(Yicai) Jan. 30 -- The new 30-day visa-free agreement between China and Thailand will not only boost the two countries’ tourism sector but will also promote business cooperation between the two, according to experts.

Trips between China and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, such as Thailand, are frequent, Zhou Shixin, an associate researcher at the Center for Asia-Pacific Studies of Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, told Yicai. Therefore, accelerating the implementation of measures facilitating visa applications will not only benefit tourism but will also promote economic and trade development and interconnections in other sectors, Zhou added.

Visa exemption between China and Thailand will boost the tourism industry and also promote business exchanges between the two countries, said Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn, president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, CCTV reported today.

On Jan. 28, China and Thailand signed a reciprocal visa-free agreement under which Chinese and Thai passport holders can stay in each other’s country for up to 30 days without a visa, effective from March 1.

Moreover, the two countries agreed to speed up the construction of the China-Thailand Railway, which will be built according to Chinese standards. The first stage of the railway will connect Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima, while the second one will connect the line to the China-Laos Railway that reaches Kunming in China’s southern Yunnan province.

The number of tourists from Thailand to China is expected to jump 18 percent to 20 percent after the introduction of the visa-free policy, Cheewarattanaporn noted.

In addition to popular metropolis Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, Thai people also want to participate in China’s festivals and activities, such as the Harbin Ice and Snow World, and visit nature destinations, including Kunming and Zhangjiajie, Cheewarattanaporn said.

“The number of bilateral exchanges between Chinese and Thai people reached three to four million last year,” said Lin Chuqin, chairman of the Thai-Chinese Chamber of Commerce. “The figure is expected to triple to at least 10 million this year, thanks to the visa-exemption policy.”

Editor: Futura Costaglione