SUVARNABHUMI — Thai Immigration Police have established special processing channels for Chinese tourists during the summer school break period, responding to calls from tourism operators to better welcome Chinese visitors, particularly during the 50th anniversary year of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Police Colonel Choengron Rimpadee, Commander of Immigration Division 2, announced that Police Lieutenant General Panumat Boonlaksana, Immigration Bureau Commissioner, has initiated the program to support Chinese tourism through airport immigration services, which serve as the country’s front gate.
“This period marks the beginning of China’s summer school break from July to September, providing an ideal opportunity for families to take their children on trips abroad after the strict academic term,” Police Colonel Choengron explained.
He recently attended a meeting with the Deputy Director-General of China’s Consular Affairs Department, where he learned that the Chinese government has no policy restricting Chinese citizens from traveling abroad. However, Chinese tourists increasingly prefer domestic travel due to reduced economic income.
Nevertheless, Thailand remains the top destination after Macau and Hong Kong for Chinese tourists traveling with their families, particularly to unique attractions unavailable in China’s popular domestic destinations such as Phuket and Pattaya.
Although Chinese tourist arrivals to Thailand have decreased by 50% from pre-COVID 2019 peak levels, Chinese visitors still represent the highest proportion at 10% of all foreign tourists entering Thailand.
Immigration Division 2 has launched the “暑假愉快通道 – Happy Chinese Summer Channel” program, creating special lanes for Chinese students traveling with families at Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket, and Chiang Mai airports.
The program features designated signage and immigration officers to separate student family groups for expedited processing, reducing wait times during peak flight periods. Normal processing time from immigration hall to checkpoint is typically under 40 minutes, which will be reduced to no more than 15 minutes. The initiative is expected to process approximately 5,000 students, parents, and family members daily from the average 20,000 Chinese arrivals per day.
For children under 12 and their guardians, as well as elderly passengers, disabled individuals, and pregnant women of all nationalities, airports have established priority channels to further reduce waiting times in regular halls.
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