Traditional fire lanterns being released into the night sky during the Yeepeng festival, also referred to as Loi Krathing, in Chiang Mai, Thailand. [File Photo/dfic.cn]

Mi Lan could barely contain her excitement when she found out that Thailand had introduced a visa-on-arrival policy for Chinese travelers.

"This is great news for travel enthusiasts like me because I won't be troubled with time-consuming visa procedures and can travel at any time," said the 26-year-old who lives in Beijing.

Thailand is one of 45 countries and regions that have introduced — or are set to introduce — visa exemptions or visa-on-arrival policies for Chinese travelers this year, according to a statement from the Ministry of Public Security.

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Under the policy, travelers are allowed to arrive at one of the 45 countries or regions with their valid passports and a return flight ticket. Tian Ye, a senior officer from the Beijing General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection, said the policy "simplifies visa procedures and provides more convenience".

The move is a blessing for individual Chinese tourists, who were previously limited to group tours if they wanted to vacation in several countries such as Thailand.

A micro-blogger surnamed Liu wrote on his micro blog on Jan 31 that he went to Beijing Capital International Airport and immediately got a flight to Bangkok after an airport staff member confirmed that Thailand had adopted the new visa-free policy. The 29-year-old said he simply showed his passport and flight ticket at the boarding gate and was permitted to pass.

Despite the expedient policies, Tian said inspection procedures will be enhanced.

"Inspection procedures are always a priority. Ensuring exit-entry safety is key," he said. "But we'll improve our inspection efficiency in an aim to shorten wait times for passengers to less than 45 seconds."

Statistics are currently not available to show how many Chinese travels have used the visa-on-arrival policies since the beginning of the year, but the Beijing General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection said on its micro blog that outbound tourism during the Spring Festival holiday, which ran from Jan 31 to Feb 6, had a surge in travelers.