China's first post-COVID direct flight to Thailand, Xiamen Airlines flight MF833, took off from Xiamen and landed at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) at 13:17 on January 9th. There were 269 passengers on Xiamen Airlines' Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, and were the first group of Chinese tourists to arrive in Thailand after the adjustment of the entry-exit COVID prevention policy.Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health Anutin Charnvirakul, Minister of Transport Saksayam Chidchob, and Minister of Tourism and Sports Pipat Ratchakitprakarn welcomed the Chinese tourists at the airport.
Throughout January 9th, there will be a total of 15 direct flights from China, carrying approximately 3,465 passengers in total.
Thailand U-turns on COVID vaccination rule for visitors
On the same day of the first Chinese post-COVID direct flight, Thailand rescinded an entry policy announced one day ago requiring visitors to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination due to "sufficient immunization levels in China and globally." The former "vaccination needed" entry policy was announced by Thai aviation authorities last weekend due to the imminent arrival of a boom of visitors from China, where COVID-19 cases have surged.
One day later, Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health Anutin Charnvirakul reversed this decision and said those not vaccinated would also be granted entry without restriction. He said,
"Showing proof of vaccination would be cumbersome and inconvenient, so the group decides it is unnecessary."
Travel demands surge
The Director-General of Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) Suttipong Kongpool said to the media on January 8th that several Chinese airlines have requested to increase the number of direct flights to Thailand. The number of direct flights between China and Thailand is expected to increase to 20 per day in the first quarter of 2023. These include scheduled passenger and charter flights to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport, Phuket Airport, and Chiang Mai Airport.
There are already 15 Chinese airlines that have been granted approval to increase their flights to Thailand.
Thai Ambassador to China Atthayut Srisamut also told the media earlier that the Thai Embassy and consulates in China have made preparations for the resumption of applications for Thailand tourist visas from travel agents. He predicted that once direct flights between the two countries resume, Chinese tourists to Thailand are expected to return to pre-epidemic levels soon.
The Airports of Thailand (AOT) expects some 7-10 million travelers from China to travel through all its airports throughout 2023, compared with 274,000 in 2022. However, prior to COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, AOT airports saw about 20.5 million Chinese tourists.
China announced on the night of December 26th, 2022, that it would lift all the restrictions for international travel on January 8th, 2023. Since December 27th, 44% of overseas hotel bookings longer than 20 days on Ctrip.com are in Thailand. Thailand has become the choice of Chinese tourists for their first post-COVID long holiday.
How long do you think Chinese international travelers will be back to 2019 levels as now all the restrictions are gone? Share your thoughts with Simple Flying in the comments.