirakul, abandoned this project.
“The decision was taken not only for economic reasons, but also on the basis of medical information,” he told reporters at the airport.
In 2022, the kingdom welcomed 10 million international visitors, a significant jump from 430,000 in 2021 but still far from the pre-pandemic level.
Thailand hopes to reach 20 to 25 million visitors this year, including five million Chinese.