Thailand Welcomes First Chinese Tourists Groups in 3 Years

(CTN News) – After China restarted pilot outbound tours due to the country’s optimization of pandemic control measures, the first aircraft carrying a Chinese tourists group took off early Monday morning in three years.

According to The Beijing News, 50 tourists boarded Emirates flight EK363 at 12:15 a.m. on Monday, leaving Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in South China’s Guangdong Province for the UAE and Egypt.

This marked the official resumption of China’s outbound group tour business, three years after it was put on hold on January 26, 2020.

While this aircraft was still in the air, another flight carrying Chinese tourists returned to Thailand, making Thailand the first nation to do it.

According to the flight itinerary, the first outbound Chinese travel group since the pandemic’s start arrived in Thailand at 8:05 am local time.

They will enjoy a six-day excursion to Pattaya and Bangkok after arriving at Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok on Spring Airlines flight 9C7419 from Guangzhou, according to the People’s Daily.

Chinese-language banners with the message “Thailand always welcomes Chinese friends” were put up at Don Mueang International Airport to welcome Chinese visitors.

At the airport, Yuthasak Supasorn, the chairman of Thailand’s tourism agency, welcomed travelers from China and gave them presents.

Spring Travel informed Bloomberg that 24 passengers from Shanghai boarded a different aircraft on Monday morning from Shanghai Pudong International Airport bound for Phuket, Thailand.

The Spring Airlines 9C8521 aircraft departed Shanghai at 10:40 am and is scheduled to land in Phuket at 15:15 pm.

“I’m really happy that, after COVID-19, we may now go overseas. It is a milestone and epochal change that the jet is taking off for a distant nation, a traveler called Zhu told the Global Times before taking off.

Zhu packed a dozen outfits, caps, and gauze scarves for this trip. I want to visit Thailand to eat seafood and enjoy the beaches, clear skies, and unusual landscapes said Zhu.

The tourism industry in Thailand will benefit significantly from the return of Chinese tour groups. In 2019, more than 11 million Chinese Tourists traveled to Thailand.

Comparatively, 39.8 million international visitors entered Thailand overall in the same year. According to the People’s Daily, Thailand anticipates at least 5 million Chinese tourists visiting this year.

Thailand wants to welcome 25 million tourists and grow tourism-related earnings to 2.4 trillion baht, or 80% of what it was in 2019.

In January, about 2 million international visitors came to Thailand, with visitors from China increasing by three times as much.

Shi Wen, the tour guide for the excursion to Phuket, claims that certain shops and eateries in Thailand that catered to Chinese tourists but had closed in the previous three years are now reopening.

According to Fitch Ratings, China’s openness is anticipated to substantially boost the tourist industry in APAC.

“We anticipate a rebound in Chinese outbound travel to improve economic prospects in nations with sizable tourist industries.

According to research from Fitch Ratings that was supplied to the Global Times, its favorable impact on domestic labor markets and the external services trade balance might result in further benefits for government credit profiles.

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Bangkok Tightens COVID-19 Measures in Advance of Chinese Tourists Arriving in February