Feature: Surge in Chinese tourist arrivals to boost Thailand's economy

BANGKOK, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- The ticket office of the Grand Palace in Bangkok bustled with long queues of ticket buyers in the early morning and staff were constantly directing the flow of people.

Huang Lijuan, a 28-year-old Chinese tourist, chose to take a self-guided tour to Thailand with her three friends during China's week-long National Day holiday.

"This is the first time the four of us have traveled abroad. We chose Thailand because visa-free travel is very convenient and there are many flights between China and Thailand," Huang said, adding that they wanted to experience different customs and traditions. They ticked off the Grand Palace and Wat Arun in Bangkok and would stay in Phuket for a few days.

"Chinese tourists are quite interested in Thailand's history, culture and cuisine. I am very pleased to introduce Thailand to Chinese tourists. There are more Chinese tourists than usual during China's National Day holiday and I take two groups in the morning and two in the afternoon these days," said Trirad, a Thai tour guide of the Grand Palace who speaks Chinese.

In the past few days, there have been many Chinese tourists in Bangkok's famous attractions such as the Grand Palace and Wat Arun, as well as seaside resorts such as Pattaya and Phuket.

Wu Jianling from south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region chose to travel to Thailand on a group tour.

Thailand is famously known as the Land of Smiles, Wu said, adding that she saw an introduction about Thailand at the China-ASEAN Expo held in Nanning not long ago.

Adith Chairattananon, secretary general of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, said tourism is Thailand's pillar industry and Thailand has always been one of the most popular destinations for Chinese tourists. In 2019, before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 10 million Chinese tourists flocked to Thailand, accounting for a quarter of Thailand's international tourists.

"Thailand relies on tourism to drive its economy, and China is the largest source of foreign tourists for Thailand. Therefore, both the Thai government and private tourism organizations attach great importance to Chinese tourists," said Adith.

The agreement on mutual visa exemption between China and Thailand came into effect on March 1, marking the start of a "visa-free era" for both countries. Benefiting from this agreement, Chinese tourists visiting Thailand have increased.

To attract more Chinese tourists, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has launched a "Nihao Month" tourism promotion campaign in September and October, collaborating with China's leading travel platforms to offer promotions and discounts.

According to the data from Thailand's Ministry of Tourism and Sports, foreign arrivals to Thailand in the first nine months this year were 26.08 million people, generating 1.21 trillion baht (about 36.1 billion U.S. dollars) in tourism revenue. Among them, 5.25 million were Chinese tourists, ranking the first.

Up to 183,000 Chinese tourists are expected to visit Thailand during China's week-long National Day holiday, generating 5.1 billion bahts (about 152 million U.S. dollars) in revenue, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Sorawong Thienthong, Thailand's minister of tourism and sports, told Xinhua that Thailand has sufficient infrastructure in place to accommodate tourists from around the world.

He noted that Thailand has put the safety of tourists as its top priority and is doing everything to enhance the safety measures for all tourists, in order to provide a safer and higher-quality travel experience.