Four international airports in Thailand have set up fast-track lanes for Chinese students and their families to promote travel by Chinese tourists to Thailand during the summer holidays.
According to Thai media reports, on the 13th, Police Major General Charern, Chief of Immigration Division 2, said that tourism industry players had urged the authorities to introduce measures to boost the number of visiting Chinese tourists. Compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, the number of Chinese tourists has decreased by about half.
Charern stated that during his recent visit to China, where he met with the Deputy Director General of the Department of Consular Affairs at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he learned that, although in recent years more and more Chinese tourists have chosen domestic travel due to economic factors, Thailand remains a popular outbound destination for Chinese tourists, especially for island resorts like Phuket and Pattaya.
In view of this, the authorities have set up the "Happy China Summer Vacation Lane" at Chiang Mai, Don Mueang, Phuket, and Suvarnabhumi international airports from July to September, specifically serving Chinese students and their families.
Charern pointed out that during peak periods, the immigration clearance time could reach 40 minutes, but these fast-track lanes can shorten the time to under 15 minutes.
He estimated that the fast-track lanes could serve about 5,000 Chinese students and their family members per day, while currently about 20,000 Chinese tourists arrive in Thailand daily.
The existing priority lanes at the airports will remain open as usual. He added that the immigration bureau already has priority lanes for children under 12, the elderly, people with disabilities, pregnant women, and parents with small children.
As far as he knows, after Macau and Hong Kong, Thailand is still the most popular travel destination for Chinese students and their families.